Co‐Creating the Predefined: Participation and Epistemic Tensions in EU Coastal Research

EU research and innovation frameworks increasingly promote co-creation while simultaneously requiring projects to deliver predefined policy objectives and solutions. This article examines the tensions arising between these ambitions, using nature-based solutions as an empirical lens. Drawing on six transition coastal labs in the Horizon Europe project EmpowerUs and Aristotle’s distinction between episteme, techne, and phronesis, we examine how universal scientific knowledge, institutional requirements, and contextual forms of knowledge/experiences interact in co-creation processes. The findings show that scientific criteria, funding structures, timelines, and evaluation requirements can constrain the extent to which local priorities are addressed. The tension is therefore not inherent to nature-based solutions but reflects a broader governance dilemma: Projects promise ambitious co-creation while operating within institutionally predefined solution spaces. Through a blue justice lens, we show that these conditions have implications for recognitional, procedural, and distributional justice. We argue for greater transparency about the boundary of co-creation and better alignment between participatory ambitions and institutional conditions.