On March 14th ERNACT led MINDSET project partners, funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, met in person for the first time in Umeå (Sweden). This meeting, hosted by Umeå University, served to review Mission-Oriented Innovation initiatives in the NPA area, mainly led at national level. The event included MINDSET partnership meeting to review project’s progress and agree on next steps.

Throughout the meeting, attendees engaged in discussions centred on Mission-Oriented Innovation (MOI) initiatives and revision of the suitable approaches to address the unique challenges faced by the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) regions. With a focus on harnessing innovation for societal progress, partners reviewed the project's progress and aligned on future strategies.

The meeting provided a platform for partners to delve into the practical aspects of MOI and its application in real-world scenarios. Through dynamic discussions and knowledge exchange, an initial set of focus areas was concreted, including education and skills development, climate change mitigation and bridging the digital divide.

MINDSET will enhance the innovation capacity in the NPA regions by exploring Mission-Oriented Innovation (MOI) approaches. MINDSET involves three partners from the NPA region: ERNACT (Ireland), Umeå University (Sweden) and University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute (Finland).