International Dissemination Package

A distinctive feature of TRIGGER was its strong international dimension. While the project was implemented at the Estonian University of Life Sciences and focused on the European Green Deal (EGD), it also sought to explore the relevance of European environmental policy approaches beyond the European Union and to promote dialogue on sustainability transitions in a global context.

To support this objective, the project developed an international dissemination package based on the teaching and research outputs produced within TRIGGER. The package transformed project materials into flexible educational modules that could be adapted to different academic, professional, and geographical contexts. The materials drew upon both the MSc-level courses developed under the project and the project research programme, allowing participants to engage with practical examples of environmental governance, sustainability assessment, environmental innovation, and policy implementation.

Objectives

The international dissemination package was designed to:

• promote understanding of sustainability transitions and European environmental policy approaches;
• disseminate project teaching and research outputs beyond Estonia;
• contribute to international capacity building on sustainability transitions;
• facilitate dialogue between European and non-European perspectives on environmental governance;
• demonstrate practical applications of European environmental policy instruments, sustainability approaches, and innovation.

Educational Approach

Although the international dissemination package was developed within a project dedicated to the European Green Deal, most sessions did not address the EGD directly as a stand-alone policy topic. Instead, European policy objectives, implementation experiences, and sustainability principles were embedded within sector-specific and issue-oriented discussions, such as ecosystem services, environmental governance, sustainability indicators, coastal management, forest governance, and environmental innovation.

This approach reflected the broader philosophy of TRIGGER. Rather than presenting the European Green Deal as a separate policy framework to be learned in isolation, the teaching activities demonstrated how its principles and objectives are operationalised through practical environmental management challenges and sustainability transitions. The intention was to present European experiences as useful analytical and policy frameworks that could inform local decision-making and stimulate critical reflection, while remaining relevant to the specific environmental, social, and governance contexts of participating countries.
 

Teaching Modules

The international dissemination package consisted of a set of flexible teaching modules developed from TRIGGER teaching and research outputs. Depending on the audience and context, the following topics were delivered:

• Introduction to Sustainability Indicators;
• The Precautionary Principle and Sustainability Transition;
• Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services;
• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning;
• Innovations in Green and Blue Infrastructure Development: Challenges and Solutions for their Transfer;
• Problems and Challenges of Socially Oriented Research in Life Sciences;
• Development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans: The EU Context and Estonian Experience;
• Sustainable Forest Management: Challenges, Vulnerability, Management and Governance in a Post-Normal Context.

Several of these sessions were directly linked to the TRIGGER research output on environmental innovation transfer and served as a dissemination mechanism for the project's peer-reviewed publication.

International Teaching Activities

The package was delivered through teaching engagements at universities and academic events in six countries.

Malaysia

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 17–19 November 2024*

1. Development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans: The EU Context and Estonian Experience
2. Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services
3. Problems and Challenges of Socially Oriented Research in Life Sciences

Mongolia+

Mongolian University of Life Sciences (MULS), Ulaanbaatar, 14–21 October 2024

Sustainable Forest Management: Challenges, Vulnerability, Management and Governance in a Post-Normal Context

Brazil

Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, 24–28 March 2025

• Introduction to Sustainability Indicators
• Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services
• The Precautionary Principle and Sustainability Transition

India

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K), 28 April – 1 May 2025*

• Introduction to Sustainability Indicators
• Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services
• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning
• The Precautionary Principle and Sustainability Transition

Pondicherry University, 20–23 January 2026

• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning
• Problems and Challenges of Socially Oriented Research in Life Sciences
• Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), School of Environmental Sciences, 20 January 2026*

• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning

Argentina

Universidad Nacional de San Martín, 19–22 August 2025*

• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning
• Introduction to Sustainability Indicators
• Advocacy Coalitions, Conservation Conflicts and Ecosystem Services
• The Precautionary Principle and Sustainability Transition
• Innovations in Green and Blue Infrastructure Development: Challenges and Solutions for their Transfer

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment (HCMCUNRE), 15 March 2026*

• Introduction to Sustainability Indicators
• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning
• Innovations in Green and Blue Infrastructure Development: Challenges and Solutions for their Transfer

Can Tho University, 18–19 March 2026

• Urban Ecosystem Disservices for Inclusive Planning
• Innovations in Green and Blue Infrastructure Development: Challenges and Solutions for their Transfer

Connection to TRIGGER Research

A particular focus of the international dissemination package was the transfer of environmental innovation. The lecture *Innovations in Green and Blue Infrastructure Development: Challenges and Solutions for their Transfer* was developed directly from the TRIGGER research programme and disseminated the results later published in:

Shkaruba, A., Sepp, K., Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., Külm, S., Veromann, E., Kriipsalu, M., Mardiste, P., Suškevičs, M. (2026). *Transferring and scaling innovation in urban green-blue infrastructure: beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and preconceptions*. Sustainable Futures, 11, 101619.**
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101619link opens in new page

Through these activities, the project contributed to international discussions on environmental governance, sustainability transitions, and the practical implementation of environmental innovations in diverse socio-ecological contexts.

Presentation Materials

The presentation materials used within the international dissemination package are available through the TRIGGER curriculum repository and project resources:

**Project Website:**
https://trigger.emu.eelink opens in new page

**Learning Platform:**
https://trigger.emu.ee/learninglink opens in new page

**Presentation Materials:**
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18EPQiFo2asiKDulnd7DXYOvRL55ku62ylink opens in new page

Lasting Legacy

The international dissemination package continues to provide a resource for future teaching and capacity-building activities. The materials developed under TRIGGER can be adapted to different educational contexts and are currently used in academic teaching, professional training, microcredentials, and international cooperation initiatives.

In this way, the project has contributed not only to understanding European approaches to sustainability transitions, but also to sharing practical experiences and analytical tools relevant to environmental governance and sustainable development in a wider international context.