DUBAI | The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) announced at COP28 it has mobilised over GBP 3m in investments for action-oriented research that addresses pressing adaptation needs of those most vulnerable to climate impacts.
- Climate Adaptation and REsilience research programme (CLARE) will support governments to use climate science to support adaptation action in the form of policies, infrastructure design, and access to climate finance.
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will enable the co-creation of action-oriented adaptation research programmes in Kenya and Nigeria on smallholder agriculture.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Community Jameel, engaged funders on opportunities for accelerated action-oriented adaptation funding that aligns with the Adaptation Research for Impact Principles.
Unlocking the potential for communities to lead adaptation research that generates effective action, this funding is shaping research for impact programmes that position local actors in the lead towards building resilience.
“The Alliance calls for more donors to walk the talk with us and support a resilient future for everyone impacted by our changing climate,” says ARA Co-chair Professor Anand Patwardhan, from the University of Maryland.
Among investments announced by the ARA is a GBP 3m new Research for Impact Hub. Funded by the UK and Canada under the Climate Adaptation and REsilience research programme (CLARE), it will support national and municipal governments to use climate science to support adaptation action in the form of policies, infrastructure design, and access to climate finance.
“By investing in the R4I Hub, CLARE is building on lessons from years of previous programming supporting climate change adaptation research. The R4I Hub will play a critical role in ensuring that the action-oriented research that the CLARE programme is supporting will uphold the Adaptation Research for Impact Principles,” says Manuela Di Mauro and Bruce Curre-Alder, CLARE co-leads from FCDO and International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also provided over GBP 300,000 to the ARA for the co-creation of action-oriented adaptation research programmes in Kenya and Nigeria on smallholder agriculture.
“We’re excited about working with the ARA on co-creation workshops. We’re eager to hear directly from local and national agriculture researchers and decision-makers about their priorities and identify locally led, multi-disciplinary, and action-oriented research opportunities,” says ARA Steering Board member Jenny Frankel-Reed, from the Agricultural Development Team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Alongside these commitments, the ARA will also hold a high-level gathering of multi- and bi-lateral funders, philanthropic and private sector investors. Carried out in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Community Jameel, one of the biggest foreign philanthropic funders of UK science, this Funders’ Roundtable explored opportunities for accelerated action-oriented adaptation funding that aligns with the Adaptation Research for Impact Principles.
“The Adaptation Research Alliance plays a vital role in ensuring global efforts to adapt to climate change are rooted in evidence and research – but that research needs funding,” says Uzma Sulaiman, Associate Director of Community Jameel.
“That is why we partnered with the ARA and FCDO for this COP28 funders’ roundtable, working to unlock new support for climate scientists and advance evidence-based action for climate change adaptation, especially for the most vulnerable.”
The Adaptation Research for Impact Principles are a framework for action-oriented adaptation research that is driven by user needs, co-produced with local experts, and equitable in practice. They are endorsed by all 250 members of the ARA’s global membership of researchers, funders, policymakers, development institutions and community-based organisations.
“With these commitments, the ARA is walking the talk to shift the dial to accelerate evidence-based, Southern and locally led action for climate resilience with funding that is facilitated and guided by its diverse global membership,” says Jesse De Maria Kinney, Head of ARA Secretariat.
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About the ARA
The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) is a global coalition of researchers, funders, policymakers, development bodies, and community-based organisations committed to action for adaptation that supports climate resilient futures. It is funded by UK Aid from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Climate Emergency Collaborative Group (CECG). Its Secretariat is hosted at SouthSouthNorth.
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