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The Innovation Forum of Nordland County (IFN)

• What is IFN?
• Why did we initiate IFN?
• What are we doing in IFN?
• How is IFN organised?

Beate Rotefoss, Kunnskapsparken Bodø AS Secretary
for IFN Bodø, 18 June 2004
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The Innovation Forum of Nordland County

• The Innovation Forum of Nordland County (IFN) is
  a network
• of innovation agents in Nordland (i.e.
  science park,
• knowledge parks business gardens), and
  important
• organisations within the support system.
• IFN was established in May 2004 based on an
  initiative from
• Nordland County Council.
• IFNs main objective is to contribute to an
  innovative and
• competitive industry by building a competence
  based
• network between the innovation agents.

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Innovation agents
Forskningsparken i Narvik
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1
Kunnskapsparken i Bodø
2
4
Kunnskapsparken i Rana
3
Lofoten Næringshage
4
Næringshagen i Sandnessjøen
5
2
Saltdal Industri- og Næringshage
6
6
Schalthuset Inkubator, Glomfjord Industripark
7
Sør-Helgeland Næringshage
8
7
Vesterålen Fiskeripark
9
3
Partners
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• Innovation Norway
• Nordland County Council (NFK)
• The Research Council of Norway (NFR)
• SIVA The Industrial Development
• Corporation of Norway

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Background for initiating IFN

• The industry in Nordland mainly consists of SMEs
  (90 of
• the firms has less than 10 employees).
• The RD spending as well as the formal
  educational level
• are very low in Nordland compared to the rest
  of Norway,
• both for the general population and the
  industry.
• Network between firms are relatively poorly
  developed.
• Network between firms and RD environments are
  poorly
• developed.
• The firms lack knowledge of the possibilities
  offered by
• different organisations within the support
  system.

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Background for initiating IFN, cont.
Industry
Innovation agents
RD environments
Support system
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IFNs targets

• Identify the resources possessed by each
  innovation agent.
• Improve the innovation agents abilities to
  initiate contact between firms.
• Improve the innovation agents abilities to
  initiate contact between firms and RD
  environments.
• Improve the innovation agents knowledge of
  financing and support programmes offered by
  support system organisations.
• Create arenas that are highly relevant for the
  everyday work of the innovation agents.
• Provide suggestions to actors formulating
  industry policies.

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Activities ongoing in IFN
Annual Innovation Conference Purpose
Encouraging professional discussions and
experience exchange
Market IFN and the members of IFN. Topics
Changes annually, but should be related
to innovation. Target group The innovation
agents, industry, RD environments and
support system organisations.
Thematic seminars (4 each year) Purpose
Increase the innovation agents competence on
relevant topics. Build and
maintain network between the members of IFN.
Topics Differ from seminar to seminar.
Target group The innovation agents and IFNs
partners.
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Activities ongoing in IFN, cont.
Dissemination of information Purpose Maintain
contact beyond the seminars and conference.
When required help own customers getting in
contact with other members of the
IFN (or actors in their network). Develop an
informative and relevant website. Target
group The innovation agents, industry, RD
environments and support system organisations.
Policy suggestions Purpose
Provide suggestions to policy makers, e.g. by
commenting statements and other inquires.
IFN will co-ordinate suggestions from all
of the innovation agents (if requested).
Target group The innovation agents and
policymakers.
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The organising of IFN

• IFN is managed by the following working group
• Liv Rask Sørensen, Nordland County Council
  (leader)
• Elise Husum, Kunnskapsparken i Rana
• Kurt Atle Hansen, Lofoten Næringshage
• Beate Rotefoss, Kunnskapsparken i Bodø
  (secretary for IFN)
• For more information, please visit
  www.innovasjonsforum.no