VRI Troms 2014-2016

Troms County Council is committed to research, development and innovation. The county has spent nearly 10 million NOK on the VRI program in the years 2014 - 2016. The experiences from VRI 3 in Troms are that the project has been successful in terms of interaction and promoting research-based innovation in the region's business community. VRI has contributed to increased interaction between triple helix partners. The consortium and the steering committee of VRI Troms has met regularly and cooperated on how to organize VRI, contributed towards the county's R & D strategy and discussed the way forward. Several of the consortium partners have had operating roles in relation to mobility or expertise brokerage. To achieve the objective of promoting research-based innovation, VRI has used the instruments competence brokerage, feasibility studies and mobility. VRI 3 Troms has had two priority areas: petroleum and maritime supply industry, and tourism. VRI has then targeted clusters within priority areas. During the period, the arrangement with competence brokerage gradually has strengthened. From 2015 on, VRI Troms have had eight competence brokers. Some of the brokers linked to clusters. This has been successful in both tourism (formerly Arena Lønnsomme Vinteropplevelser - ALV) and supply industry (the Arctic Maritime Cluster - AMK). ALV has had its own competence broker connected to the cluster for almost two years, whereas AKM has had one for about one year. Through participation in meetings, travels and through arranging workshop for member companies, the competence brokers have come closer to the businesses. This has resulted in a growing interest in research instruments. VRI Troms 3 supported 17 different preliminary projects, both within and outside the focus areas. Grant application numbers has varied, but with an increasing trend. It is challenging to recruit very small businesses to participate in research cooperation. Preliminary project funding in VRI is a low-entry measure compared with other types of research funding. Still, small businesses can experience a preliminary project quite challenging, in terms of both resources and available time. The results of a preliminary project may lie far into the future. Mobility in VRI Troms has been a success in the third period of the VRI program. Based on several years of effort to get the scheme known; "Business mentor" become popular, both within the university and the business community. Six business mentor positions have been announced annually within UiT Norges arktiske universitet and there has been a great demand. Business mentors often creates publicity, both for the university and VRI. More importantly however, several of the mentors have had a great significance in term of cooperation between the university and businesses. Randi Karlsen, quality manager at Brødrene Karlsen - a seafood company at the small island Husøya - was in 2014 and 2015 a business mentor affiliated with the College of Fisheries at UiT. During this period, she worked actively for closer cooperation between the seafood industry in the region and UiT. This resulted in a pilot project; ufisk, a ?practice subject? established for students studying seafood. VRI Troms supported the pilot so that the university could focus on this group of students when funding students thorough student mobility. The project was so successful that the university in later agreements on student mobility have used and developed the same model towards other groups of students. Norut has evaluated the VRI program in Troms through two comparable surveys (2010 and 2015). The surveys shows positive tendencies in cooperation between businesses, businesses and R & D and between businesses and the public sector. More companies have positive experiences with R & D now than before, and obstacles to adopting research in their own development seems reduced, as well as the use of public sector services and funding. In 2016, the county completed "Arctic innovation, R & D strategy for Troms." The strategy builds upon smart specialization and the experience gained from the VRI project. Overall, it is fair to say that VRI has been an opener for Troms County, and probably other regions as well, in terms of the importance of R & D and innovation.

Prosjektbeskrivelsen presenterer prioriteringer og innretning for samhandlingsprosjektet i VRI Troms for perioden 2014-2016 (VRI3), samt ambisjoner for perioden etter at VRI-programmet er avsluttet. I VRI3 skal Troms arbeide med samhandling, mobilisering og kompetanse rettet mot innovasjonssystemet i Troms, og særlig innen reiselivsnæringen og maritim- og petroleumsrelatert leverandørindustri. Prosjektet er geografisk avgrenset til Troms fylke. Prosjektbeskrivelsen er en bearbeiding og videreutvikling av søknad levert september 2013. Den er forankret i innspill fra møter og høringsrunder i konsortiet. Hovedprinsipper, innsatsområder og økonomisk omfang er behandlet og vedtatt av fylkesrådet høsten 2013. Søknaden er forankret i regionale utviklingsstrateg ier og planer for Troms. VRI3 Troms er et partnerskap organisert gjennom et konsortium med 14 deltakere, og prosjektet og konsortiet ledes av Troms fylkeskommune. Det søkes om basisfinansiering til VRI-prosjektet. I VRI3 skal man gjennom målrettet innsa ts styrke og bygge opp under reiselivsnæringen og maritim- og petroleumsrelatert leverandørindustri i Troms. Dette skal særlig skje gjennom samarbeid med utviklingsprogrammet Leverandørutvikling Nord-Norge (LUNN) og Arenaprosjektene Arktisk Maritim Klynge (AMK) og Arena Lønnsomme Vinteropplevelser (ALV).