Innovation speech 2024: Norway must accelerate on the EU’s green carpet

The theme for this year’s Innovation Speech was Europe. For 30 years, the EEA agreement has secured Norway’s access to the EU’s internal market. Håkon Haugli, managing director of Innovation Norway, emphasized in his speech the need to make full use of the Norwegian industry in Europe.

– Norwegian business is within Europe. And more inside than before. But things go fast in Europe. Therefore, this speech is a warning to us in Norway: We must be present where it happens. We must be offensive – and commercial. We have to pick up the pace, said Haugli.

Innovation Norway’s CEO had four recommendations in his speech:

1. Increased speed for green conversion,
2. Closest possible European cooperation on digitization and artificial intelligence,
3. Several wizards in important export markets and in Ukraine, and
4. A Norwegian investment in scaling.

Five years ago, the EU’s green grant was launched. According to a survey carried out by Verian for Innovation Norway, Norwegian companies state the EU as the most important driving force behind the green shift in Norway.

– The EU has rolled out the green carpet. But the pace of Norway’s green transition is still too slow. If we are to get up to speed, Norwegian companies need as good access to capital as their European competitors. Norway must get up to speed on the EU’s green carpet, says Haugli.

Innovation Norway announced in the speech that they are establishing a separate “internal market centre” as part of their export centre, to help Norwegian companies navigate the EU. Here, companies will get answers to practical questions about trade with the EU, EEA and Europe.

The start-up plan must be followed by a new scaling plan

In last year’s Innovation Speech, Innovation Norway called for a new entrepreneurial plan. It must be submitted to the Storting now before the summer. The next step must now be a separate plan for scaling, Innovation Norway believes:

– We know that many good entrepreneurs do not succeed in the scaling phase. Many good companies do not receive support from the EIC, the EU’s accelerator. In Norway, we should ourselves take responsibility for scaling companies that have all the prerequisites for success. Norway needs an accelerator programme, said Haugli.

During the last three years, the EU has distributed over NOK eight billion for research and innovation in Norway, NOK 450 million through the EIC. The president of EIC, Michiel Scheffer, was among the presenters at the Innovation Speech.

Watch the entire broadcast or read the Innovation Speech.