Clim’Ability Design (2019-2023)
Clim’Ability Design ran successfully from 01.09.2019 to 27.02.2023 as a research project supported by the Interreg V-Upper Rhine programme (2019-2022).
Clim’Ability Design built on the predecessor project Clim’Ability (2016-2019, see section below) and aimed to enable companies in the Upper Rhine region to adapt their strategies and processes to the expected climate change. To this end, various innovative communication formats such as storylines, short films, information brochures, etc. were developed and new forms of knowledge acquisition and communication were used and tested. The new communication design derived from this is intended to provide and disseminate knowledge relevant to adaptation in an interactive and easily accessible way for SMEs in the form of an attractive participative and cooperative platform.
A multidisciplinary team has come together to achieve these goals. It was made up of climatologists, geographers, sociologists, economists and consultants from the Alsace Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as experts in the field of communication.
The goals of the research project:
- Identify the main changes in the climate of the Upper Rhine (Météo-France, Deutscher WetterDienst).
- To characterize the region’s sensitivities to climate change.
- Understand the specificities of the Upper Rhine territory, by co-constructing data with its economic players: what vulnerabilities and assets for this region?
- Support companies in identifying their sensitivities to climate change.
- Building supports to diagnose climate sensitivities
- Co-constructing climate services adapted to each player in the territory
Identifying multivariate vulnerabilities in the Upper Rhine River
The collection and combination of meteorological, climatic, hydrological, economic and social information will make it possible to identify vulnerability profiles and development potential in a modified meteorological and climatic context.
Establish a tool for identifying business vulnerabilities
The design of supports for vulnerability diagnostics for companies in the Upper Rhine. These tools have an internal vocation (HSE managers) and are also intended for climate managers and consulting firms. They aim to identify priorities in terms of development strategy.
Developing strategies adapted to the different types of vulnerabilities identified in the Upper Rhine
The aim is to identify climate change adaptation scenarios (resilience scenarios) with certain companies willing to engage in in-depth studies on certain parts of the territory, on the scale of specific clusters or branches or even on the level of specific equipment or infrastructure.
Develop tailor-made information for companies (risk and opportunity management, support for decision-making and adaptation strategies, construction of new markets and innovation paths)
The aim is to build up a certain number of prerequisites from all these experiences with and from companies concerning climate change that are relevant for companies on the Upper Rhine scale.
To perpetuate a network of climate change experts in the Upper Rhine region
The aim is to build an interactive space contributing to the maintenance and dissemination of knowledge. The setting up of an interactive platform will be used during the time of the project for the process of reciprocal acculturation between the different partners.
Florence Rudolf (project coordinator, sociologist and university professor at INSA Strasbourg) explains more about Clim’Ability Design in an interview.
Clim’Ability (2016-2019)
The Clim’Ability project “Support for companies to take into account climate change on the scale of the Upper Rhine” was born out of interdisciplinary research on Climate Services to French Industry (SECIF) funded by the French National Research Agency and led by Pascale Braconnot, a climatologist at the IPSL (Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute).
More information on the ANR SECIF project
The sociological side of this research focuses on Alsace, based on interviews with representatives of the Territorial Climate-Energy Plans in Alsace (8 Climate Plans in total), consulting firms and companies to identify the awareness of companies regarding climate change and to work, based on this awareness, on strategies for adapting to climate change.
Faced with the interest and success of the approach, the Alsatian holders (INSA Strasbourg, Florence Rudolf, Professeure des Universités) have built a cross-border project with their partners from the very beginning (Chambre de commerce et d’industrie et Météo France), to which were added the universities of Bâle, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace (UHA), Landau-Koblenz and Lausanne. The construction of this research project took more than a year to reach maturity.
The Clim’Ability project was officially launched on January 1, 2016 and took off at the Kick’Off Meeting on April 25, 2016 at the Strasbourg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Clim’Ability’s official Kick Off meeting at the CCIAE, April 25th, 2016.
Clim’Ability took place over a period of 3 years. It was co-financed within the framework of the INTERREG V A “Upper Rhine” program. It brought together 14 partners under the guidance of INSA Strasbourg. Its objective was to develop self-diagnostic tools to help companies in their adaptation to climate change.
