Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

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

Date of latest update: 2025-09-24

Description

Description (EN):

Emergency management is a common challenge to all partner countries. NACEMAP project will assist NPA communities develop enhanced resilience against future disasters, through self- assessment, and developing plans to deal with emergency incidents. The project will identify best practices in community emergency preparedness at the local, regional, national, and transnational levels, during both incident response and post-incident recovery phases. NACEMAP will take an inclusive, consultative approach using roundtable workshops with communities, municipalities, first responders, and other key stakeholders. Workshop outputs will include mapping and analysing different levels of preparedness, identifying gaps and needs, and disseminating best practices in community emergency planning among partners and target groups. NACEMAP will produce and pilot a Toolkit with 3 parts - Preparedness Self-Assessment Audit; Response Preparedness Plan; and Post- Incident Recovery – as an enduring resource.

Expected Achievements (EN):

The main objectives of WP1 are: (Obj1.1) to establish a knowledge base regarding prevailing regulations, agreements and practices, providing crucial insights to guide subsequent project activities; and (Obj1.2) to prepare a first version of the toolkit and action plans. For Obj1.1 - the team will conduct a comprehensive study to analyze how authorities and communities’ responsibilities, capabilities and jurisdiction are delineated in partner countries. The focus is on studying existing legislation, policies & agreements related to rescue operations and preparedness. This WP focuses on the pertinent legislation within the NPAP area, scrutinizing applicable cooperation agreements, and conducting a comparative assessment. For Obj1.2, the team will plan & develop the first version of the toolkit and action plans to be piloted in WP 2. WP1 will involve multiple Stakeholders to address all WP1 objectives. The objective of this work package is to plan, develop, conduct and evaluate 4 pilot exercises, to test the first version of Toolkits and Action Plans created in WP 1, for different emergency scenarios. This approach allows the Toolkit & Action Plan templates to be developed in an iterative way; but also enables the project to address multiple different types of emergency as it tests and validates the developing Toolkit. An Evaluation Plan will be created and the pilots will be evaluated using it, to collect and utilize all lessons learned when finalizing toolkits and action plans in WP 3. WP2 will improve the knowledge and understanding of the involved stakeholders, and will strengthen the operation of the NACEMAP networks. Mental health aspects, and support to individuals and to businesses, will be addressed. The main focus of WP3 is to improve the Toolkit and Action Plans for community preparedness, response, and recovery, based on the experiences and findings in evaluation reports. Developing the final Toolkit and Action Plan is an iterative process with four different emergency incident scenarios (Wildfire, Oil Spill Response, Landslide/avalanche, and Mass Rescue Operation) being tested during the pilot exercises outlined in WP2. The final version of the Toolkit and Action Plan, complete with Guidance Notes for users, will be validated by stakeholders at the NACEMAP Final Event, and published via the project website. The Toolkit & Action Plan will be promoted for uptake by communities and relevant organisations, to become an embedded part of their emergency preparedness and response planning.

Project outputs: Organisations have a better and harmonised understanding of the specific measures that are necessary to improve transnational emergency preparedness in Northern and Arctic regions(EN)
Exercise plans developed and pilot exercises enacted for 4 scenarios to improve emergency preparedness, coordination, response and recovery in Northern and Arctic Communities.(EN)
Northern and Arctic Communities Action plans for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery(EN)
Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Preparedness Self-Assessment & Planning 3-part Toolkit; 1 Action Plan template(EN)

Thematic information

Cooperation between emergency services Knowledge and technology transfer Community integration and common identity

Priority: (VI-B_NPaA_2) Strengthening the capacity for climate change adaptation, and resource sufficiency in NPA communities

Priority specific objective: RSO2.4. Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 060 Adaptation to climate change measures and prevention and management of climate related risks: others, e.g. storms and drought (including awareness raising, civil protection and disaster management systems, infrastructures and ecosystem based approaches)

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Munster Technological University

Partner’s ID if not PIC: IE3714786EH

Department: Halpin Centre for Research and Innovation, National Maritime College of Ireland

Address: Main Street, Ringaskiddy, P43XV65 Cork, Ireland

Department address: NMCI, Main Street, Ringaskiddy, P43 XV65 Cork, Ireland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.mtu.ie

Total budget: EUR 529 435.20

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 344 132.88

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 185 302.32

Samtök sveitarfélaga og atvinnuþróunar á Norðurlandi eystra

Name: Samtök sveitarfélaga og atvinnuþróunar á Norðurlandi eystra

Department: N/A

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 5611922199

Address: Hafnarstétt 3, 640 Húsavík , Iceland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Regional public authority

Website: https://www.ssne.is/is/english

Total budget: EUR 65 350.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 42 477.50

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 22 872.50

Suomen Pelastusalan Keskusjärjestö

Name: Suomen Pelastusalan Keskusjärjestö

Department: Expert and development services

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FI09129345

Address: Ratamestarinkatu, 00520 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

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

Total budget: EUR 129 760.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 84 344.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 45 416.00

Háskólinn á Akureyri

Name: Háskólinn á Akureyri

Department: School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 520687-1229

Address: Norðurslóð, 600 Akyreyri, Iceland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.unak.is/english

Total budget: EUR 132 700.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 86 255.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 46 445.00

Ambipar Response Ltd

Name: Ambipar Response Ltd

Department: N/A

Partner’s ID if not PIC: IE3612906RH

Address: Island Corporate Park , T45 EW26 Cork, Ireland

Legal status: private

Organisation type: SME

Website: https://www.lehaneenvironmental.com/

Total budget: EUR 228 237.40

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 148 354.31

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 79 883.09

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER Article 20

Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu

Name: Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu

Department: Laurea Research

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FI10462161

Address: Ratatie 22, 01300 Vantaa, Finland

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.laurea.fi/

Total budget: EUR 414 483.60

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 269 414.34

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 65.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 145 069.26

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

The Association of Municipalities of Northeast Iceland

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Partners and Projects info

The Finnish National Rescue Association

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Partners and Projects info

University of Akureyri

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Partners and Projects info

Ambipar Response Ltd

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Partners and Projects info

Laurea University of Applied Sciences

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Partners and Projects info

Munster Technological University

Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Project acronym: NACEMAP

Project ID: NPA0800244

Project start date: 2025-03-01

Project end date: 2028-02-29

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

EU Horizon 2020 - ARCSAR (EN) | The ARCSAR project is an international network that brings together authorities, indigenous people, academia, SME’s, governments and other organisations within the Arctic Search and Rescue Domain. ARCSAR has also created a prioritization of 17 needs to be addressed including community engagement and response. NACEMAP will draw on contacts from ARCSAR to further develop connections for Arctic community preparedness, eg with the Canadian Coast Guard who will be an Associated Partner on NACEMAP. (EN), Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme
- APP4SEA - Arctic Preparedness Platform for Oil Spill and Other Environmental Disasters
(EN) | The APP4SEA project developed an open-source interactive map to serve as a decision-making tool for Oil Spill Response in local communities and the general public. The project also produced a report on Best Practices for Oil Spill Response and Recommendations for the NPA Region and a Gap Analysis of the existing OSR infrastructure. This will serve as a useful resource for NACEMAP’s WP1 deliverables as we go about addressing gaps and needs for community response to an Oil spill incident. (EN), Interreg Baltic Sea Region - Oil Spill Project - Enhancing Oil Spill Response Capability in the Baltic Sea Region 2019-2021 (EN) | A project partner, The Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK) produced a report for the Oil Spill Project on 'Managing and organizing volunteers in oil spill response' which serves as a useful resource for NACEMAP with respect to organising community volunteers to assist in the response and recovery phases of disaster management for an Oil Spill. (EN), AI-ARC: Artificial Intelligence Based Virtual Control Room for the Arctic
(EN) | AI-ARC is a Horizon 2020 project, which developed an AI-based virtual control room in the Arctic to increase maritime situational awareness, including for emergency situations like mass rescue operations. NACEMAP builds on and extends this concept into community-level preparedness and awareness.
(EN), MAREC: Inter-organizational coordination of mass rescue operations in complex environments (2018-2022)
(EN) | The MAREC project was focused on issues related to the coordination of major rescue operations in the High North. The project has contributed to increased knowledge of the collaboration between emergency preparedness actors, including their coordinative roles and mechanisms, the interplay between emergency preparedness policy frameworks and response capacities, information flows, and competence needs.
(EN), MARPART: Maritime Preparedness and International Partnership in the High North (2014-2017)
(EN) | The project provided increased knowledge on cross-border partnerships within the maritime preparedness system in the High North including Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. The project has a special focus on the operational management of joint operations and resources within search and rescue, oil spill response, firefighting and counterterrorism.
(EN), ATOMEX: Collaboration Сomplexity in Nuclear Emergency Preparedness in the Maritime Arctic (2023-2026)
(EN) | One of project aims is, through case analyses, to generate knowledge-based research on preparedness complexity in the Arctic a shared understanding of risk evaluation between communities, search and rescue and radiation safety authorities.
(EN), ArcResc: Capacities of the Rescue Services in the Arctic: Advancement of
Knowledge and Cooperation (2022-2023)
(EN) | ArcResc founded the Arctic Fire and Rescue Network of Knowledge, whose members are 12 fire and rescue services from 5 Arctic countries. The network's task is to share ideas, information, and knowledge and to develop services in cooperation. NACEMAP will benefit from the knowledge the project has collected and continue developing the collaboration between rescue organisations in arctic areas.
(EN), INEGMA-E2 -International Network of Evaluators & Guideline for a Methodological Approach in Exercise Evaluation (DG ECHO) (EN) | INEGMA-E2 built a standardised approach to independent evaluation for civil protection exercises that meets the high standards for documenting, replicating, and establishing goals. NACEMAP will benefit for the exercise evaluation expertise and processes built in INEGMA E2. (EN), BYFORES Project - by NACEMAP partner SPEK (EN) | BYFORES aims to enhance resilience to natural and man-made disasters by strengthening inclusive, cross-sectoral cooperation between authorities and volunteer organisations in crisis management in the Baltic Sea Region, with special focus on youth roles in managing and coping with disaster risks and reducing vulnerability through capacity building, education, and awareness raising. NACEMAP will benefit from BYFORES experience linking with local communities, volunteers and agencies, incl
youth. (EN), Arctic FIRE project via the Arctic Council (EN) | This project aims to improve the understanding of fire ecology & impacts on communities, and to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildland fire. It maps, records and assesses impact of annual fire extent via its annual digital Arctic Fire Monitoring Journal that includes relevant Arctic fire ecology and fire-related Indigenous Knowledge research. NACEMAP will benefit from Arctic FIRE through data collected on wildfire extent, & understanding how Arctic communities are respond to wildfire events. (EN), FIREBAR Project - by NACEMAP partner SPEK (EN) | Wildfires in the Nordic countries are expected to become more common as a result of climate change. Although the number of wildfire sightings in Finland, for example, is trending down, the size of fires is increasing. Dry ground generally increases the risk of wildfires, while wildfires also occur outside periods of drought. NACEMAP benefits from the knowledge and experience of FIREBAR stakeholders (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 499 966.20

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 974 978.03

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

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 974 978.03. Co-financing rate, 65.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

NACEMAP NPA Communication & Dissemination Plan
NACEMAP NPA Community Emergency Response: Report on legislation, regulations & agreements
Summary Report on the NACEMAP
Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
Draft Toolkit and Action Plan template
Pilot Exercise 1 Evaluation Report
Midterm report
Pilot Exercise 2 Evaluation Report
Pilot Exercise 3 Evaluation Report
Pilot Exercise 4 Evaluation Report
Summary Report on the NACEMAP Mid-term Stakeholder Event
Set of 4 completed sample Toolkit & Action Plan documents.
Final Toolkit & Action Plan Template
Report on Final Stakeholder Event

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

SeaBasinStrategyArcticOcean One aim of this EU strategy is to address the consequence of climate change and environmental degradation, to make the Arctic more resilient. Focusing on community preparedness, NACEMAP will also address these above challenges, particularly the consequences of climate change within a disaster management framework. The project will also develop and strengthen resilience in the aftermath of a crisis and encourage sustainable construction methods and redevelopment.
TerritorialAgenda2030 Territorial Agenda 2030 supports the development of new strategic documents where needed and the promotion of co-development involving citizens across borders. NACEMAP will contribute to this strategy through cross-border collaboration amongst project partners to strengthen northern and Arctic Communities' ability to prepare for, and recover from, an emergency through shared experiences and best practices. These findings could then serve as policy recommendations for future legislation
EUStrategyBalticSeaRegion The EUSBSR has three key aims: saving the sea, connecting the region, and increasing prosperity. In turn, these aims guide an array of Priority Areas (PA). With our Finnish partners, NACEMAP contributes to two of these PA areas: PA Secure, which focuses on better risk assessment and crisis management, building up resilience and prevention towards emergencies and threats at a local level; and Action 4 of PA Safe which engages in preparedness & response for maritime accidents and security issues.
AtlanticStrategy The Atlantic action plan aims to improve coastal observation and designing and promoting cost effective coastal protection measures. One of the pilots
/TTXs that NACEMAP will enact is an Oil Spill Response plan for an Irish coastal community on the Atlantic ocean located near an oil terminal.
NACEMAP can therefore contribute to the Atlantic strategy through encouraging coastal observation and protection measures for at-risk areas on the Atlantic coastline
EuropeanGreenDeal The EU Green Deal is a package of policy initiatives that includes the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change. This strategy has a focus on civil protection systems for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. This is in alignment with NACEMAP’s key aims to assist northern and arctic communities to improve the same. By raising awareness and improving emergency preparedness, NACEMAP will also contribute to strengthening civil protection in the NPA region.
Other Arctic Council SAR Agreement: Transnational cooperation is deeply embedded as a way of working in the Arctic region, particularly in Search and Rescue (SAR).
Expanding and building on cross-border Arctic cooperation for emergency preparedness within the NACEMAP project supports and expands on the activities of the legally binding SAR Agreement which was developed within the Arctic Council and came into force in 2011.
Other The European Union Maritime Security Strategy was updated in 2023. One aim is to Manage risks and threats. This includes actions such as conducting regular live maritime exercises involving civilian actors. This is in alignment with the NACEMAP project as we will engage communities and municipalities in activities and pilots/TTX exercises to strengthen emergency preparedness. Two pilots will test community preparedness in maritime emergency scenarios (Oil Spill Response & Mass Rescue Operation)
Other Norway’s Arctic Policy: The Norwegian Government is aiming to facilitate coordination and cooperation between different sectors and levels of the government administration and across borders in the north. NACEMAP project will contribute to achieve this goal strengthening new policies and skills development and exchange through extensive cross-border cooperation on preparedness and response.
Other NACEMAP through its focus on response and preparedness will contribute towards supporting the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Pollution, Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (MOSPA) whose aim is to strengthen cooperation, coordination, and mutual assistance

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

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:

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSBSR

EUSBSR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSBSR Degree of compliance:

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

2025-09-24

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

65 / 65 (100%)

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

310 / 310 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Northern and Arctic Communities Emergency Management and Preparedness

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

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

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