The Danube-ADAPT project was officially launched on April 1, 2025, as part of the Interreg Danube Region Programme, with co-financing from the European Union and the Interreg Fund. The initiative brings together 16 partner organizations from 8 countries within the Danube Region. With a total budget of €2.641.914, the project involves a diverse consortium consisting of meteorological services, research institutes, municipal authorities, development agencies, and academic institutions.

The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SMHU) hosted the 1st Transnational Partner Meeting and Kick-off event of the Danube-ADAPT project in Bratislava on June 19–20, 2025. On the first day, after the welcome speeches and introductory rounds on behalf of the Lead Partner (HungaroMet Ltd.) Attila Sütő chief planner and project leader presented the background and overall logic of the project. This was followed by presentations from the respective leaders of the Specific Objectives (SO1: HMet, presenter: Attila Sütő; SO2: UBB,presenter: Horaţiu Ioan Ștefănie;SO3: REGEA, preseneter: Karla Mlađen), focusing on planned activities and sub-activities, expected deliverables, and involved project partners.

During the day, the two Thematic Working Groups of SO1, led by HungaroMet, held their sessions. Zita Bihari (HungaroMet, TWG1) and Sára Bordi (HungaroMet, TWG2) summarized the results of the last couple of weeks and the tasks of the near future regarding climate database building. Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) conducted a workshop on risk inventory and risk mapping. All partner countries presented the current situation of climate vulnerability topics in their respective Danube Region country. In case of the lacking partners/uncovered countries HungaroMet presented the Austrian, UBB the Moldovan and Bulgarian, REGEA the Montenegrin cases.

The second workshop of the day concentrated on the possible methodological ways of conducting the project’s climate vulnerability analyses. Attila Sütő and Zsófia Kecskés (HungaroMet) presented the development and evolution of related concepts, definitions and actual methods of CVAs, even offering two possible, IPCC methodology-based ways of vulnerability assessments for pilots within the project. The topic will be further discussed in the following months.

On the second day, June 20, the main focus was on the practical aspects of project management, including budgeting, reporting, and the legal framework. Members of the Project Management Support Team provided detailed information and answered partners’ questions and even tested the newly developed knowledge of the participants by a test. Later, the delegates officially established the Steering Committee and unanimously adopted the rules&procedures document of the committee. The project partners also received detailed information regarding communication matters and tasks from Gábor Mozga (NSKI), communication manager of the project. The two-day meeting concluded with leisure quiz about climatological issues, historical, geographical and cultural facts of the Danube Region, facilitated by the Lead Partner.

The Kick-off meeting was closed by the LEAD Partner’s and the Host partner’s final speeches, summarizing the experiences of the two days as well as the emerging tasks of the Summer and autumn months. All in all, the event proved to be an effective start of the joint work for the next 3 years, as all partners are looking forward to.