Understanding and avoiding maladaptation to climate change
Understanding and avoiding maladaptation to climate change supports research teams studying harmful adaptation outcomes and developing assessment tools and guidance to prevent or correct them.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: November 17, 2026 (Opens) | March 4, 2027 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: €5 million–€6 million expected per project; €18 million total topic budget; 3 grants expected
Summary: Supports research on harmful climate adaptation outcomes and the evidence, assessment tools, and guidance needed to prevent or correct them.
Key Information: Requires at least three independent beneficiaries in different EU Member States or Associated Countries, including one in an EU Member State.
Description
The European Commission funds this Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action to understand why climate adaptation measures can unintentionally increase climate risks, transfer vulnerability, worsen social inequity, or create environmental trade-offs. The topic seeks evidence across sectors and regions in Europe and globally, using integrated, systemic analysis that draws on social sciences and humanities and public and private stakeholder perspectives.
Projects should identify maladaptation drivers, assess adaptation practices through case studies, strengthen climate risk assessment methods, and develop corrective responses and prevention guidelines. Results are expected to improve adaptation assessment frameworks, inform EU and Member State adaptation strategies and plans, and contribute to future European Climate Risk Assessments. Evidence should feed into EU knowledge repositories, including Climate-ADAPT and the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change portal.
