On 18th May 2026, the University of Bucharest and Brașov City Hall organised an event in the framework of the CIVIS OpenLab AQUAMINDS and CARMINE projects, enjoying strong institutional support from INCDS Brașov and Meteo Romania. The event brought together representatives from local authorities, water management institutions, academia, research institutes, NGOs, and emergency services in a collaborative environment focused on co-creation and practical problem solving for water management.
The workshop was dedicated to identifying and advancing nature-based solutions for improving water management in the metropolitan region. Particularly valuable were the presentations of key CARMINE project results, which helped frame the discussion around Impact-Based Decision Support Services for public authorities (Prof. Sorin Cheval, Meteo Romania, CARMINE project leader), the future of water in the region (Cezar Ungureanu, INCDS BV), Digital Twins of the area (Stefan Gabrian & Stefan Dinicila, Meteo Romania) and the functionality of the CARMINE Stakeholders Community Hub (Prof. Mihai Răzvan Niță, University of Bucharest).
During the workshop, participants collaboratively identified and spatially mapped key water-related challenges affecting the Brașov metropolitan area, including vulnerabilities in water management linked to climate change. Discussions focused on the potential of nature-based solutions to improve water retention, increase ecosystem resilience and support sustainable urban and peri-urban water management. At the same time, stakeholders highlighted the importance of further demonstration and validation activities to increase confidence in the implementation of nature-based solutions.
The workshop also showcased how the Brașov Living Lab, operationalized through the CARMINE project, enables continuous interaction between researchers, institutions and communities. By combining scientific expertise, local knowledge, digital stakeholder platforms and participatory methodologies, the Living Lab supports the co-creation of actionable pathways for climate adaptation in metropolitan regions.
