Arctic Opportunity Explorers

ARCTIC OPPORTUNITY

EXPLORERS 2020 Project Overview

We b el ieve that s tud ents a re key to d riving f u tu re s us taina b l e de v elop m ent in th e Arctic

Arctic Opportunity Explorers 2020 Project Overview This project has been supported by: Nordic Council of Ministers Novozymes Sustainia College of the Atlantic Technical University of Denmark University of the Faroe Islands University of Greenland University of Iceland University of Tromsø Report designed by Daniel Oxenhandler © Sustainia 2021

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F O R EW OR D Sustainable development in the Arctic faces challenges on multiple fronts. Rising temperatures means melting ice sheets, sea level rises, and changes to flora and fauna. Other socioeconomic trends are also impacting traditional ways of life for isolated and rural communities, with challenges remaining for gender equality, as well as health and well-being.

The ambition of the Arctic Opportunity Explorers project is to improve entrepreneurial potential among students to the benefit of the sustainable development of Arctic societies, as well as to increase collaboration between universities through novel technological approaches and innovation and entrepreneurship schools of thought.

We believe that students are key to driving future sustainable development in the Arctic. They have the combination of skills, innovative thinking, and drive to make a difference to today’s biggest challenges.

Over the next pages we want to share activities, results, and learnings from this project, and show how we intend to build on the first year of activities moving forward.

This international collaboration is part of Sustainia’s mission to move from inspiration to action and will empower young people to become changemakers in the Arctic through sustainable entrepreneurship.

In this age of collaboration and communication, where COVID-19 has forced us to rethink business as usual, Novozymes’ HelloScience digital platform allowed students from different universities to work together across time zones and traditional disciplines.

Rasmus Schjødt Pedersen CEO, Sustainia

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FORE WOR D FR OM TH E UNIVER SIT Y PAR T NER S Sustainable development in the Arctic is a pressing matter, with many communities at risk of being left behind or further marginalised.

As universities, we have a role in not only providing young people with the skills and knowledge they need for bright futures, but also to expose them to novel ideas, experiences and connections. This is especially true for the world of entrepreneurship and innovation, where the remit of universities is growing.

We see more and more that students have a desire to work on concrete and tangible projects that can make a positive difference to people's lives, as well as put theory into practice. The Arctic Opportunity Explorer programme offers students the chance to show creativity and problem solving, together with people from across the world, on novel challenges that could produce real impact. The effects of this type of project on personal and professional development for the students should not be underestimated.

The unique part of this project is the collaboration between universities that wouldn’t necessarily work together. We are excited to be part of the first group of universities to participate in a project like this and hope that this can be the first of something much larger.

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CONTENTS A comprehensive overview

PROJECT BACKGROUND & FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE IN THE SDGS

STUDENT JOURNEY

06 - 07

22 - 23

WHY FOCUS ON THE ARCTIC?

GUIDANCE ALONG T H E WAY : W E B I N A R S AND MENTORS

08 - 11

24 - 25

BY THE NUMBERS

12 - 13 PROJECT NETWORK

STUDENT GROUP SOLUTIONS

26 - 39

14 - 15 MERGING S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y W I T H S T R AT E G Y

WINNER SPOTLIGHT & INTERN SPOTLIGHT

40 - 41

16 - 17 WHY IS STUDENT ENTREPRENEUERSHIP I M P O R TA N T ?

W H AT ' S N E X T ? & E X PA N D I N G PA R T N E R S H I P S

42 - 43

18 - 21

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PROJECT BACKGROUND Arctic Opportunity Explorers can take many shapes and sizes but crucially, all are collaborative, innovative, and driven by sustainability.

The Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme is an international collaboration that is part of Sustainia’s mission to move from inspiration to action and will empower young people to become changemakers in the Arctic through sustainable entrepreneurship. The project called for students from different universities to work together, facilitated by global biotech firm Novozymes’ HelloScience digital platform, to create solutions to real-world challenges in the Arctic, anchored by students in different Arctic locations.

The first year of the ambitious Arctic Opportunity Explorers project takes inspiration from the Educating Arctic Entrepreneurs project, a joint effort between universities to implement more sustainable entrepreneurship courses into curriculum in Arctic universities.

The Arctic Opportunity Explorers project was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers as part of the Arctic Cooperation programme, designed to help promote a sustainable living environment for its primary target group — the people of the Arctic region. This will be achieved through a focus on: planet, peoples, prosperity, and partnerships. One of the keys to the programme is to meet the specific needs of the Arctic. The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Agenda play a fundamental role in this context.

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Sustainia built on and expanded the coalition of universities formed during the Educating Arctic Entrepreneurs project, and added in a further element of digital collaboration together with HelloScience to allow students to work together to address needs of the Arctic peoples.

To aid and assist students in their sustainable entrepreneurship journey, a webinar series and professional mentors have been employed to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to conceptualise the complicated challenges facing the Arctic today.

And this was all during COVID-19. We did not imagine anything could accelerate the need for better digital collaboration tools, but the global pandemic has made everyone rethink many personal and business decisions, none more so than how to collaborate digitally.

This sets the scene for the project — where it came from, why it was needed, and who was involved.

But what actually happened and what were the results from year one of this ambitious project?

Read on to find out.

FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE IN THE SDGS A word from our partner - Novozymes

Justin Perrettson, Head of Sustainability Partnerships, Scouting & Ventures at Novozymes Why did you get involved with the programme?

Novozymes and Sustainia have worked together and known each other for a number of years and share a passion for seeking to inspire the next generation of Sustainability Stakeholders.

With the opportunity to provide a platform for students in the programme through HelloScience, there was an easy fit from the start.

What do you hope this project will lead to?

Why do you think the SDGs are important for students to work with?

The SDGs are one of the most advanced sets of tools that we have – government – business – civil society – to understand, frame and measure positive actions and contributions towards making our societies and environment more sustainable over the longer term. They also help to provide a shared language for us all to work with, as well as help provide us with not only new ideas, but hopefully new ways of working together.

I hope that the project will have a lasting impact on participants in terms of how they think about Sustainability and the SDGs, especially when applying integrated approaches to complex challenges and how they consider social, environmental and economic aspects

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WHY FOCUS ON THE ARCTIC? Unprecedented ecological, social, and economic shifts are occurring in the Earth’s northernmost region every day. As temperatures rise and the effects of climate change become ever more palpable, the Arctic is being impacted to a greater degree than perhaps anywhere else in the world. Scientists are predicting that by 2100, and possibly even earlier, Arctic sea ice will melt every summer...

Though this region may seem remote to some, it plays a vital role in regulating the planet’s climate through sea ice and albedo, and is also home to millions of people. Parallel to its changing environment, the Arctic has seen rapid development in recent years, partly due to increased access to the area as both climate change and new technologies redefine what it means to be “remote.”

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Growing interest in the Arctic from a state perspective is often focused on energy and resource extraction, while environmental concerns and the well-being of residents take a back seat. Climate change does not occur in a vacuum, and indeed its far-reaching impact can often be felt across all aspects of society.

The Arctic Opportunity Explorer challenge, a case competition held by Sustainia and HelloScience and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, will empower students to collaborate and think critically about the unique challenges facing the Arctic.

The initiative will emphasise a holistic approach to conceptualising these problems, in part by highlighting the ways in which issues related to gender and health can be incorporated into sustainable solutions.

By Lindsey Chaffin Project Manager at Sustainia

Sustainable development is a priority The repercussions of climate change will be many, with fundamental and lasting changes occurring across all facets of life in the Arctic. It is evident that future planning needs to take conservation and changes to the traditional Arctic ecosystems into account while also incorporating resilience and adaptation measures for the people who call this area home.

While these ideas may underpin traditional thinking related to sustainable development in the region, people are increasingly recogniing that a truly sustainable Arctic cannot exist until all people receive equal treatment and access to a better quality of life. The Nordic Council of Ministers has acknowledged that the future agenda for the Arctic can no lon-

ger focus wholly on the environment and natural protection given the interconnectedness of economic, social, and ecological systems.

For this reason, it is important to take social issues like gender equality (SDG 5) and good health and well-being (SDG 3) into account, including the way in which they operate in a uniquely Arctic context and are influenced by climate change.

Taking this nuanced approach to understanding climate change is crucial, as the effects of global warming are often unequally distributed, both on a global scale and within Arctic societies.

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Building an inclusive and resilient society Gender equality can be seen as a foundation for sustainable development, and although increased attention and progress has been made in this realm in recent years, in many places full gender parity remains elusive. In the Arctic, women continue to be underrepresented in decision-making positions, experience limitations on career development and advancement, bear the brunt of domestic responsibilities and unpaid work, and are disproportionately the victims of gender-based violence.

This disparity also means that people may experience the reality of climate change differently based on their gender. The inclusion of a diverse array of perspectives and voices is an important element of innovative climate action, and so the marginalised position of women when it comes to participation in climate decision-making and solution creation can be seen as a hindrance to these efforts. In fact, there is a growing consensus that encouraging gender diversity within research organisations can lead to increased scientific discovery and innovative research outcomes. For this reason, urban policies, planning, and technological advances need to consider future strategies

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through a lens that takes into account their impact on issues like gender. By questioning whether advancements may further existing inequalities or contribute to an equitable society, new Arctic initiatives can contribute to the sustainable development of society as a whole.

Human health is impacted by the environment The rapid social and environmental changes taking place in the Arctic also have a marked effect on the health and well-being of residents and children.

Mental health, including depression and suicide rates, has been a long-standing issue in the Arctic. Climate change and related consequences have the potential to exacerbate these challenges, with an increased prevalence of conditions like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These threats to public health are very much present for current residents, but also have the potential to be transmitted to future generations and may impact children to an even greater extent.

Vulnerable societies, like those living in the Arctic, may also experience changing physical threats to their health and well-being. The number of insects and waterborne diseases will likely increase as temperatures rise, environmental contaminants will become more common, and extreme weather events that increase in frequency intensity will pose a danger to residents.

The spread of COVID-19 to Arctic communities has proved that the northern region is just as vulnerable to pandemic threats as the rest of the world, if not more so. The lack of adequate health services and distance that many people must travel to receive care are just a few of the conditions that may make Arctic residents particularly susceptible to new health threats in today’s increasingly globalised world.

Arctic challenges are interconnected and require new partnerships The profound changes to the local environment that many people are experiencing as a result of climate change can be seen to have an impact on many areas of society. A holistic approach to sustain both people and the environment is needed to create tangible benefits for individuals and communities while also protecting the environment for future generations. By moving away from traditional frameworks to focus on the human experience in the Arctic, we can see how social and ecological factors influence each other and how this synergy can be best utilised to implement sustainable solutions.

Climate change does not occur in a vacuum, and indeed its far-reaching impact can often be felt across all aspects of society.

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34 PARTICIPANTS 9 STUDENT GROUPS 11 UNIVERSITIES 9 COUNTRIES

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Watch a short recap video featuring insights from participants

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PROJECT NETWORK University of Greenland

Sustainia Sustainia is a sustainability think-tank and advisory, headquartered in Copenhagen. Since 2009, the mission of Sustainia has been to change mindsets and narratives around sustainability through impact communication and factbased storytelling. Armed with mindsets, strategies, and solutions, Sustainia advises organisations large and small on how to create enduring sustainability transformations required in order to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

HelloScience, Novozymes' collaboration platform HelloScience is a SDG-focused innovation platform that aims to address many of the challenges outlined in the 2030 SDG Agenda. It was founded and initiated

by Novozymes in 2017. In April 2020, Novozymes transferred the day to day management and operations for HelloScience to The Collaboratorium, a not-forprofit organisation that focuses on enhancing digital and physical collaboration, including Public-Private-Partnerships.

Nordic Council of Ministers The funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers has made this project possible.

The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official body for inter-governmental cooperation in the Nordic Region. It seeks Nordic solutions wherever and whenever the countries can achieve more together than by working on their own.

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College of the Atlantic

University of the Faroe Islands

University of Tromsø

University of Edinburgh University of Iceland

Jönköping University Wageningen University and Research

University of Copenhagen

University of Sussex

Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Polytechnic University of Catalonia Technical University of Crete

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MERGING SUSTAINABILITY WITH STRATEGY A word from a university partner

Jay Friedlander Professor at College of the Atlantic Why did you get involved with the programme?

Why are you interested in the Arctic region?

If we wish to solve the wicked problems of our time, we need students who are equipped with the perspective and tools they need to create solutions. These future leaders need to look at the world in a fundamentally different way from previous generations. They need to flip problems on their heads and see them as opportunities to build a sustainable and just world for everyone.

The models we use help determine what we see. As a professor of sustainable business, my focus is on merging sustainability and strategy. This merger ensures the heart of an enterprise is focused on building an abundant world where strong communities, a thriving ecosystem and a robust economy reinforce each other in a virtuous cycle. I joined the programme so students could use the Abundance Cycle, a model I created, to help them achieve these ends.

Whether working in Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark or other Arctic communities, I have been drawn to the region for years. Initially its striking beauty captured my imagination and I have become more deeply involved because of the people I have met along the way. The tight knit communities, sense of irreverence and humor, as well as its willingness to do things its own way have kept me returning time and again.

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Why do you think sustainable development in the Arctic is an important topic for students to explore? Why do you think the SDGs are important for students to work with?

In many ways the Arctic is on the front lines of sustainable development and climate change. The world is literally changing at a faster rate there versus other regions, accelerating the amount of strain and disruption. There are two big benefits to students exploring solutions in the Arctic. The first is that the communities are often smaller, making it easier for students to engage, understand key levers of change and envision testing and rollout. The second is that many Arctic regions are viewed as global leaders in merging social, environmental and economic prosperity, so these communities are often open to new solutions and are held up as examples for others to follow.

Students need to understand that each SDG is a filter for examining the world, and as such each SDG provides a fresh perspective. Having a fresh perspective is at the heart of entrepreneurship and renewal in enterprise, government, innovation, science and society. Since no SDG operates in a vacuum, each impacts the other and solving one has a multiplier effect. If we are willing to see the potential, the SDGs could build an abundant future by simultaneously healing social ills, building economic prosperity and making people a regenerative force for the planet.

What do you think the main takeaway for students is?

What do you hope this project will lead to?

The main takeaway for students is that finding solutions can build abundance for all stakeholders and that the process can be both inclusive and beneficial to all. This runs contrary to the belief and gridlock created when people view finding solutions as a zero sum game, where one group wins and another group loses.

The project gets students out of the classroom and provides invaluable experience merging theory and practice. Students need space and time to go beyond ideas and see what it takes to establish an enterprise, implement policy changes, develop a citizen science project and engage communities in change. This may be an individual project coming to fruition or a future project that develops out of this experience. In a time of despair, when the world is gripped by a global pandemic, my hope is that the projects show students that they have the power and have now developed the skills to make positive changes happen.

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WHY IS STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP IMPORTANT?

By Lindsey Chaffin Project Manager at Sustainia The Arctic is a unique, fragile, and highly threatened environment with isolated communities and limited infrastructure. In communities across the region, two of the greatest challenges for sustainable development are good health and well-being and gender equality — both of which are also enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and entwined with other aspects of sustainable development. With slow progress and climate change threatening to accelerate existing risks, we believe that only student entrepreneurs armed with digital collaboration tools can thaw the frozen challenges in these communities.

fathers… Everything. That means that what they think and do makes a difference. Quite a big difference in fact. And from what we have seen over the past few years, especially in the EU and US, it seems like this generation is not happy to sit back and accept the status quo… Students of today have a desire to tackle the big issues. They are also the children of the exponential age — surrounded by technology from a young age and no stranger to change or new approaches.

Digital collaboration and sustainable entrepreneurship techniques form the core approach of the Arctic Opportunity Explorer challenge, a programme led by Sustainia and HelloScience in collaboration with six universities and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

If the ages between 0 and 8 are the formative years, the ages towards adulthood could be described as the normative years. Here is when young people have the choice to accept the status quo and adopt existing behaviours, or to disrupt. We are seeing again and again that when presented with the facts and future predictions, students do not accept business as usual.

Why student entrepreneurship?

Because the future of the Arctic is too important to leave to the adults Students are the future. Whichever way you look at it, students are important because they are the next generation of society. They will be the next business leaders, policy makers, consumers, travellers, mothers,

Today’s youth have an intrinsic desire to tackle the big issues

Greta Thunderg first learned about climate change in 2011, when she was eight, and could not understand why not more was being done about it. At eleven years old she became depressed and stopped eating for months.

At fifteen she decided she would not accept the status quo, and began her ‘Skolstrejk för

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klimatet’ or school strikes for the climate. She has since inspired millions of others around the world to do the same. The Greta effect has taken hold, and shown young people that they can make a difference. Without the habitual behaviours learned over years of life and the nagging lens of ‘reality’, the youth have a much stronger belief that change is both possible and required.

Greta is just one of the hundreds of thousands of other young people that have joined the strikes for climate, highlighting to governments around the world that for them, climate change is a key issue. It is reflected in generational surveys too, with Deloitte’s most recent highlighting that for Gen Z and Millennials, climate change is the top issue of concern. Furthermore, when it comes to global issues (including, but not limited to, climate change), half of respondents from one survey show that both Millennials and Gen Z believe that they as individuals can be the greatest agents of change.

An education in entrepreneurship So students have the desire to make change, and there is an increasing demand to provide students with the skills and knowledge to be active in entrepreneurship. No longer is entrepreneurship limited to starting a business ‘out of the back of a van’. Programmes, courses, conferences, projects, and camps have been created in universities all over the world to educate young people in techniques and frameworks for innovation and entrepreneurship. These classes are being offered in a broad range of disciplines too, as universities increasingly aim to be hubs for exciting business ideas.

Entrepreneurship: a tool for social impact As innovation and entrepreneurship education continues to develop, there is also an increasing focus on how to build in sustainability into the picture. As many young innovators want to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for social impact, guiding frameworks are re-examining the takemake-waste approaches of old and offering new sustainable business models. One example is the abundance cycle framework, developed by Jay Friedlander at the College of the Atlantic in Maine.

His framework incorporates social, environmental, as well as financial aspects (commonly referred to as the three Ps: People, Planet and Profit)

and provides an operational approach for working with sustainable entrepreneurship. Jay will be presenting the Abundance Cycle Framework at one of the Arctic Opportunity Explorer workshops, showing the students how to incorporate sustainability into the very heart of their ideas.

There have been many fantastic examples of sustainable entrepreneurship from young people, some of which feature on Sustainia’s Global Opportunity Explorer. Boyan Slat, for example, was just 18 when he came up with the idea of creating a device to remove 90% of the world’s ocean plastic. Eight years and many iterations later, The Ocean Cleanup project is getting closer to becoming a viable solution to cleaning up some of the trash that is clogging up the oceans.

Ann Makosinki is another young social entrepreneur. In 2014, Ann won the Google Science Fair with Hollow Flashlight, a thermoelectric flashlight that can help provide affordable lighting solutions for rural and offgrid communities.

COVID-19 has changed everything The global pandemic has taken its toll on many aspects of life. With a vaccine still some way off, people and governments are still working out how to balance life with safety and protecting people's health. Technology has been one saving grace during these times that has allowed continued interaction between isolated individuals and communities, as well as show the potential of remote working. It is therefore perfect timing for technology to enable greater collaboration in student entrepreneurship. During the Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme, we will be using Novozyme’s digital collaboration tool Hello Science to enable students from more than six universities to work collaboratively together, across time zones and continents.

As well as seeking the well-described benefits of diversity on innovation potential, this type of digital collaboration will set the students up well for later working life, whether as entrepreneurs or as part of larger workforces where it will be part of the new normal.

Overall, the challenges of gender inequality and good health and well-being in the Arctic are both challenges of immense scale, nuance, and history. Breaking them down will require a special approach, one that we believe can only be achieved by younger generations with their novel combination of motivation, capabilities, and collaboration.

we believe that only student entrepreneurs armed with digital collaboration tools can thaw the frozen challenges in these communities.

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TH E STUD E N The Arctic Opportunity Explorers project consisted of four main phases:

GROUP FORMATION

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

IDEATION AND ITERATION

PRESENTATION AND EVALUATION

All communication and work during these phases was done with the help of Novozymes' collaboration platform, HelloScience.

'By uniting the combined forces of Sustainia, Novozymes’ HelloScience platform, and academic institutions, the Arctic Opportunity Explorers challenge takes students' entrepreneurial ideas from inspiration to concrete action to tackle the challenges present in the Arctic.'

Kelly Lynch Partner Manager, Sustainia

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N T JO UR NEY PHASE 1

GROUP FORMATION From September 2020, students were recruited from universities through awareness raising in the partner universities as well as through Sustainia’s own social media efforts. 9 groups were originally formed, with 34 participants from 13 different universities; 6 of these groups eventually made it to the finals in January. The groups came together for the first time in the virtual kick-off meeting in early October, where they got to know the full scope of the programme and were introduced to their team members.

PHASE 2

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Following the kick-off meeting in early October 2020, the groups were then asked to go and research a problem to address in the Arctic within the broader field of sustainable development, and more specifically within the areas of good-health and well being (SDG 3) and/or gender equality (SDG 5). The groups were encouraged to find as much evidence to back up their problem identification as possible.

PHASE 3

IDEATION AND ITERATION Following the problem identification stage, the groups began the ideation phase, with an initial creative and broad-ranging brainstorming approach, followed by narrowing the field of ideas and obtaining feedback to test their ideas. This testing was suggested as a way of finding out as fast as possible how likely or viable the solution could be in order to successfully address the problem they identified. Sustainia and the network of mentors were on hand to guide the groups as they went through these stages. Furthermore, the groups were invited to two educational webinars, providing participants with digital tools and theoretical frameworks that may be incorporated into their projects

PHASE 4

PRESENTATION AND EVALUATION The programme culminated with a virtual Arctic Opportunity Day on January 13, 2021, where groups were able to present their solutions to a panel of judges, receive feedback, and find out who would receive awards — either as part of the next stage of the HelloScience innovation journey or as an internship opportunity with Sustainia.

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GUIDANCE ALO Educational Webinars Once the students completed Phase 1 of the project by forming their groups, the students set forth to begin identifying challenges in the Arctic they would like to tackle.

Monthly check-ins between team leaders and Sustainia representatives were utilised to ensure each group was on track and to address any questions or concerns that may arise.

As a way to complement the entrepreneurship and innovation journey the students have embarked on, two virtual webinars were held, providing participants with digital tools and theoretical frameworks that may be incorporated into their projects.

THE ABUNDANCE CYCLE The first webinar, The Abundance Cycle: a Business Model Canvas for Sustainability, was presented by Jay Friedlander from partner university College of the Atlantic, located in the U.S. It focused on teaching students how to build the SDGs into business models in order to spark innovation and maximise impact by using the Abundance Cycle. It represents a toolkit for incorporating sustainability thinking into teaching and entrepreneurial projects.

RISK-TO-OPPORTUNITY MINDSET The second webinar was presented by Rasmus Schjødt Pedersen, Sustainia’s CEO, who discussed effective communication techniques and the opportunities inherent in addressing climate challenges. The risk-to opportunity mindset has transformed individuals, businesses, and markets and has underpinned all the work that Sustainia has done.

This webinar helped to prepare students to make their final presentation to the judging panel at the end of the project.

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ONG THE WAY Professional Supervision Over the course of the Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme, each student group was paired with a professional mentor to assist them in navigating through their chosen project area, which ranged from food security, to mental health, to sustainable tourism. By supporting the students and providing them with practical knowledge and industry experience, our network of mentors played an important role in guiding students through their entrepreneurial journey.

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STUDENT GROUP SOLUTIONS After months of hard work and collaboration, students presented their final solutions to a judging panel. Each group was assessed according to a variety of criteria: problem statement, financial viability, innovation height, feasibility, SDG impact, solution, and overall communication of their ideas.

Here are the solutions they came up with.

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Inspiring young people is the most important act when we want to solve modern world problems, from climate change to inequality.

Through the process of identifying challenges, coming up with new solutions and presenting them to a larger audience, we not only foster creative thinking, but help develop practical, real life skills. It would be fantastic if this programme grows in the future, promoting international and interdisciplinary work, with even more attendees, both on the student and mentor side, covering more topics, making an even larger impact.

Sebastian Zastruzny Project Collaborator and PhD Candidate University of Copenhagen

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Seaweed for the Goals PROBLEM Certain aspects of mental health challenges in the Arctic can be traced back to a lack of employment opportunities in some areas. Seaweed producers in Greenland are able to generate a high-quality product fit for consumption, but the lack of demand from European markets has proven to be prohibitive in expanding this venture at the present.

SOLUTION By making food products, like pesto and chips, out of seaweed and by focusing on public engagement and marketing campaigns, this group hopes to expand the current production of seaweed in Greenland, consequently creating jobs for locals and improving their living and economic situations.

Seaweed has a huge potential and is a fast growing trend, and the creation of seaweed aquacultures may provide numerous environmental services in the form of nitrogen and carbon dioxide removal, oxygen production, and marine ecosystem protection.

SDGs Addressed Learn more about the project on HelloScience

https://helloscience.io/case/aoe-team-a/

TEAM

MENTOR

Amalie Witthaus

Peter Houge Aggerholm

Laura Munkeboe

Mathias Christensen

Dora Kovacs

Technical University of Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

Technical University of Denmark

Geoscientist and Data Analyst

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Dora Kovacs Geoscientist and Data Analyst Why did you get involved with the programme?

The Arctic is my passion and its role is crucial for all of us with regards to climate change.

I got very excited when I learnt about the projects the students are working on and immediately wanted to be part of this essential endeavor.

Why do you think sustainable development in the Arctic is an important topic for students to explore?

The Arctic is warming twice as much as the rest of the world. Climate change and its effects are part of the daily life there, even more than what we experience at lower latitudes. The team I joined is proposing a business plan that promotes seaweed production in Greenland, a nutritious food source with great carbon capturing and storm dampening potential in coastal areas. A production model that can benefit local communities at many levels: just to mention a less obvious example, seaweed production can generate sustainable jobs and thereby a perspective for the residents which in turn can positively affect the residents' mental and physical well-being and in the long run may contribute to reducing the relatively high suicide rates in the area. These topics deserve to be heard and investigated in the wider public. It was a great pleasure to hear that groups of students have dedicated their time and work to address these issues.

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E-Libra PROBLEM

TEAM

MENTOR

Youth and young adults in the Arctic face a variety of mental health challenges, including loneliness and depression, which can lead to further problems down the line, including high rates of suicide and substance abuse, and also place huge financial costs on society.

SOLUTION

Nils Midtun

Antonia Nuñez

E-Libra is an online library and community space that would provide young people with a place to meet other youth in their area, access to movies and other activities, and receive academic assistance. With occurrences like the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the remote nature of some Arctic communities, these spaces would hope to break down physical barriers and engage youth more than traditional libraries. By allowing young people to establish lasting connections with their peers, this e-platform can help combat depression and loneliness in the region.

College of the Atlantic

Master in Health Science & Psychology

SDGs Addressed

Learn more about the project on HelloScience:

https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-opportunity-explorers-team-b/

Antonia Nuñez Master in Health Science & Psychology Creating sustainable changes in accordance with the needs of a target group, I believe is a powerful and healthy approach to further more healthy societies. I am strongly convinced that these are aspects that must be taken into account when carrying out a project.

When I came across the project promoted by Sustania, Arctic Opportunity Explorers, I found it organically well structured with values worth looking into. That is how I decided to become a mentor for one of the programme participants, Nils Midtun, an ambitious and visionary young man, whose focus was to improve mental health among young adults by strengthening relationships between youth and communities.

As I see it, the focus on the Arctic enables students to explore and expand their horizon, and most importantly helps them with finding their own opinion and values, all while studying global/local issues which can inspire them to engage with their local communities.

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Arctic ReWild PROBLEM Permafrost is thawing in the Arctic at a quick rate, releasing carbon gases into the atmosphere and creating a positive feedback loop that may further exacerbate global warming. It can also have a huge impact on local communities due to its negative impact on food sources, infrastructure, and local ecosystems.

SOLUTION Arctic ReWild is a nature-based solution promoting ecological restoration in Alaska. This rewilding project would support the large-scale introduction of horses and bison in order to restore grassland ecosystems in the region, which can delay permafrost thaw, increase the albedo effect, and serve as a source of carbon capture. By employing local people and partnering with local governments and organisations, this group hopes that their project will also contribute to the local economy, improve food security, preserve indigenous cultures, and provide opportunities for education and ecotourism in the area. It also includes an Adopt a Bison programme that will assist with generating funds.

SDGs Addressed Learn more about the project on HelloScience

https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-opportunity-explorers-team-c/

TEAM

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MENTOR

Constance Beswick

Olivia Paruk

Yulia Skrupskaya

University of Edinburgh

College of the Atlantic

Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Ylva Sjöberg Associate Professor at University of Copenhagen

Ylva Sjöberg Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen Why did you get involved with the programme?

This initiative is really exciting because it connects students from different parts of the world in order to solve Arctic challenges in innovative ways. This is generally not easily done in regular university teaching, but I believe it is both inspiring and a great learning experience for students.

Why do you think sustainable development in the Arctic is an important topic for students to explore?

The Arctic is one of the fastest changing regions in the world, both environmentally and socially.

It is a region of global interest, but where many issues related to sustainable development are faced at local levels in small and isolated communities. Sustainable development thus presents unique challenges in the Arctic.

What was it like working with your student group, and how were you able to support their entrepreneurial vision?

My student group – which was composed of students from three continents - worked very independently and were both creative and structured in the way they tackled the challenge.

I was truly impressed and inspired by their work.

How were you able to utilise your background/experience to assist your student group on the journey?

The students’ questions and ideas pushed me out of my disciplinary comfort zone, and I realised that if I provided them with some ideas and direction then they followed up with their own research after our meetings.

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GrowLand PROBLEM Food insecurity is relatively high in Greenland, where much of the food is imported at high costs and distribution can be difficult due to a lack of infrastructure. Additionally, rural areas are often left out of existing development projects, which often focus on Nuuk.

SOLUTION GrowLand is envisioned as a nonprofit organisation that will enable knowledge sharing on sustainable farming practices among Greenlandic people. In utilising a collaborative network of international and local experts, this group hopes to provide knowledge and educational content that will allow people to grow fresh and high-quality crops locally. Furthermore, by relying on channels like radio and mobile phones to spread information, they will be able to increase accessibility in areas without reliable internet access.

SDGs Addressed Learn more about the project on HelloScience

https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-opportunity-explorers-team-d/

TEAM

MENTOR

Myrthe Petit

Giorgos Dasenakis

Debasmita Dey

Natalia Sarmanto

Saara Marjatta Sipola

Technical University of Denmark

Technical University of Crete

Technical University of Denmark

Polytechnic University of Catalonia

PhD Candidate The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)

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The Sámi and Ecotourism PROBLEM Increasing interest in Arctic tourism can bring both opportunities and challenges for indigenous groups like the Sámi, who inhabit an area spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. For example, the “disneyfication” of the area can pose a problem for indigneous cultures, land-use priorities may be contested, and the economy may become reliant on seasonal jobs.

SOLUTION By strengthening and expanding the existing tourism label “Sápmi Experience” in northern Sweden, this group hopes to unify the tourism sector in the area with regulations that keep sustainability and the Sámi people in mind. They plan to conduct research to investigate current capacities and how digitalisation may be used to support sustainable tourism, put forth a petition that will make collaboration with the Sámi a necessity, and conduct an image campaign tackling false expectations tourists may arrive with.

SDGs Addressed Learn more about the project on HelloScience

https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-opportunity-explorers-team-i/

TEAM

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MENTOR

Katharina Kotynkowiecz

Juul Kleukers

Jannika Nowak

Jönköping University

Jönköping University

Jönköping University

Ólafur Reynir Guðmundsson Project Manager at Icelandic Tourist Board

Ólafur Reynir Guðmundsson Project Manager at Icelandic Tourist Board Why did you get involved with the programme?

The Icelandic Tourist Board (ITB) has over the years been involved with various international cooperative projects, in particular regarding Nordic tourism. In the last few years the agency has increasingly turned its focus towards sustainability in line with international trends.

When the ITB was approached by Sustania to support the project on Arctic Opportunity Explorers, the agency´s management welcomed its proposal. Clearly, the project's purpose, Sustainia´s reputation and NMR´s financing and support served as a solid basis for the upcoming task.

Why do you think sustainable development in the Arctic is an important topic for students to explore?

Research and innovation has become a fundamental part of public policy making in all the Nordic countries, in particular in emerging fields such as Arctic affairs. As tourists around the world turn their attention growingly towards the North, in particular the Arctic, it is inevitable that nature will suffer. However, with research and innovation, cooperative projects and international cooperation, both governments and private enterprises are more likely to embark on sustainable solutions.

What was it like working with your student group, and how were you able to support their entrepreneurial vision?

The group of students that the ITB assisted did a wonderful job of exploring Arctic challenges and creating a clear vision for its topic. In that light the ITB tried to reflect on the case of Iceland and in particular offer the group a holistic insight into how Icelandic tourism has developed and how government authorities have reacted to topics such as branding, image, overcrowding, destination management planning, sustainability and public policy making. Needless to say, the case of Iceland is in many ways similar to the many challenges facing all stakeholders in the Sámi region.

How were you able to utilise your background/experience to assist your student group on the journey?

In the last few years the Icelandic government and ITB have funded various research projects and put an increasingly stronger focus on innovation, digitalisation, destination management planning and identifying tourism carrying capacity on a country wide scale. The underlying theme of these projects has been to address the rapid increase in the number of foreign tourists over the course of the last decade. In that light, the Icelandic experience has been meaningful to the group, in particular due to the similarities between Iceland´s fragile nature, the Arctic and the Sámi region.

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Sofie Mønster Project Manager at HelloMind At HelloMind we believe that everyone deserves to have a great future and are interested in participating in projects like this which help to discover it and set it free. The Arctic Opportunity Explorers challenge was an exciting project to join. The students I worked with had a focus on good health and well-being (SDG 3), which further aligns with the work we do at HelloMind since we focus on enhancing mental health through a digital service.

I think it’s always interesting and rewarding to witness ideas taking form. To help the project and vision become more clear, I focused on asking the right questions. I have found that with my experience, I can help guide discovery by highlighting areas where there might be fruitful information to carry the process and the people even further. Entrepreneurship is never easy, but in my opinion, always exciting. To be able to create new and visionary solutions is one of the keys to a better future, not only in the Arctic region but also globally, and I am very honoured to contribute.

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White Cloud PROBLEM Rates of suicide and depression in Greenland are among the worst in the world due to a wide variety of factors, including climate change, identity loss, and intergenerational trauma. Mental health issues are particularly prevalent for youth and young men in the region, but there are currently no organisations targeting this group or any apps translated into the local language.

SOLUTION WhiteCloud, an NGO, would provide a range of different services, including a dedicated mental health app that would be available in Greenlandic, thereby providing a culturally-appropriate therapy option.

This service would provide a platform where youth and young people could reach out to mental health professionals in the region, and would also include in-app games that focus on mindfulness and stress-relief exercises.

SDGs Addressed Learn more about the project on HelloScience

https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-opportunity-explorers-team-j/

TEAM

MENTOR

Ivan Guizar Cabadas

Ricardo Bowen

Raphael Minis

Daniel Davies

Sofie Mønster

University of Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

Technical University of Denmark

University of Copenhagen

Project Manager HelloMind

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WINNER SPOTLIGHT Group C impressed the judges with their solution, Arctic ReWild, a project based on ecological restoration in Alaska. Their focus on exploring the way permafrost thaw can impact children and pregnant women was well-aligned with the overarching theme of the challenge.

MENTOR

THE TEAM

Constance Beswick

Olivia Paruk

Yulia Skrupskaya

University of Edinburgh

College of the Atlantic

Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Ylva Sjöberg Associate Professor at University of Copenhagen

"The experience with AOE was wonderful - connecting different academic disciplines with our global team stemming across the U.K., Russia and the US. We have formed new bonds which we hope will continue into the future and we are confident that our solution will improve the livelihoods of local people within the Arctic."

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Other unique aspects of the winning team:

HOLISTIC IMPACT

COMMUNICATION

We were impressed with this team's

We were pleased to see how the team

ability to break down their problem into

communicated well, and even set up a

five areas that each represent issues that

dedicated website to present their project

affect the environment as well as imme-

to a broader audience.

diate human health impacts, such as the well being of children, the unborn and their

Link to HelloScience project space to

mothers.

learn more: https://helloscience.io/case/arctic-oppor-

ABUNDANCE CYCLE

tunity-explorers-team-c/

Not only is their solution viable, they also completed an Abundance Cycle (demonstrating that they paid attention to the educational sessions provided throughout the challenge), and have completed advanced calculations on their financial model plus importantly they generated a long list of their first client targets.

INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT Katharina Kotynkowiecz (Jönköping University) from Group I was awarded with an internship with Sustainia based on her hard work and dedication throughout the Arctic Opportunity Explorers process. As leader of her group, her professionalism was on display, and as a student of Sustainable Communication she is excited to gain practical experience in her field of study by working with Sustainia. " Ta k i n g p a r t i n t h e A r c t i c O p p o r t u n i t y Explorers challenge was a great experience! I learned so much about challenges and opportunities in the Katharina Kotynkowiecz Jönköping University

Arctic region. Now I'm even more excited to join Sustainia as an intern soon and to experience the whole project from another perspective."

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE ARCTIC OPPORTUNITY EXPLORERS? The inaugural year of the Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme was a huge success, due in large part to the far-reaching collaboration that forms the backbone of the project. Sustainia would like to thank all participants, including our partner universities, steering committee members, mentors - and especially the students.

HelloScience’s platform will ensure that the journey does not end here for the Arctic Opportunity Explorers. Interested collaborators may access each group’s ideas and progress through their individual case pages, where students can also continue to work on transforming their solutions from ideas into reality.

The inclusion of student voices will continue to be more important than ever when discussing sustainable development in a changing Arctic, and we expect to kick-off the next edition of the project in May 2021. We are constantly on the lookout for new universities, mentors, and students participants, so if interested please contact us at hello@sustainia.me.

Stay tuned for more information by following us on social media.

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PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE ARCTIC - LOOKING AHEAD At DTU Entrepreneurship, we conduct research, education and science outreach on how entrepreneurship and innovation can benefit society, by contributing to solving the global challenges formulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The programme offered student entrepreneurs an excellent platform to promote prosperity, health, equality, and biosphere protection in the Arctic, while developing their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills and, most importantly, empowering their SDG-driven entrepreneurial spirit.

The first edition of the Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme was a great opportunity for our student entrepreneurs to use their knowledge, innovativeness, and creativity to design SDGdriven business solutions for the Arctic region, in collaboration with other changemakers from different universities across the globe.

We are looking forward to expanding the Arctic Opportunity Explorers programme in 2021 and are very excited to welcome new partners and changemakers.

During the programme, student teams worked intensively to turn some of the most complex challenges in the Arctic region – such as gender equality, mental health, food security and ecological restoration – into opportunities to develop new impactful businesses. The programme allowed students to experience new ways to engage in cross-cultural collaboration and experimentation, while focusing on specific problems affecting the Arctic and proposing concrete solutions to them.

Francesco Rosati Associate Professor DTU Entrepreneurship Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship Technical University of Denmark

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