Interreg Aurora

Our Interreg Aurora–funded project SustainableNutrients was on display at the Pohjoinen Teollisuus | Northern Industry event, the largest industrial event in the North, held at Ouluhalli. In the SustainableNutrients project, we develop methods to remove nutrients from agricultural waters. The event is running also today and you can meet our researchers at the University of Oulu stand (booth 813). #interregaurora #sustainablechemistry #unioulu #pohjoinenteollisuus

🚨Webinar: Who owns AI risk in your business? As AI and connected systems become part of everyday operations, organisations face new challenges related to security, resilience and responsibility. Join our webinar to explore: 🔹 Trustworthy AI in practice 🔹 Cyber risks in connected systems 🔹 GNSS spoofing and satellite navigation threats 🔹 How machine learning can detect signal manipulation and disturbances 🔹 Real-world examples of GNSS disruption incidents 🔹 What the EU AI Act means for SMEs The webinar is based on insights from the TRUST research project and includes practical examples related to AI security, operational resilience and trustworthy wireless communication. The TRUST project is funded by the Interreg Aurora EU programme and carried out in collaboration between Mittuniversitetet and the University of Vaasa.

Hvordan kan kunstig intelligens bidra til mer likeverdige helsetjenester i distriktene? Det er utgangspunktet for AI-HEALTH Nordic helsetjenester – et nytt Interreg Aurora-prosjekt der aktører fra Norge, Sverige og Finland skal utvikle og teste KI-baserte løsninger i reelle helsetjenester. Prosjektet retter seg mot utfordringer mange nordlige og distriktsnære områder kjenner godt: • lange avstander til sykehus • mangel på helsepersonell • økende behov for helsetjenester Gjennom samarbeid mellom forskningsmiljøer, kommuner, helseaktører og små og mellomstore bedrifter skal prosjektet utvikle løsninger for blant annet: ✔ bedre diagnostikk ✔ pasientoppfølging ✔ koordinering av helsetjenester Målet er ikke bare ny teknologi, men praktiske løsninger som faktisk kan tas i bruk i hverdagen. Pilotene skal gjennomføres i Finland, Sverige og Norge. 👉 Les saken: https://lnkd.in/eqW425yG Interreg Aurora Mette Spliid Ludvigsen Ian Jawahir Øystein Andresen Anna-mari Ruisniemi Nord University Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) Luleå University of Technology #AIHEALTHNordic #kunstigintelligens #helsetjenester #ehelse #helseinnovasjon #distriktshelse #digitalisering

A new publication by Ympäristöministeriö - Miljöministeriet - Ministry of the Environment of Finland provides guidance on ethical negotiations with Sámi reindeer herders "Rivttes vuohki, Olmâ vyehi, Õlmmvueʹǩǩ – The Right Way : Ethical Guidelines based on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity for negotiations and cooperation with reindeer herders in Sámi reindeer herding cooperatives” offers practical guidance for collaboration with Sámi reindeer herders. Publication link: https://lnkd.in/dReNHwbs The guidelines have been developed as part of the project MÁHTUT – Sámi Knowledge and Practices in the Era of the Green Transition, in cooperation with the Sámi Reindeer Herders’ Association and the Ministry of the Environment. The #MultiBEING Centre of Excellence has supported the preparation of the guidelines. The guidelines were authored by #MultiBEING researchers Leena Hansen and Saara Alakorva together with Tiina Sanila, Chair of the Sámi Reindeer Herders’ Association. The work builds in particular on Leena Hansen’s long-standing collaboration with both authorities and Sámi reindeer herders, as well as her expertise in Indigenous Peoples’ Law. A workshop related to the guidelines will be held in Inari on 20–21 May 2026. In addition to Hansen, one of the speakers is Anne-Maria Magga, a researcher in our research community whose work focuses on the status and practices of Sámi reindeer husbandry. In addition, a printed summary of the guidelines will be published under the title “Application of Section 53 of the Reindeer Husbandry Act in Accordance with the FPIC Principle". It is intended as a practical tool for reindeer herders, authorities, and other actors whose activities require negotiations in line with the principle of free, prior and informed consent (#FPIC) with Sámi reindeer herders. For further information: Leena Hansen (firstname.lastname@ulapland.fi) The MultiBEING Centre of Excellence is funded by the Research Council of Finland | Suomen Akatemia The MÁHTUT project is funded by the European Union, Interreg Aurora and Lapin liitto / The Regional Council of Lapland  

What do you get when you combine children's theatre, cutting edge production techniques and creativity? ⭐ Last week cultural services of City of Oulu had the joy together with Riksteatern and Uusi Teatteri from Sweden and Oulu University of Applied Sciences to produce two performances of children’s play Stjärnhimlar for the first and second graders of Svenska Privatskolan i Uleåborg. This time however the actors and audience were in different countries but could talk to each other like in the same room. This was made possible by using low latency technology in the Oamk virtual production studio Starts Lab. Riksteatern is our partner in ANSEL project (funded by Interreg Aurora) and have been developing the techniques for utilizing low latency technology in performing arts. In ANSEL project we’re piloting the technology in different use cases. By bringing the latency close to zero the actors in Hallunda, Sweden, and children in Oulu could talk without a delay and applause in real time. We scaled the actors to be life size on the LED wall to make the performance feel even more realistic. The audience were wonderful, excited and enjoyed the play wholeheartedly. The picture from the run through when we were setting things up. Thank you Ann-Cathrine Fröjdö, Riksteatern and Petteri Stavén & Oamk Starts Lab for making this possible!

Arctic Electronic Music Meetup 2026 is coming to Luleå! From 28–30 May 2026, Arctic Pulse and Norrbottensmusiken will bring together DJs, producers, organisers, labels, festivals and other music professionals from northern Sweden, Norway and Finland for Arctic Electronic Music Meetup (AEM) 2026. AEM 2026 is a three-day meeting point for the electronic music scene in the Arctic region. The aim is to connect people across borders, create visibility for a growing but often underrepresented scene, and build space for new collaborations, ideas and future projects. The programme will include talks, workshops, presentations, networking sessions and creative exchange between professionals working with electronic music in different parts of the North. In connection with the meetup, we are also organising Electronic Producers Camp 2026 together with BD Pop and Joncell Productions. The camp gives electronic music producers the opportunity to create new music, explore different production techniques and present their work as part of AEM 2026. Electronic music in the North exists across long distances, local scenes and small networks. With AEM 2026, we want to bring these people and places closer together — and show that the Arctic region has its own electronic music scene, energy and potential. AEM 2026 is organised by Arctic Pulse and Norrbottensmusiken together with Kulturföreningen Kluster, in collaboration with Joncell Productions and with support from Interreg Aurora, Region Norrbotten and Luleå kommun. #ArcticPulse #AEM2026 #ElectronicMusic #ArcticMusic #MusicCollaboration #InterregAurora #Norrbottensmusiken #Luleå #CreativeIndustries

Invitation to workshop: ‘Bridging, bonding and belonging’ We warmly welcome professionals from the Bothnian Bay region working in art, culture, creative industries, and tourism to take part in an inspiring workshop on sustainable cultural tourism. 🗓️ 29 May 2026, 9:30–15:00 (EEST) 📍 Aine Art Museum (Torikatu 2, Tornio) The aim of the workshop is to foster dialogue across sectors and the border, identify shared development needs, and create conditions for concrete collaboration and the development of new, sustainable cultural tourism concepts. It is an opportunity to connect, share perspectives, and help shape future cultural tourism in the region. We hope to see you there! Learn more and register through this link: https://lnkd.in/dREQYwfh Organized in collaboration with: University of Oulu, Luleå University of Technology, LTU Business, Oulu2026 - European Capital of Culture 2026 With the support of Interreg Aurora

In Northern Sweden, the temperature is rising twice as fast as the global average. ❄️ Thawing permafrost (where the ground that has remained continuously frozen begins to melt), and icy winters are making it harder for reindeer to find food and for visitors to stay safe. How Regional and Local Authorities #RLAs delivered practical, climate-smart solutions in National Parks? Here is a story on how they created a “survival guide” for protected areas worldwide, by sharing knowledge across Scandinavia and the Atlantic. 💡 By collaborating with the U.S. National Park Service, managers in 5 Arctic protected areas are using "scenario-based planning" to prepare for multiple futures, not just one. 🗣️ Visitor centres are turning complex science into "tangible" stories. By showing how humans have overcome crises in the past, they turn climate anxiety into hope. 🚀 Instead of trying to fix everything at once, parks are focusing on key resources first, like climate-smart campsites and adapted trails, to build momentum. Nature knows no borders, and neither should resilience strategies. This Adaptation story explores how the Interreg Aurora CLAP project – Climate Change Communication and Adaptation of Arctic Protected Areas. It brought together national parks across Sweden, Norway, and Finland, to protect these vast landscapes. 🏔️ It has been collected and developed under Mission Implementation Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change (MIP4Adapt), and published under REGILIENCE+. Did you feel inspired by this story and want to learn more? 👉 Read the full Adaptation Story here: https://lnkd.in/eBttt7cy Interreg Aurora Swedish Environmental Protection Agency | U.S. National Park Service | Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten Abisko National Park | Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy Foundation (IEECP) | Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH | ICLEI Europe | FEDARENE | F6S Innovation | Resilient Cities Network | North West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency (REGEA) | Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa | Hanzehogeschool Groningen | European Commission | Mission Implementation Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change (MIP4Adapt) | #ArcticResilience #ClimateAdaptation #NorthernSweden #Biodiversity #REGILIENCEplus #NatureBasedSolutions #Sustainability #ResilientEurope

Earlier this week our researchers Johanna Lindberg, Dajana Sabljak, Abdolrasoul (Rasoul) Habibipour and Magdalena Pfaffl, PhD met with colleagues from University of Oulu, Netta Iivari, Sanna Pitkänen, Priyanka Sebastian and Lotta Haukipuro in Harparanda as a part of the project Cross Border Digital policy funded by Interreg Aurora. Together we analysed data from our shared work on how the needs-driven and institutional double helix approach inspired by Living Labs(1) can be utilized when working towards digital policy that enables better cooperation in the Torneå Valley border region between Sweden and Finland. (1) See our recent publication: Habibipour, A., Lindberg, J., Haukipuro, L., Bandaranayake, S., Karppinen, P., Iivari, N., ... & Pitkänen, S. (2026). A Living Lab-inspired Double Diamond approach to co-creating cross-border rural digital policy. https://lnkd.in/dDejgYvt

I am glad to share that our first article on the microbial degradation of PFAS has been published. The article "Microbial biodegradation of PFOS and PFPrA by Delftia acidovorans: Insights into microbial degradation pathways," is part of the NeTo-PFAS project, supervised by Prof. Tiina Leiviskä and Dr. Hanna Virpiranta. I would like to thank Interreg Aurora and Lapin liitto / The Regional Council of Lapland for funding this research. https://lnkd.in/gQDzBahN