Research

The Northern European Sea Basins project (NESBp) supports the Greater North Sea Basin Initiative (GNSBI) in fostering international cooperation for maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the North Sea basin, with strong collaboration and experience sharing with the Baltic Sea region. The project aligns with the European Green Deal objectives and aims to address the growing challenges that economic sectors face in reaching a sustainable blue economy, including competition for space, sustainability of economic activities, and the cumulative impacts on the environment of spatial planning stressors. The Northern European Sea Basins project focuses on marine and maritime spatial planning in the North Sea emphasising cross-border cooperation to promote long-term environmental and economic resilience. By linking GNSBI with HELCOM-VASAB MSP working group, NESBp fosters knowledge sharing and networking across sea basins to enhance strategic and efficient MSP, building on insights from the eMSP NBSR project and other EU Green Deal initiatives. NESBp aims to align marine and maritime plans, facilitate an ecosystem-based approach in MSP, and encourage integrative, multi-perspective cooperation for sustainable marine and maritime developments. The initiative will contribute to enhancing multi-level governance, strengthening resilience towards climate change and biodiversity loss threats in the transition to a sustainable blue economy. The project wants to:  To achieve this, the project will:  Nordregio plays an important role primarily in a work package led by GNSBI and HELCOM-VASAB, focusing on ecosystem-based MSP, policies for climate neutrality, and knowledge exchange between the Baltic Sea and North Sea. The aim is to establish a governance structure for the GNSBI while enhancing transboundary governance through MSP across the North Sea and Baltic Sea basins. Nordregio will contribute to organising events for cross-basin dialogue, exploring governance scenarios for the Greater North Sea Basin, and facilitating cross-border and cross-sector policy discussions. Key activities also include promoting an ecosystem-based approach…

The Nordic and Baltic countries are undergoing a rapid digital transformation, marked by a strong emphasis on digital skills education, new digital product development, and the digitisation of public services. This transformation is driving a growing demand for skilled IT professionals and creating a necessity for all members of society to possess digital competencies.  While digital skills levels across the Nordic-Baltic region are generally above average, disparities still exist. Additionally, the Information and communication technology (ICT) workforce in the region is predominantly male, and underrepresented groups face barriers to entry in the sector. Various initiatives are underway across the Nordic-Baltic region to improve digital skills education and support underrepresented groups, including women, in pursuing careers in ICT.  However, there is a lack of knowledge on the effectiveness of these initiatives in achieving their goals. This project will analyse the current landscape, delving into the specific barriers faced by underrepresented groups, such as limited access to technology, digital literacy challenges, and lack of tailored resources and support systems. It will also examine the impact of existing digital support initiatives on the quality of life and professional development for underrepresented groups in the Nordic-Baltic region. By comparing and analysing the diverse approaches and experiences of the countries, the project will identify effective strategies for improving digital skills and fostering greater inclusion in the ICT sector.  Digital Inclusion as a transformative power This project seeks to generate new insights and understanding regarding how digital inclusion can significantly enhance the quality of life and facilitate professional development for underrepresented groups across the Nordic-Baltic countries. Recognising the growing importance of digital skills in today’s world, the project seeks to:  The project will include the following activities:   By carrying out these activities, we expect to end the project with:

The Nordic Region is undergoing significant transformations driven by environmental changes, digital transformations, and evolving socio-economic landscapes. As renewable energy from marine sources grows in importance and oceans remain vital for food supply, achieving a sustainable blue economy, in line with the European Green Deal and climate targets, requires careful balancing.  The rapid digital transformation, while offering opportunities, also risks sidelining local knowledge that is crucial for sustainable, inclusive, and coherent blue and green growth. This project, Local Knowledge in Marine Spatial Planning, green transition and digital transformation, aims to support the development of a sustainable ocean economy in the Nordic countries and their North Atlantic neighbours through more inclusive marine spatial planning (MSP) processes. By integrating diverse knowledge sources, the project seeks to contribute to a fair and just green transition, ensuring that local communities and a range of stakeholders are part of the decision-making process.  Inclusive, fair, and sustainable transition in MSP  The primary aim of the project is to promote a more inclusive, fair, and sustainable transition in the marine spatial planning domain, with a particular focus on coastal communities in the North Sea and Atlantic regions. Specifically, the project seeks to:  It will explore mismatches between national data needs and local knowledge requirements, assess challenges and opportunities from the digital transition in MSP, and examine data use, sharing processes, and gaps in knowledge access. This will ensure that local knowledge is effectively integrated into MSP in a digital context.  Integrating knowledge for sustainable coexistence  The project focuses on how to better integrate a diverse range of knowledge into MSP also to support sustainable coexistence at sea. Key questions include:  Methods and outcomes  The project will assess current practices, explore data challenges, and engage with stakeholders through cross-border knowledge exchange. Workshops will bring together regional stakeholders to…

The Planners’ Forum project aims to address the significant challenges impacting spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region, driven by recent crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and geopolitical tensions. These crises demand innovative, flexible approaches to planning and stronger cooperation across governance levels. Currently, the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) lacks a structured, informal platform for land-based spatial planners to exchange best practices, particularly at local and regional levels.  The Planners’ Forum seeks to create an inclusive, informal network for spatial planners across various governance levels to engage in dialogue and mutual learning. This forum will build capacities, foster collaboration, and promote sustainable growth for both cities and rural areas. It aims to enhance the coherence of land-based spatial planning across the BSR, in alignment with EU and regional strategies such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and VASAB’s Long-term Perspective.  Through the forum, the project will identify the specific needs and challenges faced by local and regional planners, ensuring their voices are included in macro-regional policy discussions. By improving multi-level cooperation and integrating local challenges into regional strategies, the Planners’ Forum will contribute to more resilient and sustainable spatial planning across the BSR.  Work Packages:  Partners: The project is led by Nordregio, with key partners including VASAB (Vision and Strategies Around the Baltic Sea), Stockholm University, Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL), and Estonian Association for Spatial Planners. These partners bring extensive expertise in spatial planning across various levels of governance and geographic areas. The partnership spans four countries within the BSR and ensures a balanced representation of both research institutions and practitioners, providing a comprehensive approach to addressing the region’s spatial planning challenges

In today’s digital age, access to technology and digital literacy is critical for full societal participation. Digital proficiency is crucial for both social and economic integration, for tasks like job searching, enrolling in educational opportunities, navigating healthcare systems, and even maintaining connections with family and friends.  While the Nordic countries are renowned for their high levels of digitalisation and high scores in digital competency indexes, certain groups remain excluded. Immigrant women, particularly newcomers, refugees, and those with weaker socio-economic background and limited national language proficiency, often face significant barriers to digital inclusion.   The Nordic countries have experienced substantial growth in their immigrant populations. Research suggests that female immigrants in these regions often face increased health challenges, limited access to healthcare, and lower employment rates compared to native-born residents.  Focus of the project  This research specifically focuses on immigrant women in the Nordic countries. Knowledge gaps persist regarding what the Nordic countries are doing for female immigrants to become digitally included, how these efforts differ between the Nordic countries, and what are the next steps needed to be taken to allow digital inclusion for all Nordic residents. The project focuses on understanding the barriers that prevent these women from fully accessing and engaging in the digital society. These barriers may include limitations in language proficiency or digital literacy, cultural differences in technology use, and unfamiliarity with the digital landscape.   The project will explore the current political landscape and existing initiatives for digital inclusion of immigrant women, as well as analyse user challenges, needs, and solutions. The research project seeks to identify best practices and effective strategies for integrating immigrant women into the digital society. By focusing on this specific population, this research project contributes valuable insights to the broader conversation on digital inclusion in the Nordic countries.  Aim, Research Questions &…

Migrants’ integration into host societies is a complex process involving economic, social, and civic dimensions. Economic integration means migrants achieve similar labor market outcomes as natives. Social integration involves participation in social life, including language acquisition, social interactions, and community involvement. Civic integration pertains to involvement in the civic and political life of the host country. The current project focuses on social and civic integration, which, despite their importance, are challenging to assess. Social and civic integration is crucial for the cohesion and stability of host societies. Effective social integration creates inclusive communities where diversity is valued, enabling migrants to fully contribute economically, socially, and culturally. This process is bi-directional, requiring adaptation from both migrants and the host society. The EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion emphasizes the importance of achieving comparable social and economic outcomes between migrants and natives. Research on social and civic integration shows varied results. For example, perceived discrimination, a key social cohesion indicator, has risen in the EU over the past decade, and second-generation migrants report higher ethnic discrimination than first-generation migrants. Socially integrated migrants can maximize productivity, contributing to economic growth, and civic integration fosters active citizenship, allowing migrants to influence decisions affecting their lives. Measuring social and civic integration is essential for evidence-based policymaking. Accurate indicators help evaluate the success of integration programs and identify areas for improvement, especially in regions like the Nordic countries with a strong commitment to inclusivity. These measurements also track progress over time and inform public understanding, helping design targeted interventions and enhancing academic research through cross-national comparisons. With their comprehensive welfare states, the Nordic countries offer a strong basis for comparative analysis of migrant integration. Despite shared characteristics, their immigrant integration strategies have diverged significantly, offering valuable insights into migration studies, including those focusing on social…

In highly digitized Nordic-Baltic societies, there are still significant geographical differences in terms of connectivity. Is that what you call a digital paradox? The N-B CONNECT project builds on the findings of the “Nordic-Baltic 5G Monitoring Tool" project, expanding its focus to examine broader societal impacts of connectivity.

At the heart of Transform-IntegrateNBS is a new "integrative lab" method, tested across six case studies in Norway, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. The method is designed to address complex, interconnected socio-environmental challenges while ensuring the equitable involvement of all relevant governing bodies and societal stakeholders. To overcome the significant challenges facing global envornments our project suggests a comprehensive strategy to implement NbS by studying 1) multiple interconnected challenges, 2) government entities and the stakeholders involved and affected by decision making, and 3) different ways society and individuals can change.

Regional policy or policies for municipalities can play a key role in enhancing civil preparedness. They are part of implementing efficient solutions for sustainable green transitions, as well as ensuring the provision of food, raw materials, energy, and access to services to citizens, both in stable times and during crises. This project explores how regional policy can best contribute to ensuring civil preparedness and resilience in the Nordic regions. To achieve robust and resilient Nordic regions, structured collaboration between national authorities, regions, municipalities, businesses, and civil society is needed. Cooperation across local, regional – and sometimes also national – borders is essential to ensure security and good living conditions in Nordic cities, towns and sparsely populated rural areas. Analysing and understanding how Nordic countries address civil preparedness within subnational policies can also foster Nordic learning. The project aims to investigate how Nordic regional policy can best contribute to ensuring civil preparedness and robustness in Nordic regions during crisis periods. It will focus especially on policies and good practices addressing food security, energy provision, raw materials, and access to public services. As the regional policies and governance structures in the Nordic countries differ regarding roles and responsibilities, the study will also explore interactions between different governance levels and stakeholders in the managing crisis preparedness. Structured around three key stages, the project will: The findings and insights from the project will be summarised in a policy brief and a collection of local and regional good practices to enhance civil preparedness and resilience across the Nordic regions.

This project focuses on addressing the declining interest among young people in pursuing careers in the whole food value chain, including agriculture, livestock farming, fisheries, and forestry from farm and sea to fork, including related fields like processing, foraging, and hunting across the Nordic Region. Food production constitutes a significant value chain in all Nordic countries, with favourable conditions for agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and further processing. Despite relatively high self-sufficiency influenced by climate conditions, access to marine areas, and suitable agricultural land, the sector faces challenges. There is a noticeable decline in youth interest in pursuing a career in those sectors, leading to fewer producers and an increased average age of 55.3 years in a predominantly male workforce. The project aims to identify innovative solutions to generate interest in careers within food production, covering agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, and other relevant parts of the value chain, from land and sea to table, including veterinary studies, butchery, and fish processing. The research questions focus on the challenges faced when choosing food production as a career path, how to best support existing and upcoming food producers, and what support mechanisms are necessary for fostering innovation and new thinking among new food producers, as well as improving existing support mechanisms. The project will involve a comprehensive approach, including forming a reference group of young people from relevant organisations to ensure youth involvement and validate the project’s findings. The results will be relevant for educational institutions, interest organisations, and policymakers within food production in the Nordic countries, contributing to understanding and addressing the challenges faced by the food production sector, thereby paving the way for new opportunities and inspiring the next generation of food producers.

Nordic countries have set up ambitious climate and energy targets and offshore renewable energy will play a key role in enabling the green transition in the Nordic Region. The European Green Deal underscores at the same time the importance of minimal harm to the environment and the contribution to nature conservation, with for example the EU Biodiversity strategy 2030 including more ambitious targets for protecting marine areas. Furthermore, our seas in the Nordic Region are also an increasingly important resource for food supply.  Offshore renewable energy, not least wind energy, is crucial for the green transition in the Nordic Region but its expansion poses challenges such as conflicts over space. Hence, there is an increasing need for enabling enhanced coexistence with other sectors, not least with blue food sectors such as fishing and aquaculture. Governance frameworks, in particular marine spatial planning, are crucial for managing conflicts, promoting collaboration, and for enabling possibilities for sustainable coexistence at sea.   The Nordic Council of Ministers have initiated several projects to address sustainable marine economy and coexistence issues. The “Green Meets Blue project”, financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food and Forestry (NCM FJLS) and running for two years (2024-2025), aims to contribute to a common knowledge base for the Nordic countries, by contributing with an increased understanding of sustainable coexistence between renewable energy (focusing on offshore wind energy) and marine food sectors (focusing on fisheries and aquaculture).    The project will give better insights on how Nordic countries and self-governing territories in the Nordic Region can effectively tackle potential conflicts between the green and blue sectors, promote synergies and better enable cooperation and collaboration. The project seeks to investigate existing conditions on how trade-offs, conflicts and synergies are managed between these sectors within marine spatial planning frameworks from a governance…

ILLUQ is the Inuvialuktun word for partner and cuts to the heart of this interdisciplinary project. Through a wide partnership it provides an holistic assessment of the impacts of permafrost thaw on the health of humans, animals and ecosystems. Accelerating permafrost thaw in the Arctic drastically changes the ecosystem as a whole, which, in turn, impacts the everyday life of local communities and Indigenous populations. Yet many of the phenomena reported in the scientific literature and media are treated in isolation from other social, economic or cultural processes.   ILLUQ specifically focuses on the impact of climate change on populations living on permafrost in the Arctic. It targets the missing link between studies performed by scientists, engineers and consultants in local communities and solutions with local stake- and rightsholders. It focusing on the long-term implications of decision-making in the context of permafrost thaw, a time frame generally overlooked in existing governance frameworks. As such, ILLUQ will provide the first stake- and rightsholder driven assessment of the impacts of permafrost thaw on pollution, health and ecosystem services in the Arctic.  Work Packages Activities will be articulated around nine interlinked work packages with the first five covering the provisioning, regulating, and cultural elements of ecosystem services, and another summarising and synthesising the knowledge gained. In each of these five first work packages, the work starts with stakeholder engagement to set the stage for participatory research. Each of these work packages concludes with a task focused on One Health impacts related to the specific ecosystem services. Another work package synthesizes the knowledge gained on One Health in the earlier work packages and makes it available to local and European stakeholders. A further one synthesizes the results from participatory research and devises solutions (including nature-based solutions) together with local stake- and rightsholders. The final work…

The “Education and young adults in Nordic rural areas” (EDYNORA) project addresses the crucial role of education in retaining and attracting young people in Nordic rural areas. Although education is vital for rural development, highly skilled individuals frequently migrate to urban areas in pursuit of better opportunities. Urbanization introduces imbalances such as population decline and economic disparities between urban and rural regions. This highlights the need to customize educational opportunities in rural areas to align with the needs of young people and local communities. The educational opportunities in regional centres are crucial for strengthening ties between young adults, regional labour markets, and local communities, potentially influencing young people’s decisions to stay or return to rural areas. EDYNORA investigates the impact of education, particularly higher education and vocational training, on the mobility decisions of youth and young adults. The goal is to enhance understanding and identify innovative approaches that align education with the needs and motivations of rural youth, ultimately strengthening their ties to local labour markets. The research aims to address three key questions: The project implementation involves surveys, gathering statistics, and exploring innovative approaches through focus group interviews and case studies across the Nordic countries and Åland.

For many years now, access to building land has been a topic of discussion in most European countries. In these discussions competing interests and affordability are often core themes. Various solutions, for example the effectiveness of individual land policy instruments or the acceleration of planning procedures, are evaluated. However, the provision of building land is not only an administrative question, but above all a political one. In many European countries there is a lively discussion and on-going innovation related to land policy. The ARL working group Land Policies in Europe focuses on building land as a scarce good. Experts on land policy from twelve countries regularly come together to learn from each other and fundamentally reflect on land policy approaches, often in a dialogue with policy makers. Core issues to discuss are how instruments of land policy are used and can be used strategically to govern the scarce resource of land effectively, efficiently, just, and in a legitimized way to address the planning challenges of our time. Currently, a book on the role of land policy in affordable housing provision is being prepared with examples from all the involved countries. Participants in the project come from Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. More information can be found on the ARL website:Land Policies in Europe | ARL-Net

ESPON TERRES aims to unpack territorial resilience to support spatial planning and urban development, strengthening the absorptive, adaptive and transformational governance capacities of European regions in the context of long-term multi-crisis trajectories. The project aims to guide the future generation of EU Cohesion and sectoral policies by providing a conceptual and analytical framework for characterising “territorial resilience” as a multi-dimensional and dynamic concept. The notion of territorial resilience developed in ESPON TERRES overcomes current policy paradigms to emphasize a lasting shift towards learning capacities, institutional innovation, cultural norms, and community values. Regional resilience is understood as a capacity not just to absorb and adapt to external shocks (‘bouncing back’ perspective) but also to address the transformational capabilities to deal with and be ready for both present and impending crises (‘bouncing forwards’ approach). These principles contribute to improving the understanding and to unlocking the opportunities implicit in the concept of territorial resilience, overcoming policy and research siloes through fruitful dialogue among researchers (the scientific level), policy-makers (the normative level) and practitioners (the operational level). The specific activities in the ESPON TERRES project are as follows:

On behalf of Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordregio conducts a pre-study for a Nordic tripartite forum on structural change and the green transition. The pre-study is based on interviews with government and labour market representatives across the Nordic countries and territories. The project will result in a report that will include good practice examples.

The aim of the project is to produce a report which will consist of three parts: one chapter looking back at the role of the common Nordic labour market agreement from 1954 for Nordic labour market integration, one chapter looking forward on the Nordic labour market integration and a final chapter containing an analysis and conclusions for a more integrated Nordic labour market. In the first chapter the role of the agreement for the overall Nordic cooperation will be analysed, as well as its role for the Nordic countries’ international competitiveness. Data on migration and commuting between the Nordic countries over the period will be examined, including characteristics of the mobile labour force (e.g. gender, age, citizenship, education, profession, business sector). The effects of the pandemic to maintain the common labour market, as well as expected long-term effects on labour market mobility across the Nordic national borders will be explored. The second chapter of the study will be more looking into future. We will start by giving an overview and status of supply and demand in the Nordic labour market.  We will then explore in which sectors and regions we find the largest potentials for a more integrated Nordic labour market. The current lack of labour and skills mis-match that is found in many sectors and regions and whether a more integrated Nordic labour market can contribute to solving those problems will be explored. The third and final part of the report will focus on how cornerstones of the common Nordic labour market can contribute to the fulfilment of the vision that the Nordic Region will be the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. This part will be developed in dialogue with stakeholders from the EK-A, employers’ organisations and trade unions (Council of Nordic Trade Unions), labour authorities…

The study aims to provide knowledge on how cross-border cooperation issues have been addressed in the regional development policy in Sweden and Norway, highlighting some key opportunities and challenges. The study is based on a review of key steering documents and qualitative interviews. It will result in recommendations on how cross-border cooperation between Sweden and Norway can be further strengthened. Cross-border cooperation provides important development opportunities for Sweden and Norway. Region Värmland has for a long time prioritized cooperation with Norway. Bilateral cooperation agreements have been signed with the Norwegian neighbouring counties and joint projects have been implemented. Region Värmland and its Norwegian neighbours contribute to maintaining trust and cohesion in the Nordic region by promoting common values such as culture, democracy, equality, inclusion, non-discrimination, and freedom of expression. The study is based on a review of the national steering documents for regional development, as well as qualitative interviews with representatives of relevant actors at the national and regional levels, academia, regional networks and organizations.

The Nordic region faces a significant labour shortage challenge in many countries and places. Recruiting skilled workers to fill vacant jobs has become a common regional development issue for rural and cross-border areas. The project aims to fill knowledge gaps about strategies to address rural labour shortage, regional variations, and sectors that are particularly affected. The post-pandemic labour shortage situation in Nordic rural areas can be attributed to several reasons, such as decreasing rural population numbers and the retirement of ageing permanent rural populations. Moreover, rapid social transformations, including the green transition, automation, and digitalization, have led to structural changes that impact the Nordic rural labour markets. To ensure sustainable rural areas where men, women, and youth thrive, it is crucial to match the necessary occupational groups with their competencies. There is a lack of understanding about the common challenges of labour shortage in Nordic rural areas, as well as the strategies and solutions currently in use. This project aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation by collecting statistical data, producing visualizations, and facilitating discussions to fill these knowledge gaps. A cross-Nordic workshop will be arranged to discuss nuances, strategies, and solutions to the issue. National experts will also contribute with country-specific knowledge about rural labour shortage strategies and regional variations. The results will be summarized and published in a report. The project will address the following questions: The project is expected to promote Nordic knowledge exchange and to have a positive impact on development strategies that ensure robust regions and labour markets in the Nordic region.

Urban Agriculture for Resilient Future (#FutureUA) brings together different stakeholders to share knowledge on issues related to urban agriculture and sustainable food production in the Nordic-Baltic region. Nordregio in Sweden, the Nordic Council of Ministers Offices in Latvia, and NordForsk work together in this project to deliver a forum for discussing the potential of urban agriculture for sustainability. To this end, a pool of stakeholders – municipalities, SMEs, civil society organisations, universities, and Nordic organisations – will come together in a webinar series. The series will focus on debating the future of urban agriculture alongside three aspects: 1) Innovation & Legislation; 2) Culture & Community and 3) Education & Science. The dialogue across Nordic-Baltic stakeholders from different sectors will provide insights to support the sustainable planning and development of Nordic cities and urban areas. The outcomes will shed light on food security issues and on the contribution of urban agriculture to sustainable food systems. It will also address other relevant questions such as the productive reuse of urban waste, and the role of urban agriculture in local development as well as in promoting social inclusion. Besides contributing to an enriching the debate on the role of agriculture in cities, the stakeholders experiences and perspectives will also be reported in an online report to be published in December 2023.