How can innovation help Europe adapt to climate change? And how can Europe help innovators to turn their climate adaptation ideas into implemented, effective, and financially sustainable solutions? Ecologic Institute researchers presented answers from the BRIGAID project to these questions at the 2019 European Climate Change Adaptation Conference, in Lisbon (Portugal), from 29 to 31 May 2019.

On World Environment Day 2018 the National Territorial Planning Agency of Albania (AKPT) held an event where government officials, NGOs, universities and research institutes as well as members of the general public gathered to discuss the progress of the BRIGAID H2020 project and its prospects in the Balkan country. Gerardo Anzaldúa, Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the first results of his working group on business development and financing support to climate innovators. The presentation slides are available for download.

Successful innovations require more than a great idea and technical expertise – they need a market. The BRIGAID Market Analysis Framework (MAF+) aims to support innovators to identify market opportunities, tune their innovations to meet actual market needs, and develop their business strategy. This document proposes how an innovator, a supporting partner, and an observer (i.e. the intended users of the MAF+) will interact with the online portal. The aim is to clearly lay out the path these users will follow and define the required software functionality at each step of the assessment. The document served as a blueprint to guide the web development of the MAF+ online portal. Detailed explanations of the 12 exercises are included in the annex, which compiles the draft templates used to inform the development of the portal. The report is available for download.

Ecologic Institute has recently launched an online collaboration facility that helps climate innovators bring new solutions to market: the BRIGAID Market Analysis Framework (MAF+). By helping to identify actual market needs for solutions against droughts, floods and extreme weather events, MAF+ improves innovators' capacities to recognize business opportunities in the field of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. This work is carried out within the BRIGAID project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme of the EU.

This report describes the work undertaken in the BRIGAID market scoping exercise at the European scale. Its aim is to help the BRIGAID innovators to identify those regions within Europe where potential business opportunities could emerge based on an analysis of the current and expected impacts of climate change and the current adaptive capacity at the regional level. The market scoping should facilitate the identification of markets that have a high potential of adopting innovative climate change adaptation measures whilst also differentiating between the specific hazards that BRIGAID innovations address.

Climate adaptation innovations could significantly reduce Europe's exposure to climate hazards such as droughts, floods, and extreme weather. However, many innovations fail to reach the market because innovators lack the funds and ability to turn their prototypes into market-ready products. BRIGAID is a four year Horizon 2020 research project that aims to bridge the gap between prototype and market. It supports innovators to test and implement their innovation and develop their business. By developing practical tools and methods, BRIGAID aims to further climate adaptation innovation and ultimately reduce the impact of climate change in Europe.