The webstival is an online meeting that replicates some aspects of traditional festivals, dedicated to the dialogue between scientists, stakeholders and society. In the TRANSCEND project, this event aimed to connect partners with policies and stakeholders across the 7 Living Labs, complementing other outreach and training event formats.
Agenda, Topics, and Recordings
The 3rd TRANSCEND Webstival took place from 27 to 29 April 2026, bringing together keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical presentations, and interactive sessions. This page provides an overview of the programme, the topics that were covered, and access to recordings and materials
Day 1 — April 27, 2026
The first day of the third TRANSCEND Webstival opened with a brief overview of the project delivered by Dionisio Pérez-Blanco, IMDEA Water , its progress, and its core objective: advancing transformational adaptation in water management under conditions of increasing uncertainty.
The session set the stage for the final phase of the project, highlighting the transition from co-design and co-evaluation of solutions towards co-identification and co-implementation of adaptation pathways. In this context, the Webstival was framed as a key moment to build legacy and support the practical uptake of results across the Living Labs.
Keynote session – Getting transformative adaptation projects ready for future funding opportunities
The keynote, delivered by Jaroslav Mysiak (CMCC), focused on the financial dimension of adaptation, with particular attention to the concept of bankable projects. It explored the growing gap between available funding and adaptation needs, emphasizing the importance of mobilising both public and private resources. The discussion outlined what makes an adaptation project “bankable”, the typical barriers faced (including scale, risk, and transaction costs), and the need for stronger financial, institutional, and technical capacities.
Concrete funding opportunities were also presented, particularly within the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and related initiatives, highlighting upcoming calls and support mechanisms that could help scale solutions developed within TRANSCEND.
Living Lab Panel Discussiong
The panel discussion brought together representatives from different TRANSCEND Living Labs, offering grounded insights into the financial challenges and opportunities for transformational adaptation across diverse contexts.
The presentations highlighted how adaptation financing is deeply shaped by local governance structures, resource availability, and socio-economic dynamics.
In the Mahanadi River Basin (India), the discussion emphasised the paradox of a water-rich system facing increasing stress due to variability, competing demands, and institutional fragmentation. Large public investments in irrigation coexist with heavy subsidies, limited cost recovery, and inefficient groundwater use, raising critical questions about the long-term sustainability of current financing models and the need for more effective incentives.
In the Júcar River Basin (Spain), the focus was on a more structured and multi-level financing framework, combining European, national, and regional funding sources. While significant investments are directed toward infrastructure and resilience, the discussion highlighted the need to move beyond traditional approaches by integrating innovative financial instruments, such as agricultural insurance and participatory tools like serious games, to better manage uncertainty and support decision-making.
In the Orontes River Basin (Lebanon), the discussion underscored the complexity of operating in a context shaped by geopolitical constraints, economic instability, and climate impacts. Limited public funding, outdated agreements, and recent drought events highlighted the urgency of developing new financing strategies, including international support, blended finance mechanisms, and improved institutional planning.
Across all case studies, a common message emerged: advancing transformational adaptation requires not only financial resources, but also stronger institutional coordination, technical capacity, and governance frameworks, tailored to local conditions.
Day 2 — April 28, 2026
The second day of the Transcend Webstival opened with a keynote by Thomas Kutz (Climate KIC), who provided a comprehensive overview of how to build institutional capacity for transformative climate adaptation. Drawing on the experience of the Pathways to Resilience programme, he presented a structured framework to support regions in designing long-term resilience pathways.
The keynote highlighted the importance of moving beyond incremental adaptation towards systemic transformation, supported by four core capacities: anticipatory, absorptive, adaptive, and transformative. A key insight was that institutional readiness often lags behind technical capacity, with governance, coordination, and stakeholder engagement emerging as critical bottlenecks. Early results from participating regions show progress in mindset shifts, new partnerships, and more integrated approaches to climate planning, while challenges remain in multi-level coordination, data fragmentation, and financial planning.
Following the keynote, Francesco Sapino (IMDEA Water) led an interactive survey session engaging participants on institutional barriers and priorities for action in water-related adaptation. Results pointed to budget constraints and power dynamics as the most significant barriers, while participants identified public-private partnerships, polycentric governance, and consensus-building as key priorities to unlock transformative change.
Living Lab Panel Discussion
The second part of Day 2 focused on the Living Lab panel, which explored practical experiences of institutional capacity building for climate adaptation across different regions.
The session featured contributions from three Living Labs operating in diverse and often transboundary contexts: the Titicaca–C system (Bolivia–Peru), the Nitra River Basin (Slovakia), and the Orontes Basin (Lebanon). Each case addressed two guiding questions: how institutional capacity for adaptation is being developed, and how regions stay informed about new opportunities to strengthen such capacity.
Across the presentations, several common themes emerged:
First, the central role of data, monitoring systems, and information sharing was highlighted as a foundational element for effective decision-making. At the same time, all regions reported persistent challenges related to data fragmentation, asymmetries in technical capacity, and limited accessibility of information.
Second, the importance—and difficulty—of coordination across institutions and governance levels was consistently emphasised. Particularly in transboundary settings, building trust, aligning priorities, and ensuring coherent action across multiple actors remains a complex and resource-intensive process.
Third, the panel underscored the gap between technical knowledge and institutional readiness. While many regions benefit from scientific expertise, pilot projects, and analytical tools, translating these into actionable policies and scalable interventions continues to be a major bottleneck.
Finally, the discussion highlighted the need to move from analysis to implementation. While significant progress has been made in understanding risks, building partnerships, and developing pilot initiatives, stronger institutional capacities—along with adequate financial, human, and governance resources—are required to operationalise adaptation strategies at scale.
Overall, the Living Lab panel provided grounded insights into the realities of institutional transformation, confirming both the relevance of the project’s methodological approach and the urgency of strengthening enabling conditions for effective climate adaptation.
Day 3 — April 29, 2026
The third day of the Transcend Webstival focused on technical capabilities for transformative climate adaptation, highlighting how advanced risk assessment tools can support decision-making across regions.
In her keynote, Silvia Torresan (CMCC) emphasized that climate risks are becoming increasingly complex, interconnected, and systemic. Rather than isolated hazards, regions must now address multi-risk dynamics, where events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves interact across sectors, infrastructures, and ecosystems.
The keynote also stressed the importance of integrating environmental and socio-economic systems in risk modelling, improving data accessibility and interoperability, and leveraging nature-based solutions as part of adaptation strategies.
Beyond risk assessment, Torresan introduced emerging approaches such as stress-testing systems against high-impact, low-probability events, focusing on resilience rather than prediction alone. Looking ahead, initiatives like the CLIMAAX and CLIMAAXNext aim to make these tools more accessible through open-source platforms, practical guidance, and a growing community of practice. The goal is to enable local and regional authorities to co-develop and apply climate risk assessments, bridging the gap between science and policy.
Following the keynote, Dionisio Pérez-Blanco, (IMDEA Water) led an interactive survey session engaging participants on institutional barriers and priorities for action in water-related adaptation. Results pointed to budget constraints and power dynamics as the most significant barriers, while participants identified public-private partnerships, polycentric governance, and consensus-building as key priorities to unlock transformative change.
Living Lab Panel Discussion
The final Living Lab panel of the Webstival brought together representatives from across the Transcend Living Labs, introduced by Majid Niyaskar (CMCC), with contributions from the Titicaca Basin (Bolivia–Peru), the Reno River Basin (Italy), and the Timpaki/Mesara Basin (Crete). Across the interventions, a shared message emerged: technical capacity for adaptation is built through the integration of monitoring systems, modelling tools, and participatory learning approaches.
From the Titicaca system, Camilo González and Julio César Miranda Aranibar highlighted how hydrological modelling, real-time monitoring, and integrated water–economic analysis are strengthening decision-making in a complex transboundary basin. A key innovation is the use of serious games, which translate model outputs into interactive scenarios, helping stakeholders understand trade-offs between water availability, agriculture, and economic outcomes while fostering co-learning.
In the Reno River Basin, Alice Vecchi emphasised how technical capacity has evolved through the project from a fragmented modelling setup to a more integrated system including hydrological, climate, and socio-economic components. Stakeholder workshops revealed initial gaps in model accessibility and interpretation, which were progressively addressed through co-development and serious gaming approaches. She also linked this progress to ongoing regional work on updating the climate adaptation and mitigation strategy, where CLIMAAX methodologies are being used to assess key risks such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves through participatory, data-driven processes.
From Crete, Fotis Pantazoglou presented the Timpaki Basin case, where technical capacity is being strengthened through stakeholder-driven modelling and gaming exercises. Results showed a clear preference among stakeholders for infrastructure-based solutions (such as dams), alongside complementary measures like groundwater recharge, improved irrigation efficiency, and AI-supported water management. The discussion highlighted how serious games help reveal underlying decision preferences and support more informed adaptation planning.
The panel closed with a forward-looking discussion on post-project sustainability and financing. All Living Labs stressed the importance of continued funding through regional programmes, new EU projects, and institutional strategies to maintain and scale technical tools developed in Transcend. The potential development of drought insurance mechanisms and other innovative financial instruments was also introduced as an emerging area for further exploration.
The session concluded with a broader reflection on the value of the Living Lab approach itself: a co-learning ecosystem where science, institutions, and stakeholders jointly develop solutions, ensuring that technical advances translate into real adaptation capacity on the ground.