Cluster for Applied AI starts collaboration with NORA network

NORA chief praises the cluster initiative:

- The key is to find the specific projects where there is a problem that is interesting to solve

As a national network consisting of seven universities and two research institutions, NORA works to strengthen Norwegian research, education and innovation in artificial intelligence. NORA and the business cluster Cluster for Applied AI have now entered into a collaboration.

By Mari Kristine Buckholm, September 30, 2020

- We help develop joint research projects between partners, says Klas Pettersen, General Manager of NORA (Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium).

This month he attended the AI+ conference, organized by IFE, eSmart Systems, Halden Municipality and Smart Innovation Norway in collaboration with the Cluster for Applied AI, where he was both a speaker and part of the panel discussion on day 1.

• Also read: Top speakers defied time zones to contribute to AI+

- "Initiatives and arenas like this are important because applied artificial intelligence (AI) is an exciting and application-oriented field with great opportunities for collaboration between academia and industry. You have the innovation cycle with incubators, investors and many other pieces that can help each other move forward," says Pettersen.

Connecting actors

Earlier this summer, NORA and the newly formed Cluster for Applied AI signed a cooperation agreement to ensure that the right actors are connected and help each other with research, innovation and application of AI - across sectors.

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- For example, NORA includes several universities, including the University of Tromsø, which is collaborating with the cluster company eSmart Systems in a project where drones and machine learning are used to inspect power lines. "This has raised a number of research questions that are interesting and important both from a basic research perspective and for the company's use," Pettersen points out.

Strong forces with the same goal

The NORA manager appreciates the cluster's initiative for cooperation between the two networks with their respective partner companies from different sectors.

- The Cluster for Applied AI has brought together the strong forces in Norway. We have NORA, which is the broadest network in academic terms. We also have a large network in Trondheim with the Norwegian Open AI Lab at NTNU, which works closely with Telenor and Sintef, among others. In addition, we have DigitalNorway, which aims to accelerate the digitization of Norwegian business and industry," says Pettersen (pictured).

Going forward, the parties will have regular meetings with the aim of finding interesting problems to solve with AI. NORA is contributing highly competent researchers in several fields who wish to participate in industrial collaboration.

- The key is to find the specific projects where there is a problem that is interesting, also from a researcher's perspective at a university, and I think there are many of them," Pettersen concludes.