The 4th RSG meeting of the Province of Friesland took place Online on 28th of October, 2020. Besides three project members from the Province of Friesland, six regional stakeholders participated in the meeting: 3 from the University of Groningen (RUG), 1 stakeholder from a social design lab 'House of Design' that develops products with Frisian crafts and landscape, 1 cultural entrepreneur and a strategic adviser and creative producer, who supports (international) fundraising processes on behalf of the Province of Friesland, and 1 representative from the Investment and Development Company for the Northern Netherlands (NOM). The main goal of the meeting was to discuss the progress of the ongoing activities and development of the action plan. Stakeholder from NOM opens the meeting. After discussing action points from the previous 3rd RSG meeting and presenting the main outcomes of the previous partner meetings to the stakeholders, the results of the ongoing research ‘Nature investment and value for money’ undertaken by RUG, were presented. The researcher from the RUG presented the reason of the research: the Province of Friesland has a mission, the Blue Delta, and uses programme lines and portfolios of projects to reach this mission. The province wants to evaluate the nature investments. The original Multi-Criteria Cost-Benefit Analysis method was used to evaluate 3 Dutch case studies. It is a useful method to show value of nature projects. These 3 projects were: the Bees project, the Frisian sweater and the Fish Migration project. The MCCBA method helps to take into consideration Ecosystem Services, Sustainable Development Goals and Broader well-being.
Regarding the action plan development, Province of Friesland has 2 actions defined: Action 1: utilize and describe elements/qualities/characteristics of Deltas in the new RIS3 (Regional innovation strategy); Action 2: Utilize a tool in the assessment of nature (delta) projects. The Northern Innovation Agenda ends in 2020 that’s why the focus is on the RIS3.
The next RSG meeting is planned to be held on 6th January 2021 at the Provincial house or in the Kanselarij, if Covid does not prevent the physical meeting.
