About Nordic Edge

Nordic Edge is a non-profit organisation working in close cooperation with private companies, municipalities and city administrations to promote solutions for smarter cities and communities.

Nordic Edge

The Official Norwegian cluster on smart cities and communities

Nordic Edge Innoasis

Our toolbox for innovation, piloting and competence

Nordic Edge Expo

Our arena for networking and internationalisation

Vision: Create a new and large Norwegian export industry.

Mission: Be a driving force for the development, testing and export og smart city technology and solutions on behalf of our members.

Based in Western Norway, but with an international outlook, Nordic Edge aims to be one of Europe’s most important arenas for accelerating the transformation from traditional industries to green, sustainable business development.

Building on the Nordic heritage of trust and collaboration we have the ecosystem to take an idea from concept to the international market, by:

facilitating product development and testing
offering capital access and growth programmes
sharing competence across sectors
inviting to project partnerships
hosting networking arenas
creating opportunities for internationalisation

Co-creating our shared future

The quest for a smarter city is all about making better communities to live in – more liveable urban spaces where citizen interests and well-being come first. We see technology as an enabler for change. However the most important asset of a liveable and sustainable community is its people. At Nordic Edge we call this Smart with a Heart.

It echos the Nordic model for city development and is the philosophy we navigate by.

Our Journey

Nordic Edge started with the conference and exhibition hosted for the first time in 2015. From its humble beginnings with 500 attendees it rapidly grew into a valuable meeting place for smart city players across the Nordics. In recent years around 200 co-organisers from across the Nordics and beyond have ensured new insights at the leading smart city conference and exhibition in the Nordics. At Nordic Edge Expo 2020 more than 300 organisations, sponsors and co-organisers contributed to a fully digital version of the Nordic region’s largest meeting place for smart cities and communities. Overall 26.500 people from 51 countries participated in the week long event. Read more about it here.

In 2018 we were recognised as the official Norwegian innovation cluster on smart cities and communities by the national cluster programme. By this recognition we are tasked with opening the door for our members to the trillion dollar global market for smart city products and services.

In 2019 we organised our first major events outside of the Nordics. In the spring politicians, public officials and companies joined the first Nordic Edge China. The week long international knowledge exchange saw key stakeholders from the five Nordic countries and China showcase solutions, build relations, share knowledge and competence.

The success was due to be repeated and scaled in the spring of 2020. The same year we were due to build the Nordic smart city brand with its forward-leaning public sector, services and solutions in North America.

The cluster is a hub for year-round activities, public-private partnerships, projects and business development. Our new tool box Innoasis will accelerate innovation and transformation in the Nordic region through its co-working space with lab facilities, the network and expertise to take a concept from idea to the international market. Quadruple helix collaboration is underway through ongoing events and activities through Innoasis. This will steadily progress towards the completion of the rebuild of the physical building in December 2021.

The next five years

Over the next five year period our aim is to create more market opportunities for our cluster members abroad. Our focus is on Europe, Asia and the United States.

We will continue to build and strengthen the Nordic smart city brand in these regions through expanding on the networking arenas we have created through Nordic Edge Expo, Nordic Edge Asia and a mutually beneficial smart city event planned in the United States in the spring of 2020.
The rebuild of the 4.000 square metre, physical building housing Innoasis will be complete in late 2021. The tenants will be a tailored group from the start-up community, established corporations, investment funds, academia and public sector officials.
The Nordic Edge ecosystem will be strengthened with an international capital network of seed funds, venture capital and the banking sector to aid cluster members scale their companies.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. Rapid urbanisation increases the pressure on climate, infrastructure and services. Working in concert across sectors and borders to accelerate transformation we are better equipped to meet the shared challenges of our citizens and cities.