Infrastructure &
Nature
Med-IREN
Developing financial assessment tools and regional implementation pathways to advance Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across the Mediterranean through the Med-IREN project.
October 2024 - September 2028
5 Mediterranean regions, with replication across another 4 regions in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Boreal
National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, ICLEI and others ( total 32 partners from 14 countries)
The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (part of the Horizon Europe programme)
The MED-IREN project aims to climate-proof critical infrastructure in Mediterranean regions against escalating climate risks like heat waves, droughts, extreme rainfall, flooding, coastal erosion, and wildfires. By integrating Nature-based Solutions (‘NbS’) into infrastructure design and management, the project seeks to ensure uninterrupted service and enhance climate resilience across key sectors such as energy, transport, water, telecommunications, social and health services, and governance.
The project aims to demonstrate and replicate innovative, systemic approaches for adapting critical infrastructure to climate challenges, with a strong focus on NbS. A digital twin will be developed and prototyped to support the co-creation, assessment, and planning of these solutions, enabling more effective place-based adaptation strategies.
MED-IREN focuses on five Mediterranean regions spanning Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. Over its four-year duration, the project will foreground widespread implementation and knowledge-sharing to encourage the replication of effective strategies throughout the Mediterranean basin.
MED-IREN is at the forefront of developing tools for financial assessments that evaluate the integration of NbS into critical infrastructure projects. These efforts include rigorous socio-economic appraisals to quantify the broader impacts and unlock the potential of NbS across diverse contexts.
Over 40 innovative NbS interventions and 30 critical infrastructure assets from across 5 regions in the Mediterranean assessed to demonstrate innovative and holistic approaches for adapting NbS to climate-proof critical infrastructure.
Expand outcomes across 4 regions across the Mediterranean and beyond, including the Boreal and Black Sea regions.
Design and prototype a digital twin to support the co-creation, assessment, and planning of NbS for critical infrastructure resilience.
