Marit Salte at Smedvig on the focus on innovation in Norway - The whole mindset must change
Image: Marit Salte and Terje Eide at Innoasis. Photo: Kaja Elisabeth De Rue-Paulsen
Marit Salte, CEO of Smedvig Group, meets us at Innoasis. A Smedvig building that has been transformed from a dilapidated 1970s premises and former home of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate into a beacon for innovation and collaboration.
- The framework for this conversation is that we want to highlight how companies like Smedvig, through their active ownership in Nordic Edge, are aware of their social responsibility as a regional builder, says Terje, before Marit quickly points out:
- We have to distinguish between benefit and social responsibility, and for us the former is the most important aspect of Nordic Edge. It's an important tool for speeding up the transition, and it's important for Smedvig as a company too.
Smedvig has been an active owner of Nordic Edge since it was established in 2015, when Smedvig, together with Sparebank 1 Sør-Norge and Lyse, joined forces to create a company and a community that could strengthen innovation and development in the region.
- And not least in the Nordic region and Europe, Marit adds. It's in the name, after all, that Nordic Edge will have a Nordic perspective.
The motivation for Smedvig was that the region needed more legs to stand on. The announced transition from oil and gas to "the new" has been known for a long time, but the tools to drive this transition forward were lacking.
- We knew that there was a good environment here and already good collaboration across the public and private sectors, so this region already had an advantage. We wanted to help reinforce this, says Marit.
The whole mindset needs to change
- You don't get the holistic approach that Nordic Edge has anywhere else. Having access to it is extremely valuable, says Marit.
She gets very excited when she talks about how society is set up for innovation - or rather the lack of it, and how we not only need to invest money, but also change the way we work with problem solving.
- There is a lot of innovation in changing your mindset and the way you approach a problem, and I think we as a society have a long way to go - especially in the public sector where everything is inflexible and silo-based, she says.
Innovation can't just be measured in the number of new start-ups established or the number of pilots supported. Innovation is also about solving problems in a different way with the resources you already have, or adapting established companies by trying new technology.
- We have a long way to go when it comes to understanding what it means to have an infrastructure for innovation in Norway. We are one of the countries in the world most in need of transformation, and the end of the oil age is getting closer and closer. The transition will not happen by itself, and the lack of that understanding worries me greatly, Marit emphasizes.
Terje completely agrees and says that it's a challenge that innovation is a long-term investment and doesn't necessarily provide an immediate return. This makes it easier to prioritize here-and-now tasks over those that need to be solved further down the line.
They both agree that this is an obstacle to restructuring.
- In terms of sheer numbers, for example, Innovation Norway - which is the government's foremost tool for innovation - has contributed NOK 39 million to us over nine years. In return, through our members, we have contributed 500 million in hard-funding, 500 million in soft-funding and participation in over 10 EU projects, to name but a few. The gross effect is far greater than the investment, Terje emphasizes.
Marit believes that innovation will always pay off in a long-term perspective, regardless of restructuring or not.
- It will always pay to constantly think about how to do things differently or a little better, both on a micro and macro level. Gaining new perspectives and collaborations, reinforcing what's already good or trying new technology is something you should always strive for, not just when solving a problem, she says.
Outside expertise is essential
In order for the public and private sectors to collaborate, a neutral "space" is needed for this. Terje cites a classic example of Nordic Edge's role as an intermediary when the public sector is solving problems such as the ageing population:
- To be able to discuss these solutions, the private companies that will offer the solutions need to talk to the public sector that is facing the challenge. The problem is that these meeting places do not exist outside of tender processes. This is where we come in.
And this is exactly what Marit is concerned with: creating spaces for innovation and collaboration.
- You don't get these spaces and cross-connections without Nordic Edge, and they are absolutely essential. Not least the expertise you bring into the room that can force even more new ideas and solutions, she says, and continues:
- Bringing in outside expertise is one of the most important things you can do for innovation. When it comes to solving problems, it's easy to get locked into only looking at the challenge and how it's been solved in the past, you rarely look across sectors and you rarely think in new ways.
Contact
Reach out to Terje Eide to explore the partnership opportunities available with Nordic Edge.
