As we are reaching the end of the SCORE project in June 2025, our Project Coordinator Dr Salem Gharbia shares his thoughts about the legacy of the SCORE project. This text is the full version of the foreword included in the SCORE final press kit.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat; its impacts are already lapping at our shores. European coastal cities are grappling with more frequent storms, flooding, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels. In response to these unprecedented challenges, the SCORE project was established under the Horizon 2020 program to help coastal communities not just adapt but thrive. SCORE, Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities, has been a four-year mission to strengthen climate resilience in cities across our coasts. As the project coordinator, I am proud to share the journey and achievements of this remarkable initiative.
Over the past four years, SCORE built a vibrant network of ten Coastal City Living Labs, spanning from the Atlantic coasts of Ireland to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In each of these living labs, local communities, scientists, and city officials worked side by side to co-create solutions tailored to their unique climate risks. This grassroots approach was at the heart of SCORE’s success. We developed a co-creation toolkit to guide our partners in engaging stakeholders, ensuring that every voice, from concerned residents and fishermen to planners and policymakers, could contribute to designing effective climate adaptations. By bringing everyone to the table, we ensured the solutions were not only innovative but also embraced and enriched by those who need them most.
Citizen science and education also played a key role. We empowered residents with low-cost environmental sensors to monitor local conditions, turning data collection into a shared community effort. At the same time, we reached out to a wider audience through interactive educational tools, from engaging simulation games to free online courses (MOOCs), to spread awareness about coastal resilience. These activities not only yielded valuable data for our research but also sparked curiosity and a sense of ownership in communities, proving that climate action is most powerful when it is inclusive and participatory.
Our team of researchers invested heavily in advancing the science underpinning coastal resilience. We generated reliable climate projections and detailed climate risk maps and tools, downscaled to provide actionable insights for each city. All of this information was integrated into a cutting-edge ICT platform, a one-stop hub where data can be shared and visualized by scientists, decision-makers, and the public. Through this open platform, cities now have easy access to the best available evidence, helping them understand their risks and plan more effectively for the future.
Innovation in technology was another cornerstone of SCORE. One of our flagship achievements is the creation of a digital twin of the coastal city environment, a dynamic virtual model that mirrors the real-world coastal conditions in real time. Paired with a new early warning support system we developed, this digital twin allows city planners and emergency services to simulate scenarios and respond to threats like storms or flooding before they strike. These tools bring foresight into urban planning and disaster management, enabling coastal cities to be proactive and smart in protecting their communities.
Equally important, SCORE championed Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Eco-system-based Adaptation (EBA) as sustainable defences against climate impacts. We compiled an extensive Ecosystem-Based Adaptation catalogue, highlighting how restoring natural systems, from salt marshes and sand dunes to urban green spaces, can shield our coastlines while providing biodiversity and recreational benefits. Alongside this, our experts carried out socio-economic assessments and created financial risk analysis tools to help city authorities evaluate the costs and benefits of these green solutions. By demonstrating the effectiveness and economic viability of NBS, we have encouraged cities to invest in nature as a first line of defence, complementing traditional engineering with the wisdom of the natural world.
The impact of our work is also reflected in the scientific community. The SCORE project has produced over 60 scientific publications, contributing valuable new knowledge about coastal climate adaptation. This robust scientific output ensures that our findings resonate beyond the project itself, informing policies, guiding future research, and inspiring other coastal regions to adopt evidence-based resilience strategies.
On a personal note, leading the SCORE project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Our consortium united 28 partner organisations and hundreds of individuals, all driven by a shared commitment to safeguarding our coastal cities. Together, we navigated the complexities of international collaboration, bridging languages, disciplines, and even overcoming unexpected global challenges, with an unwavering collaborative spirit. I am continually inspired by the dedication of our team and the enthusiasm of local citizens who volunteered their time and ideas in each living lab. This collective effort, harnessing both expert knowledge and community wisdom, turned ambitious ideas into tangible solutions. It has been a privilege to witness engineers, climatologists, ecologists, city planners, and residents working hand in hand, learning from each other, and innovating together. The challenges we faced along the way only strengthened our resolve and unity. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished and the positive impact we have made.
As we conclude this four-year journey, I look to the future with optimism. The SCORE project leaves a lasting legacy for coastal resilience in Europe, one built on science, innovation, and the power of coming together. The lessons we learned and the tools we developed are now in the hands of the communities and leaders who will carry this work forward. I truly believe that the momentum we’ve created will continue to grow. Our hope is that SCORE’s example will inspire many more initiatives, big and small, to rise to the challenge of climate change. In the years to come, when coastal cities stand stronger against storms and rising tides, when citizens remain vigilant and engaged, and when nature is valued as an ally in our defences, we will see the true legacy of SCORE.
This press kit is a celebration of what collaboration and determination can achieve. I invite you to explore it and discover how a shared vision turned into real-world action for a more resilient future. The road ahead will undoubtedly bring new challenges, but if the SCORE project has shown us anything, it is that by working together with creativity, courage, and community, we can empower our coastal cities to face the future with confidence.”
Dr Salem Gharbia
Atlantic Technological University Sligo
SCORE Project Coordinator