VRI Østfold Samhandlingsprosjekt

VRI Østfolds aim is to motivate more enterprises (SMEs) to use research in their development and innovation processes. This will in turn strengthen competitiveness, enhance value creation and create new work places. VRI Østfolds starting point is an anal ysis of Østfold's challenges. The population is population growing, but there is not a proportionally large enough growth in number of work places. Businesses in Østfold take little advantage of public research support measures. There are few strong netwo rks where companies cooperate well when it comes to knowledge and product development. The regional partnership has chosen the use of VRI-measures to strengthen development within the sectors smart energy solutions, sustainable buildings and the creative industry. Within these sectors one can find good opportunities for innovation in both well-established and newly started business networks. Within each sector a project leader is to cooperate with the companies to identify opportunities for commercial dev elopment which are dependent on research for realization. Collaboration between comapnies and research actors will be mediated. It will also be possible for the companies to receive financial support in the first phase of a research project. Smart energy solutions has it's base in NCE (Norwegian Centre of Expertise) Smart Energy Markets, which is a business network in the intersection between energy and information and communication technology. Within the sustainable buildings sector, companies in the con struction industry are brought together in order to develop environmentally friendly solutions within refurbishment of buildings. Within creative industries, there is a network which in 2014 consists of 45 companies within music, acting, film, digital me dia, design and communication.

VRI Østfold skal øke forskningsbasert innovasjon i næringslivet i fylket. Dette skal styrke konkurranseevnen, øke verdiskapingen og skape nye arbeidsplasser. På bakgrunn av et utfordringsbilde som bl.a. viser lav arbeidsplassvekst, høy befolkningsvekst, få vekstkraftige klynger og lite forskningsbasert utvikling skal kompetansemegling og bedriftsprosjekter benyttes for å mobilisere til mer forskning i næringslivet. Satsingen tar utgangspunkt i Østfolds FoU- strategi og i erfaringer fra VRI 1 og VRI 2. Den er forankret i det regionale partnerskapet og i bedrifter og institusjoner tilknyttet nettverk i innsatsområdene. Virkemidlene skal brukes i bransjer som har et tyngdepunkt i Østfold, hvor det allerede forekommer nettverksdannelser, og der det er for ventet god effekt av kompetansemegling og bedriftsprosjekter. De valgte innsatsområdene er smarte energiløsninger, bærekraftige bygg og kreative næringer.