Climate impacts and risks involve climatic impact drivers, the exposure and vulnerability of natural and socioeconomic systems, and a strong interdependency exists between climate, nature and human society. Effective climate change adaptation requires effective knowledge sharing and co-creation between communities of climate research and its users. This pilot project of the World Climate Research Programme, supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research and other funders, brought together experts and future leaders from the two communities to familiarise themselves with the aspects of the other discipline. The project demonstrated that knowledge-sharing and co-creation benefit everyone involved and good progress in bridging the gap between the two communities can be made. We also learned that going beyond one’s own training is challenging and fixing the gap requires both communities’ long-term and sustained commitment.