READER’S POST: The Promise for Northern Norway – Bodøposten.no
If we are to lift Northern Norway into the future, innovation, investment and competence development are required. Here, private actors, universities, municipalities and the policy instruments must both speak the same language and dance the same dance. In fact, it does not help if one chooses hip-hop if the other chooses swing. We have to listen, we have to meet and we have to adapt to each other.
By: Professor Rikke Gürgens Gjærum, Vice-Chancellor of UiT Norwegian Arctic University, Tore Enger, CEO TECO2030, Bjørn Reidar Sørensen, Dean, Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology, UiT, Anita Skog, innovation driver in the National Program for Supplier Development, Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen, Regional Director and NHO Nordland.
These are new times. We all constantly hear about concepts such as: «the green script», «blue and green energy», «neo-industrialization» and «sustainability». The danger with all these words floating around the newspaper pages and popping like popcorn in the conversation in the lunch room is that they stop losing meaning. They fall down like ash dust that is easy to blow away, so that we do not have to take it upon ourselves that it is also about me and you and our life choices.
Conversion is coming in the north
TECO2030, UiT Norway’s Arctic University, National Program for Supplier Development and NHO would like to give the concepts meaning and life. A change in northern Norway is inevitable. Belonging to a maritime nation, we must cut all emissions from transport at sea. According to the recent report from the UN Climate Panel, “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, we must come up with emission-free solutions before 2030. Climate change increases the pressure on our nature in the north, which can have dramatic consequences for all life in the Arctic. Therefore, we in the north are both more motivated and want to be better equipped for change so that society becomes even more sustainable. In other words, a development that meets today’s needs without the possibility that future generations will have their needs covered.
We are four players in the north who stand together. And what do we think we need to do? Yes, first of all you have to start thinking “we”, not “us” and “them”. We must think that circular green conversion and development builds the whole of northern Norway – whether it is new industrialization at Mo with battery production at Freyr, production of tomorrow’s hydrogen engine at TECO2030 in Narvik or Varanger Kraft’s ammonia factory in Berlevåg.
TECO 2030 has been awarded NOK 50 million in support of Innovation Norway for the development and production of hydrogen-based fuel cells in Narvik. The investment means more than just reduced greenhouse gas emissions and opportunities for up to 500 new jobs. This project can lead to major economic ripple effects and position the region to become a world leader for use, production and knowledge around and clean and future-oriented energy carrier such as hydrogen. To build knowledge around hydrogen-based development, it needs a series of collaborative establishments – as well as new development for how society should position itself towards a circular and zero-emission future. TECO2030 and partners such as the National Program for Supplier Development, NHO in the north and UiT’s Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology will focus on building, sharing and interacting knowledge about the future-oriented energy carrier.
Together with UiT, TECO2030 will be able to offer competence building with a “hands on experience” in the form of both hydrogen production and the hydrogen engine’s fuel cells. Together with UiT and NHO in the north, TECO2030 wants to show what is actually possible with a well-known and old energy carrier such as hydrogen.
The national program for supplier development, LUP, works for public enterprises to realize the potential for innovation and sustainable societal development, which lies in procurement. As a major investor, purchaser and consumer, it is absolutely necessary for public actors to use innovative procurements as strategic tools and methods that drive the development of zero-emission and circular solutions, products and services. LUP functions as a connection box between public and private business, citizens and academia, in the work of creating a circular, climate-neutral zero-emission society.
NHO Nordland works with basic framework conditions and solutions for competitiveness and serious working and business life in the county. In order to succeed with climate and energy change, it is required that our companies both invest in and implement the climate solutions. They must have the opportunity to scale up new green value chains. It provides a basis for job creation and export opportunities. We will link climate, energy and business policy closely so that jobs are created and emissions are cut. NHO in the north will be a link between the key players in the restructuring and ensure that there is precisely interaction between business and education.
UiT Norway’s Arctic University delivers expertise to the business community and is a key project partner and innovation player to build one of the world’s first hydrogen – powered speedboats with TECO2030. Innovation manager about doing something new, which becomes useful and utilized. It is about the university’s social mission. TECO 2030 has entered into an agreement with UiT in Narvik to collaborate on innovation and thereby improve educational offerings in northern Norway within hydrogen and fuel cell technology. UiT will interact with many actors and have a dialogue about what the various regions in Northern Norway need in terms of competence development.
Four specific goals:
We are all concerned with playing each other well to bring about growth in Northern Norway. Specifically, we want to make a fire together:
1) Provide folk education by using the resources we have, but UiT will further develop and sharpen its course offerings on hydrogen and batteries as the business community now demands.
2) Further develop an innovation center, a sustainability lab, which is part of a larger northern Norwegian innovation system. But then investments are needed, Norwegian funds for Norwegian development are absolutely essential to create growth in the north that develops Norwegian industry.
3) Establish learning networks for municipalities and county municipalities to accelerate the use of innovative public procurement as a method and strategic tool.
4) Invite to high-competence summer school in Narvik together with Graz University of Technology in Austria and Yokohama National University in Japan. We are working to get this summer school to Narvik where research-based knowledge and innovation about the green engines of the future are in focus.
Ergo, we want to seize the opportunities that lie in Northern Norway, promote circular economy and build competence for the needs of the future.