EU Mission Portal for Climate Change Adaptation is a central platform aimed at providing information and solutions to the public, regions and local authorities in tackling climate challenges. The main financing instrument The Horizon Europe research and innovation framework programme is the main instrument for implementing this important European mission. One of the key objectives of this mission is to directly support regions and communities in the necessary transition from the planning phase to the real implementation of specific adaptation projects. Ensuring access to adequate funding is one of the main prerequisites for successfully managing this transformation and moving into practice.

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 and its calls

Within the current Horizon Europe work programme for the period 2026-2027, specific calls are prepared for the Mission, focusing on different strategic areas of climate adaptation. These calls represent a unique opportunity to obtain the necessary grants. All planned calls officially open on 4 February 2026 and interested parties will be able to submit their projects until the deadline, which is fixed for 23 September 2026.

Current funding opportunities primarily focus on the following topics and specific areas:

• National Adaptation Centers (CLIMA-01): This call is focused on supporting multi-level governance, with the aim of effectively connecting the national level with active regional and local levels.
• Implementation of solutions (CLIMA-02): The aim is to directly facilitate the implementation of feasible climate adaptation solutions for regions and local authorities.
• Climate services (CLIMA-03): This section supports the development and standardization of important climate services needed for climate change adaptation.
• Risk Management (CLIMA-04): Projects focused on bridging the persistent gap between disaster risk management and active adaptation to changing climate conditions.
• Cultural Heritage (CLIMA-05): Special attention is paid to demonstrating innovative solutions to protect and preserve cultural heritage from the negative impacts of climate change.
• Water infrastructure (CLIMA-06): Support aimed at improving the overall climate resilience of navigable inland waterways, their immediate surroundings and related water infrastructure.
• Blended financing (CLIMA-07): A pilot program to support financing of local adaptation measures through a combination of public and private funding. A detailed factsheet is available for download for this specific call, and the portal also includes a video recording of an online information event called "Deep Dive", which offers a deeper insight into the issue of public-private financing.
• Soil resistance (CLIMA-SOIL): Joint demonstration of solutions aimed at building soil resilience to extreme weather events with a view to supporting global food security.

It is also important to note that in addition to the standard grants, the EU Mission, in close cooperation with the European Innovation Council (EIC), is also co-funding an accelerator call called "Deep Tech for Climate Adaptation", which was presented in more detail at the EIC Info Days. The European Funding and Tenders Portal is used to search and explore these open calls.

Specialized and tailored support for projects (MIP4Adapt)

Funding can be a challenging process. The Mission is therefore also providing targeted technical assistance as part of the second phase of the Mission Implementation Platform (MIP4Adapt), which will run from January 2026 to June 2028. This support can be requested by eligible Mission Charter Signatories. The aim of this initiative is to help adaptation projects gradually mature to a stage where they are fully prepared to secure key investments.

The main emphasis is placed on overall strengthening of the maturity of projects, fundamental improvement of their financial structuring and facilitating communication or engagement with potential financial partners. The assistance is maximally flexible and tailored to the specific stage of development, as well as the specific needs of each individual project.

Depending on the level of readiness and maturity, this support may specifically include:

• Detailed development of the initial project concept.
• Accurate quantification of the expected costs and overall benefits of the project.
• Support in developing a comprehensive and feasible project financing strategy.
• Professional assistance in the development of presentation documents intended to familiarize financiers with the project.
• Active assistance in identifying and directly contacting potential private or public financiers.

The format of the support provided will be individualized based on a pre-prepared work plan tailored to each applicant. This plan will clearly define the proposed content of the assistance, its delivery formats and timeline. Professional support will be delivered primarily remotely, with – where objectively possible – communication taking place directly in the official language of the country in question.

Interested parties should carefully read the guidance document, which provides full details of the procedure. This free expert support can be officially requested by 1 June 2026 at the latest, directly via the relevant link on the mission website. These mechanisms open up a unique way for regions to effectively finance important adaptation measures on the ground.