Award
ERI Projects Honoured at Interreg NPA Awards 2025
Three pioneering Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) projects, Circular Ocean, Blue Circular Economy (BCE), and CIRCNETS, have been recognised with the “Achieving Synergies” award at the Interreg NPA Awards 2025. The awards were presented during the NPA’s 25th Anniversary Conference, Connecting the Dots, held in Bodø, Norway.
The Achieving Synergies award celebrates projects that exemplify the NPA’s mission of transnational cooperation and sustainable resource use. It recognises initiatives that connect disconnected systems, transform waste into opportunity, and create circular solutions across the Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.
Circular Ocean, which began ten years ago under the leadership of Dr Neil James at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI), explored innovative ways to repurpose discarded fishing nets and marine plastic waste into new products and business opportunities. Dr Elizabeth Masden contributed to the project’s research on the environmental impacts of marine plastics, focusing on how plastic pollution affects seabirds and wider marine ecosystems.
The success of Circular Ocean inspired the follow-on Blue Circular Economy project, also led by ERI researchers Neil James and Dr Elizabeth Masden. BCE expanded on this work by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop circular business models within marine-based industries, while continuing to assess the ecological implications of marine litter and plastic waste.
Building on the achievements of these two projects, CIRCNETS continued the work of developing circular networks and practical solutions for reducing and reusing marine litter across the NPA region. While ERI was unable to participate in CIRCNETS due to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the project directly built upon the knowledge, partnerships, and approaches established through Circular Ocean and BCE.
All three projects were funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, which supports collaborative innovation across Europe’s northernmost regions. The award was accepted on behalf of the projects by Niko Hänninen of Oulu University, Finland.
This recognition highlights the lasting impact of ERI’s research on circular solutions for marine waste and its contributions to understanding the environmental impacts of plastics. It also demonstrates the enduring influence of ERI’s work and partnerships across the Northern Periphery and Arctic.
