GNIST is a programme for ambitious municipalities and counties keen to explore new collaboration models for developing innovative solutions to specific challenges.

Building on the National Roadmap for smart and sustainable cities and local communities and the UN’s sustainability goals, the Gnist-programme will stimulate new thinking and innovation – and be translated into specific projects that contribute to better site development and value creation. The programme is particularly aimed at district municipalities but is open to all municipalities that are concerned with building good local communities.

The innovation program combines co-creation, design methodology and new technology to contribute to:

• Increased competence in site and business development in district municipalities, based on site-specific advantages and needs.
• New collaboration constellations for more innovative, comprehensive, and long-term solutions.
• Attractive, sustainable, and adaptable communities to settle, work and live in.
• Scaling and export of innovative solutions.

A two-part programme

GNIST consists of two parts:

The competence building part of the program is open and free for all municipalities.

The innovation part of the program is designed to be an innovation competition, where three municipalities with the most interesting and innovation-friendly challenges are selected to participate. Through a structured process led by DOGA and Nordic Edge, local and national companies will be involved in developing solutions to the chosen challenges in collaboration with the municipality, the county municipality and the residents.

GNIST will be launched on 23 September at the digital Nordic Edge Expo, where Nikolai Astrup, Norway’s minister of local government and modernisation will announce the winners of the previous round of this innovation competition, where solutions to the challenges of Krødsherad and Utsira municipality has been addressed.

Photo: Karianne Klovning