ENGAGE Islands

Major investments in renewable energy, grid infrastructure and digital connectivity are reshaping island economies in the Baltic Sea Region –yet residents and local communities often see limited direct benefit.

The IKEM-led project ENGAGE Islands brings together partners from Germany, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to address this challenge across four island groups: the West Estonian archipelago, Gotland, Åland and Bornholm. Working in close collaboration with local municipalities, businesses and civil society, the project develops and tests community‑centred approaches to energy governance, local ownership and inclusive service design.

ENGAGE Islands is structured in three phases: SEED, which co-designs and pilots visible demonstration actions with local communities; BLOOM, which translates lessons learned into governance frameworks and capacity-building measures; and HARVEST, which consolidates results into a practical, multilingual Resource Pack to support replication across the Baltic Sea Region.