Background Responsibility for infrastructure is devolved to the regional or local level in many parts of the EU. However, many small and medium-sized authorities lack the knowledge and capacity to address the challenges posed by the need for climate change adaptation (CCA). LIFE LOCAL ADAPT has been designed to identify specific threats at local level and put the necessary measures in place to address them and thus help in the implementation of the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change. Objectives LIFE LOCAL ADAPT aims to integrate climate change adaptation into the work of local authorities. It will establish partnerships to increase the climate change adaptation capacities of selected local authorities in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Latvia. The project aims to implement specific climate change adaptation measures in cooperation with municipalities, integrate climate change adaptation into the administrative practice of local authorities, enhance municipalities’ knowledge on climate change adaptation and improve the data and information base on climate change impacts. It will promote the active participation of at least three municipalities in EU initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, or the EU Climate-ADAPT Platform. It also aims to encourage municipalities to start implementing adaptation measures in key vulnerable sectors, such as disaster risk prevention and management, urban planning, infrastructure and health. Lessons from the project will provide examples of best practice for other local administrations to follow, creating added value across the EU. The specific project goals are to: Improve the data on climate change risks and related vulnerabilities and provide climate indices; Enhance municipalities' knowledge of CCA, in terms of appropriate action and funding opportunities, mainly through workshops, interviews and information materials; Integrate CCA into local authorities' administrative practices. To this end it will develop an advisory concept and introduce “climate coaches" in order to improve local policies and decision-making and set appropriate climate change adaptation priorities; Implement pilot adaptation measures to improve resilience to specific climate change events such as heavy rain and heat stress and make participating municipalities more resilient in general through appropriate urban and landscape planning; Develop a pilot climate change adaptation strategy for the city of Valka in Latvia; and Ensure transferability and replicability through the development of modules of CCA actions that can be applied by municipalities across the EU. Expected results: A “Report on the local risk and vulnerability assessment” related to recent high impact events of heat, heavy rain and drought; Climate adaptation factsheets for the participating municipalities; An assessment of the benefits and co-benefits of particular urban adaptations measures; Three reports on resilience options, including best practice examples; Four factsheets of good practices on resilience in the context of urban flooding, flash floods, soil erosion and heat waves; Factsheets about funding programmes supporting climate change adaptation at municipal level; 29 workshops/information events with the municipalities of the three project regions to transfer knowledge on climate change, local climate risks and adaptation strategies in the fields of strategic regional planning, urban land-use planning, social infrastructure, technical infrastructure and disaster management; A concept for the implementation of a CCA advisory service; Enhanced climate change adaptation knowledge and capacity amongst decisions-makers in at least 15 municipalities/counties and four other organisations; Newly implemented features for Regional Climate Information Systems; Policy improvement in at least 10 municipalities/counties; Implementation of at least five best practice measures in key vulnerable climate adaptation-related sectors in Saxony and Styria; At least five municipal CCA strategies; Contingency plans for severe heavy rain and heat waves; and Integration of the solutions identified during the project into existing climate services. These will be introduced to key multipliers at national l