The Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (CIM-RC) is a public association of 19 municipalities, responsible for promoting integrated economic, social and environmental development across a territory of over 436,000 inhabitants.
CIM-RC plays a key role in regional governance as an Intermediate Body of the “Centro 2030” Programme, managing approximately €152M in EU funds. This includes dedicated allocations to key strategic areas: climate change adaptation (€14M), circular economy (€4M), biodiversity protection (€10M) and water management (€15M). Through this role, CIM-RC supports the design and implementation of Integrated Territorial Investments and strengthens intermunicipal cooperation in sustainable development policies.
All CIM-RC interventions are framed within the Integrated Territorial Development Strategy (EIDT) of the Coimbra Region 2021–2027, which defines circular economy, climate action, biodiversity, water management and sustainable mobility as core strategic priorities, fully aligned with the European Green Deal and EU policy frameworks.
In the field of circular economy, CIM-RC promotes resource efficiency, local value chains and intermunicipal cooperation, supporting the transition towards circular production and consumption systems. This work is supported through the project ECLECTIC (DUT 2022), which contributes to the development of circular economy action plans and policy learning among European cities.
Climate adaptation and resilience are also central priorities, embedded in the EIDT, and supported by initiatives such as sustainable mobility planning (SUMP, PIMT), environmental risk management systems, and nature-based solutions. CIM-RC is also actively involved in biodiversity and ecosystem restoration through projects such as RESIST (Horizon Europe), transFORM (funded by the EU under the NextGeneration EU program and through the RRP), and LIFE4LAMPREY (Associated Region of the DALIA project, Horizon Europe).
In the area of water management, CIM-RC promotes integrated territorial approaches to resource protection and sustainable use, reinforcing resilience in the face of climate change impacts. CIM-RC is also the coordinator of the EU Urban Agenda Partnership on Water, strengthening multi-level cooperation and innovative approaches to sustainable water governance.
CIM-RC is a signatory of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”, and actively participates in European networks and initiatives such as NetZero Cities, ERRIN and the European Urban Initiative.
Through its integrated territorial approach under the EIDT, CIM-RC supports the transition towards a more resilient, low-carbon and sustainable Coimbra Region, fostering innovation, intermunicipal cooperation and evidence-based policymaking across all sectors of territorial development.
