We Make Transition! is a project gathering a large group of regional and local authorities, actors of the civil society and small companies to meet the sustainability challenges of our time.
Financial, social and ecological factors are intricately intertwined in sustainability challenges. When it comes to meeting the challenges locally, cities and municipalities have a decisive role. To strengthen the societal resilience, the views and knowledge of various civil society actors should be better utilized. Such actors are organisations, social companies, small cooperatives.
Transition arena and change agents making transition
We Make Transition! – the project partners come from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany and Norway; they collaborate and implement so called transition arena processes in 12 areas altogether.
A transition arena means bringing together different actors and views into a series of workshops, creating a shared vision as a base for the development of concrete actions and initiatives on the way to the envisioned future.
The project focuses especially on getting the voice of civil society actors and small companies heard, for instance, in relation to these following themes:
- Sustainable consumption and way of living
- Agriculture & food
- Biodiversity
- Circular and sharing economy
The project partners have chosen 30 change agents to create a shared sustainability vision for the Baltic Region. The vision will focus on the views, challenges and collaboration needs of civil society actors. The international group has representatives from the civil society, small companies and local administration.
Pragmatic handbook as result
The local will is strengthened as a result of the transition arena and actions that have been developed together for a more sustainable future, are started. The goal is to spread forward the participation method used in the project – to other municipalities and cities.
As a result of the transition arena in Helsinki-Uusimaa, we now have a Transition Arena Report: Helsinki-Uusimaa Transition Arena advancing shared economy and sustainable use of premises (pdf, in Finnish).
A result of this project will be a pragmatic handbook with a description of the visioning and co-developing process of the transition arena method. The book contains the stories and learnings from all 12 regions.
Many partners in the Baltic Sea Region
We Make Transition! – Towards sustainable and resilient societies through empowered civil society and collaborative innovation receives funding from the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme.
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council is a partner, whereas the Baltic Institute of Finland in Tampere is the lead partner. Other partners from Finland are the Council of Tampere Region and the Regional Council of Southwest Finland. The project has 12 partners from six states in the Baltic Sea Region.
The total budget of the entire project is 2.2 million euros, of which the share of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region is 320,000 euros. The project is ongoing from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2025.
Take also a look at these
Innovative Helsinki-Uusimaa
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Region is one of the most innovative regions in Europe and the most dynamic region in Finland.
For more information, please contact:
Venla Virkamäki
Innovation Manager
venla.virkamaki@uudenmaanliitto.fi
Development of R&I and international marketing, Strategy for smart specialisation, EU cooperation
Current
News
8.12.2025
The EU’s new Bioeconomy Strategy offers strong prospects for Helsinki-Uusimaa
The European Commission published its new Bioeconomy Strategy today, setting the direction for the development of one of Europe’s fastest-growing sectors. The bioeconomy still holds considerable untapped potential, which the Commission now aims to unlock to drive sustainable economic growth, accelerate innovation and create new jobs. The strategy is also directly linked to Helsinki-Uusimaa’s goals for climate neutrality, the circular economy, biodiversity and sustainable food systems.
News
19.11.2025
Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council helps boost the region’s food innovation ecosystem
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Programme and the roadmap for a carbon neutral Helsinki-Uusimaa 2030 identify a need to transform the region’s food system to become more sustainable. Helsinki-Uusimaa aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, and making the region’s food system more sustainable and low-carbon plays a key role in achieving this climate target.
This page was last updated: 15.1.2026