The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) will be a part of the “Green Meets Blue Project” financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food and Forestry (NCM FJLS). The project is led by Nordregio, with UW, and the University of Highlands and Islands (Scotland) as collaborators. Matthias Kokorsch, academic director at UW, is the project leader for the Icelandic case study. He is supported by Research Assistants Rebecca and Tabea, both current UW master’s students, as well as UW alumn and instructor Maria Wilke, who wrote her PhD on public participation in marine spatial planning.

To start off this term, Tabea and I, together with UW program director Dr. Matthias Kokorsch, attended the GLISFO workshop in Faroe Islands. The workshop is organized by the Research Council of the Faroe Islands, the Icelandic Center for Research, Greenland Research Council, Nordisk Energiforskning & the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, and funded by The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council.

On Friday, September 13th, a conference on the social and solidarity economy took place at the University Centre of the Westfjords (UW). Over 50 people attended the conference, and the lectures were as interesting as they were diverse. The conference began with light refreshments provided by UW, and Peter Weiss, the director, welcomed the attendees and gave an opening address. He also announced the absence of the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, who was unable to attend due to a funeral.

Last Saturday, the new UW master’s students went on a trip to Vigur Island, an Arctic island located in the northwest of Iceland, renowned for its importance as a habitat for birdlife and its eiderdown collection. The group consisted of UW master’s students from the Coastal Marine Management program and the Coastal Communities and Regional Development program. Also with them were master’s students from the Climate Change and Global Sustainability (CCGS) program at the School of International Training in Vermont. The CCGS students are spending a semester with us here at UW.

Our academic director, Matthias, and two of our master students recently went on a trip to the Faroe Islands. They joined the GLISFO workshop: Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Islands Cooperation Workshop. This three-day workshop brought together researchers operating within Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, to delve into areas of scientific significance and shared interest between the West Nordic countries. Organized by the Research Council of the Faroe Islands, the Greenland Research Council, Rannís – The Icelandic Centre for Research, and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, this workshop was intended to be a platform for meaningful exchange of ideas, insights and experiences and the kick-off for future scientific cooperation within the West Nordic community. The workshop covered all areas that are of relevance for the University Centre of the Westfjords and its research activities as well as course contents. Seminars and panels addressed green energy; social sciences; security/geopolitics; ocean, climate, and the Blue Economy; sustainability and culture; and health/genetics.