The community engagement capacity is one of the primary innovations of the NATURANCE project. The consortium has built strong connections with existing knowledge communities and networks (KNs) across four thematic domains: Networks of cities and subnational governments dedicated to sustainability, climate adaptation, and resilience; Communities of experts and practitioners in risk assessment and management; Advocacy coalitions for nature-based solutions; and Green finance coalition networks. These KNs comprise professionals, researchers, practitioners, educators, and other stakeholders who collaborate to create, disseminate, apply, and advocate for knowledge.
The project's objective is to establish a ‘Network of existing networks’ by connecting major knowledge networks and fostering cross-domain knowledge sharing and collaboration for innovative nature-based insurance and investment solutions (NBIIS). Since the project's inception, working relationships have been established with over 20 KNs, and periodic assessments of activities with these KNs are conducted. To facilitate collaboration with KNs, the project planned to host four festivals (both web and in-person), four technical meetings, and a series of 20-24 community webinars. Throughout the first 18 months, one festival was hosted, and preparations for the second one in month 20 are underway. Festivals include keynote speeches, pitch presentations, focus group discussions, World Café sessions, and outdoor activities like "Walk the Talk." The first webstival was held in June 2023, and the next in-person festival was in Vienna, May 23-24, 2024. Several workshops and eight webinars have also been hosted, with keynotes recorded and available in the digital library.
Another project goal is to initiate and organize innovation finance and policy labs to assess and explore new areas for insurance and investment solutions supporting NbS. The project aims to organize at least nine innovation labs with insurers, brokers, catastrophe modellers, NbS practitioners, advocates, and local and regional governments. These labs will test shared design principles and explore pathways to implementation. Innovation labs provide a dynamic space for collaboration among experts, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from knowledge networks. Using design thinking and user-centered design, these labs develop new financial services, investment models, and actuarial risk assessment methods. Organized in cohorts of three over 10 months, the labs are anticipated and reported back during the project’s festivals. During RP1, three innovation labs were organized, and community discussions on the second cohort of labs were fostered. The selection of topics for innovation labs is based on open and inclusive approaches, inviting KNs to submit, evaluate, and shape ideas to meet their objectives.
