Initiated in 2023, the Climate Resilience Network (CRN) unifies the expertise of UMD’s scientists with the immediate requirements of Maryland’s decision-makers to address the complexities of climate change. It is funded by the Grand Challenges Grants Program, which supports projects that address emerging societal issues, including climate change, social injustice, global health, and education disparities. This program is a Fearlessly Forward strategic initiative designed to accelerate solutions to humanity’s grand challenges within our communities and around the globe through education, research, scholarship, creative activities, and service.

From multiple “100-year floods” in Ellicott City, to deadly high temperatures in Baltimore, to greater occurrences of flash droughts, to the rising sea levels that threaten the ecology and economy of the Chesapeake Bay, it is clear that Maryland is being increasingly impacted by the effects of climate change. Monitoring, predicting, managing, and mitigating these impacts are major challenges that must be overcome in order to allow communities time to prepare for and respond to oncoming extreme events. Typically, these actions occur separately from one another, as researchers fail to involve the needs of stakeholders and stakeholders feel alienated from research. When researchers and decision-makers operate independently, there is a lost opportunity for practical and collaborative solutions.

Working alongside stakeholders and having them involved, researchers can assess regional needs and find innovative solutions rooted in both the pressing demands of the community as well as UMD’s groundbreaking research and turn these into “actionable science.”. Based in a research-to-impact philosophy, the initiative develops outcomes that meaningfully support communities in Maryland and neighboring states to educate and mitigate the impacts of our changing climate.