- A Supercluster is a necessity

More than 100 participants from across the country joined when Energy Transition Norway and GCE Ocean Technology met at Sola for joint cluster meeting.

– We are completely dependent on clusters that bring together the environments we have in Norway, said Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen during the cluster gathering of Energy Transition Norway and GCE Ocean Technology in Stavanger on 13 June.

– We welcome the initiative. The government will discuss how we can contribute – and further support it, said Bjelland Eriksen to the assembly via Teams during his interview with Tor Arnesen, Chair of Energy Transition Norway.

Two clusters, one gathering

The national supercluster will be built on the strengths of each individual regional cluster. It brings together players in the offshore energy and ocean industries and aims to strengthen Norwegian competitiveness – both locally and internationally.

A national supercluster for the energy transition isn’t just nice to have. It’s a necessity given today’s global context, said Ståle Tungesvik - Equinor board representative for Energy Transition Norway.

The gathering was the first time members, administrations, boards, and expert groups from GCE Ocean Technology and Energy Transition Norway in Bergen and Stavanger, met across regional borders between.

Caption: Tor Arnesen (Energy Transition Norway), Kristin Sand Bakken (Corvus Energy), Anne Woie (Stavanger Municipality), Ståle Tungesvik (Equinor), Ståle Kyllingstad (IKM), Aina Berg (NORCE) and Cecilie Sælen (CCB Subsea) talked about the industry perspective on clusters role and relevance in the green transition.

‍Joint Technical Committee and Scale-Up Program provide more power

The technical committee of Energy Transition Norway – also humorously referred to as the Dragons' Den – includes major operators.

They give honest and direct feedback on which solutions actually have a market. During the gathering, this was demonstrated in practice when NORCE and Seide presented a case to the committee – and received clear guidance on the way forward.

The committee, which belongs to Energy Transition Norway, will now serve both clusters. The same applies to the Ocean Tech Scaling program from Bergen, which is now open to all 300 member companies. This gives access to shared tools and accelerates the development of new solutions.

Additionally, participants met both each other and the operators in the committee through six short speed-dates – offering an efficient glimpse into how the supercluster can foster new connections – and new opportunities.

Caption: More than 100 participants joined the first joint cluster meeting
at Sola Strand Hotell in Stavanger.

More clusters are invited to join

This is not a closed party. More clusters are welcome to join. We will continue to stay close and relevant to local members – while also scaling projects nationally. Anchored in the needs of our companies, and with a focus on building shared value chains and impactful collaborations.

We are already in dialogue with several energy clusters that want to take part. Together, we’re building something larger – and more powerful.

A big thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to a gathering that left us wanting more. We now look forward to closer collaboration – and more exciting business opportunities for our member companies.