Advancing Nature-based Solutions through Innovative Resilience Finance
Organised by the Greening Cities Partnership and ICLEI Europe in collaboration with the NATURANCE project, this Innovation Lab brings together financial institutions and cities to explore current barriers and enabling conditions for investment in nature-based solutions (NbS), green infrastructure, and biodiversity action.
The roundtable will feature Kelly Baldwin Heid (Biodiversity and NbS expert at ICLEI Europe) Etienne Aulotte (Bruxelles Environnement and Greening Cities Partnership), Eileen Crowley (Greening Cities Partnership), Ana-Maria Mitroi-Ciobîcă (senior urban specialist at the European Investment Bank), and the cities of Budapest, Gdansk, and Utrecht.
About
This roundtable will build on the results of two recent Greening Cities Partnership surveys —one targeting local governments and one targeting the financial sector— to understand the key barriers and enablers for funding green infrastructure (GI) in cities. Participants will explore administrative and financial challenges, including fragmented financing streams and the lack of tailored investment tools, while also identifying practical strategies and innovations to overcome them. Case studies from Budapest, Gdansk, and Utrecht will illustrate existing financing mechanisms and city-led solutions.
As the first of three Innovation Labs, this session aims to foster cross-sector dialogue and spark strategic recommendations to better align EU and national-level finance strategies with urban resilience goals. Through an interactive discussion, cities and financial actors will co- develop solutions and explore simplified pathways for collaboration.
Register for the Event
Participation is open to stakeholders from cities, financial institutions, EU bodies, and urban greening initiatives. Click here to register and receive event updates:
Looking Ahead
The second roundtable of the Innovation Lab will take place on 12 June 2025, in collaboration with the Invest4Nature project that contributes to the creation of a market for nature-based solutions (NbS). This session will feature case studies from the Invest4Nature project, focusing on public-private partnerships (PPPs) from Poznań (Poland) and Aarhus (Denmark). Find out more about previous NATURANCE Innovation Labs here.