Tavoite

The aim of ARCTIC CLUSTER is to increase awareness and transfer good energy practices by optimising the use of resources

across three complementary projects (SECURE, EEBAK and GrAB), funded by three different Arctic cooperation programmes

(NPA, Interreg Nord and Kolartic CBC), that are all addressing similar themes and territorial challenges.

The main objective is to use transnational cooperation to ensure better implementation and knowledge exchange of the energy

solutions available across the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programmes. This will maximise more efficient added value of the

funding received.

The main result will be to establish a critical mass of energy efficient and renewable solutions across the Arctic Area. An

integrated approach to the dissemination of project results will help achieve better communication between cooperation

programmes and increased scalability of energy efficient resources in housing and public infrastructures across the Programme

areas.

The newly formed project cluster will disseminate solutions from 3 different Arctic Programmes to target groups across the

whole Northern Periphery and Arctic Area. These projects have joined together because they complement each other in

addressing low-carbon objectives in the context of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. The partners will optimise

networking, co-ordination, monitoring, exchange of information, and the exploitation and dissemination of results.

The partnership comprises 15 of the 16 original partners across the three projects in Finland, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Faroe,

Norway, Russia and Canada. It includes all project lead partners, municipalities, technical universities, applied research centres

with links to the business sectors.

This approach will generate European added value, beyond the limited resources of an individual project, with the result being

increased decarbonisation in the longer term.

The project’s workplan places a strong emphasis on dissemination of best practice and services across projects and the NPA

territory and its actions will utilise digital collaboration platforms, inter-project meetings and transnational stakeholder seminars.

A special emphasis will be placed on collation and dissemination of best practice, services and results from all three projects

across the NPA, including at the NPA 2018 Annual Conference.

Tulokset

The common territorial challenges tackled by this project are:

Increased pace of climate change in Northern Periphery & Arctic Areas requires greater attention to ensure a sustainable

future for the whole area, and the welfare of its citizens.

Higher energy costs due to peripherality, insularity, accessibility, low population densities, sparse settlements, physical

distances, cold climates, and outward migration.

High percentage of citizen and public income used for energy consumption (fuel, heating, lighting, electricity, insulation)

due to cold and harsh conditions, varying from Arctic, to sub-arctic, to Northern temperate and oceanic.

Low economic diversity and dependence on traditional sectors (fishing, forestry and tourism).

Together, 3 projects from different Arctic Programmes can use their collective capacity and complementarity to increase

awareness, and transfer of knowledge, about the latest energy solutions to public authorities, communities and businesses

across the entire Northern Periphery and Arctic Area.

Territorial cooperation provides an opportunity to transfer good practices acquired from across three Arctic territories, while all

partner regions will benefit from the different approaches used in developing and implementing innovative energy

solutions. This will mitigate communication and accessibility difficulties faced by Arctic territories and contribute to the Arctic

Dimension.

Dissemination of results will be based firmly on stakeholder needs and feed into all activities. Stakeholder involvement is critical

through all project stages. This includes exploitation of existing stakeholder teams and networks across all three projects, and

will involve the formation of new stakeholder networks beyond that of the existing projects. This will ensure sustainability of

project results beyond the duration of a single project and helps mitigate against the brain drain faced in Arctic Areas.

Tulosten hyödynnettävyys

Hankkeen tulokset kootaan julkisesti saatavilla olevaksi tietopaketiksi.