How Does the Climate Co-Adaptation Lab Work?

The Lab process unites the ambition to collectively earn, learn and grow by offering two tracks – track A (jointly pursuing work opportunities) and track B (B1 focused on action-oriented research; B2 focused on knowledge-based support and backstopping to implementers and ‘doers’ and B3 on service and innovation design). While the two tracks are separate, they are mutually supportive and enable Fellows with advisor and consultant skills (more inclined to track A) and Fellows with research and innovation skills (more inclined to track B) to collaborate and learn with and from each other. Track A represents an opportunity to respond to demand (often via procurement channels) expressed by public institutions. The three sub-tracks of Track B are more proactive ways of addressing real-world problems while securing long-term professional aspirations under the roof of PlanAdapt.

What does the PlanAdapt Coordination Hub do to support you as a Fellow:

  • We provide the PlanAdapt platform as an administrative and legal framework to apply for funding;
  • We prepare and service regular weekly Lab meetings of the active PlanAdapt Fellows, i.e. on a continuous basis, we manage and maintain the Lab Opportunity Database (LOD) and provide IT and communication platforms;
  • We support the smooth collaboration of Ad-Hoc Working Groups, including support calls with WG leads;
  • We offer to fundraise for the outcomes of co-created research, project concepts and service designs (as part of track B) to PlanAdapt’s institutional fundraising efforts;
  • We offer access to PlanAdapt’s knowledge systems (including a publication database with many hundreds of selected recent publications on relevant topics).
Key Elements and Processes of the Climate Co-Adaptation Lab (blue boxes represent activities undertaken or led by the Coordination Hub and green boxes represent activities by PlanAdapt Fellows)

How does The Lab work in detail and how would you be involved:

  • You express your interest in actively engaging for an agreed period of time (a minimum of 3 months is recommended until initial efforts start to bear fruits). Many Fellows stay for an extended period though, also taking advantage of the enhanced opportunity to build long-lasting and trusted relationships in the Lab over time. Please note that the initial phase is an up-front investment by the Fellow and the Coordination Hub, which mutually support each other to achieve the Fellow’s and PlanAdapt’s mission. The mutual exchange of value is non-monetary during this phase. The opportunity to generate an income is subject to successful fundraising, see more info also below.
  • You contribute to the updates of the Lab Opportunity Database by sharing (track A) promising funding opportunities (tenders, calls for proposals etc.) and (track B) initial ideas for innovative concepts, approaches or methodologies in the thematic areas of interest (see also our vision, our expertise and methods and our blogs).
  • You screen the Lab Opportunity Database in view of (track A) a funding opportunity that attracts your interest or (track B) prepare a pitch for a research idea, a concept, an approach, or a methodology to be advanced.
  • You have the opportunity to prepare a pitch in advance of the weekly Lab meeting and present it to other Fellows during the meeting in view of (track A) promising funding opportunities (tenders, calls for proposals etc.) and/ or (track B) initial ideas for innovative concepts, approaches or methodologies in a specific thematic area of interest. This opportunity is not limited to this very meeting, but can be pursued at any point during the week via the virtual communication systems maintained by PlanAdapt.
  • Subsequently, you can form and join ad-hoc international, transdisciplinary virtual working groups to (track A) prepare a bid or a proposal together with other colleagues or (track B) develop a concept note, a publication or similar outputs to advance an idea, a concept or a methodology in small ad-hoc working groups.
  • If respective PlanAdapt’s proposals, bids or concept notes receive funding, you will be hired as project staff or freelance consultant to implement the proposed activities and become a part of the project implementation team. For more senior Fellows, we offer leadership opportunities. Overall, there are cases in which you can benefit from the initiative and the efforts of other Fellows and the Coordination Hub, hence, you are being offered income or learning opportunities generated by others. In exchange, PlanAdapt’s model requires you to put in the effort and collaborative spirit, so that mutual support between yourself, other Fellows and the Coordination HUb leads to the success of the entire community that you can again reap individual from, such as generating income or even a long-term role in PlanAdapt’s structure.