“Widening Strategies to tackle Hydroclimatic Extreme Events: Impacts and sustainable solutions for cultural heritage”. This is the full title of the SD-WHISEES project proposal, submitted under Horizon Europe’s European Research Area HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01 call and recently approved by the European Commission.
The project is part of the Coordination and Support Actions aimed at coordinating national and regional research and innovation programmes, contributing to the alignment of research and innovation policies in the Member States.
The project is coordinated by the Water Research Institute of the National Research Council (CNR-IRSA). Italy is also involved through the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) Foundation and the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).
The SD-WISHEES Consortium brings together partners from widening countries in Horizon Europe (Malta, Portugal, Romania), associated countries or countries for which association negotiations are being processed (Albania, Georgia, United Kingdom), international parties (The African Academy of Sciences, Kenya) and EU countries with long experience in Framework Programmes, such as Belgium, Italy and France.
The Action aims to support the EU enlargement strategies by promoting collaboration among Member States to protect cultural heritage in Europe and beyond in a context of climate change marked by more frequent and severe extreme hydroclimatic events such as droughts and floods.
In order to respond to the global challenges of climate change and promote solutions to protect the world’s cultural heritage, SD-WISHEES will apply an inclusive approach where experts and stakeholders will strongly contribute to the definition, design and evaluation of proposed activities.
The results, as well as responding to the European Union’s enlargement and alignment strategies, aim to maximize the synergy, within the European Research Area, between research and innovation on water and climate change. In addition, the Consortium will support market uptake policies and actions by establishing tools specifically tailored to the context. The project results will contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of the European Green Deal and of the EU Adaptation Strategy.
