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The “Hydroni” Foundation, with the support of Kompania Piwowarska, announces the second edition of the “Adaptation for Wielkopolska” competition. The initiative is addressed to local government units from the Wielkopolska region that wish to plan activities aimed at climate change adaptation, with a particular focus on water management.
A competition supporting municipal planning
Climate change is increasingly impacting the functioning of local governments. Prolonged droughts, torrential rainfall, local flooding, and growing pressure on water resources mean that municipalities, above all, require adaptation plans and long-term solutions.
The “Adaptation for Wielkopolska” competition addresses this need. Its objective is to support local governments in developing or updating plans and documents that help identify local climate risks, set priorities, and better plan future investments. Such frameworks provide a practical foundation for further adaptation activities while facilitating access to external funding for their implementation.
– Well-prepared planning documents are no longer a mere formality; they are a fundamental requirement for effective climate change adaptation at the local level. They allow local governments to better identify threats, organize their activities, and make investment decisions in a more responsible, long-term manner. The “Adaptation for Wielkopolska” competition was created to support municipalities precisely at this stage – one that is crucial, yet often the most difficult to finance from their own budgets – says Kamil Jawgiel, Leader of the “Hydroni” Foundation.
For many municipalities, this support is particularly important, as preparing specialized planning documents is often the first step toward securing additional EU funding. It enables a shift from ad hoc measures to more coherent and responsible management of water and climate-related challenges.
Results of the first edition of the project
Last year’s edition of the competition confirmed that this type of support responds to the real needs of local governments. Over a dozen municipalities applied for the first phase of the project, from which three winners were selected. Each received a grant of PLN 30,000. These funds made it possible to develop documentation that serves as a practical roadmap for future activities and investments, while also facilitating applications for significant external funding, including from the FEnIKS program.
The experiences of the winning municipalities show that participating in the competition helps organize activities, better identify local needs, and shift from scattered initiatives toward more strategic planning.
– Participation in the competition was a real turning point for our municipality in terms of how we approach water management. The project is not just “good on paper” – it represents an actual shift in how we think about managing water. Instead of ad hoc measures, we now have a coherent plan based on an analysis of local conditions and specific needs. Most importantly, the document was just the beginning. We received a tool that clearly shows where to invest and how to effectively prepare for the phenomena we are already experiencing – both flooding and drought. We are now entering the implementation phase, which includes developing retention, investing in blue-green infrastructure, and consistently building our municipality’s resilience to climate change – says Marcin Szorski, Mayor of the Municipality and Town of Odolanów.
The town of Rogoźno shares similar experiences, viewing the competition as an element of a broader, long-term process to strengthen the municipality’s resilience.
– Above all, participation in the “Adaptation for Wielkopolska 2025” competition was an opportunity for us to organize and present in a cohesive way the actions we are already taking as a municipality in response to climate change. This allowed us not only to strengthen our adaptation efforts but also to draw residents’ attention to their importance – which, in the long run, is just as vital as the investments themselves. We also gained a valuable space to exchange experiences with other local governments, which is very helpful in practice. As for the next steps, we treat this project as a stage in a broader process – we want to continue developing solutions that increase the municipality’s resilience, particularly in terms of water management and green infrastructure – emphasizes Łukasz Zaranek, Mayor of Rogoźno.
Shared effort to support local communities
Kompania Piwowarska is involved in the competition as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting local communities, particularly in areas where its breweries operate, including Poznań. For the company, this is a natural direction: water is one of the core ingredients needed to brew beer, which is why Kompania Piwowarska has been consistently monitoring its consumption for years and strives to reduce it even further. This is a priority area for the company, which today ranks among the global leaders in water-use efficiency in production processes. However, the company aims to go a step further – not only improving its own operations, but also supporting initiatives by various stakeholders to protect local water resources. This is especially significant in Wielkopolska, which, compared to other Polish regions, is particularly vulnerable to the impact of hydrological drought.
Therefore, the “Adaptation for Wielkopolska” competition is a form of cross-sector collaboration, bringing together business, NGOs, and local governments to prepare for future challenges. The “Hydroni” Foundation contributes its expert knowledge and experience in the areas of water management, climate adaptation, and public policy.
Municipalities and towns from the Wielkopolska region are invited to participate in the second edition of the “Adaptation for Wielkopolska” competition. Applications for this year’s edition are being accepted until May 8, 2026, via the form available at https://adaptacjadlawielkopolski.pl/. The results will be announced by May 29, 2026.
