STAR2Cs will overcome the ‘implementation gap’ currently faced in delivering local action to build adaptation capacity by establishing an innovative transferable solution that:

• identifies financial/social/technical/ecosystem-based mechanisms to deliver cost-effective adaptation
• builds stakeholder knowledge/ability to participate in ‘future-proofed’ decision making
• demonstrates success and cost-savings of integrated and incremental actions to implement adaptation for wider roll-out

As a result, implementation of adaption measures will be stimulated across the 2 Seas, leading to a 15% reduction in future costs from flooding evidenced by:

• 30% increase in local actions from 4 national adaptation strategies that are costed, timed and integrated into delivery
• mechanisms
• 1000 stakeholders co-creating ‘future-proofed’ actions
• 15% increase in delivery of local adaptation measures
• 24 organisations reducing the impacts of floods by adopting the STAR2Cs solution in decision-making

STARS2Cs will produce an evidence-based, cross-border solution that supports stakeholders to implement adaptation measures, consisting of:

• 1 e-tool (Adaptation Catalyst) to identify and evaluate mechanisms to deliver adaptation tailored to local scenarios
• 1 knowledge and capacity building service increasing stakeholder ability to participate in ‘future-proofed’ decisionmaking
• 8 implementation pathways identifying cost-effective incremental and integrated short-term actions to implement adaptation in 8 pilot areas
• 1 method evaluating the success of STAR2Cs and provides justification and guidance for adopting the STAR2Cs solution

Directly benefiting are practitioners in flood risk management, spatial planning, water management and climate change, as well as local decision makers and planners. It has wider-benefits for national public bodies and agencies and will support politicians and policy makers. Ultimately, it benefits local communities at flood risk across the 2 Seas area.

Flooding affects the whole of the 2 Seas area resulting in both severe localised and regional impacts. Responding to climate change is a pan-European issue, with traditional and unilateral approaches to flooding risk management unlikely to adequately address future challenges. All Member States are experiencing an ‘implementation gap’ as they struggle to deliver local actions to reduce the future costs of flooding. STAR2Cs partners will work together to overcome these barriers to increasing adaptation capacity by drawing on a diverse range of expertise, approaches and local experience in long-term planning. Through cross-border collaboration and 8 varied pilots, STAR2Cs will establish a solution that is transferable and holistically builds the ability of stakeholders to deliver adaptation measures in the short-term. Each partner will contribute expertise needed to develop, disseminate and embed the STAR2Cs solution into decision-making processes across the 2 Seas region.