Abstract
Norway is a small and open economy that is highly dependent on natural resources, particularly the oil and gas sector. Given Norway’s natural resource-oriented industrial structure, technological upgrading, diversification and industrial transformation towards a greener and smarter future are strategic goals of Norwegian innovation policy. A gradual reduction in oil production over the next decades may provide windows of opportunity to reorient resources towards a more diversified industrial structure and improved environmental and economic sustainability.
How such processes evolve, and how they can be supported by R&I policy is the main research topic in INTRANSIT. We regard industrial transformation as an outcome of interaction between established and new industries, conditioned and mediated by broader context dimensions, including policy. This requires a systems perspective that also addresses the role of firms and other actors in transformation processes.
Aims and organization of research
INTRANSIT has one overall goal: To understand how industrial transformation towards a more sustainable and smarter Norwegian economy can be fostered. To achieve this, our aim is threefold:
- We investigate the preconditions, drivers and barriers for transformation processes towards smarter and more sustainable development in significant Norwegian economic sectors.
- We address how the growth of new industries can be supported by generating new insights into the relationship between transformations of existing industries and the development of new niches.
- We regard these as necessary steps towards understanding how R&I policies can support the development of a smarter and greener Norwegian economy and society.
Research in INTRANSIT is organized in five, interconnected research streams.
- Transformation pressures
- Transformation processes in specific sectors
- Incumbents, entrepreneurs and interactions
- Digital technologies and transformation
- R&I policy for transformation
The empirical studies will look particularly at ongoing and emerging transformation processes in significant Norwegian industries, including energy/oil and gas, maritime transport, bioeconomy/aquaculture and manufacturing
INTRANSIT is based on an “engaged scholarship” model, where we collaborate with stakeholders to analyse, experiment and facilitate an open dialogue on issues connected to policy for industrial transformation. This, by nature, entails looking broadly on policy for transformation and addressing policy change at multiple levels, by interacting with regional, national and international policy and industry communities.
Partners and participants
INTRANSIT is hosted by the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo. Professor Taran Thune is the director of the Centre, which also includes TIK director Fulvio Castellacci, Professor Olav Wicken, Professor Jan Fagerberg, Associate professor Allan Dahl Andersen, and several post-doctors and PhDs. The research partners are Institute of Informatics, University of Oslo (led by Prof. Birthe Soppe), Sintef Digital (led by Dr. Markus Steen) and The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University (led by Prof. Koen Frenken).
Relevance for TIPC-conference themes
The research in INTRANSIT is relevant for several of TIPCs research themes, such as conceptualizing transformation (theme 1), the role of actors (theme 5) and conceptualization of STI policies (theme 2).