Empowering NPA Communities by Implementing STEM Ecosystems as a Tool for Navigating Change.

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Northern Periphery and Arctic

Date of latest update: 2025-05-05

Description

Description (EN):

Due to the rapid changes rural NPA communities face, there is an urgent need for skill-building and adaptation. In pursuit of resilience and to be able to contribute to global agendas, such as SDGs and climate change, rural areas must be forward-looking in their way of advancing. High-quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) experience, skills and knowledge, with a special emphasis on equity and access can help to empower and equip communities facing the challenges of the future. This project proposes to use the evidence-based U.S. STEM Ecosystems model, a cross-sector collaborative approach that has achieved significant success in the U.S. over the past decade, to strengthen the organizational capacity among NPA communities and empower communities to build skills for the 21st century. STEM Ecosystems are collaborative partnerships between organisations, schools, industry, museums, libraries, families, individuals, and any others dedicated to working together to develop STEM skills in a community. The fact that a gender gap exists worldwide in STEM fields and STEM skill-building, with fewer girls and women pursuing careers or advanced degrees in STEM fields, is even more tangible in rural areas such as the North of Iceland, Northwest of Ireland and Lappi-Finland. With a community-based approach, using the STEM ecosystems model, this project will motivate the three partnering NPA communities to identify and address specific shared challenges around girls and women in STEM in their communities. By working across borders, this project will empower the communities to gain from each other’s resources, knowledge, and strengths and forge stronger solutions to their challenges. By building these cross-sector partnerships and working together transnationally, this project will forge common solutions for more prosperous and resilient communities. The project will result in a manual with best practices to be disseminated with other NPA and rural areas.

Expected Achievements (EN):

To use an assessment tool to identify and convene stakeholders. To do an asset mapping exercise and needs assessment around girls and women in STEM in the three NPA communities. Identify needs and a solution/a pilot project. Each newly formed/expanded STEM Ecosystem will choose 1 pilot project addressing girls and/or women in STEM in the community to implement over a period of 4-6 months. The chosen pilot projects will address a need/problem discovered in Activity 1.2. The objective is to provide a manual for other NPA communities to replicate the work accomplished in the project; to form a STEM Ecosystem, identify needs and assets and adopt the best practices identified in the pilot projects.

Project outputs: ARCTIC STEM COMMUNITIES transnational partnership(EN)
Pilot Projects (EN)
Community Manual (EN)

Thematic information

Education and training Knowledge and technology transfer

Priority: (VI-B_NPaA_ISO1) Strengthening the organisational capacity among NPA communities to make use of cooperation opportunities

Priority specific objective: ISO6.4. Enhance institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders to implement macro-regional strategies and sea-basin strategies, as well as other territorial strategies (all strands)

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO6 (ISO1) A better cooperation governance

Type of intervention: 173 Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders to implement territorial cooperation projects and initiatives in a cross-border, transnational, maritime and inter-regional context

Partners (3)

Lead Partner: Þekkingarnet Þingeyinga

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 103750

Department: STEM Húsavík / Innovation Center

Address: Hafnarstétt, 640 Húsavík, Iceland

Department address: Hafnarstétt , 640 Húsavík, Iceland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.hac.is

Total budget: EUR 87 800.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 57 070.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 30 730.00

University of Galway

Name: University of Galway

Department: School of Natural Sciences

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 892274774

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 0022578J

Address: University Road, H91 CF50 Galway, Ireland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://universityofgalway.ie/

Total budget: EUR 54 845.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 35 649.25

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 19 195.75

LUMA-keskus Suomi

Name: LUMA-keskus Suomi

Department: STEM

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 884788508

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FI03134717

Address: Yliopistonkatu, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland

Department address: A. I. Virtasen aukio , 00560 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.luma.fi/

Total budget: EUR 54 845.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 35 649.25

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 19 195.75

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Empowering NPA Communities by Implementing STEM Ecosystems as a Tool for Navigating Change.

Project acronym: ARCTIC STEM COMMUNITIES

Project ID: NPA0300096

Project start date: 2023-06-01

Project end date: 2024-11-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 197 490.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 71 298.50

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 65.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 71 298.50. Co-financing rate, 65.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

STEM Ecosystem stakeholder list
Asset Mapping report
Needs Assessment report
Potential Pilot Projects report
Recommendations for Community manual.
Presentations
Final Pilot Project Selection report.
A Pilot Project Plan
Pilot Projects
Data Collection
Data Analysis report
Lessons learnt and best practices for capacity building.

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

SeaBasinStrategyArcticOcean By developing community STEM Ecosystems and piloting solutions for girls, women and climate change, we are contributing to 1) a peaceful and constructive dialogue and international cooperation, 2) take a strong action to tackle the impact of climate change and environmental degradation and 3) supporting a inclusive and sustainable development of the Arctic regions to the benefit of its current inhabitants and future generations, with a particular emphasis on the needs of women and the young.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Northern Periphery and Arctic

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-05-05

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

63 / 63 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

305 / 305 (100%)

Notes on the data

Languages

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Empowering NPA Communities by Implementing STEM Ecosystems as a Tool for Navigating Change.

Description

Thematic information

Partners (3)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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