Events

Norden har länge varit en förebild i klimatarbetet. En majoritet av nordiska kommuner arbetar strategiskt med FN:s globala hållbarhetsmål, enligt en ny rapport från Nordregio. EU-valet den 9 juni visade dessutom att klimatfrågan är viktigare i Norden än andra delar av Europa. Under Ystad Summit samlar Nordregio tongivande röster för att diskutera hur nordiska städer kan ta ledningen i den nödvändiga transformationen till ett hållbart samhälle. Är vi så bra på grön omställning i praktiken – eller är det mest snack? Hur går det med transporterna, konsumtionen och den biologiska mångfalden egentligen? Och vad händer om vi bara fokuserar på klimatet och inte de sociala utmaningarna, i jakten på att bli den mest hållbara staden? Kort sagt, vad krävs av politiker och invånare för att nordiska städer ska kunna bli verkliga förebilder för resten av världen? Med avstamp i den nyligen lanserade rapporten om hur nordiska kommuner implementerar hållbarhetsmålen, kommer företrädare från organisationer och kommuner i de nordiska länderna att diskutera utmaningar, erfarenheter och hur vi tillsammans kan ta ledningen i omställningen. Vi kommer också få höra ungas perspektiv på vad som är viktigt och hur vi involverar dem i detta arbete. Medverkande:• Åsa Ström Hildestrand, Nordregio/Nordiska Ministerrådet• Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, KSO Malmö Stad och ordförande ICLEI• Anna Esbjörn, Concito – Danmarks gröna tankesmedja som stöttar kommuner i genomförandet av klimathandlingsplaner• Åsa Minoz, Viable Cities• Siri Ankarfors, scout och LSU:s ungdomsrepresentant i FN för klimat- och miljöfrågor• Moderator: Yasemin Arhan Modéer, Altitude Meetings Vi ses på Ystad Summit, i Biografen den 5 september. Eventet kommer även att live-streamas här. Ystad Summit är en politiskt oberoende och öppen demokratisk mötesplats. Läs mer på deras hemsida.

It’s well known that most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) will not be reached without local engagement. The Nordic countries have a long tradition of strong local governance and great potential to be frontrunners in SDG localisation. But what have the Nordic municipalities achieved so far? What works and what worries them? Welcome to the official launch of the first-ever Nordic Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR), showcasing local governments’ efforts to achieve the SDGs. The launch will take place on 9 July, in Conference room 8 at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York. We welcome both those who will be onsite, and those joining online via stream. The Nordic VSR is based on surveys and interviews across all Nordic municipalities. Nordregio and the Local and Regional Government Associations (LRGAs) will present final results, key learnings and inspiring practices on SDG implementation from the Nordic Toolbox. Together, we’ll discuss how to face recurring challenges, including political support, SDG governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, stakeholder and youth engagement, and how to monitor progress.  Programme outline: Welcome and opening words Anna Karin Eneström, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United NationsMerete Fjeld Brattested, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United NationsEeva Furman, Secretary-General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentÞórður Ægir Óskarsson, Deputy Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United NationsErik Laursen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United NationsModerator: Åsa Ström Hildestrand, Nordregio  Presentation of Nordic VSR: Results and key learnings Nordic Local and Regional Government Associations (LRGAs):Anne Romsaas, Chief Adviser SDG, The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS Kommunesektorens organisasjon)Daniel Sazonov, Deputy Mayor of the City of Helsinki, The Chair of the AFLA Delegation, The Association of Finnish Local Authorities (AFLA/Kuntaliitto)Emil Broberg, Board member, The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR/SKR) and Councilor, Östergötland Region, SwedenHeiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, President, The Icelandic Association of Local Authorities (Samband…

What are the risks and rewards of remote work? Why are we having less kids in the Nordics? Join us in Visby, Gotland, on 25 June as we host two panel discussions during Almedalen 2024.

Webinar 31 August 14.00-16.00 CET Insights from research, labour market representatives and civil society  Join the discussion on justice and equality aspects in one of the most significant transformations of our time. In this webinar, the Not Just a Green Transition project (NJUST) invites researchers, policymakers, and experts to discuss with the labour market and civil society representatives what a just green transition entails and how climate policies address the human factor. The focus will be on:    PROGRAMME 14.00 Opening remarks: Why is just green transition important and timely? Ásta Bjarnadóttir, Iceland’s Prime Ministers Office and moderator Åsa Ström Hildestrand 14.10 Key implications of green transition in the Nordic Region, Anna Lundgren, Senior Research Fellow, NJUST project manager, Nordregio 14.15 The social impacts of climate mitigation policies on vulnerable groups in the Nordic Region, Carlos Tapia, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio 14.35 Commentary remarks from national experts in Finland and Iceland– Heta-Elena Heiskanen, Ministry of the Environment in Finland and NJUST steering group member– Ásta Bjarnadóttir, Iceland’s Prime Ministers Office, NJUST project steering group chairperson 14.50 Commentary remarks on how green transition impacts people and labour force:  – Magnus Gissler, General Secretary of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions– Markus Äimälä, Director, Labour & Law, Confederation of Finnish Industries– Annika Lyytikäinen, Nordic Youth Council– Jan Davidsen, the chairperson of the Norwegian Pensioners’ Association 15.10 Panel with the experts and commentators: Questions from the audience 15.45 Nordregio presents 2 other projects that have synergies with NJUST project: Inclusive economic growth project & A Just Green Transition in rural areas: local benefits from value creation, Nora Sanchez Gassen, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio  15.50  Final remarks, project manager Anna Lundgren, Nordregio 2 NEW REPORTS WILL BE RELEASED AT THE EVENT The webinar will be based on a new literature overview Green Transition – key concepts and implications in the Nordic region and a knowledge overview on climate mitigation policies The social impacts of climate mitigation policies on vulnerable…

Welcome to the 2022 Nordic Economic Policy Review peer-review seminar. The open event takes place in the Nordic House of Iceland on 27 October. The 2022 issue looks into how Covid-19 has affected different parts of the economy including tourism, schools and the labour market. A detailed programme and registration come in August.

Join us on 2 March to build Nordic-Russian partnerships for wood in construction! The online matchmaking event will link actors from across the Nordics and North-West Russia to form new relationships, for trade, knowledge and technology exchange, and the expansion and connection of the wood in the construction community.   Date: 2 March, 9:00-16:00 (CET) / 11:00-18:00 (Moscow time)

On 17 November, Nordic Council of Ministers invites you to join a digital summit to discuss a green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the series of six debates, politicians, organizations, representatives from the public and private sectors and entrepreneurs from the Nordic region will identify the strengths and weaknesses in the Nordic model. Among other topics, Nordregio will share  Nordic perspectives on green transition. The discussions will focus on various aspects of the role that the Nordics will play in the global, post-corona, green recovery. How can we achieve a just green transition in times of recession? Is the Nordic welfare model equipped for this brave new future without leaving anyone behind? What implications will the green transition have for the educational system? Are the Nordic countries prepared for a green future with a different job market that requires new skill sets? These are just some of the complex questions we will be asking. Nordregio’s Senior Research Fellow Anna Lundgren will participate in the session “The Nordic welfare state: Green, inclusive and excellent?”. Watch the discussion at 17:00 (GMT +1). The summit will be broadcasted live from the Nordic capital. See the full programme here: https://www.norden.org/sv/choosing-green

Nordic Housing Markets and Policies: Nordic Economic Policy Review 2021 Welcome to the digital peer-review seminars on Nordic Economic Policy Review 2021. Housing expenditure is by far the largest expenditure in a typical Nordic household, and housing plays a central role in social welfare. Recent decades have seen dramatic developments and changes in Nordic housing markets with rapid increases in building costs, price bubbles, lack of affordable and social housing, and deregulations of the rental markets. The 2021 issue of the Nordic Economic Policy Review deals with these issues, based on academic research by prominent Nordic researchers. On October 20th and 21st, the first drafts will be presented and commented by professionals from both academia and the public sector. Register here: Tuesday 20th Wednesday 21st Programme Tuesday 20th of October (14.00 – 16.30 CEST) 14.00-14.10 Introduction by Harry Flam and Peter Englund, Editors 14.15-14.35 Cost and productivity in housing construction, Mats Bergman, Södertörn University, and Sten Nyberg, Stockholm University 14.40-15.00 Discussants: Hans Lind, Royal Institute of Technology and Michael Cocozza, Botrygg 15.00-15.20 Housing price bubbles in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen, André Kallåk Anundsen, OsloMet 15.25-15.45 Discussants: John Duca, Oberlin College and Sverre Mæhlum, Bank of Norway 15.50-16.10 Social housing: affordability and integration, Essi Eerola, VATT Institute for Economic Research 16.15-16.35 Discussants: Matz Dahlberg, Uppsala University, and Peter Stephensen, Danish Research Institute for Economic Analysis and Modelling 16.35 – 17.00 Time for questions from participants and conclusions Programme Wednesday 21st of October (10.30 – 12.45 CEST) 10.30 – 10.40 Introduction by Harry Flam and Peter Englund, Editors 10.45-11.05 Buy to let and housing prices, Erlend Eide B󠅿ø, Statistics Norway 11.10 – 11.30 Discussants: Kasper Kragh-Sørensen, University of Oslo, and Marius Hagen, Bank of Norway 11.35-11.55 Efficiency and equity: taxation of housing, Niku Määttänen, ETLA 12.00 – 12.20 Discussants: Peter Birch Sørensen, University of Copenhagen and Niels Kleis…

BONUS BASMATI project aimed to develop an innovative decision support system for maritime spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region. The results of a three-year project will be shared in the digital seminar “Supporting Maritime Spatial Planning with Science” on the 9th September 2020. PROGRAMME (in Central European Summer Time, CEST) 10:00 Welcome • Henning Sten Hansen (AAU) & Harri Tolvanen (UTU): BONUS BASMATI – Supporting Maritime Spatial Planning with Science 10:15 Concepts and approaches • Pia Frederiksen (AU): Framework for sustainability impact assessment of plan proposals • Solvita Strake/Kristine Pakalniete (LIAE): Assessment of Ecosystem Services and Values of Marine Protected Areas • Kerstin Schiele/Lotta Maack (IOW): Data harmonisation to facilitate planning across borders and scales • Søren Qvist Eliasen/Andrea Morf (Nordregio): Involving stakeholders – Why, Who, When and How? 11:15 Platforms and tools for MSP • Juha Oksanen & FGI team (NLS): Baltic Explorer – Collaborative GIS approach for new interactive MSP • Miriam von Thenen (IOW): SPACEA – a GIS toolbox to facilitate easy spatial and environmental suitability analysis • Aurelija Armoskaite (LIAE): ESA4MSP – an ecosystem service assessment tool • Henning Sten Hansen (AAU): MYTILUS – a toolset for assessing the impacts of maritime activities • Ida Maria Bonnevie (AAU): SEANERGY – a tool for analysing conflicts and synergies between different marine uses 12.15 End of conference • Lise Schrøder (AAU): Wrap-up • Henning Sten Hansen (AAU): Final remarks REGISTRATION Please register yourself by Monday the 7th of September at the latest. Instructions about how to join the webinar will be sent to you a day before the event. https://konsta.utu.fi/Default.aspx?tabid=88&tap=9759  

Ålands landskapsregering inbjuder till ett webbseminarium på onsdagen den 9 sep 2020 kl. 14.00-16.00. Länken till webbseminarium kommer att delas till registrerade deltagare via e-mail. Vilka ekonomiska och sociala konsekvenser har Covid-19 på Åland? Hur skall vi återhämta oss – speciellt med tanke på kapitalförsörjning och kompetensförsörjning? Vad kan LBU-programmet och strukturfondsprogrammet 2014–2020, och de kommande EU- programmen 2021 – 2027 tillföra för Åland?   Program: (Moderatorer Elin Slätmo & Jukka Teräs) 14.00 Introduktion och välkomnande (med kort introduktion till LBU-programmet och strukturfondsprogrammet) – Sölve Högman & Susanne Strand, Ålands landskapsregerin 14.15 Åland under/efter covid-19 – perspektiv från banksektorn, Peter Wiklöf, Ålandsbanken 14.35 Ålands ekonomi och arbetsmarknad i september 2020 med tanke på covid-19, Jouko Kinnunen, ÅSUB 14.50-15.00 Frågor & Svar 15.00 Skills & Competence, Nordisk jämförelse, Anna Lundgren, Nordregio 15.15 Panel: Hur skall Åland ut ur Covid-19 krisen? Hur kan LBU- och strukturfondsprogrammen bidra till återhämtning? Modererat av Elin Slätmo & Jukka Teräs – med inledande diskussion: Victoria Sundberg, CIO Cirio Advokatbyrå AB & Caroline Lepistö, VD/CEO Åland Hotels 15.50 Sammanfattning av eftermiddagen – Linnea Johansson, Ålands landskapsregering  Anmälan om deltagande senast den 8 september, 2020 till:  vaida.razaityte@nordregio.org  

Regeneration 2030 Summit invites youth from the Nordic and the Baltic regions to exchange ideas on how to promote Sustainable Development Goals locally. Among other participants, Nordregio’s researcher Alberto Giacometti will present the BeUbio platform and stories of young persons across the Baltic Sea Region leading the way to sustainability from different sectors and industries. ReGeneration 2030 is a movement led by teenagers and young adults in the Nordic and Baltic Sea Regions making the United Nations Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) become reality. The summit invites to get to know like-minded youth, to hear inspiring speakers and learn about initiatives from all over the region, to get tools and frameworks that will help you identify challenges and come up with solutions, to start taking action in your community. Nordregio is a part of the BeUBio project that aims to promote youth involvement across the Baltic Sea Region for transition to a bio-based economy, and create synergies with other actors and initiatives addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In the BeUBio platform you can find stories of young people whose business ideas, jobs and other activities lead the way towards a different and more sustainable economic path. Some of these young leaders will be participating in the Regeneration 2030 Summit to share their experience, both their achievements and challenges. Panel “Young people leading the way to a sustainable economy” August 20, 16:30-17:30 Juan Medina, Denmark: founded Kaffe Bueno to explore the infinite possible uses coffee grounds, extending its life cycle, reducing environmental degradation, and helping a community of women in his hometown in Colombia. Anastasia Selezneva, St Petersburg, Russia: initiated Green Glass, a studio where to create decorations and art installations from recycled glass. She is also organising events to educate groups on SDGs in St Petersburg. Māra Lieplapa, Latvia:…

New innovative mobility solutions based on innovative technologies represent a crucial element for the development of rural areas. Also, digitalisation has been more and more present in rural areas, one example being how the agricultural landscape is becoming more autonomous. Due to the latest developments regarding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we have taken the decision to cancel the physical seminar and we are instead moving it into the digital realm by hosting a webinar. With agriculture becoming more automatised, could self-driving vehicles and electrical technologies also be part of the solution to challenges connected to mobility and service in rural areas?  While some countries of the Baltic Sea Region are more digitally advanced, others still struggle to ensure basic network coverage, threatening the development of their rural areas. The situation begs the question – is it possible for countries who are more developed to inspire and support other regions? And what basic knowledge and governance is necessary for technology to be implemented? The 5th and last Rural Mobility Seminar organised by the MAMBA consortium will focus on digitalisation and new technology that can improve rural mobility. The event will take take place on 26 March 2020, at 12:30 CET. Register for the seminar!

In the early 2000s, it was widely believed that the world economy had entered a period of larger macroeconomic stability, the Great Moderation. But the global financial crisis in 2007-09, the subsequent Great Recession and the euro crisis provided a vivid illustration of how vulnerable today’s economies are to disturbances in financial markets. As a response, financial regulation and supervision have been strengthened worldwide. This seminar on Financial Regulation and Macroeconomic Stability in the Nordics discusses how stable our financial markets are today and choices that Nordic policymakers in the fields of monetary and financial policy have to make. Leading Nordic academics present analyses of these issues that are to be published in the Nordic Economic Policy Review. The analyses will be commented by both academic experts and practitioners from central banks, ministries of finance and financial markets. The seminar will address questions like: How great are the risks of new financial shocks in the world economy? How resilient is the Nordic financial sector against such shocks? To what extent should monetary policy take credit growth and rising real estate prices into account? How stringent macroprudential rules are needed to limit household debt? Will EU bail-in rules help mitigate or will they exacerbate financial crises if they arise? Which are the pros and cons of membership in the EU’s banking union? Time and date: 10.00 – 17.00, 12 December 2019 (Note! The starting time has been changed!)Venue: Mariankatu 9 /Mariegatan 9, Helsinki, Ministry of FinanceOrganiser: Finnish Ministry of Finance, Nordregio and the Nordic Council of Ministers for FinanceFor whom: Policymakers, politicians, academics, statisticians, banking sector and others working with relevant topics The seminar is public but requires registration: https://www.lyyti.in/neprseminar2019 PROGRAMME  Introduction by Lars Calmfors, Stockholm University and Research Institute of Industrial Economics Opening and welcome by Erkki Liikanen, former Head of Bank of Finland…

The BeUBio project invites young people working with, or studying topics related to circular bio-based economy or bioeconomy to participate in a morning seminar and workshop about ‘engaging the youth into circular bioeconomy’. The event has a double aim: 1) inform about the circular bioeconomy and key developments and initiatives in Nordic countries and the Baltic Sea Region; and 2) engage the youth, inviting them to provide their views on opportunities and challenges for developing the bioeconomy from their perspectives. We invite young and engaged individuals who are interested in the circular bioeconomy, and that want to contribute to exiting discussions. We hope to provide an informal and safe space for learning, discussion and networking. Please join us if you are interested! Reserve your participation to: alberto.giacometti@nordregio.org Draft programme: 8:30 Welcome coffee Part I: presentations 9:00 Intro words: What is Bioeconomy, the BeUBio project and the BLP network? – Presenter: TBC Inclusive and Green Transition – The Nordic Way – Karen Refsgaard, Research Director at Nordregio & Michael Kull, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio Bioeconomy in education, real-life examples and game: the Bloom project – Kiki Liadaki, International English School, Uppsala Toolbox for youth involvement in Bioeconomy: results from Baltic Leadership Programme – Gabor Schneider, Swedish Institute How to engage young people? Experience from rural Australia – Linda Randall, Researcher at Nordregio – https://yerp.yacvic.org.au/ Part II: Open discussion. Guiding questions: 10:00 Q1: What are the main opportunities and barriers for the development of the bioeconomy? Q2: What are the possible means for pushing forward the bioeconomy? Q3: What role plays the youth? How do you think you can get engaged? 11:15 End & farewell *The BeUBio project is a collaboration between Nordregio (Nordic Research Institute), Nordic Council of Ministers office in Lithuania, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, Vidzeme Planning Region (Latvia),…

Nordregio will join Åland’s Statistical Bureau for the celebration of their 25th anniversary. What does Åland’s journey look like in the future? What does youth think about the opportunities they have? How has the population of Åland developed during the 2000s and where does it stand within the Nordic context? To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Åland’s Statistical Bureau, Head of GIS department at Nordregio, Julien Grunfelder, will give a presentation, focusing on the future of Åland within the Nordic context. The maps accompanying the talk will portray the trends that population development on the island has experienced throughout the years. Register for the seminar here. 

MAMBA project is organizing the 4th Rural Mobility Seminar, called “Rural development and mobility – more than just transportation”. The seminar, is scheduled for 12 November 2019, will take place in Bielsko-Biala (Cracow-Katowice-Ostrava Metropolitan Region) and will discuss the role of rural mobility for (social) cohesion. The Rural Mobility Seminar Series has been developed by MAMBA as an event series that reflects current trends and challenges of rural mobility. Each seminar is dedicated to one specific topic and is open for researchers, local decision makers, transport and mobility professionals interested in exchange, networking and new perspectives on rural mobility. With the seminar series, we aim at combining the broad knowledge and experience that exists within the MAMBA partnership with outside views and input. Rural Mobility Seminars are seminars in the best sense. They offer vast space for discussions among practitioners and professionals, framed by different keynote speakers who help to seize and understand mobility challenges and provide inspiration and potential solutions in the form of Good Practices.

The School of Management SKOLKOVO (Moscow, Russia) is currently hosting an education program for the top regional management teams in one of Russian regions, Khanty Mansiysk (Ugra), in order to help inspire regional implementation of development projects. One of the main aims of the program is to provide best practice cases on innovative diversification. Europe’s smart specialisation case is considered one such international approach to consider. Nordregio Research Fellow Mari Wøien Meijer will be giving a lecture on smart specialisation in Norway, and will also give an overview of the Norwegian Innovation system and cluster organizations, as well as providing some insight into the various policy instruments and funding programs available to the regions. The lecture will take place at 9am on the 1st of October in Skolkovo School of Management in Moscow, Russia.

– A knowledge-sharing event for Nordic municipalities and regions Sustainable development is high on the agenda of the UN, country governments, businesses and numerous other actors. However, where a transformational 2030 Agenda is going to make a difference is at the local level, in the work of regions and municipalities all over the world. We therefore invite you to join an event under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers to learn about how Nordic municipalities are working with the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Get new inspiration and knowledge, meet potential partners and help send a strong message to our governments about what you need to further your work for a sustainable future. Held at one of the most sustainable venues in the Nordics, this knowledge-sharing event will give you an opportunity to either start-up, fine-tune or evaluate your work with sustainable development, whether you represent a municipality, a regional authority, an NGO or another interested party. Presentations from the event are available below. Remember to ask the relevant person if you wish to use any part from a presentation. Plenary session Gladsaxe Sønderborg Åtvidaberg Kristiansund Glokala Sverige How to implement Social Environmental PROGRAMME 8.30 Registration 9.00 Introduction, Paula Lehtomäki, Secretary-General of the Nordic Council of Ministers 9.15 Keynote presentation: Global Goals for Local Priorities, Elin Slätmo, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio 9.45 Keynote presentation: A territorial approach to SDGs, Stefano Marta, Coordinator, OECD 10.15 Fika and room change 10.45 Parallel sessions (presentations and workshop): How to get started – with Line Vind from Gladsaxe municipality and Yasmine Dernelid from Åtvidaberg municipality How to implement – with Katrin Larsson from Örebro municipality and Ragnhild Marie Hammer from Arendal municipality How to follow up – with Arne Ingebrigtsen from Kristiansund municipality 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Parallel sessions (presentations and…

An open seminar on the future of regional development will be held 12 September at the University of Akureyri. The seminar is organised by Ministry of Transport and Local Government, Byggdastofnun and Nordregio and in cooperation with the EK-R (Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy) and Nordregio’s Board of Directors. “We have a very prestigious, experienced and inspirational group of speakers focusing on the future of the Nordic regional development. The outcome of this seminar as the basis for the upcoming Nordic cooperation program for regional development.” -Kjell Nilsson, Director at Nordregio Registration via this link   Programme 09:00-09:10 Opening Adress Rector Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, Rector at the University of Akureyri 09:10-09.25 Introduction: Nordic Cooperation on Regional Policy – What topics have been prioritized in the past and what’s in the pipeline for the future? Kjell Nilsson, Director of Nordregio and Affiliated Professor at University of Copenhagen 09:25-09:45 Opportunities and challenges for regional development in the North Atlantic Region, Snorri Björn Sigurdsson, Head of Department, Icelandic Regional Development Institute 09:45-10:20 What have been the key successes – and shortcomings – of regional development policy over the past 20 years, and what are the key lessons to be drawn? José Enrique Garcilazo, Head of Regional and Rural Unit, OECD 10:20-10:40 Coffee break 10:40-11:00 The Nordic Welfare State at the crossroads, Joakim Palme, Professor of Political Science, Uppsala University (SE) 11:00-11:30 Discussants Gerd Slinning & Katarina Fellman (Isabella Palomba Rydén) 11:30-11:50 The sustainable Nordic city of tomorrow, Ellen Braae & Henriette Steiner, Professor and Ass. Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Copenhagen (DK) 11:50-12:30 Discussants Jarle Jensen & Olli Vuotilainen 12:30-13:30 Lunch 13:30-13:50 Opportunities and challenges for future rural development policies in the Nordic Region, Gro Marit Grimsrud, Senior Researcher, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS (NO) 13:50-14:30 Discussants Hanna Maria Urjankangas &…

The Summer School course “Regional Development in Post-Crisis and Post-Global World“ organised by the faculty of economics at Split University in Croatia, will take place between the 22nd-24th of May, 2019. The summer school invites graduate students and professionals in the field to gain better understanding on key challenges for regional and urban development today and discuss with international academic experts and practitioners. Alberto Giacometti and Jukka Teräs from Nordregio are leading a lecture on Regional Economic and Social Resilience: Empirical Research Results from the Nordic Regions. This session builds-up on the results of empirical research conducted in the Nordic Countries. Especial emphasis is placed on the asymmetric impacts of global threats on the territories. The intention is to add a qualitative perspective behind regions’ vulnerabilities and distinct ways in which they respond to global and local challenges and threats.  Find out more about the event here.

Alla är eniga om att civilsamhället spelar en avgörande roll för att öppna dörrar till yrkeslivet och samhället i stort. Hör civilsamhällesorganisationer och forskare diskutera vilken roll organisationerna spelar idag och vilken roll de bör spela i framtiden. När? Tisdag 5 mars 2019 kl.13.00-14.00 (GMT+1). Registrera dig Case #1 – Finland Ann-Jolin Grüne, Luckan integration – ett holistiskt vägledningscenter Luckan integration erbjuder information- och vägledning för invandrare i arbetssökning, studier, språkkurser, i att hantera byråkrati och att hitta både professionella och sociala nätverk. Vi erbjuder individuell vägledning, olika nätverkskoncept så som mentorprogrammet Fika, Kamratverksamheten Cirkeln och för professionellt nätverkande Dörren. Utöver det ordnar vi regelbundet kortare kurser i arbetssökning och sociala evenemang. Luckan är en privat förening och utgår alltid från individens behov. Case #2 – Sverige Astrid Gyllenkrok Kristensen, Yrkesdörren Yrkesdörren finns dels för att underlätta för nya svenskar att bygga ett professionellt nätverk i Sverige, men också för att underlätta för etablerade svenskar att tillvarata den kompetens som personer med utländsk bakgrund har. I förlängningen handlar det om att genom nya möten förbättra etableringen och att ge arbetsgivare tillgång till hela talangpoolen. Emma Hammar, grundare och verksamhetsledare, Kompisbyrån Kompisbyrån matchar nya och etablerade svenskar som träffas för enkla och roliga möten på ca 1 timme. Vi erbjuder enkla former av vardagsintegration för att göra det lätt och kul för alla att engagera sig! Idag finns Kompisbyrån i tio städer runt om i Sverige och ungefär 14 000 kontakter från över 126 länder har förmedlats. Målgrupp Integrationssamordnare i kommuner och regioner; Ledare och praktiker inom utbildningssektor och NGOs som arbetar med nyanlända Beslutsfattare på kommunal-, regional- och nationell nivå. Förväntat resultat Få ökad kunskap om särskilda utmaningar som utrikesfödda i Norden står inför. Ta del av expertanföranden om hur civilsamhällets organisationer arbetar för att förbättra etablering i arbetslivet för…

GRASSROOTS – Rural mobility top-down and bottom-up On 21 February, MAMBA project will organise its 2nd “Rural mobility seminar”. The event will take place in Vejle, Denmark and will be the second in a series of six seminars. The thematic focus will be on grassroots initiatives, the challenges they face and the opportunities they bring. Particular emphasis will be set on practical insights from successful projects and initiatives, and we will provide ample space to network and mingle with other mobility stakeholders from the Baltic Sea Region and beyond. The agenda can be found here. To register for the seminar, use this link.

Nordregio welcomes to the final seminar of the BSR Starts S3 project which takes place on 26 March in Tampere. The seminar is targeted at regional and local authorities, as well as circular economy researchers and developers in the Baltic Sea Region. It provides an actual overview of bio- and circular economy opportunities and prospects for future cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. The seminar is also a great platform for networking. Being the final seminar of the EU Interreg BSR project BSR Stars S3, the event has a special focus on the project outcomes and discusses especially the ways to involve and support business in bio- and circular economy. A study visit to a future smart city district “Hiedanranta” in Tampere is organized for the seminar participants. Registration Register to the conference before 13 March here.  For questions regarding the event, please contact: johanna.leino@tampere.fi About the BSR Stars S3 project The BSR Stars S3 project is a three-year project which has been focusing on the growth opportunities within bio-/circular and digital economy fields in the Baltic Sea Region. Nordregio was responsible for organising study tours around the Nordic region and developing policy recommendations to improve the knowledge among decision-makers at different levels. Find out more about the project here.    

An international seminar in Lahti brings together actors from Finland and the Baltic Sea area to learn about the most recent topics in the circular economy. Jukka Teräs, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio will share Nordic experiences and policy recommendations with the circular economy field. How could actions at regional level become a part of the solution to global problems? What is the role of regions? what kind of barriers are there in the way to profitable circular economy business? The seminar provides an understanding of these questions and more the topic is addressed at European, Nordic and Finnish level. Good practices in the field of the circular economy are presented as well.

The Bothnian Arc Committee together with Nordregio welcomes you to participate in a half-day seminar/workshop on regional economic and social resilience in the Bothnian Arc cross-border region. The event will take place in Tornio on 26 February. The notion of resilience has become imperative in policy-makers’ vocabulary at all levels of governance. The policy attention given to resilience relates to the general sense of uncertainty and insecurity growing in many societies worldwide. In this context, key questions have emerged for analysis: how capable are local communities in coping with global challenges (or how resilient are they) and what kind of local responses are needed to address global and local challenges? This interactive seminar will begin with a presentation of the results of a two-year study (2017-2018) on Nordic Regional Resilience commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Following the presentation on main results, speakers will touch on the state and opportunities of the Sweden-Finland cross-border cooperation, and the existing and potential threats to the region from multiple perspectives: i.e. economic, social, environmental and political. After the presentations, a workshop will be organised in three parts to stimulate a discussion on: I. what risks, threats and long-term challenges can be identified in the Bothnian Arc? II. what are the drivers of resilience in the Bothnian Arc? III. how can cross-border cooperation strengthen resilience in the Bothnian Arc? Experts, policy-makers, practitioners and other relevant professionals from North Finland and Sweden are cordially invited to share their insights on this topic from their own perspective during the roundtable discussions. These discussions will provide valuable input to a follow-up study conducted by Nordregio and the Bothnian Arc Committee on cross-border regional economic resilience. The results will be published in a report in mid-2019.

Nordregio Head of Communications Michael Funch will present two Nordregio projects at a seminar on integrated spatial planning at CANaction School of Urban Studies, in Kiev, Ukraine. The presentation includes the so-called “Attractiveness Project” from the work of the Nordic Thematic Group on Sustainable Rural Development and the EU funded REGINA project on the empowerment of small-scale communities with large-scale industries, regarding resource-based economies in sparsely populated regions. Find more about Integrated Spatial Planning for Amalgamated Hromadas programme.

On 26 October, Nordregio’s Cartographer/GIS Analyst Gustaf Norlén joins a series of Friday Academy events in Örebro to present State of the Nordic Region 2018. Every second year, Nordregio announces the regional potential index that rank all Nordic regions based on demographics, labour market and economics. In the last index, Örebro region has dropped in ranking from place 30 to 37. The participants will discuss why Örebro is placed where it is in the ranking and what the potential for future development of the region are.

Drivers of mobility innovations are often large private companies. Naturally, such companies invest where they see the biggest market potential, which is usually in cities. Rural mobility innovations, on the other hand, are rather an offspring of local, sometimes non-commercial initiatives and satisfy different demand patterns. Rural mobility innovations are possible, yet they are hampered by various obstacles. The Rural Mobility Seminar Series has been developed by MAMBA as an event series that reflects current trends and challenges of rural mobility. Each seminar is dedicated to one specific topic and is open for researchers, local decision makers, transport and mobility professionals interested in exchange, networking and new perspectives on rural mobility. Nordregio is a partner in the MAMBA Interreg project and Research Fellow Anna Berlina will participate in the panel discussion “Barriers and enablers of innovation in rural mobility” together with researchers from Sweden, Latvia and Germany. The first mobility seminar takes place in Riga 27 September and you can register through this link: https://goo.gl/v4ABp6

Nordregio and Ålands Bildningsförbund welcome you to participate in a one-day seminar / workshop on regional development ‘hot-topics’ in the Nordic Countries and Åland. This interactive seminar will contain presentations and round-table discussions on global and local trends in rural development policy, attractiveness of rural areas and potential threats to their economic and social resilience. The purpose of this seminar is to share the latest research results from the work of Nordic Thematic Groups on 1) Sustainable Regional Development and 2) Innovative and Resilient Regions, with a broad focus on the diversity of Nordic regions. Experts, practitioners and other relevant professionals from Åland are cordially invited to provide their insights on these topics from their perspective during the roundtable discussions. These discussions will stimulate future research within the thematic working groups. Topics that will be discussed during the seminar/workshop. Final agenda will be shared before the event: Impact of LEADER Åland: from its foundation in 2006 – up until today Rural Regional Attractiveness: Nordic trends in migration, population change and employment development. Spiced up with initial insights from Åland Sustainable rural development without borders – transboundary collaboration across Finland-Åland-Sweden and beyond Resilient Nordic Regions: What threats do Nordic Communities face and how can they absorb change and strengthen their development paths. Digitalization as a tool for sustainable Nordic Regional Development Please, register to the event by 24 August here.

On 30-31 May, Julien Grunfelder, Head of GIS Department at Nordregio, participated at the ESPON Seminar “Territorial Cohesion Post 2020: Integrated Territorial Development for Better Policies”. The event was organised in cooperation with the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council. The seminar gathered around 200 participants including policy makers, stakeholders, practitioners, scientists and experts, who are interested in understanding the territorial development challenges. The ESPON seminar “Territorial Cohesion post 2020: Integrated Territorial Development for Better Policies” was organised in the framework of the ESPON 2020 Cooperation Programme, which aims to support policy development for promoting territorial cohesion and harmonious development of the European territory. The next ESPON Seminar will take place in Vienna on 4-5 December, 2018. Austrian Presidency starts from 1 July. FInd more information about the seminar here.

Dear Nordic planners and practitioners, do you want to know which Nordic municipalities are front runners when it comes to working with the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Do you want to exchange experiences with other municipalities who are working with the SDGs and discuss solutions for joint challenges? Are you interested in becoming part of a network with other Nordic municipalities who work with the SDGs? We are pleased to invite you to a seminar entitled “Agenda 2030 at the local level” that will be held at Nordregio headquarters in Stockholm between 10:00 and 16:00 on 9 May 2018. Topics that will be discussed during the seminar: Who are the forerunners in working with the Agenda 2030 and the SDGs?Presentation of new Nordregio report “Agenda 2030 at the local level”: Overview of first-mover municipalities, their activities, experiences and plans. How can the SDGs be linked to municipal policies and planning?Interactive discussion and knowledge sharing about successes, challenges and lessons learned in working with the SDGs How can we measure progress in working with the SDGs?Presentation and discussion about existing indicator systems and the need to develop new indicators for the local level Should we create a Nordic network of municipalities who are working with the SDGs?Interactive discussion about interests and needs to create a platform for future collaboration and knowledge exchange. REGISTRATION FORM Please register by 30 April at the latest. The registration is individual. In case you have any dietary restrictions, do not forget to mention those when you register. Participation at the seminar and lunch/snacks are free of charge. Transport and accommodation are the personal responsibility of the participants. Address: Nordregio, Holmamiralens Väg 10 (Skeppsholmen), Stockholm

Recent decades have seen a strong trend towards increasing income inequalities in all advanced economies. Although the Nordic countries have traditionally been characterized by low income dispersion, they have also been exposed to this trend. This conference will focus on widening income differentials in the Nordics and appropriate policies to address the issue. The conference will be chaired by Claus Thustrup Kreiner, University of Copenhagen. Key issues that will be analysed are: How do income inequality in the Nordic countries relate to the international trend? Which similarities and differences in developments of income inequality are there among the Nordic countries? How have policies responded to increasing income differentials? What are the implications of demographic changes, such as an ageing population and migration, for income inequality? How much can – and should – tax and benefit policies do in order to even out income differentials? What can, and should, education policy do? How important is the gender dimension for income distribution developments? At the conference, preliminary versions of papers commissioned for the 2018 issue of the Nordic Economic Policy Review, will be presented and discussed. The issue is edited by professor Lars Calmfors, Stockholm University and professor Jesper Roine, Stockholm School of Economics. The papers are written by leading international and Nordic scholars in the field. They will be commented by both policy makers and academic colleagues. The conference will also include a panel discussion on income distribution policies with participation of policy makers. Signup at www.nepr.eventbrite.com PROGRAMME 9.00 – 9.10 Opening remarks by Simon Emil Ammitzbøll, Danish Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior 9.10 – 9.55 Jon Parelliusen, Christophe André, Causa Orsetta and Mikkel Hermansen, OECD: The International Trend towards More Income Dispersion and the Nordic Countries. Comments by John Hassler, Stockholm University and Jørgen Elmeskov, Statistics Denmark. 9.55…

“Research meets practise – include and engage the inhabitants of Stockholm in the planning” This seminar is a collaboration between Nordregio, Stockholm Resilience Centre and Färgfabriken. The seminar will be held in Swedish and is a part of “Experiment Stockholm”. The full programme can be found here.

Seminar and workshop, April 23 at Nordregio, Stockholm, Sweden Outmigration of young people, ageing populations and low birth rates. These are trends that imply severe challenges to municipalities and regions in many parts of the Nordic countries; potentially leading to weakening tax bases, difficulties in providing services and challenges in finding or maintaining an appropriate labour force. What can regions and municipalities do to address these challenges themselves? What should be done at the national level? On April 23, Nordregio welcomes you to a seminar and workshop where we will focus on these questions. Together with Nordic regions and municipalities, NGOs and researchers, we will have a day of knowledge sharing based on the results and lessons learned from the six Nordic projects that received funding from the Nordic Demography Programme 2014-2015. The Nordic Demography Programme was initiated in 2012 with the aim to focus on demographic changes and their impact on development in Nordic regions and municipalities outside the metropolitan areas. The funded projects include local or regional authorities from at least two Nordic countries, as well as private organisations or NGOs that cooperate with public authorities. For more information about the projects, see link to the right. Download the programme here. Registration is closed.

Seminar and workshop, 25 November 2014, Stockholm, Sweden The purpose with the workshop is to discuss the main conceptual, methodological and empirical findings from TiPSE and their relevance from a European and Nordic perspective. Maps: Hungarian Academy of Sciences The ESPON TiPSE project has tackled the issue of poverty and processes of social exclusion in Europe. The project has contributed to improve the evidence base for policy to promote inclusive growth. The ESPON TiPSE has been aiming at supporting policy, both by enhancing the evidence base and by identifying existing good practice. Poverty and social exclusion are essentially relative concepts, arguably meaningful only within a specified geographical context. This underlines the central importance of observation, measurement, and careful data analysis as an essential preparation for intervention. The main outcomes of the project have been the generation of a regional database and associated maps, of poverty and social exclusion indicators, as well as mapping of macro and micro-scale patterns of poverty and social exclusion across the ESPON space. Furthermore, the project has derived recommendations for the monitoring of territorial trends in poverty and processes of exclusion. Register by email to Veronique Larsson by 17 November. State your name, organisation, and email address. The seminar is free of charge, but the number of participants is limited. The language of the seminar will be English. Download a draft of the workshop programme

Nordregio together with Karlstad university and Paper Province invite you to a seminar on realising the bio-economy. The bio-economy has come to the fore as a concept linking the challenges and opportunities with a transition to sustainable development. There is a need to generate new ways of working, new processes, services and products that can contribute to such a transition. Research and policy actors nationally and internationally are supporting various initiatives to address this need – not least with the establishment of the EU Bioeconomy Observatory. Broad collaborations across disciplines and stakeholders are a must to contribute to the realisation of the bio-economy. The aim with this seminar is threefold: To provide inspiration to address the agenda of how to realise the bio-economy To share knowledge and ideas from ongoing bio-economy projects To provide a meeting place for those working with the challenges of realising the bio- economy We hope that this seminar will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge between Nordic actors on this arena – with a focus on regional development and socio-economic dimension. The seminar is organised in collaboration between Nordregio, Karlstad University and the cluster organisation Paper Province. Together with Baltic stakeholders, we have received seed-money from the NCM to develop a workshop about trans-disciplinary development of the bio-economy. This seminar is in preparation of this subsequent workshop which will take place in November. At the seminar we get a presentation by Lene Lange about the development of the Danish Bioeconomy panel. Furthermore, the results from Nordregio projects on regional bioeconomy development as well as the current Nordregio activities on bioeconomy are presented, as well as the 10 year Vinnväxt project “Paper Province 2.0– an innovation system for a bio based economy”. The seminar also allows time for discussions – picking up burning issues across the…

Utmaningar och möjligheter för nordiska storstadsregioner Onsdag den 5 februari 2014 – Nordregio, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm Photo left: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org, Photo middle and right: Johannes Jansson/norden.org De nordiska storstadsregionerna växer snabbt och kraven ökar på den kommunala och regionala planeringen att möta den tilltagande efterfrågan på attraktiva och levande bostadsområden, samt effektiva och miljövänliga transportsystem. Samtidigt ställs allt större krav på att den fysiska planeringen ska koordineras över administrativa gränser och på samordning av sektoriella intressen, samt att planeringen ska bidra till grön tillväxt. Dessa är några av de utmaningar som behandlas under detta seminarium om planering för attraktiva och hållbara stadsregioner. Syftet med seminariet är att identifiera och diskutera möjligheter och utmaningar för planeringen av attraktiva och hållbara stadsregioner, samt att presentera olika planeringsverktyg och konkreta exempel på hur dessa utmaningar kan bemötas. Målet är även att seminariet ska bidra till kunskapsutbyte mellan nordiska storstadsregioner och prioritera framtida forskningsområden. Seminariet anordnas av Nordregio och Nordiska ministerrådets arbetsgrupp för grön tillväxt: planering och bärkraftiga stadsregioner. Vid seminariet presenterar fyra nordiska storstadsregioner sitt pågående arbete och hur de hanterar aktuella planeringsutmaningar med fokus på samspelet mellan den kommunala och regionala nivån. Vidare presenteras under seminariet en ny forskningsöversikt om grön tillväxt och fysisk planering. Dessutom redovisas resultaten från en utredning om vilka tekniska modellerings- och scenarioverktyg för planering av stadsregioner som finns tillgängliga och vilka modeller nordiska kommuner och regioner använder sig av idag. Seminariet avslutas med en paneldiskussion mellan forskare, kommuner och regioner.