By Suzanne Carter (SouthSouthNorth) and Sumetee Pahwa Gajjar (PlanAdapt) 

Today, the CLARE programme launched a new infographic based on learning from the programme explaining the key characteristics of Co-creation Labs. 

The Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) programme launched a new infographic during a session at the Adaptation Futures Conference 2025. CLARE is among the most prominent research programmes globally in climate adaptation and resilience, involving 136 organisations in 38 countries, the majority of which are in Africa and Asia. 

What are Co-creation Labs? 

Co-creation labs are spaces for collective learning and co-designed approaches to ensure no one is left behind in planning for and building resilience to climate change. Co-creation labs involve working collaboratively to create new ideas in response to problems arising due to climate change. By bringing together a range of stakeholders, and including marginalised communities, these labs encourage the sharing of ideas in an atmosphere of trust. The result is a safe space that welcomes learning, exploration and reflection from a variety of viewpoints and lived experiences. 

Co-creation labs are one of the key methods being used in the CLARE programme to bridge the gap between research and action to promote equitable, locally relevant research that leads to impact on the ground.  

The infographic was generated based on input from the CLARE Labs group, which brings together researchers from seven projects actively running labs in their projects. The group is convened by the CLARE Research for Impact (R4I) and Capacity Strengthening Hubs and provides a space for collaboration and exploration.  

• See the poster on Co-creation Labs here

• See the brochure on Co-creation Labs typologies and characteristics here

The CLARE community presented at more than 15 sessions at Adaptation Futures 2025 in New Zealand, which ran from 13 to 16 October 2025. Adaptation Futures is the world’s largest climate adaptation event, and is the flagship conference of the UN’s World Adaptation Science Programme.