Project kick-off
Project: ENGAGE Islands
Physical Meeting
27. August 2026
Enabling Green Action and Growth for Everyone
ENGAGE Islands
stock.adobe.com/photoexpert
ENGAGE Islands
PROGRAMME 2021-2027
priority
1 Innovative societies
objective
1.2 Responsive public services
Project type
Implementation
July 2026 - June 2028
ENGAGE Islands
The project ENGAGE Islands helps public authorities, educational institutions and business support organisations in peripheral and island regions better engage local communities, making the benefits of green investments more visible through stronger local economies, new opportunities for youth and more inclusive communities.
ENGAGE Islands aims to address a growing imbalance: while major investments in renewable energy and innovation are increasingly directed toward islands like Bornholm (DK), Åland (FI), Gotland (SE) and the West Estonian archipelago (EE), local residents often see limited direct benefit. Economic gains flow outward and do not obviously improve daily life on the islands. Meanwhile, island economies are often dominated by seasonal tourism, offering few long-term, high-value employment opportunities, while also facing depopulation, youth outmigration and mounting pressure on public services. Local authorities and actors such as cooperatives, education providers and small enterprises frequently lack the capacity or tools to translate broader green transition ambitions to inclusive local development. ENGAGE Islands responds by supporting local actors in co-designing and implementing community-based demonstration activities that tackle specific challenges on each island. These early actions – such as youth-led energy initiatives, mobility solutions or participatory dialogues – offer visible, inclusive ways to build trust and engagement. Insights from these activities will be captured in practical models for governance, local partnerships and green skills development. These will eventually be packaged into a modular, multilingual resource kit designed for replication across other islands and rural areas in the Baltic Sea Region, and remaining useful beyond the project’s lifetime.
Copy direct link to this summary
details
-
Project type
-
ImplementationJuly 2026 - June 2028
-
Status
-
Contribution to EUSBSR
-
Target groups
-
Social media
-
Additional links
-
Tags
Budgets
ENGAGE Islands
in numbers.
in numbers.
-
0.50MillionTotal
-
0.40MillionErdf
-
0.00MillionNorway
stock.adobe.com/photoexpert
ENGAGE Islands
in numbers.
- 52.509707713.4071011
- 58.256892722.4817749
- 57.639711118.2886238
- 60.103236119.9291265
- 55.102792014.7094950
Project partners
Lead partnerInstitute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility
- TownBerlin
- Region
- CountryGermany
- RegionBerlin
- RepresentativeInstitute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility
- Phone
- E-Mail
- Web
Total partner budget
100,000.00
Estonian Islands Energy Agency
- TownKuressaare
- Region
- CountryEstonia
- RegionLääne-Eesti
- RepresentativeEstonian Islands Energy Agency
- Phone
- E-Mail
- Web
Total partner budget
100,000.00
Science Park Gotland
- TownVisby
- Region
- CountrySweden
- RegionGotlands län
- RepresentativeScience Park Gotland
- Phone
- E-Mail
- Web
Total partner budget
100,000.00
Aland University of Applied Sciences
- TownMariehamn
- Region
- CountryFinland
- RegionÃ…land
- RepresentativeAland University of Applied Sciences
- Phone
- E-Mail
- Web
Total partner budget
100,000.00
Bornholm Regional Municipality
- TownRønne
- Region
- CountryDenmark
- RegionBornholm
- RepresentativeBornholm Regional Municipality
- Phone
- E-Mail
- Web
Total partner budget
100,000.00
Contacts
-
Project manager, Communication managerDÃ mir Belltheus AvdicInstitute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility
-
Financial managerUlrike HertelInstitute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility
Follow us
-
Social media
-
Additional links
Events
No past events