Announcing this year’s Gnist winners and launching a new round
Gnist is an innovation programme for municipalities initiated by Design and Architecture Norway and Nordic Edge. The Gnist-programme stimulates innovative place and business development by facilitating the use of design and architecture, new collaboration models and new technology to create more attractive and inclusive communities to live, work and visit.
This year’s selected Gnist municipalities – Lebesby, Lund and Vang – have challenges that many district municipalities can recognize themselves in: limited city center activity, depopulation and lack of access to expertise. Architects, designers and other relevant actors were invited to participate in a challenge competition to create the most innovative solutions.
Now it’s time to announce the winners – and to launch a new round of Gnist!
Malin is a Senior Advisor for Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA). She works with innovative urban and local development, and how interaction between people and technology can contribute to smarter and more sustainable cities and places. Malin holds a Master’s Degree in political communication from Aarhus University in Denmark.
Bjarne Uldal is a brand & business innovator who, over the last 25 years, has been involved in more than 30 start-ups, both as an investor, business developer and brand consultant. Marrying a deep knowledge of branding with a hands-on approach to entrepreneurship, Bjarne has earned a reputation as a creative, commercially oriented person, who’s always on the lookout for points of differentiation that can be accentuated by compelling storytelling.
Bjarne is one of the co-founders of Nordic Edge, the official Norwegian innovation cluster on smarter cities and communities, and the organizer of the Nordic Edge Expo – the largest annual conference and exhibition in the Nordics on Smart City trends, methodology, new innovation and technology.
In his capacity of being the Chief Innovation Officer at Nordic Edge, Bjarne is responsible for establishing innovation partnerships with companies, organizations and academic institutions around Europe, in China and in the US. Bjarne has also been the main facilitator of the process leading up to the launch of the national Smart Roadmap for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities last year. Furthermore Bjarne acts as a facilitator and advisor to a number of cities and municipalities who are determined to build smarter and more sustainable communities.
