The CAP-SHARE – Building Bridges of Shared Capacity between Scientists, Policymakers, and Communities project was awarded the Interreg NPA Award on 1 October 2025 in Bodø, Norway. The project is coordinated by the Icelandic Museum of Natural History, with the University of Lapland and Arctic Frontiers from Norway being its project partners.

The Interreg NPA Award was granted in the Emerging Trends category. The category highlights transnational cooperation projects that can significantly shape the future of the Arctic region through new models, ideas or practices.

The goal of the CAP-SHARE project is to find new ways to protect biodiversity and respond to climate change. The reward criteria mentions that as a pioneer, the project has built new bridges and partnerships between communities, researchers and policymakers.

The voices of Arctic youth at the centre

Youth of northern local communities and Sámi communities are at the centre of the project. Youth are provided with opportunities to engage with both traditional and academic knowledge about biodiversity, as well as to promote dialogue, connection and understanding between generations.

Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir, the project’s lead from the Icelandic Museum of Natural History, says that the cooperation during the project demonstrated how museums can serve as equal spaces for dialogue, building bridges between communities, policymakers and researchers.

“As we engage youth and communities, we simultaneously build trust and respect for both local and Indigenous knowledge alongside academic knowledge. The spaces created for intergenerational encounters strengthen youth’s active participation and help us hear the diverse voice of communities”, Guðmundsdóttir continues.

Professor Pigga Keskitalo, leader of the University of Lapland’s sub project, highlights the project cooperation carried out with Sámi communities and the LUMA science education network.

“We combine perspectives from educational sciences and natural sciences with traditional and local knowledge within northern and Sámi communities, using collaborative methods in cooperation with the LUMA centre”, Keskitalo says.

According to Jenny Turton, project manager of Arctic Frontiers – a mentor organisation of Norway – the project is an excellent example of how key stakeholders can work together to enhance their competence, capacity and interest in biodiversity.

“We have witnessed active participation and the sharing of best practices from both students at the early stages of their careers and policymakers at the level of the European Commission. This provides excellent starting point for building capacity at a local level”, Turton specifies.

Eyes on the future

In the three-year project (2024–2027), four online workshops have been organised with a focus on measures promoting the biodiversity of the Arctic region. You can learn more about the workshops at Interreg NPA – CAP-SHARE.

In the upcoming years, CAP-SHARE organises local events in Iceland, Finland and Norway. The goal is to further deepen cooperation, strengthen the presence of diverse voices and support discussions about biodiversity, sustainability and green transition.

“The award is not only an acknowledgement of the CAP-SHARE project, but also of those who participated in strengthening connections within the Arctic region”, the project team expresses their thanks.

Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, the project manager of the project’s Finnish group, Niila-Juhán Valkeapää, representative of the Sámi Youth Council of the Sámi Parliament, and project manager Pigga Keskitalo from the University of Lapland in connection with the youth panel at the Arctic Spirit conference in Arktikum on 7 May 2025 in Rovaniemi.
Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, the project manager of the project’s Finnish group, Niila-Juhán Valkeapää, representative of the Sámi Youth Council of the Sámi Parliament, and project manager Pigga Keskitalo from the University of Lapland in connection with the youth panel at the Arctic Spirit conference in Arktikum on 7 May 2025 in Rovaniemi.
Learn more about the CAP-SHARE project

LinkedIn: CAP-SHARE: Overview | LinkedIn
Verkkosivut: Interreg NPA – CAP-SHARE