Government publishes Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Framework
The UK Government has released the Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Framework (CARIF), a comprehensive strategy designed to bolster the country’s resilience against the effects of climate change. This framework has been introduced to help guide research and innovation efforts to address climate-related challenges across various sectors, ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of global climate action.
Developed by Defra and the Government Office for Science, the framework outlines where research and innovation can most effectively support the UK’s preparedness for climate change impacts. It covers 11 sectors, from energy and telecoms to cities, transport and finance, while emphasising the need for cross-cutting digital infrastructure and smarter data systems to enable long-term, place-based adaptation.
Rather than addressing climate risk in isolation within individual sectors, the framework recognises the complex, cascading impacts that climate events can have across the UK’s economy and infrastructure. This is a move away from a previously more siloed and individualistic approach to adaptation and presents new opportunities for collaboration, all the while aligning with the Government’s five missions.
For the tech sector, this is a clear signal: climate resilience is becoming a key driver of digital innovation—with far-reaching implications for infrastructure planning, product development, and public-private collaboration.
A new focus on integrated resilience
ARIF addresses the growing gap between the scale of climate risks and the UK’s current resilience. It identifies a need for cross-cutting, systemic approaches to adaptation research and prioritises coordinated innovation efforts across 11 key sectors. It aims to:
- Inform public investment decisions in research and innovation
- Encourage alignment between research funders, industry, and policymakers
- Embed adaptation into mainstream innovation ecosystems
- Accelerate the development of practical tools and evidence for local and national decision-makers
- Enhance the UK’s adaptive capacity across critical systems
Digital tools—such as environmental sensors, real-time analytics, digital twins, and AI-enabled risk modelling—are central to this approach. The framework calls for such things as enhanced interoperability of systems, integrated data ecosystems, and smarter planning tools to support local and national resilience.
These ambitions closely align with techUK’s work on smart infrastructure, data innovation, digital public services, and resilient communications networks.
The sector priorities identified in the Framework
CARIF sets out 11 priority sectors where adaptation research and innovation are needed to address sector-specific climate vulnerabilities:
- Energy Systems
- Telecommunications and ICT
- Cities and Local Government
- Finance and Business
- Food Systems
- Health and Wellbeing
- Natural Environment
- Water Systems
- Built Environment
- Transport and Infrastructure
- Supply Chains and Industry
Cross-Sector Priorities for Innovation
Beyond sectoral challenges, CARIF also identifies system-wide enablers that are critical to delivering coordinated adaptation. These include data and modelling infrastructure, decision-making tools, skills and capacity, finance and governance.
These priorities present actionable opportunities for techUK members to support end-to-end resilience in services, systems, and supply chains.
Strategic implications for industry
This framework has three big implications for the tech industry:
- Adaptation is now an innovation agenda: There’s a growing expectation that businesses help deliver resilience—not just to decarbonise, but to withstand the impacts of climate change that are already locked in.
- R&D funding will increasingly align with climate resilience: Research councils, innovation agencies, and local authorities are expected to shape their priorities in line with the framework—meaning more funding calls and pilots that include digital resilience components.
- Cross-sector collaboration is essential: Delivering resilient systems will require cooperation across infrastructure, telecoms, utilities, finance, and public services to name a few. The tech sector can play a convening role—bringing together datasets, insights, and digital tools.
You can access the Government’s Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Framework here.
Next steps and engagement
The Climate Adaptation Research and Innovation Board will oversee delivery of the framework, with more detail expected on future research and innovation initiatives.
At techUK, we will be developing a cross-programme climate resilience taskforce in the coming months to engage members across our workstreams on this vital topic. If you are interested in helping us to shape the climate resilience agenda through the tech sector, please contact [email protected]
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Craig Melson
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Craig is Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability and leads on our work in these areas ranging from climate change, ESG disclosures and due diligence, through to circular economy, business and human rights, conflict minerals and post-Brexit regulation.
Prior to joining techUK he worked in public affairs and policy has an avid interest in new and emerging technologies. Craig has a degree in Ancient History from King’s College London and spends his time watching Watford FC and holding out hope for Half Life 3.
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In this role, working jointly across the techUK Telecoms and Climate Programmes, Josh is responsible for leading on telecoms infrastructure deployment and uptake and supporting innovation opportunities, as well as looking at how the tech sector can be further utilised in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts.
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Before that Lucas who joined in 2008, held various roles in our organisation, which included his role as Office Executive, Groups and Concept Viability Administrator, and most recently he worked as Programme Executive for Public Sector. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski Cracow University.
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Craig Melson
Craig is Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability and leads on our work in these areas ranging from climate change, ESG disclosures and due diligence, through to circular economy, business and human rights, conflict minerals and post-Brexit regulation.
Josh Turpin
Josh joined techUK as a Programme Manager for Telecoms and Net Zero in August 2024.
Alec Bartishevich
Alec joined techUK in 2025 as the Programme Manager for Sustainability within the Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Programme.
Lucas Banach
Lucas Banach is Programme Assistant at techUK, he works on a range of programmes including Data Centres; Climate, Environment & Sustainability; Market Access and Smart Infrastructure and Systems.
