Skip to main content

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.

The project name ARIES4 stands for Alliance of Regional Innovation Ecosystems on Smart & Sustainable Specialization Strategies. The project focuses on European regions' work with strategies for smart specialization. Smart specialization is the EU's strategy for regional competitiveness and innovation, requiring each region to identify its main strengths and assets and focus on enhancing them. A region must have such an S3 strategy (Smart Specialization Strategy) in place to receive financial support from the EU’s structural funds.

Regions must also demonstrate that investments in smart specialization are carried out in an ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable way. The strategic shift should be made in the context of the European Green Deal, the EU's strategy to reach its 2050 climate goals, and the global sustainability goals within Agenda 2030. S3 (Smart Specialization Strategy) is evolving into S4 (Smart Sustainable Specialization Strategy), and European regions need to show that they are addressing this transformation.

What is the Project Aiming to Achieve?

The overarching goal of ARIES4 is to promote innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among higher education institutions, vocational training, the public sector, businesses, and society. The project aims to pave the way for the transition from smart specialization (S3) to smart sustainable specialization (S4). It will also create a system for cooperation and knowledge flow between the main actors in smart specialization strategies, including higher education institutions, vocational training providers, the public sector, businesses, and society at large. This is to ensure the presence of the skills, tools, and attitudes required for the development from S3 to S4.

Practically, this means that the project closely examines best practices in both working methods and follow-up models in the four participating regions. The focus is on experiences from small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, vocational training, municipalities, and regions. In addition, a literature review is being conducted—a study of previously published research—to identify relevant indicators for sustainability in regional development.

Project Results

So far, ARIES4 has resulted in:

Sustainability Work in Companies

Through the project, Glava Energy Center will also be able to offer tools to its member companies that need knowledge, skills, and competencies in smart sustainable specialization. Furthermore, we can establish relationships and exchanges with international partners dealing with similar issues concerning renewable energy. Thanks to the project, we can also work more intensively toward our goal of contributing to the transition to sustainable business models within the industry.

ARIES4 in brief

Overall

  • Project period: 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2025
  • Funding: The project is part-financed by the EU through the Erasmus+ programme.
  • EU support: 1.36 million euros
  • Total budget: 1.7 million euros
  • Project coordinator: Public University of Navarra (UPNA).
  • Contact person at Glava Energy Center: Lisa Gärdt, see Contact.

Participating European regions

  • Värmland, Sweden
  • Navarra, Spain
  • Southern Denmark, Denmark
  • Gabrovo, Bulgaria

In the four participating regions, a total of sixteen regional cooperation partners are covered.

Participating partners in Värmland

  • Glava Energy Center
  • Karlstad University
  • Region Värmland

To the project website

Medfinansieras av EUAries 4Karlstads UniversitetMed finansiering från Region Värmland
Last edited: 20/09 2024

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.

Energy leadership in focus at annual conference

To secure future electricity for society, companies, industry, transport and households, a sustainable energy system is needed. But how will the energy transition take place? The Glava Energy Center's annual conference on Wednesday 3 May 2023 focused on the importance of proactive energy leadership.

Our innovation work

Glava Energy Center is an innovation cluster in solar energy and sustainable energy systems. The cluster is founded in a broad, driven, and competent member network of local, regional, and national energy actors, a physical test infrastructure with around ten test beds, Northern Europe's largest test park for solar energy and over ten years of experience in innovation projects.