Cluster partner Microsoft teams up with the company behind this year's 'talking point'

- When a new technology has suddenly become a topic of conversation around the dinner table in a thousand homes, you get chills when you're in the middle of it yourself

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. The technology is so impressive that many experts are alarmed - but Microsoft's Norwegian team is optimistic.

The famous language assistant is developed by the company OpenAI, with strong support from the giant Microsoft. In January this year, Microsoft announced that through its third billion-dollar investment in OpenAI, it plans to introduce the technology behind ChatGPT across its consumer and enterprise products and introduce new categories of digital experiences.

- "We renewed this partnership because we have a shared ambition to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence, and to do this in a responsible way that democratizes artificial intelligence as a new technology platform," comments Jon Jahren, Director Azure Cloud & AI at Microsoft Norway. The company is a member of the Cluster for Applied AI.

Jon Jahren is Director of Azure Cloud & AI in Microsoft Norway. PHOTO: Private

In the long term, OpenAI's artificial intelligence can be built into several of Microsoft's products, such as Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. In addition, Microsoft is in the process of implementing ChatGPT in its search engine Bing, which could seriously challenge Google's position in this area.

Like communicating with a human being

In simple terms, ChatGPT is a language model that makes you feel like you are communicating with a human, not a machine. Jahren believes it has become a "talking point" among both experts and the general public precisely because no other artificial intelligence (AI) model has so far been as good as ChatGPT at understanding and generating text.

- ChatGPT has proven to be a great way to demonstrate the usefulness of such language models to a wide audience. Here, new user groups can immediately increase productivity, acquire new knowledge, or express their creativity," he points out.

On Tuesday, March 14, the latest version of the language model was launched, called GPT-4. This is the most powerful model to date and can solve more difficult tasks with better precision than its predecessor, GPT-3. In addition, GPT-4 produces more user-friendly answers.

Experts call for a pause in development

The performance of the latest version of ChatGPT is simply so impressive that more than 500 of the most influential technology experts in the world have signed a letter of concern to OpenAI and its peers asking them to pause the development of the AI technology until adequate security measures are in place. In this regard, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has confirmed that they have not yet started training GPT-5.

Jon Jahren believes the world has only seen a taste of what is to come through ChatGPT. That's why Microsoft is also concerned that developments in artificial intelligence take place in a responsible way.

- Our strategy in this area has not come overnight. There have been decades of research from Microsoft and across the industry. We believe AI has the potential to solve some of humanity's biggest problems, helping people become more creative and more productive," says Jahren.

He adds:

- We should move forward with hope for innovation and optimism, while holding ourselves accountable to do so in a safe way for all those affected by this.

Artificial intelligence in the future

Although development has been very rapid in recent years and language models such as ChatGPT both amaze and frighten, Microsoft's Norwegian cloud director sees no reason to demonize the situation.

During the AI+ 2023 conference in early May, Jon Jahren (second from left) was a speaker and panelist. PHOTO: Stein Johnsen

- Artificial intelligence has the potential to dramatically improve how people create, work and communicate. "Since Microsoft's founding vision is to help people solve real-world challenges and achieve more, it's only natural that AI will be an important technology for us," he emphasizes.

Jahren admits that both he and his colleagues were taken aback by the breadth of ChatGPT's reach and the engagement the technology has generated.

- When a new technology has suddenly become a topic of conversation around the dinner table in a thousand homes, you get chills when you are in the middle of it yourself. Developments in artificial intelligence have been fairly steady for decades, but we expect a "boost" both in adoption by existing customers and in startup environments like the one Smart Innovation Norway represents. A lot will happen here in the years to come!

See what Jon Jahren had to say about developments in artificial intelligence when he visited AI+ 2023:

We are happy to welcome Grayn to Cluster for Applied AI!

"It is with great pleasure to announce that Grayn joins the Cluster for Applied AI.
Their user-centric approach for supply chain analysis and transparent sustainability reporting with the help of AI fits perfectly into our community of companies, and we are looking forward to working together."

Tore Lie, Cluster Manager Cluster for Applied AI, Smart Innovation Norway

Let's introduce cluster partner Grayn with some quick facts

What does Grayn do?

Grayn is a SaaS company that offers a comprehensive platform aimed at optimizing business operations and impact through the utilization of digital twins, deep data analysis, and AI-powered decision-making. Built on a module-based architecture, our platform employs an easy and transparent method for data collection, providing a delightful and user-centric experience. Our powerful analytics tools offer a one-stop-shop for supply chain analysis, LCA, and sustainability reporting, making data collection and analysis seamless for businesses.

What goals do you have going forward?

At Grayn, our mission is to develop the most powerful sustainability management software that equips businesses with the necessary tools and knowledge to achieve sustainability goals. Through the utilization of digital twins and machine learning, we can predict a company's future emissions, allowing for effective risk mitigation and the implementation of emission-saving measures to reach climate goals. In line with this, we are currently engaged in two research projects alongside Nordic and German pilot companies to test the beta version of our product. Our esteemed research partners, Sintef and NORSUS, are valuable additions to the development of new modules for CO2 accounting, as well as social sustainability, seamlessly integrating research and innovation into our platform.

We are currently looking for customers to try our beta version, in order to help customers get started with sustainability data collection and for Grayn to develop an even better product-market-fit. Additionally we are involved in several research projects, and are looking for research partners and pilots to expand our reach.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project that you would like to highlight?

At Grayn, we are always committed to driving innovation in the sustainability space. Currently, we are collaborating with Oslo Municipality on a three-month project to develop a module based on circular economy principles. Working alongside key stakeholders, our aim is to increase data transparency about purchasing processes, empowering all employees to make more sustainable and circular choices. This includes ensuring supply chain transparency, longevity of purchased assets, and establishing procedures for end-of-life product management. By aiding the municipality's goals of consuming less, consuming smarter, and communicating new strategies and efforts to all employees.

Why are you choosing to partner with the Cluster for Applied AI, and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

Being a part of CAAI presents immense opportunities for our platform to grow and expand further. One of the most significant advantages of this cluster is being lifted up to EU research projects, giving us the chance to participate in exciting research initiatives at a global level. As a company, we are passionate about data and AI in the sustainability space, and being part of this cluster will enable us to work with like-minded organizations and individuals, ultimately resulting in innovative solutions to promote sustainability. Moreover, we are confident that this membership will assist us in gaining more partners, allowing us to collaborate with experts and expand our offerings even further.

Who: Marilena Frye and Stina Skånhoff
Role: Co-Founder & COO and Co-Founder & CTO

Company: Grayn AS
Number of employees: 6
Location: Tromsø

LinkedIn: Marilena Frye & Stina Skånhoff

The Cluster for Applied AI welcomes Kantega AS to the cluster!

"Kantega is a company where they have a strong focus on value creation together, where all employees have a great ownership of the company and the solutions. In addition, Kantega is perceived as a company that is interested in lifting both its own and others' expertise through cluster work. We are very pleased to welcome Kantega to the Cluster for Applied AI!"
Eli Haugerud, Head of Communities, Smart Innovation Norway

Let's introduce cluster partner Kantega with some quick facts from Head of Technology, Frode Standal:

What do you do in Kantega and what is your role?

Kantega is a 100% employee-owned IT consulting company consisting of technologists, designers and problem solvers. What we all have in common is that we are professionally strong, curious and passionate.

We are a consulting company that aims to be a strategic partner for our customers. Kantega helps customers develop solutions that create value for their business and their users.

We thrive best on business-critical assignments where we get to work closely with the customer and can drive system and business development together with them. Our strength is teams that work closely together and play each other well.

As Chief Technology Officer, one of my responsibilities is to develop the field of data-driven development and AI, through recruitment of specialists, skills development, sales and marketing.

In our experience, the best solutions come from an interaction between those who have a need and those who will provide a solution.
Frode Standal, Kantega

What are your objectives for the future?

One of our goals going forward is to help our customers become more data-driven so they can capitalize on the value of the data their business owns or has access to.

We help our customers solve organizational, competence and technological challenges. This means increasing collaboration, breaking down silos, automating the collection, processing, aggregation and availability of high-quality data from different sources for different applications, from analytics to decision support to machine learning models integrated into a process flow.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project you would like to highlight?

I would like to highlight the breadth of what we do. As a consulting company, we work on very different types of problems in different industries, from machine vision solutions for counting people in a vehicle to using machine learning to predict the risk of a loan going to collection.

Some applications contribute to streamlining internal processes in a business, others are about using data analytics and machine learning to personalize user experiences in digital spaces.

Finally, I would like to mention that we are committed to what we call responsible AI. This encompasses everything from privacy, the development of unbiased and explainable models, to sustainability, taking into account that training machine learning models can have a significant energy consumption, and with it a carbon footprint.

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

Our experience is that the best solutions arise in an interaction between those who have a need and those who will provide a solution. By joining the cluster, we envision getting in touch with other companies and industries than those we usually work with, with the goal of new and interesting customer assignments.

Our place in the AI ecosystem is through our consulting activities to help clients become more data-driven and to realize AI-based applications that increase their competitiveness.

Who: Frode Standal
Role: Chief Technology Officer

Company: Kantega AS
Number of employees: approx. 200
Location: Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim

LinkedIn: Frode Standal

The Cluster for Applied AI welcomes mTabs to the cluster!

It is very nice to be able to welcome such an exciting and creative company as mTabs in the Cluster for Applied AI! The company thinks in new ways when it comes to digital surfaces, and has for many years worked with simulations and synthetic data. mTabs AS was established in December 2021 and had its first year in 2022, but the founders have extensive experience both with the services they provide and with collaboration within various ecosystems. We look forward to many great collaborations in the future!
Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader in the Cluster for Applied AI

This summer, the company mTabs became a cluster partner in the Cluster for Applied AI.

Trond-Atle Bokerød is a storyteller, founder and CEO of the company, and tells us more about how mTabs works in a short interview.

What do you do in mTabs and what is your role?

Media, marketing and metaverse are three of the areas mTabs works in.

Media: with a main focus on living storytelling through film

Marketing: How is your digital visibility? Are you reaching your goals and are your potential customers finding you?

Metaverse: The internet of the future is coming, where the internet will be experienced rather than scrolled/browsed. We are creating digital twins and complex simulations that enable communication on a whole new level.

mTabs has a wide range of expertise in media, marketing and metaverse. We also have a unique expertise in technology, which makes us an ideal partner for larger companies that want help with development, digitalization and innovation.

In addition to being storytellers, we at mTabs are pioneers in the development of the metaverse, or the internet of the future. We create complex simulations and digital worlds (digital twins) that enable communication on a whole new level.

As a storyteller, my role is to find the right story for every situation and convey it accurately. Stories are an important part of everything I do, whether it's artificial intelligence training or traditional communication needs. Being a storyteller is also being a problem solver, and I have developed a skill set that helps me in many situations where challenges arise, often with a high degree of innovation.

We create complex simulations and digital worlds (digital twins) that allow for a whole new level of communication
Trond-Atle Bokerød, mTabs

What are your objectives for the future?

In 2023, mTabs will strengthen its position in media, marketing and metaverse. To do this, we are now establishing offices in Iceland and Sweden. Iceland has a strong gaming technology community, which will be useful for us in our work with digital twins and the development of metaverse. Gothenburg in Sweden, on the other hand, is a center for innovation in the Nordic region, making it a natural place for mTabs to establish itself. With branches in Iceland and Sweden, mTabs will be even better positioned to continue to develop and grow in its three focus areas.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project you would like to highlight?

We have two projects that together show the breadth of what we do.

Case 1: Kållandsö:

The Kållandsö project uses a digital twin to explore different stages of destination development. We have created a "game" where entrepreneurs can experiment with different variables and see how they affect each other. The goal of the project is to strengthen competitiveness and drive digital transformation for local SMEs by building a smart and sustainable destination. AI controls the variables and gives the user a new experience every time they play/simulate.

Case 2; Norske Skog Saugbrugs

Norske Skog Saugbrugs wants to make itself more attractive to the labor market and employees and show its presence. The project "Folka på Saugbrugs" shows employees at Saugbrugs and what they do, as well as how the company makes high-quality magazine paper and innovates with new products. The content is collected on a dedicated website and then shared on social media, with specially created content for each channel. Saugbrugs has also invested heavily in film production, creating unique footage of the entire production line using new filming methods.

Our production is template-based, which makes it transferable to other companies. First up is Ny Plast, which is working with Smart Energy to think sustainable and green while escalating their production of plastics. This is a unique opportunity for other companies to follow Ny Plast's example and increase their own production in a sustainable way.

Our templates are managed by AI to optimize your workflow.

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

As a partner in the Cluster for Applied AI, we want to expand our network and have a meeting point for competence development in AI. We see an increasing use of AI in our own production and daily work, and want to learn more about methods, processes and how other companies are starting to develop and implement AI. By joining a cluster, we can also contribute with our own knowledge and experience, and have the opportunity to share experiences and communicate with other companies on how we can benefit from AI. In this way, we can see ourselves as an active part of the AI ecosystem and help share knowledge and expertise with other companies.

Who: Trond-Atle Bokerød

Company: mTabs AS

Role: Storyteller, CEO, Founder

Linkedin: Trond-Atle | LinkedIn

The Cluster for Applied AI welcomes Precise Prediction to the cluster!

"Precise Prediction is an example of a company that can make a big difference in the journey towards becoming more data-driven as a business. With their expertise, they can help players make the right choices to get the most out of their data and minimize silo and duplication issues. We are very pleased to welcome Precise Prediction to the Cluster for Applied AI!"
Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader in the Cluster for Applied AI

Business,Analytics,And,Data,Management,System,(dms),Giving,Key,Insights

Let's introduce cluster partner Precise Prediction with some quick facts from Per Baumann, Sales Director:

What do you do at Precise Prediction and what is your role?

We help our customers create added value from their data and make decisions data-driven. This can be from the very basics - or to assist customers who have already come a long way in e.g. streamlining, quality assurance or adopting solutions related to machine learning and AI.

To achieve this, you need solutions to access, organize, prepare, process, visualize and analyze available data in an efficient and secure way. We specialize in TIBCO software and help our clients implement and integrate it with their other systems. We also ensure that the customer's staff receive the necessary training and provide support when needed.

Since our establishment in 2006, we have focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning and we would like to include this in our deliveries. However, our experience is that you can achieve great benefits by making important decisions data-driven even without artificial intelligence. Once this is in place, you can gradually make the solution more advanced and, if desired, use artificial intelligence and machine learning.

My role in this is to define marketplaces and then find customers who have needs, and then create an initial interest and belief that we can solve their needs.

What are your objectives for the future?

Most of our customers are large companies on a Norwegian scale, but we are convinced that medium-sized companies will also benefit greatly from our solutions. Our goal is to get more medium-sized companies as customers. In particular, we believe that companies that have invested in equipment with sensors and have thus gained access to completely new data sources can benefit greatly from using this data in a better way.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project you would like to highlight?

We have several, but personally I would highlight a technology called data virtualization. This technology enables "data-on-demand" rather than copying data multiple times while retrieving and processing only the data we need for the job by actively using metadata. This technology reduces environmental impact through, among other things, reduced power consumption, but also simplifies integration and distribution across data sources and consumers.

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

Our vision and business idea fits well with CAAI and we think it is therefore natural for us to join as a partner, and we hope and believe we will benefit from this.

In a cluster, we can be more people pulling together in the same direction and with a greater impact around the same message - which in turn should be able to bring the public sector and Norwegian business closer to smarter and better solutions over time.

Who: Per Baumann
Role: Sales Director

Company: Precise Prediction / Statsoft Norway AS
Number of employees: 7 people
Location: Sandvika / Bærum

LinkedIn: Per Baumann

The Cluster for Applied AI welcomes Easymeeting AS to the cluster!

"It's inspiring to see how Easymeeting uses technology not only to facilitate smooth communication, but also how they have drawn on their extensive experience to develop a new product. Here they use artificial intelligence to help vulnerable individuals get help when they need it. We are very happy to have them as partners in the Cluster for Applied AI!"
Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader in the Cluster for Applied AI

Last fall, Easymeeting became a cluster partner in the Cluster for Applied AI.

Easymeeting has been developing video conferencing platforms for more than 10 years, especially for distance learning. In 2019, they decided to focus on the healthcare sector.

We spoke to the founder, Hans Johan Tofteng, who can tell us more about the company.

What do you do in Easymeeting and what is your role?

We design and develop video-based services for the healthcare sector, based on video communication and artificial intelligence. My role as an entrepreneur and technologist is to drive the development forward and sell our products to the market.

Our current focus is on Night Owl, a digital visit camera for elderly people living at home and patients in institutions. The camera uses artificial intelligence to trigger smart alarms for health workers. Nattugla is already used by Norwegian municipalities and we are in the start-up phase in Sweden and some other countries. Night Owl provides major savings for the health sector, and creates security and undisturbed sleep for service recipients. At the turn of 2021/22, we signed a global distribution agreement with Hepro AS, which is a Norwegian welfare technology company, owned by Adlife, which has companies and operations globally. Hepro AS will bring Nattugla out into the world and help develop the technology to the next level.

We need to learn more about artificial intelligence and we strongly believe that we can develop great things together.
Hans Johan Tofteng

What are your objectives for the future?

We will make the Night Owl the best friend of home care workers, helping them to deliver better quality and safety. Service recipients will also love Night Owl because it creates security and peace of mind. We have several products in our portfolio, but we see that we need to focus on Night Owl now, and we have ambitions for it to become a global product.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project you would like to highlight?

Harstad Municipality has been instrumental and given us a lot of input in the development of the Night Owl. They have more than 30 Night Owls in operation and conduct 300 visits a week, which was previously reserved for a night owl drive for the caregivers.

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

We want to become a partner in the cluster because we need to learn more about artificial intelligence and we strongly believe that we can develop good things together. I have worked a lot with the oil industry in the past and they were very successful with the concept of sharing knowledge. Night Owl is just at the beginning of its development cycle - we have ambitions to get it medically approved in 2023, and we believe it can help analyze and provide early indications of geriatric diseases and cognitive changes in the elderly.

Who: Hans Johan Tofteng
Role: CEO/Founder

Company: Easymeeting AS
Location: Tromsø

LinkedIn: Hans Johan Tofteng

Cluster for Applied AI welcomes Autin to the cluster

We know that there is a great need for expertise related not only to the implementation and application of AI, but also to the work businesses need to do in advance, and the skills shortage is predicted to increase dramatically in the coming years. Therefore, it is crucial that companies like Autin focus on providing services precisely in this segment, and we are very happy to have them as part of the Cluster for Applied AI!

We had a chat with Lars Formoe, Partner and Engineer at Autin.

What are your goals for the future?
Autin's overall goal is to contribute to the green shift through automation and streamlining of
Norwegian companies. Our desire is to be a driving force for taking artificial intelligence from theory to practice.

Our desire is to be a driving force in taking artificial intelligence from theory to practice.
Lars Formoe, Partner and Engineer, Autin

What do you do at Autin and what is your role?
Autin provides consulting services in the practical use and implementation of artificial intelligence with
regard to the entire process in industry and business. This includes project planning,
data collection, model and system development and further operations.
We specialize in real-time prediction/classification in dynamic systems, with experience
in data-mining, synthetic data, prediction analysis, NLP, computer vision and robotics/drones.

To achieve our goals, networking and collaboration is essential, and here we consider CAAI to
be the best platform for further development and interdisciplinary collaboration
Lars Formoe, Partner and Engineer, Autin

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or
potential place in the AI ecosystem?
To achieve our goals, networking and collaboration is essential, and here we consider CAAI to
be the best platform for further development and interdisciplinary collaboration. Autin's role is to convert the potential inherent in stagnant data/data sources into practical application.

Who: Lars Formoe

Company: Autin AS

Role: Partner and engineer

Linkedin: Lars Formoe

Cluster for Applied AI welcomes Amesto NextBridge to the cluster!

We are delighted to have such a forward-thinking and innovative consulting company on board!
Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader in the Cluster for Applied AI

This summer, the consulting company Amesto NextBridge became a cluster partner in the Cluster for Applied AI.

"We are incredibly pleased to have such a forward-thinking and innovative consulting company on board," says Marianne Bjerkman, Cluster Leader in the Cluster for Applied AI. We are particularly impressed with how they work with start-up companies and the breadth of the projects they can show, she adds.

Vincent Aardalsbakke heads the AI and Emerging Technologies department at the company and tells us more about how Amesto Nextbridge works in a short interview.

What do you do at Amesto Nextbridge and what is your role?

Amesto Nextbridge are experts in creating insight and innovation from data. We are a consulting firm that specializes in what is commonly referred to as AI and BI.

My role is to lead the AI and Emerging Technologies department where we have many talented data scientists who can solve a wide range of challenges, both for the largest and smallest organizations.

Our vision is to be the innovator in data-driven sustainability and insights
Vincent Aardalsbakke, Amesto Nextbridge

What are your objectives for the future?

Our vision is to be the innovator in data-driven sustainability and insight. We want to consolidate this position with both the very largest companies in the Nordic region and the very smallest, i.e. start-ups. Start ups are often focused on innovation and new solutions, which often makes for exciting work when we get to be part of the journey. Hopefully we can identify some together with CAAI.

Do you have a success story or an exciting project you would like to highlight?

I can highlight a project we did for the International Red Cross. We used language processing (NLP) to help the organization deal with the increased amount of information that occurred with COVID-19. After evaluating different methods, we ended up using a BERT model to automatically categorize large volumes of free text reports with human-level accuracy. This resulted in a global dashboard where they now have automated data collection with a full overview of global trends and how resources need to be allocated.

Why do you choose to become partners in the Cluster for Applied AI and what is your current or potential place in the AI ecosystem?

We see clear synergies with CAAI and many overlapping interests. Both are interested in improving the application of AI in society, helping startups with new technologies, and increasing cooperation between public and private actors to accelerate development.

Amesto Nextbridge can contribute with heavy data science expertise that will benefit the entire ecosystem. We have a dozen people with PhDs and an environment with broad experience in R&D work, as well as projects with production deployment and benefit realization of AI solutions.

We can't wait!

Who: Vincent Aardalsbakke

Company: Amesto Nextbridge

Role: Head of AI and Emerging Technologies Department

Linkedin: (1) Vincent Aardalsbakke | LinkedIn

Now we have become even better at contributing to innovation

Europe does it, and Smart Innovation Norway does it. The Halden company is betting on "communities" and is strengthening its cluster activities, the Smart City initiative and its research work. By working more closely together and distributing resources better, more innovation is created.

In today's world, cooperation, community and participation are becoming increasingly important. It is felt outside Europe, and it is felt at home.

As a consequence of this societal development, Smart Innovation Norway is strengthening and expanding its investment in business clusters, smart cities and social science research. The company launches Smart Innovation Communities and prepares itself for further work by hiring more wise minds, entering into new and exciting agreements, working further

- A strength for being awarded new EU projects

- This is very exciting. There is naturally a difference in innovation by the municipalities in the Smart City work and by the private business life in our clusters, but many times there are the same drivers and the same challenges that are faced, and often the same tools that we need to use in use. Although we work in slightly different ways in the different areas, a lot is about creating security and commitment to driving innovation through sustainable thinking and making use of digitization opportunities. The Smart City work and the cluster economy are very closely linked, says manager of Smart Innovation Communities, Eli Haugerud.

Outside of Europe, there is a large and ever-increasing focus on the human aspect of research projects and innovation work. Smart Innovation Norway's research area for this is called Social Innovation. This competence is very relevant for both municipalities and cluster partners. Customer, citizen and user understanding is central to all innovation, and Social Innovation will therefore also focus on Smart City research going forward.

- We want to put the users in focus, and that is exactly what our social science researchers are doing. They look at the users and the users' needs and how innovation affects them, says Haugerud.

Each focus area will stand stronger by working even more closely together. Municipalities in Smart City work can be pilots in several social science innovation projects both in Norway and in the EU. The clusters know the business world and can contribute with the right research partners. The social science researchers contribute to the smart city projects and the cluster work with the human approach to the innovation work.

- This will be a strength for us when it comes to being awarded new and relevant EU projects, states Haugerud.

READ ALSO: Top rating in European research

More learning between private and public actors

Over half of all value creation in Norway takes place in the public sector. One of Smart Innovation Norway's most important tasks is to help others become better at innovating, and the municipalities and public companies are important players both as customers and as clients for Norwegian business.

Creating a good interaction between the public and private sectors is absolutely essential, and the managing director of Smart Innovation Norway, Kjell Reidar Mydske, clearly sees that Smart Innovation Communities will improve and increase the innovation work of both parties.

- It is a strength of ours that we can use the expertise we have in and around the public and private sectors to mutually strengthen each other so that we both get better. Through Smart Innovation Communities, resources can work more and better crosswise, expertise is shared more, and we open up even more learning between the private and public sectors, he points out.

Mydske is satisfied that the Halden company is further developing its many years of good work within Smart City. The EU is very clear that Smart City and user participation are important, and the term "communities" describes a methodology which, among other things, is about working openly and together in order to be able to realize and commercialize research.

- We must invest in open innovation. We have to cooperate. The alternative is for the technologies to be developed and the innovation to take place in companies in China and the USA which will next come here and sell their services here. The EU will counteract that. That's why the EU is betting on "communities", and that's why we're betting on Smart Innovation Communities, says Kjell Reidar Mydske.

CONTACT:

Eli Haugerud,
Manager, Smart Innovation Communities

Telephone: +47 995 44 711

FACTS:

• Smart Innovation Norway AS conducts independent, applied research and specializes in research-based business development within smart energy, smart societies and new technology.

• One of Smart Innovation Norway's main tasks is to promote innovation among public and private actors.

• Many years of experience with innovation work is behind the company's launch of Smart Innovation Communities, which is a strengthening and expansion of the company's investment in cluster operations, Smart City work and social science innovation.

• In order to be able to contribute to innovation in an even better way in both the private and public sector, Smart Innovation Norway links the professional areas even more closely together and opens up for more collaboration across the board.

• The aim is to increase the pace of innovation and to realize and commercialize even more of the innovation through Smart Innovation Communities.