Arrival and Welcome
On Monday 8 September, partners traveled from across Europe to join us at our accommodation at Købmandsgården in Ballen. The evening began with a shared dinner - an informal but important moment to reconnect and set the tone for the days ahead.
Day 1: Setting Intentions and Drawing Inspiration from Samsø
Our first full day took place at the Samsø Energiakademi. We opened with an IDOART exercise, standing for Intention, Desired Outcomes, Agenda, Roles & Rules, and Time. This framework helped to establish a shared foundation for what we wanted to achieve together and open the floor for big ideas.
To better understand each other’s perspectives, we introduced a framework using four “color mindsets” in how to approach the coming few days:
- Red for emotion and empathy
- Green for planning and structure
- Blue for analysis and precision
- Yellow for creativity and inspiration
This exercise helped us see how different mindsets complement each other across the NESSIE consortium and come together to drive progress.
We then moved into a personal item sharing circle, where each participant introduced an object they had brought and explained its connection to the project. This activity created new layers of understanding and strengthened our sense of community.
One of the highlights of the day was a visit from Marcel Meijer, Mayor of Samsø, and Søren Hermansen, CEO of the Energiakademi. They shared the story of how Samsø embarked on its energy transition. Through a role-playing exercise, Søren invited us to step into the shoes of local stakeholders and debate issues like district heating - an infrastructure designed to balance the island’s steady energy needs between summer tourism and winter heating demand. The session underscored the importance of community buy-in and collaborative governance.
After lunch, we held our first regional workshop, where partners grouped by region to discuss project progress, hurdles, and practical next steps. The day concluded with a tour of Samsø’s renewable energy systems, including the district heating plant powered by agricultural residue and the offshore wind park. Some partners also enjoyed a scenic island tour before we closed the evening with dinner, conversation, and plenty of laughter.
Day 2: Building Blocks and Next Steps
Day two began with a check-in on the goals we had set in the IDOART framework. We then shifted to mixed partner workshops, where participants from different regions worked together to explore the building blocks of NESSIE at a higher level.
The morning continued with a recruitment-focused workshop, where partners executed a Recruitment Strategy Roadmap to turn strategy ideas into concrete action tailored to their island. In regional groups, they selected strategies, mapped out target audiences and stakeholders, and built step-by-step timelines. Challenge cards kept teams on their toes, forcing them to adapt plans and identify the support they need from the NESSIE network. Each group left the session with a clear first commitment to advance recruitment in their region.
Over lunch, we welcomed a group of American students on exchange in Denmark, offering them a glimpse into how NESSIE is connecting education, skills, and sustainable energy systems across Europe.
We wrapped up the assembly with a project management session and a collective recap of key insights before departing.
Looking Ahead
The Samsø meeting left us with fresh perspectives, stronger connections, and renewed momentum. As one partner put it, the island was the perfect place to reflect on how local communities can lead and how NESSIE can help bring those lessons into practice across Europe.
We leave Samsø inspired and ready to move into the next chapter of the project together!
