Europe’s nature-based solutions movement is gaining momentum. After receiving over 70 applications from across the continent, SpongeWorks is proud to announce eight new Associated Regions will join the project to help shape how Europe manages water, land, and climate risks: they will receive tailored support to develop and scale sponge measures—Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that help retain water, reduce flood and drought risks, and restore ecosystems.

The selected regions reflect Europe’s climate diversity—from water-scarce landscapes to areas hit by more frequent flooding. Working with SpongeWorks, the regions will test, refine, and expand nature-based solutions for long-term water resilience and land restoration. Together, they’ll develop sponge strategies at the landscape scale: integrated ways of slowing runoff, storing and managing water in the environment.

The eight selected regions are led by a diverse set of public institutions, including local and regional governments, river basin authorities, and land and water management agencies—all with a mandate to tackle water, soil, and climate-related challenges in their territories.w

8 new Associated Regions have joined SpongeWorks. By becoming part of the project, they will contribute in the shaping of how Europe manages water, land and climate risks.

A Pan-European Response to Climate challenges

The selected regions represent a wide range of biogeographical zones — from Mediterranean and Atlantic to Boreal, Continental, and Alpine. This geographical diversity ensures that sponge strategies will be tested and adapted across varied climatic, hydrological, and landscape conditions, against a variety of dynamic challenges: formerly water-rich regions are now experiencing extended droughts, while others are adapting to more intense and frequent floods. All are turning to sponge measures as a path to climate resilience, ecosystem recovery, and economic renewal.

Each region is at a different stage of its ‘sponge journey’: some are new to the concept and will begin with pilot planning and awareness-raising, while others are already implementing sponge measures and aim to scale up, test new tools, and embed sponge strategies into local governance and investment plans.

To support peer learning and mutual capacity-building, the regions have been selected to play complementary roles:

  • ‘Transfer Regions’ will explore how solutions developed within SpongeWorks can be applied in areas with similar climate and biophysical conditions, indifferent political and governance structures, whereas
  • ‘Translating Regions’ will test how successful solutions can be adapted to different climatic or environmental contexts.

Each region represents a wide range of biogeographical zones and is at different stages in the implementation of sponge measures: some will start implementing them while others are already implementing some sponge measures and want to go a step further. 

The eight selected Associated Regions are:

  1. “DONG-SPONGE” – Designing sponge measures in a severely drought-prone area of Hungary (Lower Tisza District Water Directorate, Hungary)
  2. Restoring the Upper Aughrim River’s capacity to slow water flow (Wicklow County Council, Ireland)
  3. Scaling up sponge measures in Flanders (Flemish Land Agency, Belgium)
  4. GREEN SPONGE – Growing Resilient Ecosystems and Landscapes through Sponge Measures (Land Reclamation Authority of Tuscany Coastal Area,  Cornia River watershed, Italy)
  5. Sponge Enough? – Adding sponge to the Archipelago Sea Catchment (Regional Council of Southwest Finland)
  6. Sediment and Soil Management in the Júcar River Basin (Júcar River Basin Authority, Spain)
  7. Revitalisation of City Peatlands in the Lviv Agglomeration (Lviv Agglomeration Association, Western Bug basins, Ukraine)
  8. Flood Resilience Strategy (Šavnik Municipality, Montenegro)

The Associated Regions will be guided by the SpongeWorks partners in the three demonstrators, in drafting their own sponge strategies, action plans and roadmaps. 

What Comes Next?

Each region will receive up to €100,000 in funding support, along with access to SpongeWorks’ technical,  and governance expertise. Support will include:

  • Strategic planning: integrating sponge measures into existing land and water management frameworks
  • Technical guidance: choosing and designing suitable measures using modelling tools and local assessments
  • Economic analysis: evaluating costs, benefits, and financing options
  • Capacity-building: through site visits, workshops, and peer learning with the broader SpongeWorks community

About SpongeWorks

SpongeWorks is a leading Horizon Europe initiative in nature-based climate adaptation, bringing together 28 partners and 23 knowledge institutions. The project is developing practical, scalable solutions for sponge measure implementation which address critical questions about effectiveness, financing, governance, and stakeholder engagement.

For more information on SpongeWorks, visit www.spongeworks.eu or follow us on LinkedIn.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The SpongeWorks project has received funding from the ​European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation ​programme under grant agreement No 101156116 and from the UK Research and Innovation/HM Government. The ​project runs from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2028.