The climate crisis and the world's need to take it seriously represents a huge business opportunity in an area where Norway has considerable expertise, namely climate-friendly energy technologies.

Through the report "The renewable industry exports: A commitment to increased exports towards 2030", the industry cluster NCE Smart Energy Markets, together with several others, wants to tell the authorities that the renewables industry represents a huge export potential. In total, we are talking about NOK 200 billion.

• Read also: Renewable energy industry can increase exports by over NOK 200 billion

- We're not talking about exporting renewable energy, i.e. electricity, per se. It's about expertise and technology. The report presents Norway's export opportunities in renewable energy and identifies five competitive advantages," says Inge Bilet, cluster manager for NCE Smart Energy Markets.

The competitive advantages are defined as follows:

1. Development, operations and ownership
2. Supplier industry for power generation (offshore wind, solar power)
3. Hydrogen
4. Smart solutions in the power system
5. Energy infrastructure for vessels and vehicles

Smart solutions

NCE Smart Energy Markets has been invited to participate in the work on the report because the cluster represents a key competence and innovation environment. Together with ElBits, Norwep, Aneo, NHO, Å Energi, Heimdall Power, Energi21, Abelia, Statkraft and Eviny - with Renewable Norway at the forefront - the industry cluster has put into words what is important in the industry, what export opportunities exist and where the expertise is.

The car reveals that it is competitive advantage number 4 (smart solutions in the power system) to which NCE Smart Energy Markets has made a particular contribution.  

• Read also: Fears Norway is missing out on large export sums

- "We have helped to influence the content of the report and highlighted some examples of companies in the cluster that are in the process of building positions abroad in this field," he points out.

The cluster leader mentions Heimdall Power, Wattscout Solutions, eSmart Systems and Smart Energy Systems, which all develop smart solutions in the power system. The aim is to show that Norway has built up important expertise that enables Norwegian companies to gain ground abroad.

Way ahead

- The report also points out that we have a number of prerequisites for being good in this particular area. Firstly, we have a weather-based power system, through hydropower. We have many years of experience with this, and quite a bit longer than many other countries. We have therefore built up leading expertise. We are at the forefront of the digitalization of the power system," Bilet emphasizes.

The smart solutions can be technology, sensors, software or hardware - but they can also be expertise that can be exported.

- "Essentially, we have a lot of available data from the power system. There we have a lot of knowledge and experience that can be exported to Europe and the world," he says.

At the same time, Bilet is clear that there is still a lot to tackle. Among other things, many small grid companies do not cooperate with each other.

- They do not exchange information and are silo-based. The industry itself is now addressing this by establishing a company that will bring together the grid companies to standardize and jointly develop solutions.

Clusters connect public and private actors

Among other things, the report mentions clustering as an important factor for success. The chapter "Success criteria" contains a clear recommendation that the competence communities in the power market must collaborate more closely. This can be achieved through the continuation of the cluster program and industry clusters that facilitate the sharing of expertise.

- We need to break down the silos so that we can grow private companies and collaborate with municipally owned companies. Municipal grid companies focus mainly on their region - not on becoming big in exports. Therefore, utilities should act as test beds for Norwegian technology providers. If the publicly owned companies open up more, run pilots and collaborate with private Norwegian companies, they can together develop solutions that can be exported," the cluster leader points out. He adds:

- The clusters connect the companies together and set up such pilots and collaborative projects between business and industry players. We wanted to include this in the report.

Want the authorities on board

The aim is for the report to influence the authorities and the focus on what constitutes good export opportunities, or industries that export.

- We think it's important that the authorities direct their policy instruments towards this industry, so that the renewables industry not only continues to develop, but also becomes an even bigger export industry," says Bilet.

He hopes that an increased focus on renewable energy exports will benefit the cluster partners by providing public funding for projects, pilots, innovation and development.

- Ultimately, it's about helping to solve the energy crisis. That's important," concludes Inge Bilet.

The industry cluster NCE Smart Energy Markets has been invited to participate in a working group under Kraftløftet, which will help to solve the challenges related to the power situation in Norway. This collaboration will be of great benefit to the member companies in the cluster.

Together, LO, NHO and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy have launched Kraftløftet - a forward-looking tripartite collaboration to ensure increased access to power more quickly.

In Norway, we have a long tradition of using tripartite cooperation to get through demanding issues. The power situation is one such demanding issue.

- One of Norway's main competitive advantages is that we have a well-functioning tripartite collaboration. History has clearly shown us that we find good solutions by using tripartite cooperation, and now we are also using it to once again achieve another of our competitive advantages: Abundant access to clean and affordable power. More renewable power, more grid and more energy-efficient use of our power is the solution," said Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland in connection with the launch of the Power Promise before the summer.

The urgency

The working committee of Kraftløftet, which consists of representatives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE), the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), aims to collaborate on measures, mobilization and new initiatives to ensure sufficient access to renewable energy at competitive prices for businesses and consumers in Norway by 2030.

• Read also: How the tripartite cooperation will ensure increased access to power faster

The background to the collaboration is the prospect that Norway could face a deficit in the national power balance as early as 3-4 years from now, if measures are not taken to increase access to renewable power and the grid in the country, and to use power more efficiently. The mandate for the collaboration is now clear, and the working committee has been established. The main purpose of Kraftløftet is to ensure rapid implementation of measures, mobilization of projects and good operational follow-up of demanding issues.

Enablers and problem solvers

As part of the work, LO and NHO will prepare a strategy that shows year by year how business and industry can be mobilized and enabled to rapidly develop more renewable power and grids. The strategy will also recommend measures to realize energy efficiency in households, commercial buildings, industry and the rest of the economy.

This is where the industry cluster NCE Smart Energy Markets has been invited to contribute. Because: The cluster members represent the enablers and problem solvers in the Power Promise.

- "We look forward to participating in the working group and helping to find solutions that ensure sufficient power supply for businesses and consumers in Norway. Through this collaboration, the cluster's member companies will have an opportunity to influence the development of the energy area and realize the potential for energy efficiency in the country," comments Inge Michael Bilet, cluster leader for NCE Smart Energy Markets.

The current close ties between the UK and Norway in many areas provide a basis for further cooperation, and Smart Innovation Norway's networks and areas of expertise are both interesting and relevant.

This was the conclusion of UK Trade Commissioner Chris Barton after visiting Smart Innovation Norway at Remmen.

He was in Norway to get to know and learn from companies, partners and projects that the British Embassy in Oslo works closely with and that are engaged in technology and innovation of interest to the UK.

Smart Innovation Norway, eSmart Systems, Batteriretur, Paxster and NORA (Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium) were among those visited by the Trade Commissioner and the Embassy's traveling party.

- Great potential for increased cooperation

- The work being done at Smart Innovation Norway is interesting to us in many different ways," said Barton.

The UK is among the world's leaders in innovation, tech and artificial intelligence (AI), but is looking for further growth to further contribute to the development of society both commercially and in terms of services in health, education and energy.

- What specific cooperation opportunities do you see between the UK and Smart Innovation Norway?

- Both parties are leading the way in reducing the carbon footprint, where artificial intelligence, technology and smart solutions are incredibly important. I am happy to say that we are already working together in these areas, but there is still a lot of potential," Barton said.

The Trade Commissioner also pointed to artificial intelligence as a hugely important factor in health.

- Artificial intelligence has great potential to increase the quality and reliability of healthcare services and make a difference from a preventive perspective," he said.

Decommissioning, CI and energy

The UK and Norway have for many years already had a good and broad cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, politics and society. One field that is new to Smart Innovation Norway is decommissioning.

- "We launched our DECOM cluster in April last year, and several of our cluster members and stakeholders are already collaborating with UK companies on decommissioning. This can clearly be expanded," says CEO Kjell Reidar Mydske.

Many of the companies in Smart Innovation Norway's incubator and three business clusters want to focus more on exports, and in this respect it is a positive signal that the UK Trade Commissioner for Europe is coming to Norway and prioritizing getting to know the Halden environment better.

In addition to Smart Innovation Norway, the Halden community consists of the Institute for Energy Technology, Østfold University College, eSmart Systems and Halden Municipality.

- It shows that we are a leading player in our fields, and it is especially our expertise in artificial intelligence that makes us noticed internationally," says Mydske.

He used the visit to encourage the Trade Commissioner and the Embassy to participate in Smart Innovation Norway's arenas with the aim of increasing cooperation.

- And then we hope to take some companies on a study visit to the UK to look at the opportunities for export and learning. That would be very exciting," says Kjell Reidar Mydske.

• READ ALSO: Role of AI and IoT in a Renewable-Powered Future

- Much of the development is happening in the UK

Norway has several advantages when it comes to using artificial intelligence. Among other things, we have recognized research, innovation and education environments, a high degree of digitization in the public sector, and a large and good data base, which is a prerequisite for artificial intelligence.

NORA (Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium) is a gateway for international actors to these factors, and the UK is a priority partner for NORA.

- "A lot of the development in artificial intelligence is happening in the UK. They also have a lot of exciting companies that use artificial intelligence in many different areas," says Klas Pettersen, CEO.

He is keen to strengthen existing ties with the British, and an important partner is The Alan Touring Institute, a British organization similar to NORA.

- In December we are organizing a conference together, and we want to strengthen our ongoing student exchange. It is also important for us to establish new research collaborations and look at how we can use research results in industry for the benefit of societal development, business and industry," says Pettersen.

Through the DREAMS project, Smart Innovation Norway maintains and enhances the Norwegian Indian collaboration within the energy sector. The 3-year-lasting project will use emerging technologies to showcase the potential of intelligent load management.

For several years already, Smart Innovation Norway has been collaborating with Indian businesses. In 2019, during the India visit of H.E. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, the non-profit research institution Smart Innovation Norway was introduced to three power distribution companies, which are among the project partners in DREAMS (Demand Response driven Energy Advancements and Moderation of Services).  

Showcasing Demand Response

Since then, Norwegian and Indian companies have been involved with each other on multiple project plans leading to an excellent understanding within Smart Innovation Norway of the needs and challenges of these companies.  

The DREAMS project aims to leverage emerging digital technologies and behavioral sciences to showcase the potential of intelligent and automated load management. That means Demand Response (D.R.) for enhancing energy access and affordability, clean energy penetration, and energy efficiency for consumers and energy utilities. 

Six Indian Partners

From November 2022 until late autumn 2025, Smart Innovation Norway will be working together with the six following Indian partners: 

• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) 

• CESC Limited - public utility 
• BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) - public utility 
• Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) 
• BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) - public utility  
• Noida Power Company Limited - public utility 

State advisors

The utility companies' partners in the project are public sector companies that work closely with the state and central governments.   

In addition, IIM-A and RICH are institutions that advise the state and central government on issues related to the power sector. BRPL, BYPL and Noida Power are members of the Northern Region Power Committee (a governmental forum for all grid companies in northern India) and have a strong voice in regulatory development stages. 

400 voluntary consumers

As part of DREAMS, the partners also intend to develop an advisory and monitoring group where they would like to invite representation from federal regulators and the Ministry of Power, aiming to engage them from project initiation. 

Among the implementation activities are these: 

• Through scientifically designed and well-thought-through awareness campaigns and onboarding programs, they will sign 400 voluntary consumers across different segments such as residential (including marginalized populations), agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors.  
• Correct use cases of demand response will be designed and demonstrated.  

• Through IoT connectivity and smart devices, the real-time consumption data of consenting consumers will be captured and processed using data science and artificial intelligence tools to offer actionable "real-time consumption insights" to consumers. 

- An incredibly educational day that has given me an exciting and inspiring insight into the activities at Smart Innovation Norway and the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE)!

This is how Mari Sundli Tveit, Director of the Research Council of Norway, summarized her visit to Halden at the end of January.

Through presentations by the two research institutions, Sundli Tveit and Kristin Danielsen, Acting Director of the Research System and Internationalization, got a good overview of the work being done and the goals that have been set.

- We work with this on a daily basis, and it is incredibly important to hear directly from the professional communities and understand the challenges from their perspective," says the Director.

- Enabling innovation

The day in Halden offered good discussions and important input, and Sundli Tveit is clear that the visit will have an impact on the further work of the Research Council.

 - We exist to enable innovation in institutions like Smart Innovation Norway and IFE, and days like this are important for that part of our job.

The Director was impressed by how the institutions are linking disciplines and making things happen.

- You understand and interact in all the intersections, whether it is artificial intelligence, robotics, nuclear operations, simulation or other areas you work with. The transferability is great, and you get new technology into actual application," she boasts.

Highly confident in the work

With increased insight into the national and international importance of the research work in Halden, Sundli Tveit looks forward to helping to facilitate increased momentum and progress.

- I look forward to following you in the future and I have great faith in the work you are doing," she says.

Integrated value chain

Smart Innovation Norway's Director of Research, Dieter Hirdes, is pleased to have achieved the goal of highlighting how they link research with business in industrial clusters in a holistic value chain from applied research to private and public value creation.

- IFE has been internationally known since its inception in 1958, but there is a lot going on at IFE, especially in digital systems and related labs. It is not as well known that Smart Innovation Norway is at the very top in Norway in EU research with a focus on applied research and value creation in society and business. We are very pleased that the management of the Research Council managed to prioritize a whole day to inform themselves about the research environments in Halden, he says.

Brita Staal and Manuela Freté triple the national and international experience and expertise in sustainability work when they join Mikael af Ekenstam in Nordland.

- "With Manuela and Brita on board, we have a dream team up here. I am incredibly pleased to have them on the team," says Mikael af Ekenstam, Senior Advisor at Smart Innovation Norway.

He is a Swedish immigrant to Narvik and has been working in Smart Innovation Norway since 2019. Manuela is French and originally from Romania, but considers herself European since she has studied, worked and lived in many different EU countries, while Brita is Norwegian with many years of experience from sustainability work in Sweden and Denmark.

What all three have in common is that they are passionate about and experts in sustainability and climate. They see the enormous potential of Smart Innovation Norway to bring the EU and Norway closer together through green transition projects, and they want to contribute to the major societal changes that will come in the future.

With Smart Innovation Norway as their employer, they believe they are best placed to do just that.

From Paris to Harstad

With her diverse background, Manuela Freté brings with her six years of experience as project manager for sustainability in the Paris office of the global firm Deloitte. She led the process of establishing and anchoring the then newly created department, during which time the number of staff increased from 30 to 120 people.

- It was fun and educational to be part of that journey. The department still exists today and is here to stay," she says.

Another task at Deloitte was to lead a working group on an EU project. That experience came in handy after Freté and her family moved to Harstad in 2019 when her husband was hired as project manager for the Arctic Race of Norway cycling race, the EU experience came in handy.

- I got a job in Harstad municipality, where one of my responsibilities was the municipality's only EU project so far. I also worked in the innovation department of the power company Nordkraft, including start-up projects in the energy sector. One of the things we did was to develop mobile charging stations for electric cars in the region, develop mobile battery solutions for other sectors and mobile charging solutions for the electric vehicles for the Arctic Race of Norway," says the 34-year-old.

Outside work, Freté has established Link Harstad, a network that creates meeting places for young workers in the region.

Working in Europe

For Brita Staal, it is a great motivating factor to work in a company where the work you do leads to concrete results and creates innovation in societal processes. She has been following Smart Innovation Norway for some time and has been impressed by the company's business model, which combines research, innovation, incubation and municipalities in real projects.

- It gives me the willies to think about what's going to happen in the energy markets in Norway. Firstly, we have to go through an enormous efficiency drive. Secondly, the goal is to double energy production in Norway. If we are to export mainland production and build the green industrial adventure that we hope for, there is an awfully big job ahead of us. And it's very exciting to be part of an environment that has expertise in this area," she points out.

For the last four years, Staal has only worked on international projects. Even though his place of work is Kabelvåg in Nordland, his field of work is European, and climate is his major field of interest both professionally and personally.

It is therefore fitting that the employer is the actor in Norway with the most EU projects in the field of green energy, and that works specifically on the topic in community development projects.

- The European Commission aims to decarbonize Europe and they are starting with all types of buildings. They want to free themselves from dependency on Russian gas, and I think it's really exciting to see how innovative and strong the EU is in this situation. Moreover, the war in Ukraine shows that this is not just an energy issue," says Staal.

- Great potential

Mikael af Ekenstam is well acquainted with several conditions in Northern Norway, having been Smart Innovation Norway's link to the Smart Narvik agreement since 2019. The region has both similar and completely different types of energy challenges than Southern Norway, and the competence enhancement and exchange in the company will increase in accordance with the potential that the two new hires represent.

• READ ALSO: Three new years of Smart Narvik: More innovation, more EU projects and increased resources

Together with Staal and Freté, he has a huge network and unique experience and expertise. Ekenstam is now looking forward to implementing "his" part of the company's growth strategy.

- A lot is happening up here, especially in industrial development and the green shift, and the east-west axis from Narvik and Lofoten and into Sweden is very interesting. Smart Innovation Norway can play a major role here with our expertise in energy," he says.

The number of EU projects will also increase. Smart Innovation Norway has contacts throughout Europe, and these will now be linked to a greater extent with North Norwegian pilots and partners. Knowledge about writing applications and implementing projects is one of the Halden-based research company's areas of expertise.

- There are several obvious opportunities here in the north that we look forward to exploring and realizing," says Mikael af Ekenstam.

Mikael af Ekenstam and Manuela Freté are employed in Smart Cities and Communities, which is part of the Smart Innovation Communities business area. Brita Staal is Climate Lead and employed partly in Communities and partly in Social Innovation, which is part of Smart Innovation Research. Bernt Bremdal is also employed in Smart Innovation Research and is part of the North Norwegian department since he works at the University of Tromsø's Narvik campus.

The work to make Narvik smarter and more efficient continues. This is clear after Narvik Municipality, Narvik Port and Smart Innovation Norway signed a new three-year agreement for the Smart Narvik development project.

- "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to continue to contribute to the development here in the north. Now we will tailor our efforts even more and use a larger part of the total competence in Smart Innovation Norway in our work, says Mikael af Ekenstam.

In short, it means more innovation, more resources and more EU projects. So far, one of the results of Smart Narvik 's work has been the success of the municipality's AURORAL tourism project in the EU's Horizon 2020 programme. The win enabled the municipality to create a new position and hire a project manager.

Also read:

• Digitization project to document the number of visitors in Tore Hund's kingdom
• EU project can contribute to the prevention of wear and tear on popular hiking trails in Nordland
• Smart Narvik is in the process of testing a digital tourism project

For the Port of Narvik, Smart Narvik has, among other things, helped speed up the process of establishing shore power.

- Within Smart Narvik, a pre-project was created that led to an investment project. And just two weeks before Christmas, the news came that Enova is supporting the project with NOK 10.7 million. The goal is to have shore power during 2024, says Ekenstam.

He has been employed at Smart Innovation Norway's Narvik office since the first Smart Narvik agreement was signed in 2019.

At that time, the municipality, the Port of Narvik and the power company Nordkraft were partners. Now the municipality and the port are continuing their collaboration with the research and innovation company Smart Innovation Norway.

A greener port

Narvik Port Director Børge Edvardsen Klingan is pleased to have a professional partner in smart cities, sustainability and the green shift on board.

When the agreement with Smart Innovation Norway was to be reassessed after the first three-year period, he was clear that the port needed expertise and networks in these areas for the next three years as well.

- The foundation of the agreement is that we all have to take responsibility for the sustainability goals that have been set and the green shift that is underway. The Port of Narvik relates to many of the polluters and has a role in that regard. We must take that position and acknowledge that we can make a difference," he says.

Narvik is where rail, road and sea meet and is the most important hub in Northern Norway. Putting in place the shore power facility with funding from Enova will be one of the major tasks in the Smart Narvik collaboration. So is the energy hub project to meet the new energy needs of the other carriers to and from the port.

- In the first three-year period, a large number of preliminary projects and studies have been carried out, and important investigations have been made. We have built knowledge and mapped out what we need to work on next,' says Klingan.

Havna is also one of two municipal companies behind the development of a brand new city district. Here, too, circular economy and sustainability are key elements.

- Great opportunities in Narvik

Narvik Municipality is the third partner in Smart Narvik, and Deputy Mayor Lars Norman Andersen has been closely involved in the process of the new agreement.

He is excited about what the collaboration will achieve in the next three-year period.

- Narvik municipality faces great opportunities in the green shift. At the same time, we have an enormous need for restructuring in municipal service production. We want to continue the work of identifying new solutions for the municipality as an organisation and for the local community," he says.

The aim is to improve the efficiency of municipal service production and produce better services for the population.

These are among the elements that are important for creating the residential atmosphere and attractiveness that is important for both new and old residents.

- Through the work in Smart Narvik, we want to continue the work of continuously developing Narvik to be a place where people want to live, work and live. These factors mean that we have chosen to continue our cooperation with Smart Innovation Norway," says Lars Norman Andersen.

Contact us:

Mikael af Ekenstam
E-mail: mikael.af.ekenstam@smartinnovationnorway.com
Phone:+47 906 300 82

For the second time in three years, the energy cluster of Smart Innovation Norway has been certified at the highest national level. After a full-day audit by the European Cluster Analysis Secretariat, NCE Smart Energy Markets received the gold stamp.

- "The award is proof that we work with high intensity and quality in our work. We are proud of that," says recently appointed cluster leader Inge Michael Bilet.

Not many days ago, the cluster team received the news that the Norwegian Centre of Expertise Smart Energy Markets (NCE Smart Energy Markets) cluster made it through the narrowest eye of the needle to the auditors of the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA).

Of the 38 Norwegian clusters affiliated with Innovation Norway's cluster programme, nine have valid gold certification at the time of writing this article in early December.

Assessed on over 40 points

Gold certification is a prestigious seal of approval, and NCE Smart Energy Markets has undergone an extensive process leading up to ESCA's decision.

- "We have been assessed on over 40 points, including the way we work, our systems, follow-up of partners, cluster activities, marketing, financial management, and the composition of companies in the cluster," says Bilet.

The findings of ESCA staff form the basis for the quality label given to the cluster.

In Norway, there are three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Bronze certification is the simplest and involves a self-assessment by the cluster based on given assessment criteria. Silver certification is done by ESCA representatives and is awarded to those that do not make it to the top.

The very best are awarded the title "Cluster Management Excellence" and receive gold certification.

Careful auditing throughout a whole day

The first Gold Label was awarded to NCE Smart Energy Markets already in 2019. Therefore, the team knew in advance that the cluster is of high quality.

• Read about the 2019 certification: NCE Smart Energy Markets recognised as GOLD cluster

Nevertheless, it was natural to request a new audit and recertify the cluster when the opportunity arose, precisely to document the level and get guidance for further improvements.

The audit was carried out during a full working day during which one national and one international expert visited the cluster's offices in Halden and interviewed key people, reviewed procedures and documentation and carried out other investigations to get as good an overview as possible of how the cluster operates.

The experts then carried out their assessments and analysis before reaching their conclusions.

The preparation and implementation of the audit has been a team effort and good cooperation between Victoria Næss Jensen, Eli Haugerud and Inge Michael Bilet.

Operating at the highest level in Norway

There have been some organisational and operational changes since certification in 2019. The most important change has been that the cluster was categorised as a "mature cluster" after having been through the ten-year cluster programme of Innovation Norway.  

A mature cluster must be able to stand financially on its own feet, and operating support from Innovation Norway will cease. This means, among other things, that in recent years the cluster has only received project support.

Eli Haugerud has been the cluster leader for the past two years, and in late autumn 2022, Inge Michael Bilet took over the role as cluster leader of the NCE Smart Energy Markets energy cluster.

- "We wanted this audit to ensure that we are running the cluster in the best possible way and at the highest level in Norway. We do, and we are proud of that," says Inge Michael Bilet.

Every year, the Cluster for Applied AI and NCE Smart Energy Markets award the Cluster Partner of the Year award to a partner company that has distinguished itself in the past year. This year was no exception when the Partner Conference 2022 took place in the Smart Innovation Arena.

The award is handed out as the last entry in a tightly packed programme, and the secrecy surrounding the selection is great. Thus, both the joy and the surprise of the winners will be correspondingly great.

This year's cluster partner is chosen to honor partners who have distinguished themselves in an extra positive way throughout the year. The Cluster for Applied AI and NCE Smart Energy Markets had several good candidates to choose from, while the Cluster for Decommissioning and Repurposing, which was launched in April this year, names its first Cluster Partner of the Year in 2023.

• Also read: The clusters showed off their partners: - The partner conference is the most important highlight of the year

Goalless award winner

The prize was awarded by Head of Communities, Eli Haugerud, who is responsible for the clusters and Smart Cities and Communities. She brought the head of the Cluster for Applied AI, Marianne Jansson Bjerkman, and the head of NCE Smart Energy Markets, Inge Bilet, on stage.

They tried to keep the tension as long as possible before they revealed the winners, and it was a surprised Fred Martin Langøy from Smart Energy Systems AS in Fredrikstad who made his way to the stage to receive the award from Haugerud and Bilet.

The jury had emphasized, among other things, that the partner "is active both in terms of participation in events, but also with good feedback on how the cluster can be a better device for the partners. The company has taken the initiative to establish one of the country's first three battery factories and ensured broad involvement among regional authorities and local businesses. This has helped to position the cluster and lift our expertise into the light".

- It is not often that I am speechless, but I am now, said a happy Langøy.

Experienced partner won

The winner at Cluster for Applied AI has been a cluster member for many years, and the jury's justification states, among other things, that the company "has distinguished itself through its active involvement in cluster development over several years, its strong professional contribution to the cluster in general, and its willingness and ability to both contribute to the common good.

The business has contributed to a number of cluster projects, but has also been able to use the cluster as a strategic platform for its own development.

The partner in question has also been able to be relevant for collaboration with other cluster partners, which we know several of you who are here today have enjoyed."

Finally, the Communities leader together with Bjerkman could congratulate Simula Consulting AS on the victory and ask Anders Aamodt and Elias Myklebust to come up to receive the diploma and flowers.

The partner conference 2022 gathered around 100 people in the Smart Innovation Arena and engaged the gathering throughout the day with a packed program that engaged, challenged, enlightened and socialized the participants.

A lot of good comes out of physical meetings between people. The Partner Conference 2022 is a good example of this, bringing together partners from Smart Innovation Norway's three clusters, Cluster for Applied AI, NCE Smart Energy Markets and Cluster for Decommissioning and Repurposing.

- This created commitment!

A central item on the program was the interaction arena.

Using the world cafe method, the participants were able to unleash both creativity, commitment and knowledge in the form of discussions around defined and very real issues.

The aim of the program post was to create a safe meeting place where everyone could share experiences across fields of knowledge.

- When we use the world cafe as a method, we break up the large groups and make it easier for everyone to be heard. This created real commitment, says an enthusiastic Stian Melhus from Smart Innovation Communities.

He was responsible for organizing and implementing the world cafe and points out that one of the most important things about the interaction arena is that you build relationships by solving problems together.

- This creates conversations that would otherwise not come up, and it opens up the participants to listen and build trust between the partners. Many people exchanged business cards during this part of the programme, which suggests that it was an arena for creating relationships as much as solving problems, says Melhus.

- A fun way to work

A meeting place for venting and discussing challenges has been in demand among municipalities, cluster partners and portfolio companies that Smart Innovation Norway collaborates with. The interaction arena is a measure to meet the need.

During the Partner Conference, the municipalities Marker and Halden and the technology company Ophion from Fredrikstad were able to present their challenges to the participants.

The challenge from Halden municipality concerned mobility opportunities in connection with a large sports arena that is under construction in the city centre. Marker municipality brought an issue around energy to the table, and Ophion wanted input on financing solutions for their pilot project for sensors that detect leaks in water supply networks.

Ronny Andersen from Ophion appreciated all the input that the rest of the conference brought.

- The commitment was great and the ideas many. The suggestions are good, and although there were some approaches that I was initially perhaps a bit skeptical about, I became convinced during the world cafe that they are interesting nonetheless. This was very helpful, he said and continued:

- This has given us some very good contacts that it will be exciting to talk to in the near future.

 Pål Warset works on a daily basis as a sales manager at the water data company Intoto. He was at the world cafe as a participant and worked on the challenge for Halden municipality.

- It was very interesting with so many different people working on the same task and across national borders. A very fun way to work, he concluded afterwards.

Watch video from the conference:

Content-rich conference

The total of around 100 people who participated digitally and physically had a rich day with three interesting lectures.

NRK's Jan Fredrik Beck-Bjørntvedt gave a terrific presentation based on the collaboration NRK had with former paddler Eirik Verås Larsen on how to win Olympic gold. Beck-Bjørntvedt explained how the theory of becoming the best in the world can be transferred to business and social life.

CEO of Nord Pool, Tom Darell, traveled to Halden to give the conference participants the latest news from the power market and the electricity price situation.

Fred Martin Langøy from the cluster partner Smart Energy Systems AS and the battery company Hreinn talked about exciting plans for what will be one of Norway's first battery factories.

In addition, the day offered presentations by various cluster partners, a summary of the year for Smart Innovation Norway's three clusters, information about Smart Innovation's expertise broker and EU network, good social breaks, lunch, a panel discussion and the selection of the cluster partners of the year 2022.

The award ceremony was the last item on the agenda. The secrecy surrounding the selection is great, and the joy and surprise of the winners is correspondingly great.

This year's winner in the Cluster for Applied AI was Simula Consulting AS, while Smart Energy Systems AS went top with NCE Smart Energy Markets.

• Read more: The cluster partners of the year 2022 have been chosen!

- A fantastic arena

The aim of the Partner Conference is to create a meeting place for the cluster partners of CAAI, NCE SEM and the DECOM cluster. But a content-rich program does not come by itself, and preparations for the Partner Conference take a long time.

- This day is the most important highlight of the year where we focus on those who build this environment that we are so happy and proud of, points out Head of Smart Innovation Communities, Eli Haugerud, and emphasizes that she has a large group with her both on stage and behind the scenes.

The repeated good turnout for the conference shows that the cluster partners appreciate a whole day of useful lectures and presentations, and valuable socialising.

The data center company Storespeed from Halden has been a member of the NCE SEM cluster since 2017, and founder and managing director John Ragnar Amundsen is one of those who prioritizes being part of the Partner conference.

- I participate to become better known. Just by being present here, we have managed to make very valuable and good contacts with other partner companies, and that gives a synergy that we think is very exciting, he says.

Amundsen has made active use of the cluster network in many ways, which has contributed to Storespeed delivering several major results.

- The cluster is a fantastic arena for being able to collaborate with companies that are interested in what we do. It's a fantastic environment to be in, he says.

- Meets relevant companies and people

Another partner is the consulting company Amesto NextBridge. There, Vincent Aardalsbakke is head of AI and new technologies, and he sees great value in cluster membership on behalf of his employer and himself.

- We want to be present where relevant people and companies are. It was therefore natural for us to become a member of the Cluster for Applied AI because here there are many people who want the same thing and help each other to achieve their goals. A large part of my job is to be out and about and take in needs and trends in order to be able to convert them into skills and plans for employees, and in that way the Partner Conference is fantastic. There are many businesses here and many different elements. It allows you to introduce yourself and make new acquaintances, and this is much of the point of cluster business as I see it, he says.

The state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) is tasked with decommissioning the country's nuclear facilities and storing radioactive waste in a safe manner. NND is one of the founders of the DECOM cluster and sees the cluster work as a central part of the work to build up a knowledge network around decommissioning.

- If we get partners who work together with us and take part in the knowledge and expertise we build up, we can create new and green industries with export opportunities abroad. We cannot do it ourselves as we are a government agency, but we want to help establish a network that can create more than the green lawn that we deliver from us when we are done with decommissioning. We create that network through the DECOM cluster, says sector director of communications, Martin Andreasson, in NND.