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Game Plan for Monitoring Sustainability Presented to Strategists and Students

In the EU project ARIES4, a game plan with proposals for areas and indicators of economic, environmental, and social sustainability has been developed, providing guidance for regions and societal sectors in measuring sustainability. In October, the project results were presented to strategists in regional development at a seminar at Karlstad University.

How do regions work with sustainability, and how can the integration of sustainability be measured in regional development and strategies for smart specialization? This was the central theme at a meeting in the seminar series “In the Same Landscape” at Karlstad University on October 17. The event was organized by the university’s Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation (CRS).

Game Plan Offers Guidance

The seminar highlighted the part of the project focusing on measuring sustainability in regional development and smart specialization. Lisa Gärdt, sustainability coordinator at Glava Energy Center and participant in the ARIES4 project, was present to share insights.

– Which indicators should be chosen to measure sustainability in the regions' strategies for smart specialization? There isn’t a straightforward answer to that question or an exact set of indicators to choose from. Instead, we present a comprehensive game plan of potential areas and indicators for economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The idea is for the game plan to provide guidance and inspiration for regions and different societal sectors in monitoring sustainability, says Lisa Gärdt.

Smart specialization is the EU's strategy for regional competitiveness and innovation, encouraging each region to identify its key strengths and resources to excel in those areas. At the seminar, participants included professionals from Region Värmland and the County Administrative Board, as well as students. Lisa Gärdt found the obvious interest and engagement in the topic inspiring:

– It was great to see so many interested in the topic and the many interesting discussions that followed. It’s also exciting to see ongoing work in the region to monitor and follow up on smart specialization. I’m looking forward to the discussions that will arise with those involved in that work, she says.

A Platform for Exchange Between Research and Practice

The seminar also featured Johanna Tangnäs, postdoctoral researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and former doctoral student at Karlstad University. She presented her doctoral thesis on sustainability in Swedish regional development policy.

Facilitating exchanges between researchers and practitioners is a key aim of the Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation, explains its director, Moa Tunström:

– At CRS, we aim to be a platform where research and practice—those working with these issues in society—can meet and exchange knowledge and experiences. This isn’t a purely academic event for researchers alone, nor is it a training session. It’s a meeting place, says Moa Tunström, CRS director and participant in ARIES4.

Caption: Moa Tunström, Director of the Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation, and Lisa Gärdt, Sustainability Coordinator at Glava Energy Center, presenting at the seminar at Karlstad University. 

ARIES4

In the EU project ARIES4, Glava Energy Center and Karlstad University collaborate with other European regions to identify best practices and useful tools for smart sustainable specialization. The project draws on experiences from businesses, universities, regions, and municipalities. The project organization consists of about ten partners from four European regions: Värmland in Sweden, Navarra in Spain, Southern Denmark, and Gabrovo in Bulgaria.

In the Same Landscape – A Series of Meeting Places About Värmland

"In the Same Landscape" is a seminar series with the ambition to deepen the perspectives of research and practice on Värmland as a region, touching on themes highlighted in the regional development strategy, Värmlandsstrategin, such as sustainability, transition, and regional development. The seminar series is organized in collaboration between the Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation (CRS) at Karlstad University, the County Administrative Board, and Region Värmland.

Moa Tunström, Director of the Centre for Research on Sustainable Societal Transformation, and Lisa Gärdt, Sustainability Coordinator at Glava Energy Center

Last edited: 15/11 2024

ARIES4 for Sustainable Regional Development

In the EU project ARIES4, Glava Energy Center and Karlstad University collaborate with other European regions to identify best practices and useful tools for sustainable regional development. The project is based on experiences from companies, universities, regions, and municipalities. The project organization is a European innovation alliance consisting of about ten partners from four European regions: Värmland in Sweden, Navarra in Spain, Southern Denmark, and Gabrovo in Bulgaria.

European Project Aims to Spread Tools for Sustainable Regional Development

How do you practically integrate sustainability into regional development, and how do you measure progress? In the EU project ARIES4, Glava Energy Center and Karlstad University collaborate with partners from three other European regions to identify best practices and useful tools. The starting point is the experiences of companies, universities, regions, and municipalities.

Project participants from Navarra, Gabrovo, and Southern Denmark met in Karlstad

Karlstad University and Glava Energy Center welcomed project participants from Aries4, representing the Spanish region of Navarra, the Bulgarian region of Gabrovo, and Southern Denmark, to Karlstad Innovation Park on October 24-25, 2023. This was the second of a total of three face-to-face meetings within the three-year project.