First meeting. On September 24, LivingLab West had its kick-off meeting at the RISE/SSPA Maritime Center in Gothenburg. The meeting was chaired by Jessica Hjerpe Olausson, leader of LivingLab West.
Central to C2B2 are the so-called LivingLabs, which will take place in three locations in Sweden – in the west, east and north. During September, two of them were launched, LivingLab East and LivingLab West.
The idea within LivingLabs is to create a forum where a number of marine actors can meet, everything from fisheries and wind power companies to researchers and authorities and more.
Together, they must discuss, experiment, identify knowledge gaps and resolve conflicts.
– A kind of workshops where we work together, says Karina Barquet, research leader focusing on coasts and oceans at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and linked to C2B2 as leader of LivingLab East.
Eager to know more
Together with the members of C2B2’s team, there were good discussions, among other things the stakeholders wanted to know more about what the program can achieve.
– Our stakeholders were curious and wanted more information, says Karina Barquet,
According to her, however, at this early stage of a LivingLab, the questions usually outnumber the answers.
– This is a slightly different research project; it is not like most others. Here it is about us identifying challenges together, finding solutions, and working collectively to make a difference. Sometimes it is called action research. What results will we achieve? We don’t really know that yet. We will discover that together, she says.
According to Karina Barquet, the results will be important in different ways.
– Not least because this part of Sweden has found itself in a new situation due to the geopolitical situation with what is happening on the other side of the Baltic Sea.
On September 24, also LivingLab West had its kick-off meeting. It took place at the RISE/SSPA Maritime Center in Gothenburg. About 20 people participated.
– It was the first time we met our stakeholders, says Jessica Hjerpe Olausson, senior project manager at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) and leader of LivingLab West.
Among the stakeholders are representatives from several different industries: the fishing industry, the shipping sector, offshore wind power, companies that work with data management and more. Authorities at municipal and regional level also participated.
According to Jessica Hjerpe Olausson, the idea is to discuss together, and eventually come up with joint proposals, around initiatives that improve Swedish marine management.
– In order for the ideas to be as good as possible, we have invited widely, she says.
On September 10, several actors met for an online start-up meeting for LivingLab East. Later this fall, they plan to meet physically in Stockholm, and in the spring in Blekinge. After that, Gotland is proposed as a meeting place.The digital start-up meeting was successful according to Karina Barquet.
– Yes, it felt good. We were close to twenty people from different places in Sweden who met, she says.
Focus on Southern Skagerrak
During the gathering, participants received an introduction to the program, plus they received information about the geographic area LivingLab West targets: southern Skagerrak. An area where, among other things, there are applications to build offshore wind power in three locations.
– At the meeting we discussed, among other things, what different interests the stakeholders have in the area we focus on, and what challenges they see ahead, says Jessica Hjerpe Olausson.
The next meeting will be later this fall. Also, next spring, there will be a meeting for LivingLab West – online or physically.
When do you think you will be up and running at full pace?
– The dialogue already feels fruitful. There were constructive dialogues immediately and everyone listened to each other.
What do you hope you will achieve in the long run?
– How to work with participatory processes around ocean management, and that Sweden takes a step forward in this. We are not used to working inclusively in that way in this country. Hopefully our work will contribute to a growing blue economy while we have healthy seas.
Three participants at the kick-off meeting:
What do you expect from LivingLab West?
Kristina Fermskog, environmental investigator, the environmental administration in the city of Gothenburg.
– I see it as a very good approach, and a neutral platform, which makes it possible to get help with what we see needs to be done. That is, to cooperate to strengthen the blue economy and make it a significant part of the food system, sustainable supply of food and energy plus creating jobs.
Lennart Bjärknemyr, tour boat skipper, Daisy Sea Fishing.
– A strong focus on the state of the sea. You see land-dwelling creatures, but not the sea-dwelling ones, and there are very few who focus on what happens below the surface. I hope that the decision-making authorities will get a better overall approach via this project.
Stefan Gustavsson, responsible for public relations, Eolus wind.
– I hope that it can increase the understanding of physically coexisting on the same sea surface. We depend on being able to build wind power where the electricity is needed, where the situation with wind and bottom conditions are good. Plus, where it’s close to a connection, otherwise the electricity will be too expensive, and nobody will be wanting to pay.