The research approach is based on the recent concepts of IC and co-production of knowledge. To support CC adaptation capacity building, UNCHAIN will engage a broad array of stakeholders, i.e. local authorities; private sector actors (businesses and residents); sub-national and national authorities in their capacity of supporting local authorities; and other actors including 3rd sector (NGOs) and trans-national organisations with stakes in CC adaptation.

UNCHAIN’s scientific objectives are to: (1) contribute to accurate, science-based, high resolution and context specific CC risk assessments; (2) improve methods to assess impacts of CC on the economy and society; (3) gain a better understanding of climate-related uncertainties in order to better inform decision-making for CC adaptation planning; (4) apply the concept of co-production of knowledge in all stages of knowledge development, and (5) investigate how future scenarios can be made more comprehensive by combining societal exposure and vulnerability projections with climate projections and impact models, yielding a novel combination of a quantitative and qualitative risk assessment approach.

To achieve these objectives, UNCHAIN will further develop the IC concept, provide measurable input and support to stakeholder decision-making and capacity-building processes and apply co-development (stakeholders, experts and researchers) as well as validation methods and tools. The concepts will be applied in case studies where multi-method approaches are employed on different levels. They will aid local stakeholders in their CC adaptation processes. The stakeholder-oriented process for planning and monitoring of project impacts will define clear success criteria; key outputs will be policy briefs and other resources for risk communication.