Norway: New centres for eco-friendly fisheries and enhancing services
The Research Council's two new Centres for Research-driven Innovation opened in Bergen recently amidst great fanfare. The centres will focus on sustainable fishing methods and service innovation, respectively.
Only the most outstanding members of the Norwegian innovation community are granted status as a Centre for Research-based Innovation (SFI). The two new centres will now be provided with a solid funding base over an extended period of time.
Fisheries for the future
The Centre for Research-based Innovation in Sustainable Fish Capture and Processing Technology (CRISP) will conduct research to find more sustainable methods of trawl and net-based fisheries. The centre seeks to promote more environment-friendly capture by reducing fuel consumption, minimising the impact on the seabed and active selection of the fish captured in the trawls.
"We are probably the only group in the world that is addressing the entire value chain from the location of capture until the fish are hauled onboard the vessel. Nobody else is working on linking capture and product quality like we plan to do at this centre," says the centre's director John Willy Valdemarsen.
New boost for service innovation
The Center for Service Innovation (CSI) will produce specific service innovations as well as establish specialist circles and networks focused on service development.
"An increasing number of Norwegian manufacturers of goods sell services as well. At the same time, we see that services often fall outside of the companies' traditional innovation processes," says the centre's director Per Egil Pedersen. "The new centre will help to enhance productivity and encourage higher returns for the companies involved."
Reason to be proud
"SFI status is confirmation that the two new centres are Norway's leading innovation groups in their fields. We expect that they will be highly visible flagships for long-term, industry-oriented research of internationally recognised quality," says Director General of the Research Council Arvid Hall