NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK PPRROOJJEECCTT Final Report

January 2010 – December 2011

Project Managed by: SmartLabrador Inc.

Project Funded by: NORA Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency NL Department Innovation Business & Rural Development

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... 3 Project Summary ............................................................................................................................. 4 Background ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Project Vision ............................................................................................................................... 6 Project Goals and Objectives ....................................................................................................... 6 Project Rationale ......................................................................................................................... 7

Project Overview . ............................................................................................................................ 8 Project Deliverables ....................................................................................................................... 11 Recommendations for Next Steps ................................................................................................. 16 Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... 17

Appendix A – NAKN Steering Committee terms of Reference .................................................. 18 Appendix B - Original Project Workplan ..................................................................................... 20 Appendix C - Regional Meetings/Presentations Invitation………................................................21 Appendix D - NAKN Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………….22 Appendix E - Regional Meetings Power Point Presentation (Faroe Islands Copy)……………..……23 Appendix F - NAKN Session Flyer - Presentation at Memorial University .…….………………….…..24 Appendix G - Invitation to NAKN Workshop/Demonstration – NAF, . John’s …….…………….…….25 Appendix H - Screenshots of www.nakn.ca...............................................................................26

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This final report is the product of work conducted over a two year period by SmartLabrador, with a large

number of interested participants and potential network members. We want to thank all of those who

have given their contribution to this collective and challenging effort. We are thankful to everyone who

contributed to the project. The work of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NAKN) project would

not have been possible without the engagement, time and investment from:

Project funders: NORA, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Newfoundland and Labrador

Department of Innovation, Business & Rural Development.

Participants of regional sessions, meetings and workshops: held in Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland,

Norway and Canada. Many thanks for participation, discussion and input into the planning process of

the North Atlantic Knowledge Network.

Members of NAKN Steering Committee: The following individuals provide guidance and input to the

ongoing planning of the NAKN as members of the Steering Committee. Holger Arnbjerg (Faroe Islands),

Stefania Kristinsdóttir (Iceland), Skuli Skulason (Iceland), Thorsteinn Gunnarason (Iceland), Erik Bugge

(Norway), Leise Johnsen (Greenland), David Lough (Canada), Rob Greenwood (Canada), Ted Lomond

(Canada).

Members of the SmartLabrador Management Committee: Who continue to provide vision and

management direction for initiatives of SmartLabrador and valuable contribution to the ongoing

regional development efforts of Labrador.

Harris Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland: For sharing information on development of

Yaffle.ca, providing invaluable support and input to the planning of NAKN and potential future

collaborations.

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PROJECT SUMMARY

This report serves a two-fold purpose, including the

reflection of activities conducted under a phase- one

project of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network

(NAKN) and provision of recommendations for a go-

forward strategy for continued development of the

Network.

At the proposal stage of the project, the North

Atlantic Knowledge Network was put forward with

the acronym “NKN”. As a result of planning for the

online presence and input from potential user groups

it was decided to change the acronym to “NAKN”.

This was an important decision to support the domain

registration and to prevent confusion for users when

searching for the website.

The North Atlantic Knowledge Network project proposed to create a network of people from the North

Atlantic region who work in regional development policies and practises and to support this network

with an online tool. The primary purpose of this online tool was to connect people and to facilitate the

sharing of project information, knowledge and events pertaining to regional development.

The phase-one North Atlantic Knowledge Network project was originally scheduled for implementation

during 2010. But a number of circumstances outside the control of the project led to an extension of the

project timeframe to include the period of January 2010 to December 2011.

The project has been financed through collaborative contributions, in the amount of $99,000 dollars

from NORA, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of

Innovation, Business and Rural Development and SmartLabrador Inc., the project proponent.

Although there has been varying levels of success within components of the project, the primary

successes of the project include; the presentation and promotion of the NAKN concept, the

establishment of a North Atlantic Steering Committee and the creation of nakn.ca, the online tool to

store and present important regional development knowledge from participating regions. Also

important to the overall success of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network has been the ground work

and foundation that this project enabled. This work is a critical step in the network development

process and will lead the way for continued development of the NAKN.

This project has identified four principal directions for next steps and continuation of development for

the North Atlantic Knowledge Network:

Figure 1: Google Map of North Atlantic Region

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To focus next-step efforts toward promotion and awareness building for

membership and populating nakn.ca with project information and pertinent

content. Focused strategies must be developed to address these priorities that

will include people implementing the strategies within each region.

To identify groups and individuals within each region as key local partners and

stakeholders in NAKN and to establish agreements for involvement.

To identify collaborative projects between participating members of the

Network. The nakn.ca and the North Atlantic Forum can be used to solicit

project ideas and call for partners.

To solicit dialogue on policy and program development that supports

collaborative funding arrangements between countries of the North Atlantic for

regional development initiatives.

BACKGROUND

The genesis of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NAKN) concept grew from discussions during NORA’s 2006 conference, Creative Solutions for Coastal Communities and was put forth in this project as a process to create an “online community” that would help to facilitate continued dialogue, information sharing and innovative partnerships between the regions of the North Atlantic. This project proposed to develop the NAKN as a collaboration of people and institutions working in regional development policies and practises across the North Atlantic region. To support this collaboration the NAKN project proposed to create a web-based tool for storing and presenting a variety of knowledge resources pertaining to sustaining northern, rural and coastal communities of the North Atlantic region. The website, http://www.nakn.ca has been designed to be community-driven. Membership is open to people involved in regional development across the North Atlantic region, and members can add and maintain information regarding their projects and activities in the field of regional development.

The foundation of the NAKN concept is the extreme commonalities across the communities of the North Atlantic region and the shared need of small coastal communities to sustain themselves. Finding innovative and effective means to do this has led to a critical need to learn from one another and to collaborate. This can only become possible if spaces and tools are made available for people to knowledge-share and to dialogue for partnership possibilities. “Networks are viewed as online communities where the skills, knowledge, abilities, wisdom of many communities are brought together not necessarily in competition but in collaboration for mutual

Figure 2: 2006 Creative Solutions for Coastal Communities Conference

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benefit.”i In each of the regions identified for involvement in this project, there are numerous investments (public and private) that have been made for development of initiatives across a wide variety of sectors. It has been proven in many regions, worldwide that networks bring value to these investments. A North Atlantic-wide network can bring immense value to many of the developments that have taken place within the respective regions and can help them to learn further from one another on best practices and local expertise. In addition to the development initiatives that take place within the various regions of the North Atlantic, there are also an increased number of conferences, workshops and forums that take place to address important regional development issues. These events create discussions and working relationships that should be fostered and supported through facilitative tools.

PROJECT VISION

This project presented a plan to lead a development process that would result in the creation of a North Atlantic Knowledge Network to facilitate dialogue, sharing of information, partnerships and innovation across communities of the North Atlantic region.

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Identified goals of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network include:

The provision of mechanisms and tools to foster Connections

The provision of tools and opportunities for Knowledge Sharing – including traditional/local and scientific knowledge

The increase of North Atlantic Collaboration and Partnership

Project objectives included:

Facilitation of a North Atlantic collaborative process for the development of the NAKN.

Implementation of a planning and assessment process for the development of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network.

Gathering of knowledge, input and contribution to the development of the NAKN from an initial group of stakeholders in Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Bornholm and Canada

Facilitation of discussion/planning of potential tools to facilitate the online community of northern, coastal and/or rural/remote regions.

Development of a prototype of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network online tools for testing by participating regions/stakeholders

Creation of a network for ongoing sharing of information, discussion and collaborative partnerships across northern and coastal regions.

Figure 3: Project Collaboration - Iceland, Norway & Canada

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Creation of a network that foster linkages and collaborative initiatives between scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge.

PROJECT RATIONALE

Some of the key drivers of development for the North Atlantic Knowledge Network include:

needs of small rural and coastal communities for sustainable regional development;

commonalities of these communities across the regions of the North Atlantic;

existing North Atlantic efforts – people coming together to discuss North Atlantic issues, on many levels, existing North Atlantic agreements;

the wealth of knowledge that exist across the North Atlantic region including local, traditional, academic;

agreement on the value of sharing knowledge and learning from one another

tools of technology to enable communication and working together

This project grew under the assumption that networks are important and that communication, collaboration and partnerships can help regional development occur across the North Atlantic region. In recent years the understanding and growth of networks has been widespread and much has been written about the value and challenges of network operations. There are numerous models of networks and many worldwide, like the North Atlantic Knowledge Network that aim to support and address the challenges of sustainable development for rural and coastal regions. Despite the spread of network development throughout the world, there was, at the start of this project no existing network covering the geographical region of NAKN for the topic of regional development. The need to learn from one another has been a key driver in the development of the NAKN. Understanding the value of sharing knowledge is principal to agreeing on the need for tools to enable exchanges of information and the value of networks so that people who are willing to share knowledge will participate in exchange for gaining knowledge from others. In carrying out the activities of this project an overriding message from all consultations and presentations was that people are looking and willing to work together. It is therefore important to point out that a sharing of knowledge is the first step in leading people to work together. Many networks grew from the belief that technology can bridge geographical distances and allow people to work together. Although the NAKN supports this belief, it is not proposing that technology alone will make the Network effective or successful in addressing the goals and objectives of the Network or the needs of the participating regions. The technology of the NAKN will support activities to share information, will enable connections and dialogue amongst network members and will facilitate project partnerships.

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In light of the wealth of knowledge that exists throughout the regions of the North Atlantic and the shared commonalities in development opportunities and challenges, it is a responsible and important initiative to enable a network that is supportive of sustainable regional development. There has been substantial public investment for regional development in all regions of the North Atlantic and success of the NAKN will be of benefit to not only practitioners looking for knowledge but also to local government programs and funding agencies. The expanded sharing of project information will further the mandates of these agencies, will link project areas, lead to more successful regional development projects and will help to move knowledge to practice through collaborative projects throughout the North Atlantic region.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Knowledge networks have been identified in

many writings as the organizational form that

makes the greatest sense for collaboration

across diverse geography and interests.

According to Creech and Willard’s 2001 book, Strategic Intentions: Managing knowledge networks for

sustainable development1, effective networks require clear strategic intentions that are evident to

participants and supporters from the start of the network operations. Although challenging in its

limited capacity, this project has attempted to make clear through its activities, the strategic intentions

of the NAKN. They include:

1. To bring together through online tools and a biennial North Atlantic conference

individuals and institutions from involved in regional development research,

practises and policies;

2. To enable:

a. knowledge sharing and learning from one another

b. dialogue and connections across the membership

c. collaboration on new knowledge creation, pertinent to the North

Atlantic region and

d. partnership on projects

Many networks are anchored with universities, research institutes or industry organizations. NAKN has

been established through the regional development sector of the North Atlantic region and remains

loosely structured to encourage a diverse participation across of various segments of the sector and at

all levels of expertise and knowledge. As stated by J.H. Witte in Beyond Multilateralism: Global Public

Policy Networks2, “Networks are exercises in structured informality.” The evolution of the NAKN will, of

course dictate its structure and governance model but throughout the development phase, the Network

will aim to maintain minimal formality and maximum openness and transparency. This will help to

ensure adequate time is given to work through some of the operational issues and to consider the best

model of governance. This will also help in the interest of keeping costs manageable and the

1 Heather Creech and Terri Willard, Strategic Intentions: Managing knowledge networks for sustainable development, 2001

2 Jan Martin Witte, Wolfgang Reinicke and Thorsten Benner, Beyond Multilateralism: Global Public Policy Networks, 2000

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development process open to serve the broad range of interests of Network members. The eventual

governance model for NAKN will be selected to best fit the goals, characteristics and effectiveness of the

Network.

For this phase of development, the NAKN is being guided through

the input of a steering committee that is currently comprised of

founding representatives from Greenland, Norway, Iceland, Faroe

Islands and Canada. It is commonly reported that one of the most

important and most difficult aspects of network development is

often building the necessary relationships to ensure there is trust

and agreement on the purpose and value of the Network. The

process of development for NAKN has been led by SmartLabrador, a

social enterprise based n Labrador on Canada’s east coast.

SmartLabrador was identified as the lead organization for this

project based on its experience working with northern, rural and

remote communities in development of information,

communications technologies and in understanding the needs and

challenges of these regions. SmartLabrador has, in its work

recognized the value of learning from the experience of others and

promotes the benefits of knowledge sharing and collaboration within

its stakeholder community for sustainable regional development.

The NAKN’s Steering Committee functions through a terms of reference (see Appendix A), under

accepted standards of consensus decision making. Its primary role is to discuss and guide the process of

development for the Network. Key responsibilities of the Committee have been identified but not

limited to the following:

Review and assess o Topic areas of NAKN o Prototype of http://www.nakn.ca

Advise and recommend o Online information resources for inclusion to NAKN o Regional stakeholders and users of NAKN o Promotion of NAKN

Discussion and guidance on aspects pertaining to operations of NAKN: o Language Issues o Cultural Issues o Copyright Issues o Governance Issues o Membership/Access

Network membership is obviously critical for continued development and the desired sustainability of

NAKN . The membership philosophy of the NAKN therefore can best be described as inclusive and

encouraging of both institutional and individual participation. Membership criterion is fairly broad at

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this point to ensure the process is open and inviting to people within all regions of the North Atlantic

that are involved in regional development at the local, regional, national and/or international level.

Basic membership criteria includes:

People and institutions Involved in regional development research, policies and practise in the

North Atlantic region

Shared commitment to sustainable regional development

Shared spirit of collaboration

Willing to share knowledge and some capacity

to communicate to others in the region about

NAKN

To support the activities of the North Atlantic

Knowledge Network two primary tools will be utilized,

including the web-based tool www.nakn.ca and the

biennial North Atlantic Forum. These tools will open to

all membership and will provide access to North

Atlantic regional development information.

www.nakn.ca is a web-based tool for storing and

presenting the work of developers across the North Atlantic

region. This tool is designed to be community-driven.

Membership is open to all regional developers across the North Atlantic region, and members can add

and maintain information regarding their organizations and agencies, projects and activities in the field

of regional development.

The North Atlantic Forum was created through the Island Studies Programme (1994-1998) of the

University of Prince Edward Island and held its inaugural conference in 1998. It remains an informal

network of researchers, regional policy-makers and practitioners from the North Atlantic region. The

North Atlantic Forum facilitates the sharing of research and best practices in regional development and

governance, and supports community, industry and government exchanges across the North Atlantic

region for increased collaboration and partnership. The conference event continues to be held on a

biennial basis and is being proposed as an excellent venue to bring members of NAKN together for face-

to-face dialogue and knowledge sharing.

Support in the amount of $99,000 Canadian dollars, for the first phase of development for the North

Atlantic Knowledge Network was provided through a collaboration of funding with NORA, the Atlantic

Canada Opportunities Agency, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Innovation, Business and

Rural Development and SmartLabrador Inc., the project lead. This first phase funding limited the

amount of the face-to-face interaction between the lead organization and potential Network partners

and members. This also impacted the ability of the project to address adequately some of the

challenges faced in the establishment of a Network Steering Committee. Continued funding is

Figure 4: NORA & SmartLabrador Signing Project Agreement

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imperative to preserve the momentum that has been developed through this project and to pursue the

next phase for development of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES AND RESULTS TO DATE

Activities of the first phase project for the NAKN were presented in two categories:

1.) Project Management, partnerships, assessment and planning

2.) Technical planning and design for prototype of online tools

And separated into five work packages:

1.) Management and coordination of project activities

2.) Knowledge gathering – Regional Sessions

3.) Network planning – Steering Committee

4.) Development of online prototype

5.) Evaluation and dissemination

The project deliverables and results, as outlined in the original proposal to the funding partners were

achieved. The following is a summary of the project deliverables and results:

Project Work Package 1: Management and Coordination of Project Activities

Project deliverables and outputs Status

Establish project management procedures and processes for project implementation

Setup project documents in SmartSheet.com for planning, time management and accounting. Completed

Establish accounting processes with SmartLabrador accountant

Completed

Establish reporting processes with SmartLabrador Board of Directors and project funders

Completed according to requirements of all project partners

Project Work Package 2: Knowledge Gathering - Regional Sessions

Project deliverables and outputs Number of Attendees/Meetings

Status

Prepare a strategy to introduce the NAKN through a series of regional “concept Introduction” meetings and presentations

Completed - first quarter of 2010. See following for copies of invitations, presentation and notices: Appendix C – Regional Session Invitation Appendix D – Power Point Presentation introducing NAKN concept

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Appendix E – Invitation list utilized for Regional Sessions in Iceland, Norway, Faroe Island and Greenland Appendix F - Notice of presentation at Memorial University

Series of regional meetings and presentations to present the NAKN concept and gather input/feedback. Faroe Islands - Torshavn and Klaksvik

Iceland - Akureyri, Egilsstadir, Reykjavik Canada St John`s and Labrador Whitehorse NL Economic Dev. Corp. AGM Happy Valley – Goose Bay

Greenland - Nuuk

Norway - Tromso and Oslo North Atlantic Forum 2011 - St. John’s, NL

16 82 28 42 92 38 17 9 150

Completed Completed March 2010 Completed March and October 2010 Completed June 2010 Completed November 2010 Completed November 2010 Completed March 2011 Completed October 2010 Completed October 2010 Completed October 2011

Additional Comments/Highlights: This project work package activity was successful in achieving its objectives and helped to build a first phase awareness in each of the participating regions. However, budget limitations did not enable enough time and effort to build relationships with potential stakeholders in some regions. The greatest involvement and buy-in for the Network was achieved in Canada and Iceland. This follows, in addition to the fact that the lead organization is based in Canada that these were also the regions where more opportunity presented itself to communicate the network concept and to obtain stakeholder involvement. The regional meetings and presentations generally resulted in a positive reception of the network concept. Although there was some identification of concerns with adequate time and funding required to develop and sustain networks of this nature, much of the discussion within the sessions focused on the benefits and opportunities surrounding a North Atlantic Knowledge Network to share regional development knowledge. Key messages from participants of the sessions included:

o The Network should focus on knowledge sharing for regional development for rural/coastal regions.

o The network should provide access to research information and practical development/project information.

o NKN will present opportunities to enhance cooperation across the regions of the

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North Atlantic. o The sharing of information and learning from one another is crucial for the

development of rural regions. o It is necessary to make the NAKN ”belong” to the users – need to identify

community champions o The Network development should be kept ”simple” and practical. o There is a need to map existing networks in North Atlantic region, including

municipal/community networks, regional development networks, universities and research institutions networks, etc.

o There is a need to map international political agreements between governments of the North Atlantic region.

o Important that the NKN not be developed as just another ”portal” or international network. Important to utilize the power of existing technology platforms to provide relevant and useful information in a practical and effective means.

o Need to ensure there is close connection with municipalities and development agencies to be relevant to local entities.

o Challenges will include getting endorsement by people in regions as the primary ”platform for regional development information”.

o Important topics/themes for the NKN to focus on included: Regional Rural/Coastal Development

Innovation in Rural Regions o Creating Innovative Environment

Municipal Collaboration

Distance Education

Sustainable Energy for Rural Regions

Business Development o Retail in Rural Regions o Business Centres

Tourism Development o Cultural Heritage/Cultural Clusters o Culininary Initiatives

Ocean Technologies

Project Work Package 3: Network planning – Steering Committee

Project deliverables and outputs Status

Establish a steering committee of representatives from each of the founding regions, including Greenland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Canada

Completed – December 2011 This work activity experienced a series of challenges and issues. Initial requests to potential members for the steering committee, in some regions were met with an array of responses. In some cases people expressed interest in the development of the network but simply did not

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have the time to devote to being involved. Some declined to be involved as it fell outside their work priorities. Some had changes occur in their work and study schedules that prevented their participation. In particular, there were challenges in filling the positions in Norway, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Each of these regions is very important to the NAKN operations and additional effort must be dedicated to strengthen the stakeholder buy-in and to secure committed participation in the ongoing Network operations. As stated by Creech and Willard in their report Strategic Intentions: “every proposed network should begin with a scoping phase to explore interests and define expectations for working together.”3 This is advice that NAKN must adhere to and acknowledge as necessary work in addressing the challenges faced with regards to fulfilling the steering committee objectives.

Organize a workshop of key individuals - potential “network users” to obtain input on prototype of www.nakn.ca and potential network operational issues.

A workshop took place in October 2011 in St. John’s, NL in conjunction with the North Atlantic Forum event. See Appendix G for copy of invitation to event. The original plan for the workshop was to host it in conjunction with such a conference event but was also to include the Network steering committee members. Unfortunately the committee was not in place at the time of the conference. Effort was made to invite participation from all regions but unfortunately scheduling prevented involvement in the workshop from all regions. The majority of the participants were from Canada, one from Norway and three from Iceland. The event was successful in providing opportunity to present the project activities and to demonstrate the online tools of nakn.ca. In follow-up, several demonstrations of nakn.ca have taken place with key individuals, including:

staff of NORA

staff of ACOA

staff of NL’s Department of Industry Business and Rural Development

3 Heather Creech and Terri Willard, Strategic Intentions: Managing knowledge networks for sustainable development, 2001

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Director of NL Regional Economic Development Boards

NAKN Steering Committee Members

Executive Director’s of Labrador’s Regional Economic Development Corporations

These demonstrations have provided valuable feedback and suggestions for improvements to nakn.ca.

Project Work Package 4: Development of Online Prototype

Project deliverables and outputs Status

Prepare report of input from regional sessions and presentations for technical team

Completed

Design Prototype of online NAKN Completed Spring 2011 – See Appendix H for Screenshots of nakn.ca

Develop a testing process for online tool, involving a variety of users

Completed October 2011 NAKN currently has 20 registered members that have been contributing content and/or involved in testing the online tools. The testing process also included a group of key individuals indentified by SL and the NAKN Steering Committee

Provision of online communication tools to facilitate sharing and exchange of information

Completed September 2011

Report of Testing process Completed December 2011 – Testing process resulted with following items identified as next steps for web-based tool:

Add NAKN project information, including information and links to steering committee members

Re-organize layout of site – as per suggestions from group

Include a brief welcome statement that explains what NAKN is

Include information about becoming a member of NAKN – include an online registration form

Provide a link feature to partner North Atlantic networks, including funding partners

Provide capability to provide information on upcoming regional development conferences and events

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Develop user guides for contributing content to nakn.ca

Add a “funding” category – to include funding possibilities in North Atlantic for collaborative regional development initiatives

Project Work Package 5: Evaluation and Dissemination

Project deliverables and outputs Status

Define an internal evaluation process for first phase work activity

Completed December 2011

Prepare a go-forward report of project Completed February 2012

Prepare dissemination plan and provide access to project material through nakn.ca

Completed March 2012

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT STEPS

The NAKN project experience discussed in this report

has revealed commonalities, needs, values and

interests in knowledge sharing for better connections

and collaborations across the regions of the North

Atlantic. This first phase project of NAKN has also

helped to reaffirm that the participating regions are

not currently well connected for the purpose of

sharing regional development information and that

people and agencies working in the sector can benefit

from better connections and access to knowledge and

expertise of other regions.

The primary recommendation following this first phase

project is to continue support for activities to promote and further develop the North Atlantic

Knowledge Network. The project has identified four principal directions as next steps and continuation

of development for the NAKN:

1. To focus next-step efforts toward promotion and awareness building for membership and

populating nakn.ca with project information and pertinent content. A focused communications

and engagement strategy must be developed to address these priorities and must include

people at the regional level to implement. The communication and engagement must be

targeted to two primary groups:

Potential network partners and funders

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Network members

2. To identify key groups and individuals within each region as local partners and stakeholders in

NAKN and to establish agreements for involvement. Forming relationships with potential

partners requires adequate time and resources and is one of the most important elements of

building a network and ensuring its effectiveness and long term sustainability.

3. To help advance the Network’s effectiveness by moving beyond its core service of providing

access to shared knowledge to identify collaborative projects between participating members of

the Network. The nakn.ca and the North Atlantic Forum can be used to solicit project ideas and

call for partners.

4. To solicit dialogue on policy and program development that supports collaborative funding

arrangements between countries of the North Atlantic for regional development initiatives

through the North Atlantic Knowledge Network.

As with any project, it is imperative to assess progress and measure results. Despite some challenges,

this project has achieved the results outlined in its initial proposal. There have been meetings,

presentations, the creation of new tools and a great deal of discussion on the value and structure for a

North Atlantic Knowledge Network. Much has been accomplished but there remains a great deal of

work to ensure continued development and effective operation of a network that will help to address

sustainable regional development for regions of the North Atlantic.

SmartLabrador remains committed to this initiative, is confident in the level of interest and desire of

partners and members to continue the development and will proceed over the next year to work with

the NAKN Steering Committee to development strategies for support and implementation of the

recommendations presented in this report.

APPENDICES

Appendix A – NAKN Steering Committee Terms of Reference

Appendix B – Original Project Workplan

Appendix C – Regional Meetings/Presentations Invitation

Appendix D – NAKN Overview

Appendix E – Invitation List to Regional Meetings/Presentations (Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway,

Greenland)

Appendix F -NAKN Session Flyer - Presentation at Memorial University

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Appendix G - Invitation to NAKN Workshop/Demonstration – North Atlantic Forum, St John’s

Appendix H – Screenshots of www.nakn.ca

Appendix A – NAKN Steering Committee Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference for Steering Committee North Atlantic Knowledge Network December 2010

Introduction This document represents the terms of reference for the Steering Committee, established to provide guidance and support to the development of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network.

Title of Group North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NAKN) Steering Committee

Background The North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NAKN) concept grew from discussions during NORA’s 2006 conference, Creative Solutions for Coastal Communities and is being proposed as a tool for building an “online community” to help facilitate dialogue, information sharing and innovative partnerships. The NKN will be a community-contributed home for a variety of knowledge resources pertaining to sustaining northern, rural and coastal communities of the North Atlantic region. Goals of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network include:

Provision of mechanisms and tools to foster Connections

Provision of tools and opportunities for Knowledge Sharing, including traditional/local and scientific knowledge

Increase North Atlantic Collaboration and Partnership

PPAARRTTNNEERRSS The North Atlantic Knowledge Network is a collaborative initiative led by SmartLabrador and has been based on SmartLabrador’s experience working with northern, rural and remote communities in development of information communications technologies and understanding of the needs and challenges of these regions. SmartLabrador has, in its work recognized the value of learning from the experience of others and promotes the benefits of knowledge sharing and exchange within its stakeholder community for opportunity development and future sustainability. Although ongoing support for the NAKN is open to new partnerships, current development of the NAKN is being supported by NORA, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agencies and NL Provincial Government.

Steering Committee Membership

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The Steering Committee shall consist of no fewer than six and no more than 12 members, with initial members selected by SmartLabrador Inc. The membership can include ex-officio members. Membership of the committee will aim to represent a broad experience of expertise from community/regional, academic and/or government stakeholders. The initial membership of the Committee will include representation from Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Norway and Canada.

Time Commitment and Expenses It is anticipated that the Steering Committee will be operational for two years and the total time requirement of its members has been estimated to be as follows:

1. 6-10 Teleconference Meetings - 2012-2014. 2. Reviewing and commenting on documentation and online prototype of NAKN 3. One face-to-face meeting 2012 – depending on funding

Although it is expected that the work of the Steering Committee members would be on an unpaid basis, all travel and communication expenses will be covered for committee meetings.

Role of Steering Committee The primary objective of the NAKN Steering Committee is to discuss and guide the development of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network. The responsibilities of the Committee will include but not be limited to the following:

Review and assess o Focus areas of NAKN o Prototype of the online NAKN

Advise and recommend o Online information resources for inclusion to NAKN o Regional stakeholders and users of NAKN o Promotion of NAKN

Discussion and guidance on aspects pertaining to operations of NAKN: o Language Issues o Cultural Issues o Copyright Issues o Governance Issues o Membership/Access

Discussion and recommendations for o “Go-forward” report for NAKN

Decision Making, Authority and Reporting The role and functions of the Steering Committee shall be exercised in accordance with this terms of reference and generally accepted standards of consensus decision making.

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The Steering Committee has delegated authority to consider all planning aspects pertaining to development of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network. A record of all discussions will be maintained by SmartLabrador

Appendix B – Original Project Workplan

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Appendix C – Regional Meetings/Presentations Invitation

Hello, Through a collaborative funding arrangement, NORA and the Federal and Provincial Governments of Canada are supporting the launch of a new initiative entitled the, "North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NKN)". This new initiative is being coordinated through SmartLabrador Inc. In consideration of the commonalities across the communities of the North Atlantic region and the local efforts toward sustainability, there is a critical need to share information, to learn from one another and to collaborate where possible. The NKN is being proposed as a new tool to help facilitate and enhance the sharing of knowledge and partnership possibilities. Attached for your further reference is an overview document of the proposed network. Over the next six weeks there will be a number of regional sessions to introduce the concept of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network, to potential user groups, contributors, stakeholders and potential partners. Sheila Downer, of SmartLabrador Inc. will be hosting a session in your region during the week of March 16 - 19, 2010 to discuss local interest, needs, questions and suggestions that might be addressed through the NKN. Your participation is invited in the local session noted below. In preparation for this session, we ask that you please RSVP, through this email address on your availability or the availability of your representative for the date and time of the session noted. Please RSVP on or before March 9, 2010. Each session will include 6-10 representatives of local agencies and will follow an interactive agenda to:

present the North Atlantic Knowledge Network concept; seek reaction and questions on the development and operation of the network; invite discussion and input of local needs; invite suggestions on types of information and features to help address local needs; to identify existing local networks.

Faroe Islands Regional Session Location: Hafnia Hotel, Torshavn Date: March 17, 2010 Time: 10am Cordial greetings, Sheila Downer SmartLabrador Inc.

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Appendix D – NAKN Overview

NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK LLIINNKKIINNGG RREEGGIIOONNSS FFOORR DDIIAALLOOGGUUEE AANNDD PPAARRTTNNEERRSSHHIIPP

““NNEETTWWOORRKKSS AARREE VVIIEEWWEEDD AASS OONNLLIINNEE CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTIIEESS WWHHEERREE SSKKIILLLLSS,, KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE,, AABBIILLIITTIIEESS,, WWIISSDDOOMM AARREE BBRROOUUGGHHTT TTOOGGEETTHHEERR -- NNOOTT

NNEECCEESSSSAARRIILLYY IINN CCOOMMPPEETTIITTIIOONN BBUUTT IINN CCOOLLLLAABBOORRAATTIIOONN FFOORR MMUUTTUUAALL BBEENNEEFFIITT”” –– Peter Levesque – Networks: The Key to Acting on

Knowledge – October 2007

WWHHAATT IISS TTHHEE NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK?? A “community – contributed” tool for a variety of knowledge resources pertaining to living and developing northern, rural and coastal communities of the North Atlantic region.

WWHHYY AA NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK?? There are extreme commonalities across the communities of the North Atlantic region and if small coastal communities are to sustain themselves, there is a critical need to learn from one another and to collaborate. This can only become possible if spaces and tools are made available for people to share knowledge and to dialogue for partnership possibilities.

WWHHAATT CCAANN AA NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK LLOOOOKK LLIIKKEE?? It could be:

A variety of online tools

Face to face conferences and workshops

A connection of community knowledge with research knowledge

Partnership projects

Plus new ideas/features that can be contributed from the regions

WWHHAATT CCAANN AA NNOORRTTHH AATTLLAANNTTIICC KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE NNEETTWWOORRKK DDOO?? The North Atlantic Knowledge Network can play a critical role in assisting people who are working for the development of small, rural, remote, coastal communities by reaching across jurisdictions to:

· Connect people, places and ideas · Facilitate linkages and exchanges · Foster relationships and partnerships for development · Provide a mechanism for constant and immediate interaction · Provide increased access and leverage to resources · Provide means to link scientific knowledge with traditional/local knowledge

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Goals of the North Atlantic Knowledge Network include:

· The provision of mechanisms and tools to foster CCOONNNNEECCTTIIOONNSS · The provision of tools and opportunities for KKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEE SSHHAARRIINNGG

· The increase of North Atlantic CCOOLLLLAABBOORRAATTIIOONN AANNDD PPAARRTTNNEERRSSHHIIPP

BBAACCKKGGRROOUUNNDD The North Atlantic Knowledge Network (NKN) concept grew from discussions during NORA’s 2006 conference, Creative Solutions for Coastal Communities and is being proposed as a tool for building an “online community” to help facilitate dialogue, information sharing and innovative partnerships. The NKN will be a community-contributed home for a variety of knowledge resources pertaining to sustaining northern, rural and coastal communities of the North Atlantic region.

PPAARRTTNNEERRSS The North Atlantic Knowledge Network is a collaborative initiative led by SmartLabrador and has been based on SmartLabrador’s experience working with northern, rural and remote communities in development of information communications technologies and understanding of the needs and challenges of these regions. SmartLabrador has, in its work recognized the value of learning from the experience of others and promotes the benefits of knowledge sharing and exchange within its stakeholder community for opportunity development and future sustainability. The development of the NKN will be guided by input from a wide array of community and academic stakeholders. Initial support as been provided by:

Appendix E - Invitation List to Regional Meetings/Presentations (Iceland, Faroe Islands,

Norway, Greenland)

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Appendix F – NAKN Session Flyer - Presentation at Memorial University

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Appendix G – Invitation to NAKN Workshop/Demonstration – North Atlantic Forum, St

John’s

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Appendix H – Screenshots of www.nakn.ca

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North Atlantic Knowledge Network Report

February 2012

Copyright SmartLabrador Inc.