The International University of Sarajevo (IUS) is proud to announce its participation as one of the project partners in the Nature-based Solutions for a Just Resilience in the Adriatic-Ionian Cities (NATURED) project. This initiative, co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg IPA ADRION Programme, runs from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026, with total EU funding of EUR 1,079,426.13. Over the 30-month duration, NATURED aims to tackle the region's most pressing climate challenges through innovative and inclusive solutions.
NATURED unites 12 partners and 3 associate partners from 9 countries in the ADRION region, including regional and local policy authorities, development agencies, and higher education and research institutions. These organizations will collaborate to develop and implement Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tailored to their respective areas, empowering policymakers and stakeholders to mitigate the effects of climate change in urban areas, particularly flash floods and urban heat islands.
The project's overarching goal is to foster a just, safe, and inclusive place-based resilience approach. This will be achieved through a series of interconnected activities, including:
- Understanding the complex interactions between climate and urban environments.
- Creating comprehensive databases and digital maps that assess climate vulnerabilities and hazards in various urban zones.
- Actively engaging citizens and stakeholders to co-create actionable plans for NbS.
These solutions will be tested through pilot actions and integrated into public work plans of participating cities. The ultimate objective is to replicate the most effective solutions across a broader scale, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.
NATURED addresses the ADRION region's status as a climate change hotspot, frequently affected by extreme events such as flooding, droughts, landslides, storms, and wildfires. Vulnerable communities, particularly those in flood-prone areas or exposed to extreme heat, bear the brunt of these impacts. The project prioritizes these communities by adopting sustainable, green infrastructure approaches rather than traditional grey infrastructure, aligning with the programme priority of supporting a greener and climate-resilient Adriatic-Ionian region and the specific objective of enhancing resilience to climate change, natural, and man-made disasters.
Led by the Romagna Faentina Union (Italy), the project includes prestigious partners such as CORILA (Italy), Regional Development Agency of Northern Primorska (Slovenia), Public Institution RERA S.D. (Croatia), Region of Thessaly (Greece), Regional Agency for Socio-Economic Development – Banat (Serbia), Regional Development Agency South (Serbia), Old Royal Capital Cetinje (Montenegro), Municipality of Tirana (Albania), Municipality of Gostivar (North Macedonia), and the City of Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The International University of Sarajevo’s involvement underscores its commitment to addressing global challenges through collaboration, research, and education. By playing a vital role in NATURED, IUS continues to contribute to the sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the broader Adriatic-Ionian region.
For more information on IPA ADRION programme projects, please visit: https://www.interreg-ipa-adrion.eu/
