Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

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

Date of latest update: 2026-09-18

Description

Description (EN):

The increasing disconnection among communities, scientists, and policymakers poses significant challenges to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. It is vital to bridge these gaps, particularly in rural communities where residents face pressing concerns about environmental degradation, climate change impacts, limited opportunities, and feelings of under-representation. CAP-SHARE, guided by the Global Biodiversity Framework, aims to jointly develop and implement a model to share capacity for the protection of local biodiversity and sustainable interaction with nature through projects that are community centered and focused on vulnerable stakeholders. Solutions to build cooperation and share knowledge will be demonstrated, benefiting communities, scientists, and policymakers. CAP-SHARE will build on the complementary ways NPA communities are approaching shared challenges, focusing on intergenerational community empowerment with respect for the diversity of NPA regions.

Actual Achievements (EN):

This first period has set up strong foundations for our project with a detailed external communication plan; clear project management with organization of roles, tasks and internal information sharing; developing the partnership network; and organizing our first two online international online workshops. In terms of internal communication, an effective plan has been developed with all leading partners, whereby we have regular digital meetings, a file sharing system through Google Drive and regular email communication amongst partners and associate partners. NMSI coordinated the publication of a dedicated webpage for the project with a schedule for upcoming and past events. The Interreg mini website is about to be published as of the end of period 1. Regarding social media communication, a plan and guidelines have been created for inclusive, efficient and well-communicated social media posts, including blogs and news for our websites and shorter social media posts for the CAP-SHARE LinkedIn page, mainly coordinated by the University of Lapland. The aim is to create social media posts that align with and follow the social media guidelines of all partner organizations. The goal is to coordinate and develop a unified, strong foundation for social media publishing that serves all actors involved in the project. A platform is being maintained by Arctic Frontiers for registration of international events such as the workshops, to facilitate a streamlined and comprehensive registration system, and for the project partners to share further information regarding upcoming workshops. Both the CAP-SHARE communication manager and a university youth representative from UL represented the project at the Arctic Frontiers conference. NMSI represented the project at Youth Together for Arctic Futures meet-up in Reykjavík in October 2024 and the 2024 Nordic Symposium for Biodiversity Across the Natural and Social Sciences. Each partner has also shared content about the project following Interreg guidelines. Finally, AF coordinated the filming of an introduction video for the project at the Arctic Frontiers conference which is scheduled to be published in period 2. At the end of this first reporting period, we have completed 2 of the 4 online workshops and we are currently working on the final one, as well as on our first face-to-face workshop in Finland. All partners worked collaboratively in organizing and moderating our first two online co-creation workshops. These workshops brought together youth, educators, scientists, community members, and more, with a mixed format of presentations and open dialogue. They are establishing a foundation for our strategy for building trust and collaboration through dialogue. NMSI led the first workshop, which focused on the importance of biodiversity action for regional and community development. UL led the second workshop, which focused on recognizing local and indigenous knowledge.

Project outputs: Strategy and action plan for capacity sharing(EN)
CAP-SHARE transnational partnership(EN)
Pilot actions jointly implemented(EN)
Solutions developed: CAP-SHARE model(EN) Website: https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/cap-share/

Thematic information

Climate change and biodiversity

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: Náttúruminjasafn Íslands

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 520707-0340

Department: Icelandic Museum of Natural History

Address: Suðurlandsbraut, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: https://nmsi.is/

Total budget: EUR 312 646.70

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 129 998.49

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 42.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 182 648.21

Lapin Yliopisto

Name: Lapin Yliopisto

Department: Faculty of Education

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 998208474

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 0292800-5

Address: Yliopistonkatu, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.ulapland.fi/en

Total budget: EUR 386 507.20

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 251 229.68

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 135 277.52

GBER schemes / de minimis: General de minimis

Contractors:

Name: Popa Pohjolan Palvelut Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 0192075-7
Name: Mikkelin valokuvausliike Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: FI01650195
Name: Innoflame Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 1055712-8
Name: Shelby Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 2008279-5
Name: Lingsoft Language Services Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: FI09610307
Name: Dustin Finland Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 0935141-3
Name: Popa Pohjolan Palvelut Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 0192075-7
Name: Innoflame Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 1055712-8
Name: Shelby Oy
VAT registration or tax identification number: 2008279-5

Arctic Frontiers

Name: Arctic Frontiers

Department: Arctic Frontiers

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 885359838

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 924115920

Address: Hjalmar Johansens Gate, 9007 Tromsø, Norway

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: https://arcticfrontiers.com/

Total budget: EUR 95 087.90

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 47 543.95

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 50.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 47 543.95

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

University of Lapland

Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

Partners and Projects info

Arctic Frontiers

Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

Partners and Projects info

Icelandic Museum of Natural History

Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

Project acronym: CAP-SHARE

Project ID: NPA0700186

Project start date: 2024-08-01

Project end date: 2027-07-31

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

Youth for Arctic Nature (YAN). YAN was a NORA-funded project that ran until 2024. It had two complementary goals:
To encourage youth connection to nature and to promote skill building towards the stewardship of local biodiversity
To empower youth to participate in the collection of scientific data that fits into ongoing monitoring schemes
YAN was a successful project that grew into an inspiring network of partners sharing an interest in the role of youth for the health and sustainability of Arctic futures. This includes scientific institutions and scientists who want to work with youth, museums, youth organizations and schools, researchers and academics, practitioners, NGOs, educators, and more. YAN activities and collaborations took place in Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, and the US.
Resources were created for children and youth ages 5-30 to connect with nature in place-based, hands-on activities including:
-"The Handbook of Natural Activities Engaging, discovery, inclusion, play and learning in connection with Arctic nature”, a free pedagogical e-book with educational and inclusive activities focusing on multidisciplinary methods that aim to promote children's connection with local nature playfully, promoting identity with the local community, respect for the environment and human diversity.
-Protocols and activities for children and school groups to learn about local wildlife and nature monitoring, including conservation of vulnerable species and management of invasives.
-Nature monitoring protocols for concrete collaboration with scientists through the collection of scientific data on local wildlife.
The potential of youth-inclusive collaboration between communities, scientists, and policymakers for sustainable community development was one of the main themes that emerged from four years of work with YAN. It was also found that there is also a need to raise capacity for effective collaboration at a local, regional, and national level.
(EN) | The needs addressed in CAP-SHARE were some of the emerging themes from our work in YAN, and this project was also the foundation of the network that CAP-SHARE builds from. Methods to effectively work collaboratively with scientists, youth, and organizations that work with youth were developed, along with free online resources and curriculum. These can be used as a starting point for collaboration, for example with the adaptation and translation of some resources in local languages. (EN), Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme - JustNorth
The JustNorth project focused on the economic development of the Arctic region, emphasizing the importance of governance and participation from the perspectives of justice and ethics. The project examined how people in the Arctic region experienced various economic development projects and addressed key questions: How did we evaluate the profitability and feasibility of these projects? What was the impact of these projects on traditional livelihoods and local culture?
Building on the success and insights of the JustNorth project, our new application aims to further enhance sustainable economic development in the Arctic region. JustNorth's achievements in fostering dialogue and understanding among local communities, policymakers, and investors have laid a strong foundation for this new endeavor.
(EN) | By integrating the key learnings and collaborative networks established by JustNorth, the application will focus on deepening the engagement with Arctic communities, furthering policy development, and attracting local people to participate into political actions. This initiative will capitalize on the identified opportunities and address the challenges highlighted by JustNorth, driving forward a more sustainable and equitable future for the Arctic region. (EN), Research Council of Finland - REBOUND
REBOUND - "New Frontiers for a Resilient and Just Shared Arctic Future" - is a consortium project responding to the social and economic challenges arising from climate change, the decline in biodiversity, and associated land-use changes. The project explores the concept of justice from various stakeholders' perspectives, investigating how risks, benefits, and disadvantages are distributed and considered in planning and decision-making.
One subproject emphasizes involving children, youth, and the elderly in discussions about the green transition. Close cooperation with other projects is a key feature, coordinating workshops that include nature photo series and utilizing co-production tools developed in collaboration with other projects. (EN) | By incorporating REBOUND's focus on intergenerational justice and environmental education, the application will deepen the understanding of a just green transition, fostering a more inclusive and comprehensive dialogue. This synergy will leverage the strengths of REBOUND's diverse consortium, expanding its impact and contributing to a resilient, just, and sustainable Arctic future. (EN), Erasmus+ KA210-YOU – Small scale partnerships in youth. Project: Arctic Frontiers Student Forum. Partner: Arctic Frontiers.
Arctic Frontiers is the project applicant, and partners with University of Oulu for student mobility and mentoring opportunities. The main theme of the project is an informal learning project in the form of youth exchange for young people who are especially interested in Arctic Issues from 2022-2024. The concept of the project is to include young people in the international Arctic Frontiers conference, in order to involve young people making decisions for responsible and sustainable development in the Arctic region. During the Student Forum, Bachelor and Masters students (approximately 20-25 years old) from northern Norway and Finland meet in informal learning situations such as attending workshops where they discuss issues concerning sustainable development of the region, social and cultural activities as well as attending parts of the main conference where they engage with some of the most recent scientific findings and political developments in the region. The funding provides mobility for 5 young people from Northern Finland and 5 young people from Northern Norway for a week of science, policy and social interactions. Additionally, the funding provides a mentoring program between young people and professionals in the Arctic region. (EN) | This project brings youth from the Nordics together to include Young voices in discussions with scientists, policy-makers and Indigenous peoples. It aims to inspire young people to evaluate discussions and opinions, learning from their peers and senior experts. Bringing Arctic youth with different backgrounds together provides cultural exchanges and supports inclusion and diversity. This fosters civic engagement on Arctic issues and provides young people with tools to become active citizens. (EN), AURORA project - Building International Bridges For The Arctic Canadian Youth – Global Affairs Canada. Partner: Arctic Frontiers.
This three year project aims to 1) provide opportunities for early career professionals from Canada (PhD Candidates, early-stage business leaders, local government employees, researchers, Indigenous community leaders etc) to join the Emerging Leaders program at Arctic Frontiers, 2) develop and maintain an alumni network for the pervious participants of the Emerging Leaders program since 2012 and create digital leadership workshops biannually and 3) mobility support for young Canadians (additional to point 1) to attend the Arctic Frontiers conference and participate in discussions and networking events. (EN) | Youth networking opportunities and possibilities for young people to be involved in discussions with scientists, policy makers and local leaders are a focus of the Arctic Frontiers conference. The template for involving young people in knowledge exchange and discussions has been created, which makes it easier to include additional participants from other Arctic nations. Mobility of students and early career professionals can be streamlined and lessons learned applied to the current project. (EN), SpareBank Nord-Norge Samfunnsløftet – Project: Science for Kids (SFK) & Science for Schools. Partner: Arctic Frontiers.
This project partly-funds our local education and outreach activities with kindergartens and high schools in Tromsø, along with our associated Partner, the Northern Norwegian Science Museum. The Science for Kids is Arctic Frontiers' program for the youngest children, and we work with eight kindergartens. The aim of this project is to initiate an interest in science and to encourage the children to question the world in which they live. The children are gathered at the science museum and are involved in a series of science experiments and talks. The kindergarten teachers are then invited to the Northern Norwegian Science Museum for a course, where they are given skills, information and resources to teach the children about Arctic science. The teachers then work with the children to create small posters, answering simple questions, and these are presented at a 'poster party'. The 'Science for Schools' project is aimed at high school level (specifically grade 10 in high school and first year 'videregående' school pupils, which are ages 16-17). This E&O project is more comprehensive than that of the Science for Kids, and aims to show pupils the steps of research, including deciding a hypothesis, conducting experiments and showcasing results via a conference. There is a three-step process: Inspiration Days, Project Implementation, Science Conference. The projects which are created by the students are showcased at the Science conference, and evaluated by scientists working in the natural sciences. Selected pupils who have the best evaluations are invited to present their work to other scientists and policy makers at the Arctic Frontiers annual conference the following week. (EN) | Both projects focus on enhancing children's interest in science, encouraging them to work on projects as a small team, and inspiring them to pursue science further. SHARE aims to internationalize the SFS program with Icelandic and Finnish students. AF will also share knowledge and best practices from this project to other partners. Connections with local schools and the science museum will be included in the knowledge-sharing and network of SHARE, and be enhanced by including other countries. (EN), Nordic working group for Biodiversity, Nordic Council of Ministers - Project: The Nordic Biodiversity Framework. Partner: NMSI
The Nordic Biodiversity Framework (NBF) is a project that examines the implementation of the United Nations COP15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets into policy in the Nordic countries. The project is coordinated by the BIODICE network and the Icelandic Museum of Natural History with partners at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland and at the Globe Institute in Denmark.
The project addresses the rapid loss of biodiversity, one of the most pressing issues of our times, and the primary aim is to evaluate and support the implementation of the COP15 biodiversity targets in the Nordic countries. The focus will be on compiling and interpreting existing knowledge on biodiversity and policy in the different countries and to establish a network of scientists, experts, policy makers and other stakeholders. This will be achieved through targeted information gathering and workshops. These expected results in 2024 will support the national needs for realistic plans and actions for reaching the COP15 biodiversity targets. (EN) | Both projects focus on knowledge transfer between different stakeholders such as scientists, general public and policymakers and implementing knowledge on biodiversity into policy. Although the NBF is not focusing especially on youth it can be used as a role model for CAP-SHARE on how to reach the goals of the project in regard to bring together scientists and policy makers, scientists and general public/youth and the general public/youth and policy makers. (EN)

Relevant mentions and prizes:

Interreg NPA Award in the category Emerging Trends: Transnational projects that see new patterns, ideas, or practices that have the potential to shape the future in significant ways.(EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 794 241.80

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 251 229.68

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

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 251 229.68. Co-financing rate, 65.00%.
ERDF equivalent: Amount, EUR 129 998.49. Co-financing rate, 41.58%. Sources, IS.
ERDF equivalent: Amount, EUR 47 543.95. Co-financing rate, 50.00%. Sources, NO.
Others: Amount, EUR 47 543.95.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Developing Capacity for the overall project: Partnership Agreement
Outline of jointly-developed online co-creation workshops
Youth for Arctic Nature (YAN) website section
Arctic Frontiers webpage
NMSI webpage
University of Lapland webpage
ISC webpage
Social media
Recorded online workshops, viewable after the workshops.
Draft strategy section - Capacity Sharing for biodiversity as Community and Regional Development.
Draft strategy section - Recognizing Local and Indigenous Knowledge (Finland and Iceland lead).
Draft strategy section - Scientists Collaborating with communities and policymakers.
Draft strategy section -based on theme: Policymakers Collaborating with Youth and communities.
Strategy for capacity sharing: Pilot Model
Detailed action plan for WP2 and WP3
Workshops around theme 1: Capacity Sharing for biodiversity as Community and Regional Development
Workshops around theme 2: Recognizing intergenerational local and indigenous knowledge
Workshops around theme 3: Scientists collaborating with communities and policymakers.
Workshops around theme 4: Policymakers Collaborating with Youth and Communities
Online resources for creating spaces for effective stakeholder cooperation
Museums and science centers as intermediaries for effective stakeholder cooperation - evaluation
Retrospective of inspiration days on social media
Compiled student projects and posters
International Arctic Youth Science Symposium
Showcase at AF conference
Resources for local to international youth engagement with scientists
Evaluation - Sharing Knowledge with the Science for Schools program
Recorded workshop in Norway.
Solution 1: Capacity Sharing as Community and Regional Development
Solution 2: Recognizing intergenerational local and indigenous knowledge
Solution 3: Scientists collaborating with communities and policymakers
Solution 4: Policymakers collaborating with youth and communities.
Updated action plan for WP3
Publicly available recording of the webinar
Policy brief for implementation of the model at local and regional levels
Side event at the 2027 AF conference
Final reflection and evaluation
Renewed partnership agreement - steps for continued collaboration and long-term model implementation

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

SeaBasinStrategyArcticOcean Sharing capacity, better collaboration, and recognition of local and indigenous knowledge empowers youth and their communities towards climate resilience and leads to better science and decision-making. Empowering youth’s voices and encouraging a strong sense of competency is crucial for their ability to deal with social challenges, to create a sustainable future for themselves and for future generations, and for the right of young Sámi to practice self-determination over their land and culture.
TerritorialAgenda2030 This project takes a community development approach that focuses on rural Arctic areas which are often isolated, under-funded, and under-represented in policy-making. Better collaboration between communities and other stakeholders can show the value that rural communities bring to the mitigation of climate challenges. We hope to foster pride and stewardship for the communities and land youth belong to, contributing to the long-term sustainability and diversity of rural municipalities.
EuropeanGreenDeal This project contributes to reinforcing climate adaptation actions and communication in the European Arctic in various ways: promoting trust, cooperation, and communication between NPA communities, scientists, and policymakers; recognizing the value of local and indigenous knowledge in science; inspiring youth to protect local biodiversity in hands-on place-based projects; and giving rural youth greater opportunities for civic engagement when it comes to managing local nature.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
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:

Delivered output indicator(s):

(RCO87) Organisations cooperating across borders: 10.0

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
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

Latest month of project-partner-call data publication

2026-09

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

81 / 81 (100%)

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

376 / 393 (95.67%)

Notes on the data

There are discrepancies in this programme's financial data in keep.eu. Namely, in one or more cases, the sum of the project partners' budgets exceeds the total budget of the respective project. Interact is working with the Programme to correct those figures.

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Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities

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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