Greek Living Lab

Advancing Urban Coastal Transformation through NBS Skills Development and Capacity Building

The ᴇNᴀBʟS Greek Living Lab (LL), coordinated by the Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO-CERTH) with the support of FOCUS STC and IDEA Training, aspires to serve as a focal point for bringing together diverse stakeholders, including educators, professionals, community members, and policymakers, to discuss Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and co-create sustainable solutions. Its mission is to advance urban resilience and biodiversity, aligning with Thessaloniki’s coastal regeneration initiative led by the Region of Central Macedonia. The LL focuses on a 40-kilometer coastal stretch from Kalochori to Aggelochori.

The Greek LL addresses a critical need to integrate NBS into educational and professional practices. By leveraging the coastal unification initiative, it aims to embed NBS concepts into Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), fostering lifelong learning opportunities.

The activities of the Greek LL focus on equipping engineers and TVET students with practical, up-to-date knowledge of sustainable solutions, enhancing their capacity to implement NBS in real-world projects. Other stakeholders include academic institutions, local governments, regional development agencies, environmental NGOs, and community organisations, ensuring a holistic approach to sustainability and innovation promotion.

Contribution to ᴇNᴀBʟS and expected impact

The Greek LL seeks to elevate the role of NBS in higher education by fostering collaboration between local TVET and higher education stakeholders, particularly curriculum designers and policymakers. It provides an interdisciplinary space to address practical challenges in integrating NBS into education at local and regional levels.

The LL will work to develop a sustainable model for incorporating NBS principles into higher education and TVET curricula, promoting horizontal integration across disciplines. Its overall goal is to co-create effective strategies for implementing NBS in urban, peri-urban, and coastal settings as a way to tackle challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and urban sprawl. By generating and sharing practical solutions and best practices, the Greek LL aims to enhance ecological, social, and economic resilience, offering a replicable blueprint for sustainable development globally.