Lessons Learned from Denmark MML workshops

Milestone 1

Organise carefully the workshop phases for successfully meeting the objectives and for engaging all participants;
Use dialog for initiating collaboration among private landowners and municipalities.

Milestone 2

Use using storytelling to describe the challenge with clear and concrete examples;
Explain the challenge in an inclusive, strategic and broad manner for involving all types of participants;
Make the MARINA platform a case study platform where collaborative coastal climate solution projects are presented;
Address a specific subject that concerns multidisciplinary stakeholders;
Define a workshop triggering question that is short, clear and easily understood by all stakeholders;
Consider personal e-mails as the recruitment mechanism because it has been proven by far the most effective recruitment mechanism.

Milestone 3

Allocate sufficient time for discussions and to involve all participants interests and ideas;
Allocate more time for group discussions during workshops;
Moderate the workshop with an experienced facilitator to avoid "Groupthink" and the "Erroneous Priorities Effect";
Develop concrete examples that stakeholders can understand and get involved;
Adapt the workshop schedule and structure according to the specifics and program of the stakeholders you want to attend;
The SDD dialogue is a rigorous and efficient participatory methodology, but also time-consuming, leaving no time for the interpretation of the presented ideas in terms of their RRI dimensions by the participants during the workshop;
Ask participants' to state their workshop expectations because experience shows that some find the workshop and its participatory method intriguing, others were interested In how to develop a shared vision, some had an interest in being inspired and build networks;
Identify and invite the right number of participants representing all necessary science fields to create a viable action plan. Participant recruiting is time-consuming and must be planned well in advance of the workshop.

Milestone 4

Allocate time for every participant to present his/her own idea and to discuss it in plenum;
Let different perspectives on the subject, which will lead to a common background for further discussion;
Activate citizens as a resourceful group of action that could lead to a more innovative and including society;
Establish cooperation among diverse stakeholders (researchers, innovative businesses, politicians and citizens) even when it's challenging;
Mobilise stakeholders early in the process to develop viable and sustainable business models;
Joined stakeholder involvement produces ideas with integrated and holistic focus based on synergy and collaboration;
Collect participant's post-workshop feedback focusing on the added value workshop points: the participatory method, the topic, the action plan, the common vision, the future participation options.

Milestone 5

Define a clear plan for the future engagement of the workshop's participants to keep the community active;
Focus not only on high-level ideas, but also on required research and innovation actions needed to execute them;
Develop a common vision and an action plan with a more narrow focus combining development milestones and follow-up workshops;
Identify easy-to-implement solutions to attract people and harbour-related businesses in innovative harbour development;
Develop new methods of governance for engaging citizens through public awareness and politics;
Develop case studies on how municipalities work with climate change projects and community driven innovation;
Develop tools for engaging citizens in urban development and communicate them broadly to inspire local communities;
Develop new models and ways of collaborating on climate change in order to create common knowledge and more awareness of climate change in public mind;
Improve governance by defining a shared and common vision by involving citizens and business networks for clean and green industries;
Engage the public and involve governing bodies at various levels to generate ideas that are ethical, sustainable, inclusive and of social justice;
Focus on RRI issues by prompting participants to talk more about how researchers can be enrolled in all actions generated and how other stakeholders can be useful to researchers;
Define SMART common vision and actions towards a specific goal and project.

Milestone 6

Identify common working initiatives between municipalities and the civil societies, so that citizens may be actively involved;
Develop sustainable and long-term solutions even if they do not entirely focus on technical and/or economic aspects, but add lifestyle qualities and/or facilities;
Contribute with knowledge and conceptual frameworks that support interaction, collaboration and holistic recommendations based on research experience;
Push for broad vision for industrial harbour development by local governments inviting non-harbour stakeholders to contribute in new ways;
Involve citizens in the political/technical systems;
Create new models for evaluating risks and economic issues;
Push governmental bodies for high-tier governance on local initiatives to have the biggest impact;
Make urban planning and tourism development collaborative and democratic by involving citizens and business in envisioning urban futures and resolve negative environmental impacts.

Milestone 7

Develop real-time information systems, training activities and incentives to share knowledge and information for avoiding tendencies of local governments and businesses to downplay negative consequences;
Follow-up with all participants and monitor results regularly and engage them in post-workshop knowledge sharing and networking through an online platform;
Make regulations for developers and investors for securing more liveable areas in harbour transformations;
Take into consideration new types of ownership forms in order to kick-start of development;
Develop efficient monitoring systems and assess the environmental impacts of best/worst policy practice.

Milestone 8

Organise regular follow-up workshops by involving more decision makers to anchor change;
Ensure that funding will be secured for action plan execution and follow up actions;
Engage all interested stakeholders in harbour development;
Promote Sustainable Tourism policies to improve coastal and marine ecosystems, minimise pollution and create economic growth by combining efforts at national, regional and local levels and creating green funding schemes and incentives;
Enhance coastal and maritime tourism by adapting to demographic changes, while maintaining the original vocation and atmosphere of the coastal cities;
Educate planners, civil society leaders, business industry to be more collaborative, responsible and exert place-based leadership;
Communicate broadly and raise wide awareness about the specific initiative to anchor change.

See also...