Duration: 2025 – ongoing

Geographical area: Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Sweden

Change starts where life happens!
Across the Baltic Sea Region, advancing mental health begins on the local level and grows strong through cross-sectoral collaboration.The BSR Mental Health project platform outlines a modern healthcare system for the region, helping public authorities integrate non-clinical cultural, artistic, and physical activities to enhance mental and social well-being for people of all ages.

BSR Mental Health consolidates outcomes from 15 projects: Arts on Prescription, Arts on Prescription in Norway, ArtWellNet: Arts for Health and Well-being Network, KidsLikeUs, MentalHealthMatters, SchoolChanger, BalticSe@nioR, BalticSe@nioR 2.0, Solutions for Age-Friendly Employers (SAFE), ABCs for Mental Health, Icehearts Europe, Operating grant in the field of EU4Health, Economy of Well-being of People, Effectively Prepared in Crisis (EPIC), Roadmap to improve the health and well-being of the ageing population (AgeFLAG).

Four themes guide the platform’s work:

• Mental health at school and at work
• Mental ealth across the life course
• Mental health and physical activity
• Benefits of arts and culture for mental health

This project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027.

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Tackles ageism in workplaces and will provide employers with a general framework for age-friendly practices

Duration: 2024 – ongoing
Geographic area: Estonia, Finland, Sweden
Summary: Across the Baltic Sea Region countries, more and more people are working later in life. Due to their chronological age, older workers however often face ageism in the form of prejudice, discrimination, or neglect. The SAFE cooperation aims to strengthen and improve employment opportunities for employees aged 55+ specifically focusing on the health and wellness sectors.

Developing competence and learning new things throughout the life course strengthens our workability and improves our overall well-being. In the current labour market more discussion and change are needed to build diverse work communities.  In this project, we support the construction of age-friendly work communities without forgetting the different generations.

The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Central Baltic programme 2021-2027.

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Strengthening health-related crisis preparedness and workforce resilience through transnational cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Duration: 2024–2026

Geographical area: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden, with wider engagement across the Nordic-Baltic region and Ukraine.

Summary:

Recent crises have highlighted the importance of resilient healthcare systems, well-prepared organisations and a workforce capable of maintaining essential services under pressure. Strengthening crisis preparedness requires not only effective emergency response structures but also attention to the health, well-being and working conditions of those responsible for responding to crises.

The EPIC project aims to enhance cooperation on health-related emergency preparedness and crisis response across the Nordic-Baltic region, drawing on the expertise and experiences of the NDPHS Partner Countries and Ukraine.

Coordinated by the NDPHS Secretariat, the project brings together public authorities, researchers, occupational safety and health experts and other relevant stakeholders to identify shared challenges, exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for more coordinated approaches to preparedness.

Through a series of workshops and conferences, EPIC facilitates knowledge exchange and discussions on organisational preparedness, workforce resilience, psychosocial risks and the support systems needed to protect workers during emergencies and prolonged crises. It pays particular attention to the role of leadership, working conditions, and cross-sectoral cooperation in sustaining essential societal functions.

Building on these exchanges, the project is developing a framework for continued regional cooperation and exploring potential transnational initiatives to strengthen organisational preparedness and workforce resilience.

The EPIC project is funded by the Swedish Institute.

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Duration: 1 September 2025 – ongoing

Geographical area: Sweden, Poland, Ukraine

Summary:

ArtWell Net brings together professionals from the culture and health sectors to create a shared space for learning, exchange, and collaboration. By connecting artists, cultural actors, health practitioners, and policymakers, the initiative aims to build a vibrant network that strengthens understanding, fosters innovation, and supports capacity building across both fields.

Through dialogue, joint training, and knowledge sharing, the project encourages new ways of thinking about how cultural participation can promote mental health, social connection, and community resilience. Together, we’re building bridges between culture and health to create healthier, more inclusive societies.

ArtWell Net is funded by the Swedish Institute.

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Duration: March 2025 – ongoing

Geographical area: Latvia, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Estonia

Summary: 

Teenagers’ mental health is a significant social challenge in the European Union. Reports indicates that around 20% of EU teenagers face mental health challenges that not only affect their personal lives but also have profound implications on their educational outcomes. The challenge we aim to face is complex and concerns the whole Baltic Sea Region going far beyond the borders of a single country. The school environment plays a crucial role in shaping student well-being, with various factors influencing their overall mental health. Schools are not only places for learning, here students spend most of their time: they learn, but also play, make friends, communicate, and regenerate. Our preliminary research conducted among students aged 15-19 revealed a striking gap in youth engagement in decisions related to school environments and a common thought: students feel unnoticed in decisions that directly impact their daily lives and mental well-being. Additionally, only 2 persons out of 184 we asked replied that school is a good place to recharge their mental energy.

The idea of the SchoolChanger project is to develop a model of cooperation between teachers, school management, and the students in which, with the involvement of design studios and professionals in the field of design, furniture, welfare technology, and medicine, they could redesign places at school to support their well-being. By involving students in the decision-making process, we aim to cultivate a culture of engagement from an early age, setting the stage for them to become proactive members of their communities.

The SchoolChanger model will give teenagers a voice and will develop useful skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, and self-care. The ministries, municipalities and the management of schools will receive knowledge about the needs of the young population with a paramount focus on their well-being. That will allow them to develop guidelines on how to focus more on well-being in the public environment where teenagers spend their time. The professionals will have an opportunity to directly cooperate with students and young professionals thus they will be able to observe their future clients and identify new valuable employees.

This project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027.

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Duration: August 2024 – ongoing

Geographical area: Norway, Sweden, Estonia

Summary: 

People experiencing mental health problems are growing on a global scale. The health sector is struggling to address this growing need for psychosocial support therefore working interdisciplinary across sectors and with stakeholder at micro levels is vital to tackle this issue.

Arts on Prescription (AoP) is a community-based approach of improving the mental health and wellbeing of people by connecting them to artistic and cultural activities in group settings. This initiative has shown promising results in Denmark, Finland, Latvia, and Poland through the Interreg BSR project “Arts on Prescription in the Baltic sea Region“. The project has developed a concept for implementing AoP-activities on a municipal level that is adaptable to different local circumstances and resources and aligns well with the focus on mental health of The Norwegian National Strategy for Reducing Social Health Inequalities.

The “Arts on Prescription in Norway” project will explore how to develop, adapt and integrate the concept in the Norwegian healthcare system. The first step will be to identify relevant stakeholders who will learn from the experience of Interreg AoP project partners as well as Region Skåne in Sweden, who has a decade long experience from and research on AoP.

In addition, the plan is to invite actors from Estonia, Lithuania, Iceland and Greenland – countries that have not yet tested “Arts on Prescription” approach.

During the first project year (2024–2025), Norway established close cooperation with the Interreg AoP project and Region Skåne, benefitting from their long-standing experience. A national workshop gathered 40 participants from health, culture, research and policy sectors to analyse the suitability of AoP for Norwegian municipalities. Four municipalities – Bærum, Bergen, Sarpsborg and Verdal – anchored the concept locally and will commit to pilot AoP. The project also succeeded in engaging stakeholders from Estonia, Lithuania, Iceland and Greenland, who participated in exchange activities and expressed interest in exploring AoP in their own contexts.

The second year (2025–2026) shifts from preparation to practical implementation. The four Norwegian municipalities will launch pilot projects, targeting groups experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges, social isolation or school dropout. Regular knowledge-sharing meetings will support the pilot municipalities and keep Scandinavian and Baltic partners connected. A knowledge-transfer workshop will be facilitated for Estonian stakeholders to prepare for future AoP pilots. Insights and evaluation results from the Norwegian pilots will contribute to a growing international evidence base on arts, health and wellbeing.

The project is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services.

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Duration: 2023 – 2024

Geographical area: Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Sweden

Economy of Wellbeing of People is the first step for a flagship platform for collaboration between stakeholders in the region to tackle Health, Education and Working life challenges in the Baltic Sea Region. The platform advocates for an inclusive growth and well-being agenda in all policies.

The project has 4 phases:

1. Developing a methodology and model for stakeholder mapping and analysis, as well as for the best process of transnational, multi-level cross-sectoral collaboration.
2. Identifying relevant stakeholders across EUSBSR countries and beyond.
3. Analyzing stakeholders to assess their potential contributions to the policy-action process, and the added value they will gain from collaborating.
4. Drawing up an application to get further funding to launch the flagship in 2024.

Project coordinators: The NDPHS Secretariat (Policy Area Health) and Association Norden Sweden – Föreningen Norden i Sverige (Policy Area Education)

Project partners: The Public Health Association of Latvia (PHAL), Connected Health Cluster Tallinn Science park Tehnopol Foundation, Riga Planning Region, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Economic Education Institute.

The work of this project continues through a cooperation platform between Policy Area Health and Policy Area Education.

This project was funded by the Swedish Institute.

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The project CommUNITY MOVE empowers communities and municipalities to transform outdoor spaces in rural areas and small towns into vibrant places for movement, play, and social interaction, strengthening well-being and community life.

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The project DEAHL BALTIC equips healthcare professionals and organisations with digital health literacy skills to ensure equal access to e-health services and improve healthcare delivery for people.

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The project HybReDe helps health professionals test and adopt AI-powered Virtual Assistants in rehabilitation to make public healthcare more efficient and accessible for patients.

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The project NextCare brings together hospitals, local authorities, patient organisations across the Baltic Sea region to help rural healthcare systems safely implement AI-supported home care solutions, improving access to healthcare, patient wellbeing and the resilience of health services.

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The project Quality School Lunch brings together schools, municipalities and food providers across Finland, Lithuania and Poland to create more inclusive and healthy school food environments that help all children, including those with special needs, enjoy balanced meals and participate equally in school life.

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In the project Sense BSR, municipalities, cultural, sports and tourism centres work with neurodiverse communities to redesign public recreational spaces, making them more inclusive, welcoming and better suited to the needs of neurodiverse people.

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This project SmartAging empowers care providers and public authorities to enhance the well-being and daily lives of seniors by integrating smart home solutions and tailored training.

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The project CAIDX established cooperation between artificial intelligence (AI) providers and healthcare institutions to help healthcare professionals integrate AI, and thus improve diagnostics and treatment.

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In the project KidsLikeUs, educators, public authorities and NGOs explored how contact with nature and appeal to all senses can improve mental well-being of children with traumatic experiences.

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The project Mobile Hospital developed a mobile application that helps children and their families experience authentic hospital surroundings and better prepare for a hospital visit.

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