About the project
Green transition is a highly relevant subject for all countries. The project FETREC Island (Fostering Energy Transition and Resilience Capacity on Islands) is a bilateral project between the town of Cres and Østfold University College in Norway. This cooperation, between Croatian and Norwegian island communities, will therefore contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals in both countries, while strengthening the relationship between the two nations.
Furthermore, the project will also provide an opportunity for the island of Cres and Croatian island communities in general to gain insights into best practices, policies, and technologies related to sustainable development from Norway.
The cooperation between the partners will involve workshops, study tours, and conferences where the partners can come together to discuss common challenges and opportunities related to sustainable development. In addition, academic communities and students from University of Rijeka and Zagreb will travel to Norway and meet up with their peers to brainstorm solutions together.
The official kickoff meeting for the partners has already been held in Cress in May, where both Norwegian and Croatian students and researchers participated in a workshop. The meeting focused on introducing the partners to each other, discussing the project objectives and planning the next step in the project– a study trip to Norway. The partners also presented their expectations, expertise and contributions to the island project, and the workshop successfully set the groundwork for the project ahead. Additionally, the partners had the opportunity to network outside the official meetings. Overall, it was a productive and promising kickoff meeting, and both students and researchers returned home with new insight and perspectives around sustainable development on islands.
Expected results
One of the main outcomes of this initiative will be the development of common strategies and action plans that can guide Croatian and Norwegian island communities towards sustainable development. These strategies will be based on the knowledge and experiences shared during the cooperation and will take into account the unique challenges and opportunities faced by each community. As a result both countries can use these action plans and strategies to speed up the transition and make the public sector more effective and successful.