The Institute for Climate, Economic and Social Resilience (IRCES) is a Romania-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to advancing inclusive, sustainable, climate-neutral and innovative territorial development while strengthening the social, environmental, climate and economic resilience of communities. IRCES brings multidisciplinary expertise in territorial and spatial planning; urban, rural, metropolitan and regional development, including urban-rural linkages; strategic and sectoral development and resilience; and the New European Bauhaus.
A key strength of IRCES lies in its extensive experience working with public authorities at local, metropolitan, regional and national levels, particularly in strengthening administrative capacity, fostering cooperation between public institutions and other territorial stakeholders, advancing multi-level and multi-actor governance, and supporting policy development and implementation.
Drawing on a cross-sectoral network of quadruple-helix partners across Romania and the European Union, IRCES bridges disciplines and governance levels, bringing together diverse perspectives, facilitating knowledge exchange and fostering collaborative approaches to place-based transitions.
Its work is grounded in the understanding that complex territorial challenges require integrated approaches that connect planning, implementation, governance and policymaking, while recognising the interdependencies between territories, systems and associated capacities. Accordingly, IRCES places particular emphasis on institutional readiness, stakeholder coordination, policy coherence and alignment between local priorities and broader strategic frameworks to enable and sustain change.
Within the Driving Urban Transitions framework, IRCES's profile is particularly relevant to the territorial dimensions of carbon-neutral and climate-resilient urban development. The Institute is well positioned to contribute to transdisciplinary research and innovation partnerships through its extensive experience in public-sector engagement and expertise in territorial planning and strategic development. Its competencies are applicable across the challenges addressed by all three DUT Transition Pathways.
At the heart of IRCES's mission is the ambition to develop actionable interventions and public policies that generate lasting territorial impact, enabling the ecosystems to address their interconnected climate, environmental, social and economic challenges. IRCES welcomes collaboration with European partners to co-develop context-responsive solutions that accelerate sustainable urban transitions and strengthen community resilience.
