Åsa Ericson
Heidi Kaartinen-Liuska
Raymond Kristiansen
Johan Lugnet
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals set the framework for assessing the sustainability of activities in Interreg projects. Ideally, the project application already recognizes the goals the project aims to support. In some cases, these are adopted well after the project has started. This article shares insights from the Interreg Aurora-funded project, SUMMATION.
The Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations 2025a) were established in 2015 to initiate a global action plan for people, the planet, and prosperity by 2030. All United Nations Member States agreed to the seventeen proposed goals, aiming to end poverty, improve health, reduce inequality, and promote economic growth. At the same time, efforts to combat climate change, protect oceans, and conserve forests are also prioritized (United Nations 2025b). However, this worldwide effort to address critical issues in developing countries may seem less relevant when applied to a regional or local context within an industrialized society.
The SDGs represent a global effort to promote development but do not always immediately connect with local or regional contexts. Some goals are more global in nature, such as those targeting no poverty, zero hunger, and gender equality. These set clear ambitions for the world as a whole but might not seem as urgent on a local or regional level in developed countries. Conversely, some SDGs focus more on industrialized development toward goals that are not clearly defined, leaving room for movement from a regional starting point, whatever that might be. Even in highly developed areas, there is always room for improvement.
Managing an EU-funded project and integrating SDGs presents therefore a complex challenge. How can we effectively adapt these crucial global and ambitious goals to regional and local levels? How do we ensure that the effort isn’t just superficial, selected to meet the financier’s requirements? Is there a risk of “green washing” the project for sustainability because the team hasn’t thoroughly incorporated SDGs into the project’s concepts and implementation? This is especially a challenge when the project relies on innovative and new solutions involving advanced digital technologies. Innovation brings uncertainty and ambiguity because it involves developing new ideas and solutions. Addressing something “not tried before” must, therefore, allow room for experimentation to determine if the solution provides value or negative consequences for its intended purpose.
Sustainable development goals in the SUMMATION project
Interreg Aurora requires project partners to select three SDGs to represent their project idea. When project SUMMATION first examined the goals individually, it was not surprising to find almost all of the 17 goals relevant. Since SDGs overlap and are interconnected, it was difficult to determine which ones were most essential to the project. Instead, to choose three goals aligned with the project, as requested by the financier, we focused on keywords and clarified the main features of the activities. We analyzed the work packages to extract key keywords, identifying innovation, sustainability, safety, autonomy, and advanced technologies. The project context involves the Arctic climate and peripheral areas, including specific challenges related to snow and ice, as well as the difficulties of living in remote locations.
Digitalization is essential for accessing international markets and collaborations. Moreover, the work packages cover different levels of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) from 4 to 6. Developed by NASA, TRLs indicate the maturity of a technology, concept, product, or service (National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2023). The SUMMATION project addresses level 4, which involves validation in a lab environment; level 5, validation in a relevant environment; and level 6, demonstration in a relevant environment. Lastly, we sought support in translating the SDGs and Agenda 2030 at the national level to incorporate regional and local perspectives in industrialized countries (e.g. Regeringskansliet 2016). The main efforts to end poverty, improve health, reduce inequality, and promote economic growth shape these goals at the national, regional, and local levels in industrial societies. National translations, for example, suggest supporting scientific and technological innovation, as outlined in goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), which in turn helps create inclusive, resilient, and safe human settlements—goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Furthermore, innovation and digital technologies support the development of knowledge societies by providing access to equitable, lifelong, high-quality education, as outlined in goal 4 (Quality Education).
From these cohesive arguments, or rather our shared vision, the case studies of SUMMATION contribute to the chosen SDGs. For example, goal 9, which emphasizes scientific and technological innovation, involves developing a design tool for safe drone light shows. Using drones instead of fireworks reduces emissions, prevents littering, and causes less harm to animals. However, extending the concept beyond SDG 4, even though it offers improved safety when flying over people by avoiding collisions and preventing drones from falling, it requires regulatory changes, among other things. The lab environment case study not only demonstrates the concept but also provides valuable insights into implementation and outcomes.
One example of the Goal 11 contribution involves using data on winter road conditions to enhance traffic information and safety. In this case study, weather data and road condition measurements are represented in a digital twin and validated at a relevant test site under realistic conditions. Moving this concept beyond TRL 5 requires designing a service to deliver the information to road users and drivers, which is TRL 9 (successful commercial use). This is not included in the scope of TRLs in the Interreg Aurora program.
Finally, the project can highlight several successful examples of SDG 4, involving TRL 6, which indicates demonstrations in relevant environments. It’s important to note that the technologies demonstrated were previously developed and validated at levels 4 and 5. Additionally, these demonstrations show how advanced technologies can be applied in practical vocational training and learning by doing, rather than in formal theoretical settings. This means that demonstrations take place in realistic environments and involve interaction with a relevant target group.
As a result, understanding and knowledge about the technologies and their impact on the demonstrated operations become clear, even if the technologies are too expensive or too advanced for a small company. Examples of innovative solutions include a digital tool that streamlines reindeer slaughter procedures while also improving working conditions for herders. It is notable that solutions for the North will probably be robust enough to work elsewhere. Additionally, visual and interactive information is used to enhance effectiveness in recycling, helping people properly sort materials into the correct categories, such as paper, glass, metal, and others. Finally, technology that supports global and creative music production has been demonstrated, thus enabling people to live in the region while working on a global market.
Key takeaways
The SDGs are intended to be global, with different regional initiatives playing a role. However, when designing projects to address these goals, it is important to consider which are relevant to our regional context and where we can make the biggest impact on a global level.
Transforming SDGs into regional and local research projects can be challenging. It is advisable to align the goals with the project’s actual content and context by searching for keywords and analyzing activities. The selected SDGs should work together to form a consistent argument and, in doing so, offer a clear vision for the activities.
The vision helps illustrate how a concept or solution relates to its maturity level. Therefore, encourage reflection on how innovative and advanced technology can promote more sustainable solutions, as well as identify gaps and challenges in implementation.
It is advisable to identify core activities and keywords by analyzing them from both a geographical and technological perspective, and to seek support from national and regional interpretations of Agenda 2030, all aimed at translating the SDGs into an industrial society. However, it is crucial to take the selection process seriously in some way.
References
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2023. Technology Readiness Levels. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/space-communications-navigation-program/technology-readiness-levels/. Accessed 19.8.2025.
Regeringskansliet 2016. Att förändra vår värld: Agenda 2030 för hållbar utveckling. Available at: https://www.regeringen.se/globalassets/regeringen/dokument/finansdepartementet/agenda-2030/att-forandra-var-varld_agenda-2030-for-en-hallbar-utveckling.png.pdf. Accessed 17.8.2025.
United Nations 2025a. The 17 Goals. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals. Accessed 7/2025.
United Nations 2025b. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda. Accessed 31.7.2025.
Åsa Ericson
Professor
Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering
Luleå University of Technology
Heidi Kaartinen-Liuska
RDI specialist
Centria University of Applied Sciences
Tel. 040 729 9951
Raymond Kristiansen
Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Johan Lugnet
Associate professor
Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering
Luleå University of Technology
