Description
In such a brief elucidation related to entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and the commercialization of high north science.
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INTRAPRENEURSHIP AND THE
COMMERCIALIZATION OF HIGH NORTH SCIENCE:
BUILDING A COLLABORATIVE CIRCUMPOLAR
NETWORK FOR THE NEW ECONOMY
A report for Norgesuniversitetet
By
Lene Foss, Elin M. Oftedal, Ken Coates, Aileen Espiritu, Federico
Lozano and Øyvind Antonsen
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Table of Contents:
1. Competence enhancement in teaching entrepreneurship and innovation at the lecturer
level................................................................................................................3
2. Revision of current track of BCE. Introduction of new track in intrapreneurship and innovation
(TUBS). Strengthening the commercialization aspect of courses at NCFS and
HUC...........................................................................................................................3
3. The comprehensive recruitment of student and companies and the establishment of an
international industry platform for mobilizing northern science for commercial
purposes...................................................................................................................................26
4. International network of Northern professionals focused on commercialization of Northern
relevant technologies...............................................................................................................32
5. Report from Dr. Ken Coates, University of Saskatchewan and ICNGD……………………………….35
6. Budget.......................................................................................................................................38
7. Publications and Conferences..................................................................................................40
8. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................42
9. Sources......................................................................................................................................43
10. Appendices:
a. Program: The Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship and
Innovation....................................................................................................................44
b. Report: The Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship and
Innovation....................................................................................................................55
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Introduction
This report is organized according to the deliveries of the project according to page 2 in the Application. We start
with #1 and #2 in a common track, then moving to #3 and #4. The project has made it possible to develop and
apply new competences and skills in teaching entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. The focus on High North
Science and the Circumpolar region in this project has created strong ties between our institutions and towards
further collaboration. The project has added strength to the competence on commercialization and innovation
processes within biotech, telemedicine and renewable energy. The course – portfolio within commercialization of
research is far more robust and focused on life sciences than earlier. Further, the project has led to new initiatives
on important areas of development.
1. Competence enhancement in teaching entrepreneurship and innovation at the lecturer level
and
2. Revision of current track of BCE. Introduction of new track in intrapreneurship and innovation
(TUBS). Strengthening the commercialization aspect of courses at NCFS and HUC .
Deliveries of tracks in intrapreneurship, innovation and commercialization at TUBS, NCFS and
HUC
Courses and Educational Tools
In the application, we focused on enhancing the research institutions’ competence on entrepreneurial education
through securing skills and learning outcomes embedding entrepreneurship within an industrial
environment. During the project, we worked with ideas of how to combine this educational element with the
need to be visible in business creation and entrepreneurship in Northern Norway. We developed a long-term
cooperation with the project partners. We collaborated with other departments and faculties at the UiT to
disseminate information and benefit from multi-disciplinary interaction. As a result, we have established
agreements with other members at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries, and Economics (BFE), more specifically
the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science (NCFS) and Department of Arctic and Marine Biology.
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1. Deliveries TUBS
BED-3029
Idea Evaluation and Strategy
The course is administrated by
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
This course is for the Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship and
mastergradsprogram i bedriftsledelse only. This course can not be taken as a singular course
Admission requirements
This course is for the Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship and
mastergradsprogram i bedriftsledelse only. This course can not be taken as a singular course
Course contents
The course is divided into two sections:
The first section gives a general overview of idea evaluation, understanding and determining the important
assets and features of a specific idea or project, and the clarification of the ownership structure surrounding the
idea or project.
The second section deals with strategies for evaluating ideas and exploring their commercial feasibility and
preparing for competitive strategies in the market. The section also gives training in how to use early-stage
analysis of technological, competitive and market opportunities.
Objective of the course
Students who have successfully completed the course should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension:
Knowledge of the key concepts and options in idea evaluation
Awareness of the critical role that idea evaluation plays in the commercialization of knowledge based ideas
Knowledge about roles of different actors and their utilization of project evaluation tools
Skills:
The course should prepare the student to:
Carry out feasibility studies as well as build competitive strategies to launch ideas to the market
Apply theoretical concepts and ideas to new areas
Using assessment strategies of evaluating the commercial potential of an idea and its realisation
Competence:
The students should be able independently and cooperatively to develop their own competence and expertise in
the field of idea evaluation
The students should be able to discuss central questions, analyse and conclude the project evaluation steps and
their obstacles in order to achieve the overall potential of an idea and the idea development
The students are competent in the implementation process of idea evaluations and their realization
Language of instruction
English.
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminars, group based work.
Assessment
Group based paper with presentation, and oral examination. Grades A-E, F is failure.
There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.
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BED 3031
Entrepreneurial Financial Management
Spring 2012 Syllabus
Lecturer: Kelley Ritchey
Course Description
This course teaches prospective entrepreneurs the fundamentals of finance as it applies to the new or young
venture. Topics include development of pro forma financial statements for cash flow analysis, business valuation
models, and raising capital.
Students who have successfully completed the course should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension:
• Knowledge of how to do financial forecasting and incorporating supply and demand considerations into the
forecast
• Comprehension of different valuation techniques appropriate to an entrepreneurial setting
• Knowledge of different suppliers of funds to entrepreneurs and their objectives and requirements (what I call
the institutional relationships)
Lecturer Information
Biography
I am an American citizen holding a BA in Politics from Whitman College, an MBA from the University of
California, Los Angeles and a MA in International Economics and Finance from Chulalongkorn University,
Bangkok. I hold both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations.
Prior to joining the University of Tromsø as a Lecturer, I was an Associate Dean and Finance/Banking Department
Head at the Asian University Faculty of Business. I was also the Senior Portfolio Manager of Weston Capital
Management, the Vice President and Head of Market Research at the Alternative Investment Strategies group at
Citibank, and the Director of Alternative Investment Research and Education at the New York Mercantile
Exchange (NYMEX). In earlier roles at NYMEX, I developed new option contracts and maintained existing
contracts in the energy and metal complexes. Prior to that, I traded equities and their derivatives as a member
of the American Stock Exchange and as a managing director, equity trading of Imperial Savings.
Contact Details
Office: TEO 5.426
E?mail: [email protected]
Work: 77.64.60.42
The easiest way to initially contact me is immediately after class or through e-mail. I welcome the opportunity to
meet with individual or small groups of students to discuss class material or finance-related topics (after setting
up a mutually-convenient time).
Philosophy
Although this is a graduate-level course for which you will earn academic credit, students should be able to
actually apply the finance concepts discussed in this course in the real world. Although applying finance can
sometimes be challenging, especially in entrepreneurial settings, it can also provide important additional insights
and an appreciation for the context of financial decision-making.
I will focus the course on real-life situations in two ways. First, I try to provide many examples in the lectures to
real-life companies and situations. (Entrepreneurial companies are non-public, but we can get some insight
through prospectuses of new IPOs.) Second, we will work through cases or real financial statements together in
class using Microsoft Excel.
Textbooks
The primary textbook is:
Smith, Smith and Bliss, Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy, Valuation, and Deal Structure (2011).
Though ordered in early December, the bookstore (as of last week) said 4-6 weeks until delivery. We will spend
at least 4 weeks understanding the basics of finance with Welch textbook (below), so this delay may not be
critical. If book is delayed, we may adapt the schedule somewhat to accommodate.
The secondary textbook is:
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Welch, Ivo. Corporate Finance: 2nd Edition (2011). This text is available to be read online at no cost athttp://book.ivo-welch.info/ed2/. I have successfully accessed the text online many times, with only one instance
of server unavailability.
If desired, you may also purchase a softcover edition of the book at $60 through Amazon.com (though the
assigned first three chapters of the text will be posted on Fronter in pdf format). I cannot post additional
chapters because the material is copyrighted.
Course Format
We will use interactive lectures, case studies, and exercises based on real-life companies and situations.
Interactive Lectures: I prefer two-way interaction between students and lecturer. In my experience, interactivity
requires some preparation on the part of students. I encourage you to review the assigned material before the
lecture. In addition, I will try to post my PowerPoint slides on the night before class so you can review them
and/or print them out. I often add additional slides for discussion in the class (or remove answers to questions).
Additionally, it will be helpful to have a calculator (even a relatively simple one) in class.
Case Studies: Case studies expose you to real?life situations faced by managers in the past. It is an opportunity to
address a complex situation. You must decide what the main issues are and how to address them using the
material you are learning.
Exercises on Real-life Companies: There is some information available on entrepreneurial companies from
prospectuses (issued when a company goes public). We will use this information where possible in the seminars
and exercises to get some real-world understanding.
Ungraded Quizzes: I use short quizzes to gauge class understanding. Please do the quizzes on your own to get
maximum personal feedback and send me the right message about class comprehension of the material.
Grading:
Final Written Exam 100%
Because the final exam is a practical exam, I will have a midterm exam (pass/fail only) as a means to give you
performance feedback and insight into my style of exam.
The questions on my exams are never exactly the same as the ones in class (or with one number changed). Even
if they look the same, the answers to the questions may not be the same as discussed in class. So the emphasis
should be on understanding the concepts involved, not memorizing the solution.
Typically, the exam will be a PC-based exam using Microsoft Excel that incorporates many of the topics discussed
in the class. While the questions have a calculation component, performing the calculations is not enough,
unless you can also explain the limitations and assumptions and interpret the results correctly. Knowledge of the
underlying finance concepts and language also may also be very important.
Although attendance is not directly evaluated, I encourage class attendance and try to make it beneficial for
students by working through exercises and providing insight not in the book or PowerPoints.
Class Schedule
The schedule and topics subject to revision as needed.
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Session Week Topic Assignment
BASIC TOOLS OF FINANCE
January 12 2 Introduction Welch, Chapter 1
19 3 Present Value Welch, Chapter 2
26 4 Annuities and Perpetuities Welch, Chapter 3
FINANCIAL FORECASTING
February 2 5 An Introduction to Financial Statements Welch, Chapter 13
9 6 Uncertainty and Simulation Handout
16 7 Revenue Forecasting SSB, Chapter 6
23 8 Integrated Financial Model SSB, Chapter 7
March 1 9 Assessing Financial Needs (Internet Grocer) SSB, Chapter 8
VALUATION, DEAL STRUCTURE, AND CONTRACT DESIGN
8 10 Mid-term Exam
9* 10 Foundations of New Venture Valuation SSB, Chapter 9
15 11 Valuation in Practice (Deer Meadows) SSB, Chapter 10
22 12 Entrepreneur’s Perspective on Value SSB, Chapter 11
29 13 Deal Structure (Connected Home (A)) SSB, Chapter 12
apr.12 15 Value Creation and Contract Design SSB, Chapter 13
19 16 Financing Choice SSB, Chapter 14
26 17 Harvesting and Exit Strategy (Nantucket Nectars) SSB, Chapter 15
May 3 18 INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
10 19 Venture Capital and Angel Investing SSB, Chapter 3
BED- 3048
Corporate Entrepreneurship
Welcome to BED-3048 - Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE)! This syllabus contains most of the information you
will need to succeed in this course. Please read through all sections carefully before our first class, and refer to it
often throughout the semester.
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Goals
CE will be divided into three sections: theoretical, case-based, and project-based. You will be introduced to the
major theories in the field through lectures and seminars. You will also be part of dynamic case discussions
where you will be able to apply your theoretical knowledge to situations faced by managers of large, innovative
organizations. Towards the final part of the class, you will engage with real-world companies to help them
become more creative, innovative, and intrapreneurial.
CE will span a broad array of topics. Not focusing solely on the narrow subject of corporate entrepreneurship, we
will explore other important areas in the cross section of entrepreneurship, strategic management, and
corporate management.
CE’s four major goals are to:
1. Introduce you to the corporate management landscape by covering broad topics such as corporate strategy
and culture
2. Hone your interpersonal-behavior skills, and give you a glimpse into the importance of organizational
dynamics in team and corporate environments
3. Give you a hands-on understanding of how established firms can be more entrepreneurial and innovative
4. Immerse you in design thinking, and develop your applied skills in this cutting-edge, human-centered
methodology
Overview
Companies today face a challenging and fast-changing environment. International competitive pressures have
increased significantly during the past decade and have been exacerbated by the global economic slowdown.
Simultaneously, rapid technological advancements continue to disrupt many industries. To survive and maintain
competitive advantage, companies must be able to adapt swiftly to the changed environment. Or in the wise and
quite blunt words of Peter F. Drucker: “nless an organization sees that its task is to lead change, that
organization whether a business, a university, or a hospital will not survive.”
So although the need for innovation is central to developed firms success, the implementation of innovative
activities within a corporate setting (labeled either “corporate entrepreneurship” or “intrapreneurship”) is more
challenging for a number of reasons. Mature organizations tend to adopt policies and procedures that bring
order and consistency to operations. They also rely upon systems that reward safe, conservative behavior with
short term benefits and structures that over-supervise employees. In addition, entrepreneurial initiatives do not
fit well within strategic planning systems.
Recognizing that you may end up in a corporate setting following graduation, CE will make you cognizant of the
special challenges of entrepreneurship in the corporate environment. In addition, it will familiarize you with the
internal ventures and “external” collaborative approaches central to corporate entrepreneurial activity.
Innovation challenge
CE will have a distinctive component: a private-sector innovation project. During some classes, we will be
working directly with a local company to help its management become more creative, empathetic, and human-
centered.
We will split our class into four or five teams. Each team will work on a particular “design/innovation challenge,”
which you will pinpoint along with the company’s leadership. (Examples of potential design challenge could be:
“How might we increase the communication flow between our marketing and R&D teams?” or “How might we
modify product X to serve the preferences of customers in Southern Europe?”)
Throughout the semester, we will periodically apply design-thinking techniques to these challenges. Towards the
end of the course, you will present your innovative solution to the company’s leadership by way of a
presentation and a written report (these two assignments will each count for 20% of your grade).
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We will discuss this project during our first class session.
The case method
You will be asked to read business cases, which we will then discuss in class. This proven pedagogical
methodology—“the case method”—has become a crucial part of management education, and is widely used in
business and entrepreneurship programs around the world.
Essentially what case studies do is expose you to real-life situations faced by entrepreneurs and managers. It is
your responsibility to study these complex situations, decide what the main issues are, and address them
appropriately. Whether the challenge, for example, is launching a new product online, hiring your first
employees, or negotiating a term sheet with venture capitalists, it is important—above all else—that you put
yourself in the shoes of the cases’ protagonists when analyzing and discussing the situations faced. The more
you are able to personally immerse yourself—thinking, analyzing, and deciding as an actual manager—the
deeper the learning will be.
I will discuss the case method towards the beginning of the course in much more detail (for those of you who
have had me as a lecturer before, you do not have to be present during this.)
Participation
As mentioned before, due to the highly engaged nature of our class discussions and activities, broad and active
participation will be byfarthe most important factor in whether CE proves to be a valuable experience for your
classmates, your lecturer, and—most notably— you. Thus, I will periodically and without prior notice “cold call”
(i.e., ask particular questions about the case) those whom I think could contribute more to classroom discussion.
The majority of your success will be determined by your ability to listen in class, contrast the discussion to the
assigned readings, formulate creative ideas, and add to the classroom debate with analytic and articulate
observations. Emphasis should be placed on building on your classmates’ ideas in a constructive manner. Yet
when you have opposing views, thoughtful disagreements are highly encouraged. And keep in mind: the quality
of your comments is more important than the quantity.
The following is the criteria you can use to gauge how to best participate (in no particular order of importance):
o Relevance: How is the comment related to the current discussion?
o Accuracy: Do you use management and entrepreneurship terms and concepts in ways that are
consistent with definitions provided in readings and lectures?
o Logic: Can you explain the reasoning behind your comment using clear evidence and arguments?
o Integration: Does your comment move the discussion forward by building on previous contributions
with new insights?
o Individuality: Does your comment contribute a new perspective to the discussion, or does it simply
repeat what others have already said?
Attendance
If you need to miss a class due to illness or an emergency, please send me an email before the class explaining
the situation.
Study groups
You will be assigned to a study group during the beginning of the course. You will gather in these groups during
the first 15 minutes of most classes to discuss the relevant details as they apply to the case, readings, and
preparation questions. Use this time actively to prepare as much as possible for the classroom case discussion
held immediately afterwards.
As the “Learning by the Case Method” note states, “the purpose of these discussions is not to develop a
consensus of a ‘group’ position; it is to help members refine, adjust, and amplify their own thinking.” As a sign of
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respect for your group members, it is very important that you arrive at your group preparation having read the
cases several times and written relevant observations.
(N.B.: I will not be involved in addressing free-riding problems within your group.)
Grading
? Final Individual Case Write Up (Friday, April 5): 60%
? Innovation Challenge Group Presentation (Tuesday, May 7th): 20%
? Design Pilot Application (Friday, May 10th): 20%
Innovation challenge presentation & Design pilot application
The specific details of these deliverables will be discussed in class.
Final individual case write up
You will need to deliver an individual write up for the following case:
? Sathe, V., et al., “Buddy March,” Harvard Business School Case 9-407-128, June 29, 2007, pp. 1-11.
You will need to read the following note as part of the case:
? Chakravorti, B., “A Note on Corporate Entrepreneurship: Challenge or Opportunity,” Harvard Business
School Note 9-810-145, June 25, 2010, pp. 1-9.
Please answer the following questions in your write up:
a. What do you think Buddy March and Dave Devine will do given the situation at the end of the case?
b. Buddy, Dave and Jordan: Why are these folks behaving the way they are behaving?
c. What do you see as Buddy’s weaknesses?
d. How did the firm’s culture influence decision-making and the pursuit of entrepreneurial
opportunities?
e. What is driving Buddy? What is driving Dave Devine?
f. How frequently do you think this kind of conflict develops? Why does it develop and what can be
done about it?
Due Date: Friday, April 5. Please place a hardcopy in my mail box on floor 5.
Writing and argumentation are incredibly valuable—and many times underestimated—assets any manager or
entrepreneur should learn to wield. You will have an opportunity to hone these skills during CE through a case
write up. Your write up should, above all else, present deep critical analysis and strong positions.
I will use the following criteria to determine your grade (in no particular order):
? Theory: How well can you apply the conceptual material offered in readings and lectures?
? Data: How well do you utilize descriptive data to support your argument?
? Analysis: How well do you integrate theory and data to create a coherent argument?
? Organization: How clear and well-organized is the presentation of your hand in?
? Writing: How well do you reflect professional quality in grammar and writing style?
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Formatting details:
? Each of these assignments should have a minimum length of 3 pages and should not exceed 5 pages.
? Please number each page.
? Spacing: 1.5; font: 12-point Times New Roman; margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) all around; do not rewrite the
actual questions—simply number each of your responses.
? Add your student number to the top of every page.
Required readings
I have assigned one or more required readings for each class. Use the theories, frameworks, and additional
information provided in the assigned readings as a basis for your case analysis. The research in these readings
will be directly related to the situations faced by the managers and entrepreneurs in the cases, and will help you
to organize your ideas.
Lecturer information
Name: Federico Lozano
Office: TEO 5.434
E-mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 48.36.85.83
Work: 77.64.44.99
Website: www.federicolozano.com
I am pretty good at answering emails quickly; please use this medium as our primary source of contact. Also, I
am more than happy to schedule one-on-one meetings outside of classroom hours to discuss your progression,
professional opportunities post-graduation, or any other topic you’d like. Simply email me to coordinate a
mutually convenient time and place.
Your personal bio
(Those who’ve had me before, please ignore this part.) We will be interacting often and learning from each other
during the next semester. To help me get to know you better, please prepare a short bio (around 400 words)
telling me a bit about yourself. I’m interested to learn about your:
1. Part-time or full-time work experience, and about your education at UiT or elsewhere;
2. Cultural background, whether you’ve lived in different countries, and why you chose to study your
master’s degree at UiT;
3. Personal and professional objectives immediately after you graduate, and ten years down the road;
4. And hobbies, favorite sports, travel experiences, family, major accomplishments, etc.
I look forward to getting to know every single one of you well—and to having a fantastic semester together!
Class sections
CE will be divided into three major sections. Section A will be led by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal. Sections B
and C will be led by Lecturer Federico Lozano.
A. Theoretical: Key managerial frameworks and theories
B. Case-Based: Applied, in-class discussions
C. Project-Based: Hands-on, real-life work
Sections A and B will be interspersed throughout January, February, and March. Section C will commence in the
beginning of April.
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1. INTRODUCTIONTOCE
RequiredReading
? This entire syllabus
RequiredPersonalBio
? Please come to class with a printed copy of your bio with your full name on the top (only for those who
are new to my classes)
(A)THEORETICAL&(B)CASE-BASED
2. THEORYLECTUREI
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
3. THEORYSEMINARI
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
4. LAUNCHOFLABFORDESIGNTHINKERS
? No required reading. Just come ready to watch a new and very cool movie
(http://designthinkingmovie.com/), which will be publicly screened especially for UiT students. I will be
introducing you to the new Lab for Design Thinkers, and then those who wish can hang out at Bazinga
where we can discuss the movie.
5. INNOVATINGTHROUGHCORPORATECULTURE
RequiredCaseStudy
? Bartlett, C. A., “Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA,” Harvard Business School Case 9-390-132, July 22, 1996, pp.
1-20.
RequiredReading
? Hammond, J. S., “Learning by the Case Method,” Harvard Business School Note Reprint 9-376-241, April
16, 2002, pp. 1-4. (Only for those who are new to my classes.)http://www0.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/ucacdxq/others/learning.pdf
? Christiansen, C. M., “What is an Organization’s Culture?,” Harvard Business School Note Reprint 9-399-
104, August 2, 2006, pp. 1-8. (My previous students, disregard this note.)
DiscussionQuestions
a. What are Kamprad’s values like? How do they influence the culture at IKEA?
b. What do you think about Kamprad’s forceful promotion of IKEA’s culture? Do you agree with the way he does
it? What would you change, and why?
c. What opportunities and challenges do you envision IKEA facing as it transitions its market penetration from
developed to developing countries?
d. What do you think will happen once Kamprad leaves IKEA? Do you think the culture will change? If so, how
and why?
6. THEORYLECTUREII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
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7. THEORYSEMINARII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
8. THEORYLECTUREIII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
9. THEORYSEMINARIII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
10. INNOVATINGTHROUGHHUMANCAPITAL
RequiredCaseStudy
? O'Reilly, C. & Pfeffer, J., “Southwest Airlines (A),” Stanford GSB Case Study HR-1A, April 5, 2006, pp. 1-
27.
DiscussionQuestions
a. What specific steps have Kelleher and his team taken to create such a dedicated and customer-oriented
employee base?
b. What are the pros and cons to Southwest’s recruitment and training programs? Are they aligned with the
firm’s culture? How or how not?
c. Can these steps simply be copied and implemented by the competition—or any other company for that
matter—to achieve similar results? Why have you reached this conclusion?
d. Put yourself in Ann Rhoades shoes. Do you think the recent competitive threat could seriously damage
Southwest? And what actions, if any, would you recommend Southwest’s senior management to take?
(C)PROJECT-BASED
11. INNOVATIONCHALLENGE&DESIGN-THINKINGINTRODUCTION
We will use the first part of the class to discuss the Innovation Challenge. The second part will be dedicated to
the introduction of the Design Thinking methodology. (This second part is only for students who are new to
Design Thinking.)
12. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
13. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
14. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
15. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
16. INNOVATIONCHALLENGEPRESENTATIONS
Design Pilot Application due Friday, May 10th
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Innovation challenge General purpose
? To develop your design-thinking and creative abilities (Old students, this will be a chance to refine your
design-thinking skills, and apply them to real-life situations)
? To introduce you to the challenges and opportunities of launching creative and innovative initiatives
within well-established firms
? To introduce firms in Northern Norway to a more creative and innovative way of doing business, and to
the design thinking methodology
Innovation challenge nuts and bolts
Managers from a local Tromsø company and your team will identify a “design/innovation challenge” within the
corresponding firm. As I mentioned in the beginning of this syllabus, these challenges usually start with the
phrase: “How might we…”, and help explore creative solutions to a problem or questions the firm might be
facing.
For example, a leading computer firm may ask: “How might we create a mouse that children between 4 and 8
years old will like to use.” Or a large municipality may ask: “How might we decrease traffic congestion in front of
elementary schools during the morning rush hour?” Your “How-might-we” question could come from many
different sources. What’s important is that it presents an area for innovation and that it is something that
matters to the firm.
Once you’ve identified a design challenge, you and your team—back in class—will apply many different
techniques and tools to devise creative, functional, and human-centered solutions to the company’s challenge.
Towards the end of the course, you will offer a report and presentation describing your findings and suggestions
going forward.
Importantly, you will not be duplicating the work that the company’s managers are already engaged in. Ideally,
you will be innovating in a space (the innovation challenge) that the firm has previously been interested in, yet
has not had the time, resources, of tools to tackle.
BED-3051
Innovation to Market
The development of the courses «innovation to market» came as a direct result of the NUV project. After the
Circumpolar Conference (see separate report), it became apparent that there was a need for the business school
to have a closer cooperation with industry. Further, it was a need to have a closer cooperation with the life
sciences. Based on that, thehttp://uit.no/studietilbud/emner/emne?p_document_id=368670 course “BED-
3051 Innovation to Market” was developed. This course is an attempt to learn about the innovation and
commercialization processes in select industries that are important for the city and the region. The four
industries that were focused upon in the conference were selected. These were biotech, Telemedicine/ICT,
Energy and Mining. The course focused on central topics within the theory and then had four workshops
covering each of these topics. The students needed to understand the challenges of innovation and
commercialization within each of the industries. The course will be followed up and further developed in the
coming fall when we have made certain changes: We limit the focus to mainly biotech and engineering.
We are cooperating with APecshttp://www.apecs.is/en/about-apecs/leadership/international-directorate to
make webinars from the workshops. APECs are also cooperating with our main partners in the project. The
webinars we are developing with APECs will be available for a wide range of domestic and foreign students. This
is a response to our project aim of developing courses that include exchange of students, internships in
companies, and virtual-based interaction through workshops and conferences extend our knowledge and
experience in developing an effective international research and educational environment.
As mentioned in the project proposal, Professor Klara Stensvåg has agreed to participate in our program as our
representative at the various scientific-based institutes at the University. Her department has made the course
BED-3051 compulsory for their biotech master students. We are further cooperating with the institute for
15
renewable energies: Professor Tobias Bostrøm: who are strongly recommending engineering students to take
the BED-3051http://uit.no/om/enhet/ansatte/person?p_document_id=41330&p_dimension_id=88166http://uit.no/om/enhet/forskning?p_dimension_id=88131
We are using case examples from Høgskolen i Hedmark in our teaching for the biotech focus. These cases were
developed for the NUV project.
BED-3047
Entrepreneurial Networking and Methods in Writing BCE Master Thesis
Credits
10 ECTS
Course administrated by
Faculty of Bioscience, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
Theory
Admission requirements
Course for Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship (BCE) only
Course contents
The course gives an overview of entrepreneurial networking and methods in writing a Master thesis in Business
Creation and Entrepreneurship.
The course is divided into two sections:
The first section gives a brief overview of the innovation system in academic entrepreneurship and the
institutions and actors involved in commercializing academic knowledge. Further, the course gives a more
detailed overview of entrepreneurial networks, both in general and in commercializing life sciences in particular.
The second section gives a brief overview of various methods for writing a Master thesis in the BCE programme.
Further, the course gives a more detailed overview of challenges in writing an academic thesis in
commercializing university based research.
Objective of the course
The first aim of the course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the critical role network
and relations play in bringing a research based idea to the market. The course puts particular emphasis on how
the students can build networks in a dynamic way to get access to necessary resources for commercialisation.
The second aim of the course is to give students the necessary overview of how to design their master thesis,
which is to combine a practical project with a technical study, a market study and a business plan, all combined
with an introduction (umbrella).
Learning outcomes
Students successfully completed the course should achieve the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension
- Knowledge of how to obtain resources through networks for starting a research based spin-off
- Knowledge of how to build personal and business relations
- Knowledge of how to use various methods in writing a master thesis in BCE
- Knowledge of how to design an analytical thesis around commercializing a research based idea
Skills:
- Preparing the students to analyse their network
- Build a strategy for how to initiate, develop and maintain networks
16
- Develop a research problem, theoretical approach and methodological design for commercializing a research
based idea
Competence:
The student should be able to present an analysis of their own business network and discuss weaknesses and
strengths in their networking approach. Further, they should be able to connect networking to entrepreneurial
teams. The students will obtain competence in how to describe, analyze and conclude in issues to academically
writing. They will be able to reflect on their Master thesis as a piece of academic entrepreneurship and discuss
and defend their theoretical and methodological choices in groups.
Language of instruction and examination:
English
Teaching methods:
Lectures and seminars
Assessment methods
Students are evaluated through two term papers. Course work requirements: two oral presentations have to be
approved.
Teachers
- Lene Foss (LF), Professor, [email protected] ( Course responsible)
- Elin Oftedal, Associate Professor, [email protected]
- Vår Støle (VS), Senior Lecturer, [email protected]
- Mette Solnørdal (MS), Assistant Teacher, [email protected]
Guest lecturers
- Christin Kristoffersen, Mayor Longyearbyen, Svalbard, [email protected]
- Dagfinn Sætra, Connect Norge, [email protected]
- Anne Eriksen/Ragnhild Sandvoll, UiT
Workshops
1) Finance for Everyone
By Andromeda Simulations International
- Eliza Helweg-Larsen, [email protected]
- Robin Helweg-Larsen, [email protected]
Local contact person:
- Sven Arne Rokvam Pedersen, UiT, [email protected]
2) IPR and technology/product
By Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT)
- Bård Hall, CEO, [email protected]
3) Market
By Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT)
- Hilde Ludvigsen, Senior Consultant, [email protected]
Literature:
Articles on Fronter
17
BED-8004
Academic entrepreneurship - preparing PhD students for an entrepreneurial career
The course is administrated by
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
Multi-disciplinary
Admission requirements
The course is open for candidates with a documented admission to a PhD program at all faculties at UiT - The
Arctic University of Norway. PhD-candidates from other institutions are also welcome.
Maximum 20 participants.
Use this application form to register on the course and send it to Ingjerd Gauslaa Nilsen at BFE Faculty, UiT The
Arctic University of Norway ([email protected]):
Admission PhD Courses
Course contents
The learning journey of a PhD student can often be a lonely one, with students required to work towards
intensive individually researched and sole authored academic projects of scholarly importance. As a
consequence, entrepreneurship, team working and networking - elements that are becoming increasingly
important to the wider world of work - are often neglected. Indeed, many PhD students have ideas that can
potentially be commercialized; they also have talent and skills that can be used outside academia.
The term used to describe the start-up of a firm based on a research-based idea is called academic
entrepreneurship, and this has become vital in helping universities fulfill their third mission: to contribute to
regional innovation. The success of university-based spin-offs is dependent on talented PhD students and this
course provides the necessary tools for learning about entrepreneurship and commercialization.
The course is aimed at preparingPhDstudentstotakeonanentrepreneurialrole after completing their PhD.
Theoretically the course contains literature from academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial networking and
entrepreneurial teams. The students will learn about the university context's support for academic
entrepreneurship, and the prerequisites required for university contribution to knowledge based regional
development through university spinoffs.
Access to networks is a critical resource for academic entrepreneurs. A change of career path and exchange of
information or tangible resources between actors are influenced by social relations. Finally, entrepreneurial
creativity and team formation is crucial for successful commercialization of research based ideas.
The course will include a variety of pedagogical approaches, including:
? Lectures to provide the theoretical concepts
? Small groups discussing theoretical articles
? Small group working to allow students to reflect on their own experiences, roles and skills
? Group case work - students working on literature case studies and presenting in plenary session
Objective of the course
Knowledge:
? Knowledge of research on academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial teams and entrepreneurial
networking
? Knowledge of how to use frameworks to analyze university based spin-offs, research based ideas for
commercialization, entrepreneurial networks and team roles
Skills:
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? Be able to understand the university context of academic entrepreneurship
? Recognize the value of different team roles within a research based venture
? Be able to build a strategy relating to how to initiate, develop and maintain networks
? Be able to recognize and understand the processes of commercialization and technology transfer.
Language of instruction
English
Teaching methods
The course will use a combination of lectures; guest lectures from academic entrepreneurs, assignments in
smaller groups, presentations in plenary sessions.
Assessment
Exam:
In order to meet the objectives of the course, each participant will be required to write a scientific paper. In
order to pass the exam, each student will have to provide:
? Pre-coursework - by the submission date indicated below, and according to instructions provided ahead of
the course.
? Participation - in all parts of the course.
? Written scientific paper - by the submission date indicated below; subject will be provided during the
course.
19
2. Deliveries NCFS
Prof. Klara Stensvaag
For the biotechnology teaching programs (bachelor in biotechnology and master in marine biotechnology), it is
of utterly importance that the candidates are prepared for future jobs in science and in biotechnology
companies and are aware of the challenges and what are important for business without them being specialized
in developing scientific ideas and results into business. In addition, the science has changed during the last
centuries; today the focus is addressing a social challenges that should be solved, and even in basic scientific
projects in academia, there is a focus on the innovation potential (even from the research council). The lecturing
in the Universities is supposed to be research based. The Universities in the seventies were at the side of the
society, but today they are very much at the center of what is going on and very focused on the outcome of
science for the benefit for everyone. Thus, the perspectives of business and commercialization has become
more essential in all parts of the society, in science, and also in education.
University of Tromsø, the Norwegian College of Fishery and biotechnology.
The focus for some time has been on integration of the perspective of multi-disciplinary interactions onto the
biotechnology program and to help bridge the gap between business and science. This has been the idea from
the start as the initiation of the biotechnology bachelor and master study in the first place was means-tested
among the regional leaders in SMSs.
Interaction with business and companies – evaluation of the program with interaction of students and the Arena
Biotech North, the network of leaders of regional SME.
The biotechnology program started up in 2006 and the first masters of these students were educated in
2011.The biotechnology program was evaluated both at a master, but also at a bachelor level. Based on the
feedback from the companies, it was obvious that the whishes were biased. Some companies wanted specialized
personnel and was not looking for these aspects of knowledge in their future staff members. Other companies,
was very clear that it was very important to have excellent biotechnologists that also had basic knowledge of
how to develop biotechnological results into business. These fundamental ways of thinking had to be in the back
of the spine every day at the lab bench. For instance, looking for data in patents should be as important as
reviewing the literature before following up ideas. The conclusion of the discussion was that the aim for the
marine biotechnology students should be to introduce them into the basics of innovation and
commercialization. The challenge was to implement this according to the regulation at the university.
Development of the program and courses for NCFS
Short termed changes versus longer perspectives
BIO-3611SeminarinMarineBiotechnology. This master course was turned as a seminar based course,
emphasizing involvement from the students. The focus of the course has been discussions of commercialization
aspects, and students giving presentations from each. The must also be on both sides in small pays of different
business meeting discussing concrete biotechnology cases. It is a seminar that is going on for two years, and
some of the activity is ongoing in the research group where the students are doing their master projects. The
aim has been to replace this course, but still maintain some of the activities within it, in other contexts.
BED-3051 Innovation to market – will replace Bio-3611 from autumn 2014
This is a master course at School of Business and Economics. During the last semester, the interaction of the
teaching staff of this course and the teaching staff at the master in marine biotechnology has discussed and
optimized the content of the course to fit it for master student in marine biotech. The theoretical teaching
material will fit to cover introduction into basic knowledge of innovation, commercialization, market and IPRs
strategy. Biotechnology research provides the university and the industry with a huge potential of creative ideas
and discoveries, which has to be transferred in products or services. The will be group work in groups of students
belonging to both business and biotech students. The topic for the semester project is going to be within marine
biotechnology and the home exam will be an extension on the same project, but on an individual basis.
20
Bio-2606MarineBiotechnology(bachelor)andBio-2310IndustrialBiotechnology(master).
These courses are further developed.
The idea is to develop these courses further and integrate parts of them as courses suited also for partners in
Arena Biotech North. The planning for a pilot is ongoing, with involvement of staff of the School of Business and
Economics, the Design Thinking Lab, personnel and teaching professors at NCFS and personnel from Norinnova
Technology Transfer AS and the Arena program Biotech North.
21
3. Deliveries HUC
Hedmark University College
Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course, 2Bio062
By Dr. Frank Larsen
Mole Genetics – Automated Nucleic Acid Purification System
Description
Mole Genetics, a Norwegian biotech company was started in 2005. The Mole products address laboratories
analyzing nucleic acids by PCR. The company has developed a fully automated system working with prefilled
reagent cassettes containing all necessary reagents. This is “plug and play” system making it easy for laboratories
to automate tedious and labor-intensive processes. The case is presenting the company in 2010 in the process of
international commercialization. The company is also facing the challenge to bring in capital from investors after
the international financial crisis (2008/2009). The task is to do customer segmentation and do the right priorities
to get significant sales in a market with two large competitors.
Learning objective:
To understand customer segmentation, market analysis, competitor evaluation, strategic decisions using tools
like SWOT analysis. Learn about the famous business model “razor and razor blades” by doing sales projections.
In addition, understanding how a financial crisis can influence a good company in its process of commercializing
products.
Subjects Covered:
Business model, market segmentation, marketing strategy, pricing strategy, competitor evaluation, SWOT
analysis, investor presentation, financial climate
12p Marketing Plan, English PDF
19p Business Presentation, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: 17
• Event Year: 2010
Publication Date: January 2014
Discipline: Marketing, finance
Source: Authors Tone Yrvum and Frank Larsen
Ecolice - The Salmon Louse Fight
Description
Baard Johannessen is a Norwegian biologist that has filed a patent application for chemical treatment of Salmon
to get rid of Salmon Louse. He got the patent granted in 2011. He has formed a company Ecolice and his
business model is to license the technology to the fish farming industry. but the salmon industry is not willing to
pay him any royalty. This is a typical case of a small inventor against a big industry.
Salmon louse is a small copepod which is a parasite living on salmon. This parasite is one of the major threats to
salmon farmers. Johannessen found that it was possible to get much better effect of treatment by drugs, if they
were used in combination in the right quantity and for the right time. This so called combination method will
need less drugs for efficient treatment of salmon louse, and much less than the traditional full dose treatment
used by many salmon farmers.
Learning objective:
Technology start-up, how strong is a patent in a commercial market place, licensing as a business model.
22
Subjects Covered:
Immaterial Property Rights (IPR), technology licensing, how to depend a patent, business models, market
strategy
4p summary, English PDF
1 p newspaper article, Dagens Næringsliv 14. March 2014
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: 1
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: March 2014
Discipline: IPR and technology transfer, entrepreneurship
Source: Author Frank Larsen
Seaweed Energy Solutions: Kelp farming for biofuel production
Description
Seaweed Energy Solutions (SES) is a kelp (seaweed) farming company with a patented new technology for
improved farming of seaweeds. Seaweeds like kelp are growing very fast and can be harvested after 5-7 months
growth in the sea. The kelp contains up to 40% sugar (mannitol and laminaran) which by fermentation can be
used as substrate for bioethanol and biogas production. In addition, kelp contains alginate another carbohydrate
which is used both in food industry and in pharmacy. SES is focusing on ecological biofuel production and is
working to reduce production cost to be commercially competitive. So far, production cost is three times higher
than needed to be competitive. Can SES survive on biofuel production or do they need to make a product mix to
be profitable?
Learning objective:
How can an ecofriendly production method of biofuel become profitable? Will a new industry blossom along the
international coasts to deliver an alternative to fossil fuel? The business case is about developing a sustainable
business plan using a business model where both high and low value ingredients in seaweeds are used. This
allows to students to combine products in food industry, pharmacy and bioenergy to build a business model.
Subjects Covered:
Innovation, production cost, sales channels, product development, business models
15p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: unknown
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: April 2012 – revised May 2014
Discipline: Innovation, Marketing
Source: Authors: Dag Aadne Sandbakken and Frank Larsen
iPerian - Stem Cell Technologies
Description
The iPierian case profiles a startup biotechnology company leveraging the recent development of induced
pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-adult stem cells that have been reprogrammed to a "pluripotent" state whereby
they can differentiate into approximately 200 different cell types in the body. The science in this field is in the
nascent stages but the pace of change is rapid as new discoveries are made and as companies devise
23
applications for the technology. iPierian has established itself as an early leader in the space by creating a
consistent way to create high volumes of high quality iPSCs and subsequently differentiate those cells into motor
neurons. The company must decide between three major directions-tools, drug development of therapeutics-in
which it can steer the business and continue to develop its technology. iPierian must also make this decision in
the context of the role of large pharmaceutical players in the industry with whom they can either partner or
potentially compete against in the race to find successful applications for iPSC technology.
Learning objective:
The learning objective of the case is several-fold, first exposing students to the newly emerging but rapidly
changing and revolutionary field of induced pluripotent stem cell technology. Second, the students must analyze
the business model which they believe will be most successful for the company at a time when the technology is
brand new and no clear winner has yet emerged. Finally, students read the iPierian case in parallel with the
Millenium case and are asked to compare and contrast the two companies to better understand how the
economic, political, regulatory and business factors at play at the time of the respective cases factor into a
company's strategic and financial decisions.
26p, English PDF
Subjects Covered: Business models; Stem cell research
Setting: Industry: Biotechnology
Publication Date: Feb 4, 2011
Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business
BioPure – Blood Substitute HemoPure
Description
It is early 1998 and Biopure Corp., a small biopharmaceutical firm with no sales revenues in its ten-year history,
has just received government approval to release Oxyglobin, a revolutionary new "blood substitute" designed to
replace the need for donated animal blood in the veterinary market. A virtually identical product for the human
market, Hemopure, is in the final stages of testing by Biopure and is expected to gain approval within one to two
years. In response to the timing of approval for these two products, there has been a long-running debate within
Biopure as how to proceed with Oxyglobin. At odds are those in charge of Oxyglobin, who want to see the
animal product released immediately, and those in charge of the Hemopure, who worry that an immediate
release of Oxyglobin would create an unrealistically low price expectation for what they feel should be a very
high-margin human product. Exacerbating the problem is the nature of the biopharmaceutical industry, where
product approval is never a certainty until achieved.
Learning objective:
To introduce the concepts of market segmentation, product line policy, and multi-product pricing. Also
introduces students to the unique business dynamics of the biotechnology industry.
Subjects Covered:
Market segmentation; Marketing strategy; New product marketing; Pricing strategy; Product lines
18p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic:United States
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count:150
• Event Year Begin:1995
• Event Year End:1998
Revision Date: May 27, 1999
Discipline: Marketing
Source: Harvard Business School Premier Case Collection
24
Arctic Red: Land-based farming of freshwater fish
Description
Norway is a leading salmon farming country based on top breeding, vaccines, feed and farming technology.
However, we have not been successful with other fish species. Fresh-water fish farming is for example much
larger in Sweden, Iceland and Denmark. Char farming has started to grow in Norway and about ten farmers are
organized in Røyeforum. An initiative is taken by Hedmark Kunnskapspark to work together with the Char
farmers to develop a better Char breed. The breeding companies in Hamar together with Hedmark University
College, represent a national competence centre for breeding of animals, plants and fish. If the breeding project
is successful, the company Arctic Red will be started and funded. Before this can happen a business plan has to
be developed. Will sale of special breeds (e.g. smolt) be large enough to make a profitable company, or will
Arctic Red need to start farming of Char in addition.
Learning objective:
This case is about the background for a start-up company and how to develop the first business plan. What is the
market situation, the customer segments and the current available segments? What will a breed program cost
and will Arctic Red become profitable by selling breeds? What are the sales channel of Char? Does it have an
international market or should the farmers focus on the Norwegian market? The students will learn how en
entrepreneur need to think to develop a technology company.
Subjects Covered: Marketing and sales, business model and business plan.
14p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology and aquaculture
• Company Employee Count: 0
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: February 2014
Discipline: Innovation, development, marketing and finance
Source: Author Frank Larsen
Rørosmeieriet: The dairy with unique, local products
Description
Rørosmeieriet was formed in 2001 to continue the production facility in Røros previously owned by Tine. Over
the years, the dairy has managed to develop unique, local food products and they have also managed to reach
customers outside the region through distribution agreement with major food chains. The Røros dairy is facing a
challenge making a good product mix from the milk they get from farmers, e.g. a combination of fat-containing
products and light-milk products. How can they position their products and what is the right value proposition
for the different customer segments. In the beginning, the dairy got financial support from Innovation Norway,
but without support the dairy need to grow to stay profitable. The last three years the sales have grown from 20
million kr. in 2009 to 50 million in 2013 but with less than 1 million as a result. This put pressure on the
management and the board to find the right marketing strategy for growth.
Learning objective:
This case teaches the importance of strategic marketing and customer segmentation. It covers everything from
the branding, product names to value propositions for the individual customer segments. How is Røros dairy
going to reach new customers and what are the right sales channels. What is the right product mix to become
more profitable and deliver surplus back to the owners.
Subjects Covered: Marketing and sales, business model
13p, English PDF
Setting:
25
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology and food industry
• Company Employee Count:
• Event Year: 2013/2014
Publication Date: April 2013 and revised april 2014
Discipline: Marketing, sales and finance
Source: Authors: Dag Aadne Sandbakken and Frank Larsen
Rørosbryggeriet: Scale up of local beer production
Description
The Røros region of Norway is known for good local food products, and the association Rørosfood initiated the
project to make a local beer to accompany the excellent food served in Røros. This started out with a micro
brewery serving draft beer at the local restaurants. Later it was decided to make bottled beer in association with
another small beer company, Atna Beer. The sales of the local labels have been good and the company owners
want to step up production volume. This requires investment in a production facility.
Learning objective:
The strategic alternatives for a start-up company going into a growth phase is discussed.
This is also about product positioning and marketing
Subjects Covered: Finance, Marketing
10p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Food/beer
• Company Employee Count:
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: April 2014 and revised April 2014
Discipline: Marketing and finance
Source: Author Dag Aadne Sandbakken (Frank Larsen)
26
3. The comprehensive recruitment of student and companies and the establishment of an
international industry platform for mobilizing northern science for commercial purposes.
In this part of the project Per Arnold Dyrkoren played a significant role in providing access to a larger industrial
company portfolio – that gave a significant increase in the number and width of companies for the BCE students
Master thesis. He also played an important role in teaching at the BCE programme at various levels. Below is a
description of the early impact of the BCE alumni that this part of the project has resulted in, this is followed by a
description of the DTLab and their recruitment of companies and organizations. The third and last part of this
section highlights how the collaboration in this project aims for building a platform for economic growth in the
Arctic.
3.1 Making an impact – the early result of BCE alumni
The BCE program have profited on the systematic cooperation with industry. First, several Master’s theses have
been productive for establishing companies within NTT. One example is ProCelo AS, which offers diagnostic kits to
public and private microbiological laboratories through dedicated distributors. Secondly, several Master’s theses
have been used as input for NTT to develop projects instead of a start-up: the Yellow Binder and Call-me-Smart.
Third, companies have employed BCE alumni as business developers. One example is Scandinavian Dermal
Innovations AS, which develops and markets unique ingredients for high-end cosmeceutical products. Ingredients
are based on bioactive compounds from the Arctic, discovered by Scandinavian Dermal Innovations in close
cooperation with research institutions such as Bioforsk and the Marbio screening platform. Another example is
Ramsalt Lab, a web agency specializing in Drupal, a market leading open source content management system.
Ramsalt's clients include universities, online newspapers and banks. Clients are from Chile in the south to Russia
in the north. Fourth, and finally there are two examples where BCE students, based on their thesis, were offered
CEO positions in a start-up company:
Table 2: Project and Status of BCE projects
Project Cohort Industry Status
Globesar 2010 Satellite
technology
Started and recently gathered more capital. Students
as CEO’s
D’liver 2011 Biotechnology Started and sold. Student as CEO
Procelo 2011 Biotechnology The inventor started without the students.
Few Touch 2011 IT technology Not started
Medication
Assistance for
Elderly Patients
2012 E – health Not started
Synchronized
Media
Presentation
2012 E- health Not started
Edmire Pickups 2012 Music technology Not started
CallmeSmart 2013 E – technology Not mature enough for startup when students finished
their thesis. Students were given offers to work for
them, but at that time they had moved on to other
jobs.
Praqo Logging
System
2013 Film technology Not started
Fleksee Hygiene
Bag
2013 Medical care
technology
Not started
Arctic Terra Preta 2014 Agriculture Testing procedures due before start up
Chondro 2014 Medical
technology
Must reach proof of concept. Students offered a role
when milestone is reached.
Uarctic Student
Portal
2014 It technology Development project, already up and running. Student
is employed.
Ramsalt Labs 2014 IT technology Development project in existing company.
Arctic Bio Plants 2014 Nutraceutical Will be starting. Students offered CEO position, but
they already got other offers
27
Kystens Mathus 2014 Retail
Turismeprosjekter 2014 Tourism Students own idea
Kildeboksen 2014 Waste removal Already established project.
Design thinking lab as a tool for recruiting companies
“Tromsø’scompaniesshouldseizethisopportunitywith bothhandsandgowholeheartedlyinto theofferingsof
the DTLab! For us this has been instructive, useful and extremely fun!” – Monica Mathisen, Project Manager,
Drytech AS.
The Design thinking labhttp://www.thedtlab.com/ has been a unique tool for recruiting companies in this project.
As the DT Lab is a wideranging unit at UoT, beyond just TUBS, it has a great potential for UoT and the private
sector to collaborate to a much larger extent. The DT Lab links companies with talented students on company
specific innovation projects. A wide range of other services is also offered companies, including:
Design Thinking Introduction Workshops
Design Thinking Implementation Workshops
Company Specific Innovation Projects in Classroom (master level at UiT)
Consultancy
Renting of the DT Lab
Custom-tailored services
The DT was launched in June 2013, half way through our project. The following companies have been
recruited since then:
North Energy ASA
Norinnova Technology Transfer AS
Jupiter System Partner AS
Breivoll Inspection Technologies AS
Drytech AS
Remiks AS
Kraemer Maritime AS
OliVita AS
Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (starting February 2015)
Student Incubator
Another prime focus enhanced in the application, is the collaborative area will be to help bridge the space between
business and science—what is commonly referred to as “the knowing-doing gap.” We highlighted in the
application to overcome these gaps by facilitating increased academic and practical interaction between the
science and business communities at UoT and beyond. We aimed to do this through the exchange of lecturers
between departments, and by holding multiple seminars and conferences aimed at effectively bridging this
knowledge gap. As a result of a visit to the University of San Diego (prof. De Noble) – we learned the value of
having a student incubator. We prepared an argument for the next BCE committee meeting and presented it for
department leader Derek Clark. We have also furthered the idea in other settings. This initiative is coming into
fruition and led by the Design Thinking lab. The Start grouphttp://startuit.no/ – which was initiated as part of our
first NUV project will also be central in the work on the Student Incubator. The student incubator will be a tool to
further promote entrepreneurship and innovation among a wider area of students. The incubator will be open for
students with ideas across all disciplines. Further, it is a great platform of cooperation with industry and as such it
has built on the good reputation the DT lab has produced.
Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the High North
This part of the report highlights how the collaboration in this project aims for building a platform for economic
growth in the Arctic
Tomeetfutureneeds,itistheGovernment’sviewthatweneedsoundandpredictableconditionsforindustry.We
28
must actively provide for knowledge development, creative thinking, restructuring and innovation. Renewal has
alwaysbeenimportantforeconomicgrowthinNorway.
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2008-2009.
Resource extraction, necessary capacity-building and wealth creation, climate change, and population growth are
happening or are anticipated in the High North/Arctic. These are relevant issues to all of the Circumpolar North
communities. The question is how prepared national and regional governments are for their opportunities.
Certainly preparedness means policy and structural changes that take advantage of the benefits and mitigates the
ills that resource extraction and climate change are sure to bring and to advance sustainability and resilience when
rapid change occurs because of resource development made possible by climate changes. The Norwegian
Government’s White Paper on innovation and sustainability published in 2008 argues as much (Norwegian
Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2008). The Canadian government produced a document of its own on innovation
after 2010 looking at how the Canadian economy can become more innovative (Independent Panel on Federal
Support to Research and Development, undated). The assumption has been that there are serious barriers to
academia and industry collaboration, despite the fact that academic teaching and research in Universities produce
the foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship in industry.
Perhaps overlooked in the discourse on economic development in the Arctic, is the possibility for innovation and
entrepreneurship that can advance sustainability and mitigate some of the negative consequences of rapid
resource extraction and industrialization in the High North/Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Ongoing projects and
research on innovation from a social science perspective would serve to link these questions and be of potential
benefit to Northern communities –communities that expect to have population growth because of increased
resource extraction and logistics concerned with shipping raw and processed materials to the world markets; and
communities that expect to have standards of living and quality of life commensurate with their complements in
the southern parts of the country. The success of whether these expectations are being met is proves to be uneven
across the Circumpolar Norths. While the Nordic countries, notably Norway, have fairly even development and
provisions of social welfare throughout the country, the case is not the same for Russia, Canada, Greenland, and
the United States. The topic of our meetings in Canada therefore revolved around the following questions: “How
can both national and regional governments ensure the sustainability of such communities while maintaining
sustainableeconomicdevelopmentandgrowth? “
The question was sought explained in a workshop at the University of Saskatoon which is described below.
USask Meeting
Attending the innovation seminar that took place at the International Centre for Northern Governance and
Development at the University of Saskatchewan on 29 may 2014 were JD Bell, Ken Coates, Lee Swanson, Aileen
Espiritu, Nancy Carlson, Gerlis Fughman, Tuiara Sveciva , Joelena Leader, Elin M. Oftedal, Paola Chiste, Carin, Billy
and Emmy Neuls. The discussion illustrated the many definitions of innovation. What has been evident in the
Canadian North is that innovation has largely been driven by government. What needs to happen is that is must
start to be driven by communities that capitalize on its place and circumstance: cold, remote, and often sparsely
populated regions that have the potential to produce innovative goods, technology, and especially innovative
ways of governance. Innovation is not all positive. What will be the impact on the North? Innovation the largest
reason for job loss in Canada. We are racing to train the Northern workforce, but we are training them for the
industrial age, instead of the new age technologies and the knowledge economy, for example micro jobs – based
on high technology industries. Therefore, what we need are strong policies in place to counter the negative
developments. It can be positive.
As noted above, the Canadian innovative system is driven mostly by the Canadian government by funding
research that leads to innovation and commercialization. Universities are key but they are located in the South in
Canada, and thus do not take into account the needs of Northern communities
29
On the whole, Canadians feel less able to contribute innovative ideas in the workplace.
1
Moreover, a report from
the World Economic Forum has dropped Canada’s ranking from 12
th
to 25
th
most innovative from 2010 to 2014
respectively.
In Northern Norway, the innovation is mostly driven from the university. The industry does not have resources to
develop their product and services further. On the other hand, the university sector does not have the
commercial competence to bring the technology to market. Also, there are bureaucratic hindrances to have
effective partnership between universities and industries.
Key Questions
Again, we must ask the vital questions on whether universities and industry can collaborate robustly. What would
to the sustainability of these collaborations. Clearly, for sustainable development and for prosperous communities,
academic research must be applicable for industry and for economic development. This may be even more
important for communities in the North where many assume there are less possibilities for innovation and local
wealth creation in the peripheral High North.
Background and the status of knowledge
The online BusinessDictionary.com defines innovation as “The process of translating an idea or invention into a good
or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.” (businessdictionary.com). How can scientists combine
their inventions with entrepreneurship and collaborate with industry in order to innovate? Is it possible to learn
entrepreneurship? Moreover, how can social scientists, natural scientists, and businesses work together to create
innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship? And what can social scientist contribute to these inter- and multi-
disciplinary linkages? Certainly social scientists can and have used social science approaches, theories, and
methodologies to analyse “the factors that diminish the barriers to university-industry collaboration” (Bruneel, et
al., 2010), arguing that it is important to know why the barriers exist so that solutions can be formulated to
overcome them.
Also pervasive in the studies on innovation are questions on university-industry relations, and notably, questions
on degrees of collaboration. D’Este and Patel (2007) have argued that rather than systemic barriers to cooperation
between industry and academics in the United Kingdom, individual personalities play more of a role in whether
collaboration with industry will take place. D’Este and Patel also write that successful collaboration between
academics and industry takes place in contexts where profit and the market take second place. Indeed they argue
that interaction between university and industry are facilitated by “creation of new physical facilities, consultancy
and contract research, joint research, training, and meetings and conferences” (D’Este and Patel, 2007: 1309).
Clearly, then, promoting innovation through collaboration between academic researchers and industry is can be
complex and multi-faceted. Augmenting this argument is the research done by Bekkers and Freitas (2008), which
uses the Dutch example to conclude that know and technology transfer between universities and industry occur
in 23 distinct transfer channels. While knowledge and technology transfer may not guarantee innovation, it does
increase the chances of its likelihood as well as stimulates further creation of knowledge and technology.
Along this line of research is research done by Fontana, Geuna, and Matt (2006) who look at factors affecting
university-industry research and development projects. They suggest that openness to collaboration is also
complex and heterogeneous – that is, it is not generalizable across all universities and all firms, nor is it
generalizable across partnerships. As Fontana, Geuna, and Matt’s study revealed, patterns of collaboration may
be explained in participants’ “willingness to interact”( Fontana, Geuna, and Matt, 2008: 321).
Another approach to research on partnerships between industry and universities is to question whether such
collaboration leads to economic development. Such lines of inquiry may be of great value to the Circumpolar North
where resource extraction and their transport to markets will have become economic priorities for all the Arctic 8
countries. How then can Northern communities in the peripheries of capitals and centres of power and population
engage fully with such economic development? Entrepreneurship is certainly one answer, and is often supported
by governments through policies and projects (e.g. business incubators). Studies by Michael and Pearch (2009)
suggest that if governments want to create entrepreneurship, they would do well to focus on generating rewards
1
Leah Eichler, Is there an innovation gap in Canada? The Globe and Mail, 15 August 2014.
30
and incentives in order to encourage innovation.
While studies have proliferated on looking at why there are barriers between university research and industry and
the market, they have primarily concentrated on barriers rooted on specific and separate nation states (See
Abramo, et al., 2009; Motohashi, 2005). There are a myriad of studies looking at national innovation systems, for
example (e.g. Bekkers & Freitas, 2008; D’Este & Patel, 2007; Motohashi , 2005) Does this mean then that barriers
are necessarily dependent on national political culture and policies? Or do barriers between industry and
university exist no matter where they are located because the cultures of industries and universities are similar
regardless of geographical location? A comparative approach is clearly warranted in order to answer such
questions and to enhance solutions to overcome these barriers. Importantly, what is needed in an Arctic and sub-
Arctic context are comparative studies across countries and compare their educational institutions and industries
in order to bridge the gap between academic research and industry. Such research and analysis has yet to be done
despite the growing number of innovations produced by collaborations between industry and universities located
in the High North/Arctic, especially in the Nordic countries.
Proposed Areas of Development
The foundations for further multi- and inter-disciplinary research and collaboration on questions of innovation
and entrepreneurship can have at its core planned activities and deliverables that have emerged from other
projects and studies on innovation through university-industry partnerships.
? Investment in Human Capital and Innovation
Human capital is one of the most valuable resource in any country or region. Yet, in many of the countries in the
Arctic 8, the investment in education and training of populations is uneven and has not take top priority. Besides
the Nordic countries, opportunities and easy access to education and advanced education in the Arctic and sub-
Arctic regions is limited. Russia, Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska still struggle to realize the full potential
of human resources in the High North, thus we see a gap in skills and labour required to develop and build
economies that take advantage of the abundant and valuable natural resources now being quickly exploited in all
of the Arctic countries. This is a worldwide phenomenon that will have massive positive and negative
consequences for Northern regions. Research questions that attempt to elucidate the complexities of advancing
innovation and entrepreneurship through the lenses of social science, economics, and business would enrich our
understanding of these processes that may be rooted in long-standing policies, socialization, and/or culture.
Importantly, the research must take place specifically in the North in order for us to better grasp why there exists
difference in levels of entrepreneurship and innovation between Northern and Southern regions in the Arctic
countries.
? Teaching Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This proposed area of development is related to the previous one. As partners from the University of
Saskatchewan’s International Centre for Northern Governance and Development (ICNGD) plan to deliver
• The test delivery of a graduate course on Circumpolar Innovation, delivered as part of ICNGD's graduate
program, Masters of Northern Governance and Development, which is under development as a Joint
Degree with the University of Tromsø.
• The conversion of the Circumpolar Innovation into a Totally Open Online Course, which will see all of the course
material made available globally for use by any academic unit or individual users. This TOOC will be co-
developed and promoted through the University of the Arctic.”
Hedmark University College report their innovation course deals with at least 8 successful businesses in the fields
of health and biology under the larger umbrella of “bio-entrepreneurship”.
2
Examples of bio-entrepreneurship
have far-reaching impact such as Ecolice - The Salmon Louse Fight, Seaweed Energy Solutions: Kelp farming for
biofuel production, iPerian - Stem Cell Technologies, etc. All of these emerged because of academic research
meant to answer or solve human, health, and industry needs. Such transfers of research into value-added goods
and services is and will be the foundation for diverse economies in Norway and other parts of the Circumpolar
North. Diversity will be critical in the years to come as Arctic countries advance sustainability through less reliance
2
See Frank Larsen, “Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course 2Bio062,
Hedmark University College.
31
on fossil fuels and more reliance on human capacity and innovation. Such examples are also key in the teaching of
what is innovation and entrepreneurship to students who are still just entering the field, whether as practitioners
or as researchers.
? Research and publishing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Again, partners from the University of Saskatchewan’s International Centre for Northern Governance and
Development (ICNGD) propose to deliver
• “The continuation of research on a book on comparative Circumpolar innovation systems;”
Such products of research on innovation in the Circumpolar North can go a long way create knowledge and
understanding on how innovation may be fostered, and to promote possible industry-university collaboration.
While it seems obvious that researchers and industry should find synergies, it is much more difficult to bridge the
assumed cultural divide between academia and business. That academic institutions such as the University of
Saskatchewan and the UiT The Arctic University of Norway are open to even discussing and writing about
innovation and its capacity to lead to regional economic development signals to both governments and industry
that collaboration with researchers could be fruitful and advantageous. Moreover, it could lead to solving the
underdeveloped human resources endemic in the High North.
? Best collaborative practices between university and industry
Can best collaborative practices between university and industry in the Arctic and sub-Arctic offer any lessons for
those in the South? There are many best practices of innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship in the Arctic,
the city of Tromsø with its University is but one of them. From bioprospecting to leading the way in telemedicine,
this small city on the 70
th
parallel in Norway’s High North can offer many best case examples. Examining what the
foundation is and has been for Tromsø’s success could lead the way for a detailed rendering of a template for
developing innovation and entrepreneurship based on university-industry relations. In the case of Norway, where
government gets involved in entrepreneurship, the collaboration goes three ways: government, industry, and
university. But what of other Northern contexts, notably Russia, where governmental social welfare structures
have been reduced overwhelmingly in the last two decades despite the great natural resource wealth that the
Russian North provides?
Conclusion
The North should be able to commercialize products with the pull of the market. We can learn from other global
examples. The North is a larger region if you look at it as one. (include North America, Northern Nordic states,
and Russia). The North should develop the North, but it should also place itself on the political and innovation
agenda on the global scale – no one has the North on their agenda. The challenge for us is HOW do we put
Northern innovation on the agenda? Based on the results from our collaboration, we have found several
potential interesting areas that we can follow up in further projects.
32
4. International network of Northern professionals focused on commercialization of Northern
relevant technologies.
The Circumpolar conference on High North Entrepreneurship and Innovation
As proposed in the NUV application, two meeting/ conferences were planned to establish an international
network. The Norwegian conference was The Circumpolar conference: High North Entrepreneurship held in
November 2012http://en.uit.no/nyheter/artikkel?p_document_id=319185.
This conference was the largest conference TUBS has arranged and was very well received by academic scholars,
students, industry and policymakers. The conference was the main standing event that spurred off the
collaboration to reach delivery #1- 3. The Circumpolar Conference report is attached to this report.
The Saskatchewan Forum
In June, 2014 was the Canadian response. They arranged a session in The Saskatchewan Forum:http://www.conferenceboard.ca/conf/sask/default.aspx , which is the most influential conference in the region,
with major policy – and decision makers present.
The NUV project had a separate session in the conference. Ken Coates who is heading the Canadian side of the
project has a central role in the Forum. The session was arranged as follows:
Lunch session Saskatchewan: The Next Norway?: Greg Michael Poelzer, Executive Chair, International Centre for
Northern Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
Concurrent Session B1_ Insights into Northern Innovation
Moderator:
Ken S. Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
Panellists:
Lorna J. Butler, Coordinator, Northern Saskatchewan Health and
Wellness Research, International Centre for Northern Governance
and Development and Dean, College of Nursing, University of
Saskatchewan
Elin Merethe Oftedal, Associate Professor, School of Business and
Economics, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway
Greg Michael Poelzer, Executive Chair, International Centre for
Northern Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
Tweets Responses to our session at the Forum
It was active tweeting during our session. These tweets were published on the Forums website:
Finally got to meet @KenSCoates @ #SaskForum2014! 1st convo? How Saskatchewan's #aboriginal economic
development compares to rest of Canada.
6:50 PM - 27 May 2014
Keynote luncheon by Dr. Greg M. Poelzer on how, with right policy choices, #Saskatchewan could become the
world’s next Norway #saskforum2014
Greg Poelzer outlines the 'Norwegian Model' following the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1969.
#saskforum2014
Social consensus is key to the Norwegian Model' #SaskForum2014
8:51 PM - 27 May 2014
Public Private Partnerships have been key to Norway's commercialization of R&D and economic growth
#saskforum2014 #PPP #yqr #yxe
Public-private partnerships critical to the Norwegian economic success. Can SK follow? #SaskForum2014
9:00 PM - 27 May 2014
In many ways, #Saskatchewan is more auspiciously endowed with resources than #Norway is! #energy #uranium
#food #potash #saskforum2014
For Saskatchewan to become Norway it must address: equalization policy, Northern Saskatchewan needs more
investment #saskforum2014 #yqr #yxe
Norway invests all of its #SovereignWealthFund abroad to avoid inflationary risk and picking winners and losers
#saskforum2014
33
9:21 PM - 27 May 2014
Sovereign wealth fund: Norwegian's invest outside of Norway. SK should replicate. #saskforum2014
Saskatchewan can move mountains. That's why we don't have any" - Dr. Greg Poelzer. Heard at the
@ConfBoardofCda #saskforum2014 #yqr
Insights into northern innovation by @kenscoates @JSGSPP, Dr. Butler @UofSNursing, Dr. Oftedal @UiTromso
& Dr. Poelzer @usask #saskforum2014
6:10 PM - 28 May 201
Press Coverage
There were extensive coverage of the Saskatchewan Forum in the papers and Ken Coates who is the leader of the
Canadian part of our NUV project had a central position in the Forum and was interviewed for main newspapers:
Research and publishing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Northern Innovation Workshop
The second event in the Saskatoon visit was the Northern Innovation outcome held May 29th2014.
The overall desired outcome of the workshop was to provide a summary on the current state of innovation and
development in Northern Canada and Norway, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities for improving
northern living. The workshop would identify an action plan for prospect and prosperity or the Northern economy.
The workshop involved an open, semi-structured discussion on a series of major questions relating to the
emerging of a northern innovation economy. The Northern Innovation Workshop resulted in a thinkpiece
from Ken Coates and contribution to this report by Ph. D Aileen Esperitu, The Barents institute. The session was
structured as follows:
34
TIME ICNGD Board Room ,Kirk Hall
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Welcome and Introduction to Workshop Dr. Ken Coates
1:00 PM Session 1: The state of Innovation in Northern Canada and Norway
• What is the State of the Northern Innovation Economy?
• How Can Indigenous Peoples into the Innovation Culture?
• Is the Social Economy Part of the Innovation Movement? How can Innovation Help
Address Northern Climate Change Issues?
• How are Northern Businesses Engaging with the Innovation Movement?
• What is the Role of Universities and Colleges in Northern Innovation?
2:45 PM Health Break: Refreshments brought in
3:00 PM Session 2: Opportunities and barriers and for improving the northern
4:30 PM Wrap up and Dissemination Plan
• Summary of Current State of Northern Innovation
• Major Paper Framework
5:00 PM End of Workshop
Support for Bachelor Thesis on Entrepreneurship Education: The BCE program in Tromsø is 5 years old and based
on a program at Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship “Entreprenørskapsskolan”
(www.entreprneneur.chalmers.se). They have 20 years experience and spun out about 50 businesses. The faculty
at BCE joined The Entrepreneurial Learning Forum 2014 and publications which describes how BCE in Tromsø
developed from learning from Chalmers are presented on page 36 .
A bachelor student wished to look deeper into how receivers of practical entrepreneurship education experience
its impact. This study was performed among Swedish entrepreneurs who has gone through a practical
entrepreneurship education. The study showed support for such an education, illustrated by the following quote:
”Duharmodet,duhardriven,ochmanharalladomegenskaperna,mendukan
liksom se möjligheterna genom en utbildning, man kan se vad man kan göra.” (quote
respondent)
However, none of the respondent were very concerned about the subjects thought. The respondent mentioned
the atmosphere, network and practical knowledge as one of the main strengths of the program.
”Detärdetjagtyckerärdetabsolutbästamedentreprenörskapsskolan,atmosfären.
etätdeterokayatttesta,detärokayattmisslyckas,jagtrorattdetärderasstyrka,attalla
motiverardig.Heleatmosfärenärattduskalstartabolag.”
The takeaway from this study corresponds with scientific paper we have worked on about the importance of
context for entrepreneurship. We therefore also asked the bachelor student to gather some information which
will be helpful in establishing an alumni network for the BCE program in Tromsø. An alumni network would add to
an entrepreneurial context for the BCE students and it could be connected with the Swedish alumni. A strong
alumni network would strengthen the program.
5. Report from Dr. Ken Coates, University of Saskatchewan and ICNGD
35
36
37
38
6. Budget
NUV - ENTREPRENØRSKAP A38034-
A38037 2012 2013 2014 sum
BEVILGN.NORGESUNIVERSITETET 950000 0 0 950000
UTGIFTER: 2012 2013 2014 SUM
Datautstyr 10393 0 0 10393
Konsulenttjenester 43750 56250 100000
Lønnskostn/indir.kostn. 472261 9550 30616 512427
Konferanseinntekter -131050 -22850 -153900
Driftsutg./reiser 32711 61017 167021 260749
Bevertning 66400 66400
Høgskolen i Hedmark 100000 100000
Tilskudd fra BFE -118000 -118000
Egeninnsats 6463 6463
sum utg. 382928 147717 253887 784532
rest pr. 15.12.2014 165468
REGNSKAP A38037 CIRCUMPLAR
CONFERENCE
UTGIFTER:
REISER 25950
UTGIFTER TIL MESSER 5200
BEVERTNING/KONF.MIDDAG/LUNSJ 64880
GAVER TIL EKSTERNE 1100
LØNNSKOSTNADER 159081
DIV VARER -2000
TRYKNINGSUTG. 3073
SUM UTGIFTER 257283
INNTEKTER:
INNOVASJON NORGE 60000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE/STRAT.MIDLER 30000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE/ADM 20000
DELTAKERAVG.EGNE ANSATTE 21100
TILDELING FRA ANDRE STATLIGE
VIRKSOMH./KONF.AVG. 123000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE TIL
DEKN.OVERFORBRUK 3183
SUM INNTEKTER 257283
39
As seen in the budget we acquired additional funding from various sources, thus the surplus
on 165.468 will be spent on launching of a book on universities’ commercializations of
science and an open seminar where contributors to the book are invited. See program below
and book flyer on p. 40.
40
7. Publications and Conferences
The work with entrepreneurship education through projects such as NUV has resulted in several publication on
entrepreneurship education. We have operationalized, tested and presented a tool for measuring the context of
entrepreneurship for university students. Further, we have published work on the role of the student in
commercializing of new technology. Through a related project “From university research to implementation and
commercialization of innovations – a comparative study” on academic entrepreneurship and commercialization
of research on universities (FORFI programme in NFR) there is cross over knowledge relevant for commercializing
science in the High North, thus the seminar and book launch will be launched as a FORFI/NUV event.
Publications
Henry, C. & Foss, L. (2015) “Case sensitive: A review of the use of case study method in
entrepreneurship research”InternationalJournalofEntrepreneurialBehaviour&Research
Foss, L. (2013) “Innovasjon gjennom akademisk entreprenørskap: Nye samarbeidsmodeller forutdanning av entrepr
enører” i Garmann Johnsen, H. & Pålshaugen, Ø. (ed.)Hvaerinnovasjon?Perspektiverinorsk
innovasjonsforskning,Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akedemisk, pp. 215-238.
Foss, L. (2013) “Entreprenørskap i nord – veien å gå? I Jentoft, S., Nergård, J.I. & Røvik, K.A (eds.)HvorgårNord-
Norge?Bind3.PolitiskSkillelinjer, Stamsund : Orkana Akademiske, pp. 285-302.
Foss, L., Oftedal, E.M. & Iakovleva, T. (2013) “Action-Based Education in Academic Entrepreneurship: A New Role
of the Student?” In: Ferreira, J., Raposo, M., Rutten, R. and Varga, A. (eds) Cooperation,Clusters,and
KnowledgeTransfer.UniversitiesandFirmsTowardsRegionalCompetitiveness, Springer, pp. 249.
Bachelor oppgave i ledelse, innovasjon og marked:
Hilde Haustreis (2014) Utdanningens påvirkning på entreprenørskap: Kan utdanning bidra til en karriere innenfor
entreprenørskap?
Conferences for NUV
Iakovleva, T., Oftedal, E. M & Foss, L. (2012) “Impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions:
University enterprise context, educational program characteristics and theory of planned behavior”. In RENT
XXVIResearchinEntrepreneurshipandSmallBusiness,EntrepreneurshipandCreationofWealthforEconomies,
OrganizationandPeople, p. 70, EMLYON Business School, ISSN 2219-5572
Oftedal, E. M. & Foss, L. (2012) “Challenges in Academic Entrepreneurship: the student as Co- entrepreneur”,
ACERE conference, Perth, Australia 31st Jan-2nd Feb.
Iakoleva, T., Oftedal, E.M. and Foss, L. (2014) “Impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions:
University context and educational program characteristics” Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research
Exchange conference (ACERE), University of NSW, Kensington Campus, Sydney, Australia February 4-7.
Oftedal, E.M. & Foss, L. (2014) “Unlocking the Entrepreneurship potential through University Context “University
of NSW, Kensington Campus, Sydney, Australia, February 4-7th (Submitted abstract).
Foss, L. & Lozano, F. (2012) “Innovation through academic entrepreneurship: Time for new
collaboration models for educating entrepreneurs?” INBAM conference, Valencia, Spain, March 20th-23rd.
Foss, L. and Oftedal, E. (2012) “Academic Entrepreneurship in the High North: from Science to Business in
Entrepreneurial Education” Seminar at Innovation Center UiS, Stavanger, 9
th
Nov.
Foss, L. (2013) “Nettverksbygging – lederes dillemmaer” foredrag Næringsforeningen i Tromsø, April.
Media coverage
Foss, L. & Hall, B. (2014) « Internasjonal utdanning for næringslivet i nord» (http:www.nord24.no) 04.07-2014.
«Jakter fremtidens medisin i kråkeboller» Dr.grads student Runar Gjerp Solstad ved BFE og deltaker på BED 8004
Academic entrepreneurship intervjuet av E24. (http:www.nord24.no) 24.06.2014
«Gründerskap kan læres» Født sånn eller blitt sånn? Et nytt kurs på Handelshøgskolen i Tromsø skal lære
doktogradstudenter til å bli gründere. Lene Foss intervjuet av UiT. 13.02. 2013.
41
42
8. Conclusion
The faculty has developed strong competences and skills through the NUV project. The project has been an
opportunity to understand how other universities dealing with similar challenges as TUBS/ UiT were working and
to strengthen our own focus within the practical entrepreneurship education.
During the project we have also learned what the industry here needs and want from cooperation with us. This
has led to certain initiatives as the course BED 3051 and the work with the student incubator. The contact with
our Canadian partners has grown strong and there are also several takeaways from this cooperation, such as:
1) The importance of creating employment in the northern regions: If there is not an independent base of
competence and local businesses, larger companies will tend to bring their own resources who will leave
after the project period. There needs to be a local base that can manage project and recruit people to
the area.
2) The importance of creating strong and good educational programs. There is a tendency that student often
stay in the area they have studied. They often have friends and significant others in the area and job
opportunities are opening for them.
3) The importance of looking at regional challenges as strengths. Each region has its challenges, but the
north has a major challenge in that the climate and remoteness make people seek jobs and opportunities
elsewhere. However, the innovative potential lays within solving these challenges. UiT has shown that
through its focus on biotech and telemedicine. In fact, even solar power is becoming important in the
north, because of stable weather and midnight sun. In Canada they have strong biotech focus and they
have major natural resources.
43
9. Sources
Abramo, Giovanni, Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo, Flavia Di Costa, and Marco Solazzi. University–industry collaboration
in Italy: A bibliometric examination.” Technovation 29 (2009): 498–507.
Bruneel, Johan, Pablo D’Este, and Ammon Salter. “Investigating the factors that diminish the barriers to university–
industry collaboration. ResearchPolicy39 (2010) 858–868.
D’Este, P., and P. Patel. “University–industry linkages in the UK: What are the factors underlying the variety of
interactions with industry?” ResearchPolicy 36 (2007): 1295–1313.
Independent Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development, InnovationCanada:ACalltoAction.Review
ofFederalSupporttoResearchandDevelopment–ExpertPanelReport.Ottawa, undated.
Larsen, Frank “Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course 2Bio062, Hedmark University
College.
Lee, Y.S., 2000. “The sustainability of university–industry research collaboration: an empirical assessment.” Journal
ofTechnologyTransfer 25, 111–133.
Michael, Steven C. and John A. Pearce. “The need for innovation as a rationale for government involvement in
entrepreneurship.” Entrepreneurship&RegionalDevelopment. 21 (No. 3, May 2009): 285–302.
Motohashi, Kazuyuki. University–industry collaborations in Japan: The role of new technology-based firms in
transforming the National Innovation System.” ResearchPolicy 34 (2005) 583–594.
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, “An Innovative and Sustainable Norway,” Oslo, 2008.
Fontana, Roberto, Aldo Geunab, and Mireille Matt “Factors affecting university–industry R&D projects: The
importance of searching, screening and signaling.” ResearchPolicy 35 (2006): 309–323
44
10. Appendices
The Circumpolar Conference on High North
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
University of Tromsø
26 – 27 November 2012
45
Monday 26.11.12
(0745 Shuttle from Rica Grand Hotel to UiT)
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
0800 Coffee and Registration (mingle area outside Aud 2)
0900 Conference opening and welcome
Jens Johan Hjort, Mayor of Tromsø
Why a Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship
and Innovation?
Lene Foss, Prof., Tromsø University Business School (TUBS)
0930-0955 Commercializing Science and Technology in the Circumpolar
Region
Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
1000-1025 A Global Solution to a Local Challenge: JOBS for Everyone
Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic Development Initiatives
and the Global Business Incubator for South-South News
Themes of Today’s Workshops
Lene Foss
1030-1100 Coffee and snacks (mingle area outside Aud 2)
46
Workshops: Challenges for Commercialization
Room Teo-H5 5.402 Room Teo-H5 5.502
1100-1430 Biotechnology
Facilitator: Ernst Kloosterman, Manager
BioTech North
Lecture: “Calanus AS – opportunities and
challenges in developing a new biomarine
value chain” Gunnar Rørstad, CEO, Calanus
AS
Lecture: “Biotechnology: From science to
business” Jørn Ulheim, Managing Director,
Cryogenetics AS
1200-1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1430 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Bob Hodgson, CEO, Cernike
Erling Sandsdalen, Research Director, Biotechnology,
NORUT
Jørn Ulheim, Managing Director, Cryogenetics AS
Jan Buch Andersen, Managing Director ArcticZymes
Tage Skotvold, Business Developer ScandiDerma
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director,
Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise Troms
Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic Development
Initiatives and the Global Business Incubator for South-
South News, New York
Gunnar Rørstad, Chief Executive Officer, Calanus AS
1100-1430 Oil /Gas/Clean Tech/Renewable
Energy
Facilitator: Elin Oftedal, Ass. Prof. (TUBS)
Lecture: “Small Scale Biomass CHP technologies
and its cost economics” Rajesh S. Kempegowda,
Researcher, Department of Energy and
Processing Engineering (NTNU)
Lecture: "Sustainable development –
challengers for new suppliers to the oil
industry" Jan-Are Gudbrandsen, Location
Manager, Aibel Harstad
1200-1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1430 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Toini Løvseth, Policy Manager, Finnfjord AS
John Eirik Paulsen, Senior HSEQ Environmental Advisor, Eni
Norge AS
David Gibson, Prof. University of Texas at Austin
Ken Enoksen, Special Advisor Business Administration, Troms
County Council
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL Greenland
Salve Dahle, Director, Akvaplan-niva AS
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation, university
of Saskatchewan
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
1430-1500 Coffee and snacks (mingle area outside Aud 2)
47
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
1500 - 1545 Meet the University’s Entrepreneurs
Andreas Nilsen, CEO, Moose on the Loose AS
Mari Nilsen, CEO, D’Liver AS
Tage Skotvold, Business developer, Scandiderma AS
1550-1610 Why does Intellectual Property Rights matter?
Alexander Bjørnå, Director IP, Biotec Pharmacon ASA
1610-1630 Why finance this? An investor’s point of view
Karl -Johan Jakola, Managing Partner Norinnova Forvaltning AS
(1700 Shuttle from UiT to Rica Grand Hotel)
1930 Networking and drinks reception, Rica Grand Hotel Tromsø
2000 Dinner and social gathering, Rica Grand Hotel Tromsø
Tuesday 27.11.12
(0800 Shuttle from Rica Grand Hotel to UiT)
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
0830-0845 Innovation and Entrepreneurship. A Governmental priority
Roger Ingebrigtsen, State Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Themes of Today’s Workshops
Lene Foss
0850-0910 Knowledge Transfer Policy in Norway: What Works?
Erik F. Øverland, Senior advisor, Research and Innovation Issues,
Ministry of Research and Education
0915-0945 Drilling in Deep Ice: Petroleum Exploration in Greenland
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL, Greenland
0945-1015 Coffee and snacks (Mingle area outside Aud 2)
48
1015-1035 From Idea to Product. Being Innovative & Reliable!
Tove Pettersen, Managing Director, Rapp Marine AS
1035-1055 Creating an Innovative Circumpolar Region through Human
Capital
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
1055-1115 How to Create a Culture for Value Creation and Regional
Development
David Gibson, Prof., University of Texas at Austin
Coffee to go
Workshops: Challenges for Commercialization
Room Teo-H5 5.402 Room Teo-H5 5.502
1130-1415 Mining and Mineral
Facilitator: Lee Swanson, Ass. Prof.,
University of Saskatchewan
Lecture: “Challenges and Opportunities in
Arctic Mining – The Sydvaranger case”
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve
AS
Lecture: “Status of Mining and Mineral in
Canada,” Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair
of Innovation, University of Saskatchewan
1200 – 1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300 - 1415 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Nils Tokheim, Senior Consultant, Rambøll
David Zhang, Ass. Prof., University of Saskatchewan
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of
Saskatchewan
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
1130-1415 Information and Communication
technology (ICT) and E- Health
Facilitator: Federico Lozano, Lecturer (TUBS)
Lecture: “From Theory to Practice: Spinning a
Company” Dag Johansen, Prof., Department
of Computer Science, UiT
1200 – 1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1415 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Bob Hodgson, CEO, Zernike
Gunnar Hartvigsen, Prof., Dep. Of Computer Science, UiT
Sture Pettersen, Admin. Leader TTL, Norwegian Centre of
Telemedicine
Rune Hansen, CEO, Bedriftssystemer AS
Kolbjørn Engeseth, Business Developer and Chairman of
the board, Jupiter System Partner AS
Rune Kufaas, Account Manager Consulting Midt- og Nord-
Norge, EVRY AS
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director, Confederation of
Norwegian Enterprise Troms
49
David Gibson, Prof. University of Texas at Austin
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL
Greenland
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve AS
Bruce Niswander, Director Economic Development
Initiatives at South-South News, New York
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
1430-1600 Realizing the High North’s Potential: Looking forward
A focus towards policy: Lene Foss
Highlights from the workshops (Facilitators)
Final Panel discussion: Policy implications
Panel Moderator: Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic
Development Initiatives and the Global Business Incubator for
South South News
Bård Hall, Director, Norinnova Technology Transfer AS
Ken Enoksen, Special Advisor Business Administration,
Troms County Council
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director,
Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise Troms
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve AS
Conference Take Away Message: Lene Foss
(16:30 Shuttle from UiT to Rica Grand Hotel)
50
Speakers
Bjørnå,
Alexander
Director Intellectual
Property and Business
Development at Biotec
Pharmacon ASA
[email protected]. www.biotech.no
Coates, Ken
Canada Research Chair of
Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Foss, Lene
Prof. Tromsø University
Business School, University
of Tromsø
[email protected]
http://uit.no
Gibson, David
Prof. University of Texas at
Austin
[email protected]http://www.utexas.edu
Ingebrigtsen,
Roger
State Secretary, Ministry of
Trade and Industry
[email protected]http://www.regjeringen.no/
nb/dep/nhd
Jakola, Karl-
Johan
Ansvarlig partner,
Norinnova Forvaltning AS
[email protected]
www.norinnovaforvaltning.
no
Nilsen, Andreas CEO, Moose on the Loose [email protected] www.mooseontheloose.no
Nilsen. Mari CEO, D’Liver AS [email protected] www.dliver.com
Niswander,
Bruce
Director of Economic
Development Initiatives and
the Global Business
Incubator for South South
News, New York
[email protected] www.southsouthnews.com
Olsen, Hans
Kristian
Managing Director,
NUNAOIL Greenland
[email protected] www.nunaoil.gl
Pettersen, Tove
Managing Director,
Rapp Marine AS
[email protected] www.rappmarine.com
51
Poelzer, Greg
Director, International
Centre for Northern
Governance and
Development, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Skotvold, Tage
Business Developer,
ScandiDerma AS
[email protected]http://scandiderma.no
Øverland, Erik
F.
Senior Advisor, Ministry of
Education and Research
[email protected]
www.regjeringen.no
Workshop Contributors
Andersen, Jan
Buch
Managing Director
ArcticZymes
[email protected]http://www.arcticzymes.
com
Dahle, Salve Director, Akvaplan-niva AS [email protected]http://www.akvaplan.niva.n
o/en/
Engeseth,
Kolbjørn
Business Developer and
Chairman of the board,
Jupiter System Partners AS
[email protected] www.jupiter.no
Hansen, Rune CEO, Bedriftssystemer AS [email protected] www.bedsys.no
Hartvigsen,
Gunnar
Prof. , Department of
Computer Science, Faculty
of Science and
Technology, University of
Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Johansen, Dag
Prof. Informatik,
Department of Computer
Science, Faculty of Science
and Technology,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Kempegowda,
Rajesh S.
Researcher, Norwegian
University of Science and
Technology, NTNU
Trondheim
[email protected]http://www.ntnu.edu/empl
oyees/rajesh.s.
kempegowda
52
Kloosterman,
Ernst
(Facilitator)
Manager, BioTech North [email protected]http://biotechnorth.no
Kufaas, Rune
Account Manager
consulting Midt- og Nord-
Norge
[email protected] www.evry.com
Løvseth, Toini
Policy Manager, Finnfjord
AS
[email protected] www.finnfjord.no
Martinsen,
Harald,
Chief Development
Officer, Sydvaranger
Gruve AS
Harald.Martinsen@sydvarangergruve.
no
www.sydvarangergruve.no/
Paulsen, John
Eirik
Senior HSEQ
Environmental Advisor, Eni
Norge AS
[email protected] www.eninorge.com
Pettersen, Sture
Adm. leader TTL at
Norwegian Centre for
Telemedicine
[email protected]http://www.telemed.no
Rørstad, Gunnar
Chief Executive Officer
Calanus AS
[email protected] www.calanus.no
Sandsdalen,
Erling
Research Director, Norut [email protected] www.norut.no
Swanson, Lee
(Facilitator)
Ass. Professor, Edwards
School of Business,
University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.edwards.usask.ca
Tokheim, Nils
Senior Consultant Tromsø,
Rambøll
[email protected]http://www.ramboll.no
Ulheim, Jørn
Managing Director,
Cryogenetics AS
[email protected] www.cryogenetics.no
Zhang, David
Ass. Prof., International
Centre for Northern
Governance and
Development, University
of Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Gudbrandsen,
Jan-Are
Location Manager, Aibel
Harstad
[email protected]http://aibel.com/no
53
Panel members
Niswander,
Bruce
(Moderator)
Director Economic
Development Initiatives at
South-South News, New
York
[email protected] www.southsouthnews.com
Coates, Ken
Canada Research Chair of
Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Edvardsen,
Ann-Kristin
Assistant Director,
Confederation of
Norwegian Enterprise
Troms
[email protected] www.nho.no
Enoksen, Ken
Special Advisor Business
Administration, Troms
County Council
[email protected] www.tromsfylke.no
Hall, Bård
Director, Norinnova
Technology Transfer
[email protected] www.norinnova.no
Martinsen,
Harald,
CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve
AS
[email protected]
www.sydvarangergruve.no/
Organizers
Foss, Lene
(Coordinator
and
moderator)
Prof. Tromsø University
Business School (TUBS),
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Lozano,
Federico
(Facilitator)
Lecturer Tromsø University
Business School TUBS,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Oftedal, Elin
(Facilitator)
Associate Prof. Tromsø
University Business School
TUBS, University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
54
Reisinger,
Kirsten
Lecturer Tromsø University
Business School TUBS,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Contents
Introduction ........................................................ 55
Triple Helix Cooperation ..................................... 56
The Circumpolar Conference ............................................................................................................................. 57
Tromsø – Heading the Arctic future through business development and entrepreneurship ............................ 59
Emerging industries in Norway’s Arctic region .................................................................................................. 61
The Arctic BioTech Industry ..................................... 63
What can the government do?................................ 65
What can the university do? ................................... 65
The Energy sector .................................................... 66
What can the Government do? ................................ 68
What can the University do? ................................... 69
The Mining Industry ................................................ 70
What can the Government do? ............................... 71
What can the University do? ................................... 72
THE ICT sector (Information and Communication
Technology & e-Health) ........................................... 72
What can the Government do? ................................ 74
What can the University do? ................................... 74
Conclusion: Building an Engaged and Active
University Sector ..................................................... 76
The Circumpolar
Conference
High North Entrepreneurship
and Innovation
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and
Economics
Tromsø University Business School
Editors: Elin M. Oftedal and Lene Foss
Contributors: Federico Lozano, Ernst
Kloosterman, Ken Coates,
Lee Swanson and Bruce Niswander
55
Introduction
The circumpolar area is just in the front edge of realizing its resource potential
– and has resources that the rest of the world desperately needs as the
population grows - Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional
Innovation, University of Saskatchewan
The Circumpolar World
3
stands on the edge to an adventurous future. The region
contains natural resources, which are now necessary to exploit. This is due to growing
demands because of the increasing world population, new knowledge and more
environment friendly exploration technologies and climate change that expose
previously hidden resources. While fisheries traditionally have been a crucial element
in the industrial development of the North, new sectors are emerging. The extraction of
oil and gas resources offers a particularly great potential with built-in environmental
concerns. The cold Arctic sea conceals other types of resources such as organisms
harboring protein and enzymes displaying unknown genetic characteristics, which may
be explored in biosciences or the emerging bioeconomy. New commercial opportunities
are expected to arise with the global development of the bio-based industrial process.
With rising oil and gas production and mineral extraction, and a convenient location in
relation to new transport routes, this area is rapidly becoming an attractive location for
other types of industries. Countries such as Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and
Singapore see the Arctic sea routes as a new window of opportunity for cooperation and
exchange. The developments will give room for more expertise and infrastructure. With
the emerging industries and new transport routes, the North may be a convenient
location to develop other types of industries as well. Therefore, while the great areas of
the North are industrially underdeveloped, they have a strong potential in being highly
competitive.
However, resources can be a curse if they are not administered well
4
. There are several
challenges in the circumpolar region for the acceleration of jobs and business creation,
as well as entrepreneurship activities. Local markets are small and spatially distributed.
The infrastructure is insufficient and the logistics are difficult with long, energy-intense
and difficult supply chains. The region has constantly confronted the challenge of
depopulation and the relocation of its population to larger (urban) centers. There is
limited access to highly educated workers, venture capital and other essential economic-
development resources. On a global scale, the massive investment in the
commercialization of scientific and technological discoveries—what is generally
3
The area of the world North of the tree-line found in USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland,
Russia
4
Mehlum,H., Moene,K. and Torvik,R.(2005): Cursed by resources or institutions? Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Department of Economics, Working Paper Series No. 10/2005, 23p.
56
known as the innovation economy—has largely been focused on southern and temperate
zones. On a global scale, economic development in the Far North has been limited to
short-term resource development as governments and the private sector have limited
their innovation investments to improving the extractive industries. The Norwegian
government has been more strategic in developing its northern areas, however there has
still been a concern that insufficient efforts are being made to identify and
commercialize certain technological innovations that could bring substantial benefits to
northern peoples as well as broaden the economic and employment base in the North.
Triple Helix Cooperation
‘To avoid linearity, it’s important to change, therefore there needs to be arenas
of networking between academia, business and government. We need
laboratories where these actors can ‘experiment’ with each other - Erik F.
Øverland, Senior advisor, Research and Innovation Issues
Ministry of Research and Education
The innovation economy holds great potential for the North, but only if a concerted
effort is made to explore and appropriately promote its potential. This report focuses
on challenges in the Arctic areas to manage and leverage the resources in a way that
benefits the region in a sustainable fashion. To perform this well, it is imperative that
the university engages in triple helix cooperation with industry and the public sector.
The idea of Triple Helix
5
is that the potential for innovation and economic
development in a knowledge society lies in a more prominent role for the university in
cooperation with industry and government to generate new institutional and social
formats for the production, transfer and application of knowledge.
5
Etzkowitz, H. and Leydesdorff, L (2009) The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and ‘‘Mode 2’’ to a Triple Helix of
university–industry–government relations, Research Policy 29 Ž2000. 109–123
57
In a resource-rich and population-poor area, such as the Circumpolar World, triple
helix cooperation is imperative to develop a strong and sustainable industry as a
foundation for building communities. In order to start triple-helix cooperation, we
organized a conference where representatives from academia, industry and
government were present. The conference lasted 2 days from 26 – 27 November, and
gathered 140 people from academia, industry and government.
6
This report presents the motivation for organizing The Circumpolar Conference on High
North Innovation and Entrepreneurship and uses Tromsø as an example of a knowledge-
based city in the Arctic. The report also describes four important industry sectors in the
High North with future planning efforts as well as actions for both local and national
policy makers.
The Circumpolar Conference
We need an engaged population, who wants to stay and who has passion for the
North -Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
6
http://uit.no/ansatte/organisasjon/...t_id=316020&p_dimension_id=88163&p_menu=42432
University Industry
The Triple Helix Cooperation
Gover
nmen
t
58
The circumpolar conference is an effort by a consortium consisting of University of
Tromsø (UoT), University of Saskatchewan (UoS) and Hedmark University College
(HUC) to bring together academia, government and businesses to discuss models of
economic development and challenge the widespread perceptions of the Circumpolar
World. This consortium is a part of the project “Entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship
and the commercialization of High North science: Building a collaborative
circumpolar network for the new economy”, which is funded by the Ministry of
Education and Research and administered through Norway Open Universities
(NUV). The NUV project aims to stimulate collaboration in entrepreneurship
education and activities such as the practical BCE program
7
within the consortium.
Business education in the North rarely deals with the particular challenges of the
North and the BCE builds in an exchange of students, lecturers and company
connections that fills this gap. The long-term goal is to develop the traditional
education process into a dynamic environment of action learning and local impact.
The conference also encompasses the challenges of the FORFI project at UoT, which
focuses on Norwegian research and innovation policy. The FORFI initiative from
the research council aims at creating a better knowledge base for research and
innovation policy. Several white papers points at the need to understand the role of
research and innovation for creating sustainable economic growth (i.e., Climate
Research, Innovation policy, An Innovative and Sustainable Norway) At the overall
level, the FORFI initiative aims to expand and further develop the knowledge base
for various actors responsible for research and innovation policy as well as an arena
for learning and dialogue between policy makers at various levels—including
educational institutions and researchers. In the FORFI project at UoT, we aim to
understand how collaboration and practical entrepreneurial education in universities
is conducive to developing, implementing and commercializing research-based
innovations and ideas. In this context, we would like to explore the role of these
initiatives in a triple helix setting where the challenges of the industries are
addressed.
A focal point of the conference was therefore to explore what universities’ role is in the
creation of sustainable economic centers and how it may be strengthened.
The following topics were particularly addressed at the conference:
7
The Master of Science in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship (BCE) at Tromsø
University Business School (TUBS) www.uit.no/hht is a full two-year Master’s Degree
Program in its fourth years of operation.
59
? Commercialization of research in areas such as biotechnology, information
and communication technology and e-health.
? Development of technology for the extraction of natural resources such as
minerals, oil, gas, as well as renewable energy.
? How to keep human capital and knowledge in the region and attract new
qualifications.
? How to stimulate regional economic development through entrepreneurship,
education for potential business founders, innovation and commercialization
of technology in the circumpolar region.
Tromsø – Heading the Arctic future through business development and
entrepreneurship
The North used to be in the periphery, but we are turning the world upside
down, we can soon say we live in the center of the world – Tove Pettersen,
Managing Director, Rapp Marine AS
With the development of the North, Tromsø, the administrative center of Troms
County, is brought into a central position. With its 75 000 inhabitants Tromsø is the
largest city in Arctic Norway and with the current opportunities that are opening up in
the high North, both government and industry are looking to Tromsø as a hub for the
new Arctic development. However, the development constitutes a new role for the
administrative- and academic-oriented city. The public sector still accounts for about
45% of employment. There are few larger companies in Tromsø and the region scores
poorly on benchmarks and comparative studies focusing on industry. Tromsø’s
industry consists mainly of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Further, industries in
Northern Norway have less-educated workers than the rest of the country. The low
availability of skilled human capital constitutes a major challenge in the development
of the circumpolar region. However, a recent survey of graduates at the university
shows that 69% work in the region from one to two and a half years after graduation.
Thus, universities in this region are vital in educating new generations of students to
raising the educational level of knowledge workers in North-Norwegian businesses.
While education and research are central to regional development, the role of universities
has expanded to also encompass new business creation, innovation and business
development. Academic institutions are re-oriented and new institutions are founded for
this purpose. Tromsø’s advantage is a strong knowledge environment consisting of the
university, the hospital and several independent research institutes, which have created a
60
unique knowledge base about the Arctic environment, culture, and society
8
. Nevertheless,
according to a white paper on research
9
from 2009 the faculty members at the University
of Tromsø delivered fewer ideas than any other university in Norway. Further, UoT lacks
comprehensive and effective procedures with regard to the commercialization processes.
New organizational mechanisms, such as incubators, technology-transfer offices,
science parks, and knowledge networks have become a source of economic activity,
community formation, and international exchange. The University of Tromsø has
successfully developed their TTO, Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT), as the
university’s tool to commercialize research. NTT has since its establishment in 1994
created 81 companies whereof 43 are still-active growth companies, twelve have been
sold, ten fall in a category of infrastructure (i.e. seed-capital funds or other support
structures) and 16 have gone bankrupt or have been dissolved. This gives a success
rate of about 80% and an initial investment of NOK 87 million has led to companies
now worth 804 million. There are, however, striking differences between the
circumpolar areas and the high-technology areas where mechanisms such as TTOs
were originally established. Originally, TTOs were established to protect the
universities’ knowledge and intellectual properties, since they were weak in
comparison to a more affluent industry sector. In the Arctic, the university is the
affluent part, while the local industry has limited resources to produce and
commercialize innovations or to achieve fast growth. Thus, in the North, the role of
the university is pivotal and their existence is crucial for the regional development.
Although NTT has been successful, the businesses that are created are small, research-
based and capital-intensive, needing competent capital to develop and grow. The main
challenge is the weak industry in the region, which leaves the area without a good
supply of ideas and gives weak incentives for investments in new ventures. The region
also lacks experienced and successful entrepreneurs, which constitutes the desirable
competent capital. This leads to a lack of role models and entrepreneurial culture and
deprives the region of risk-willing funds. This is a challenge for the North in
developing and participating in the innovation economy.
10% of the population has access to 2% of the country’s risk-willing capital -
Karl -Johan Jakola, Managing Partner Norinnova Forvaltning AS
8
Currently, the main focus of the University's activities is on the Auroral light research, space science, fishery science, biotechnology,
linguistics, multicultural societies, Saami culture, telemedicine, epidemiology and a wide spectrum of Arctic oriented research
projects.
9
Stortingsmelding nr.44 (2008-2009). Forskningsløftet i Nord, Oslo: Kunnskapsdepartementet.
61
UoT has also made initiatives to increase the supply of business creators and developers
in the North through the Master of Science in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship
(BCE) program, created in 2008
10
. The program is inspired by and partly based on an
action-oriented entrepreneurship program at Chalmers University in Gothenburg. The
program fills a niche in the Norwegian entrepreneurship education because it addresses
the need to commercialize research-based ideas from the university. At the same time
it is an international program that attracts students of high quality. Students receive a
thorough introduction in the theoretical aspects of business operations in parallel with
work on real research-based ideas from different Faculties at the university and research
institutes such as NORUT and other research centers (e.g., Centre for Telemedicine).
While universities are expected to commercialize technology and create new
businesses, it is vital that universities in the North also are involved in developing the
competitiveness of the regions’ micro businesses. A challenge of the BCE program is
that it has a strong academic profile and SMEs with a low R&D profile may not be able
to absorb this type of competence. Therefore, a new development of the BCE program
is directed towards intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship, which makes it
more likely that existing businesses can benefit from educated BCE candidates and that
more companies can be established in the North
11
. This requires an active dialogue
between the Business School and the established and emerging business communities
in Northern Norway. Another initiative that has come out of the BCE program is a
design-thinking lab
12
, aimed at working together with industry to help them think
creatively and develop their products in a new setting.
Emerging industries in Norway’s Arctic region
Norway’s success relies on that the Norwegian people understand the importance
of burden sharing between the public and the business sector - Roger Ingebrigtsen
State Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Despite its size, Norway is the 24
th
largest economy in the world (IMF). The strong
economic position is often argued to come from extraction of natural resources such as
oil and gas. However, a successful development of a good institutional framework that
administers and distributes the resources is the key to the accomplishments. Thus,
10
Foss, L. (2013) “Innovasjon gjennom akademisk entreprenørskap: Hvordan utvikle nye samarbeidsmodeller for å utdanne
entreprenører ?” I Hans Chr.Garmann Johnsen og Øyvind Pålshaugen (2013) Hva er innovasjon? Perspektiver i norsk
innovasjonsforskning. Bind 2: Organisasjon og medvirkning – en norsk modell? Oslo: Cappelen Akademisk (forthcoming)
11
Foss, L. (2013) “Entreprenørskapsutdanning i nord – veien å gå”, i Svein Jentoft, Jens- Ivar Nergård og Kjell Arne Røvik (red.)
Hvor går Nord Norge? Landsdelen som politisk prosjekt. Orkana Akademisk (forthcoming)
12
http://www.thedtlab.com
62
understanding how different sectors of the society relate to each other is vital to achieve
a sustainable economic development in the region.
A recent report from the project, “A knowledge-based Northern Norway” (EKNN)
states that a higher proportion of employees with higher education is positively
associated with the degree of innovation in companies with more than five employees,
while this correlation between higher education and innovation is actually negative in
micro enterprises (Moilanen and Østbye, 2012)
13
. This suggests that micro-businesses
with initially weak competence base, such as in the Troms region, fail to exploit
expertise to achieve more innovation. This indicates that small businesses in Northern
Norway have more than enough to keep operations going and too little time to increase
the competence for their management and employees.
Universities and university colleges
14
are vital in supporting and aiding the relatively
weak northern Norwegian industry in their development and growth. However, the
university must act in coordination with local, regional and national governments to
play its role successfully. Further, both the university and government sector must have
a greater understanding for the industries in the Arctic region. With more knowledge,
the universities may develop education and research programs in addition to innovation
projects that will fit the industry’s needs. We also believe that the government must
engage in understanding the challenges for both the university and for the industry in
achieving these goals.
For the conference workshop, we identified important sectors that are either emerging
or being developed in the Arctic region and where UoT can be imperative for their
survival and growth:
? The biotech industry has grown out from the strong research environment at
the university and several technologies, patents and spin-out companies have
come from the university.
? The energy Sector. The oil and gas industry is establishing in the North because
of oil reserves in the Barents Sea. Rising oil prices, border settlement with
Russia and improved technology makes it commercially viable to extract the
Barents Sea oil. However, this industry is criticized for putting pressure on other
less profitable industries. Further, in Norway, it has been argued that the
renewable sector is challenged because of the strong position of oil and gas. It’s
important to understand how to cooperate with the oil and gas sector, but still
encourage the emerging renewable sector.
13
Moilanen, M. og Østbye, S. (2012). Kunnskap, læring og innovasjon – en økonometrisk beskrivelse av nordnorske bedrifter, i Sand, J.Y.
(red), Et kunnskapsbasert Nord-Norge, rapport: Universitetet i Tromsø, Universitetet i Nordland, Norut, Menon. Kap 6.
14
Relevant institutions are University of Tromsø, The Arctic University (including Finnmark), University of Nordland, Narvik
University College and Harstad University College.
63
? The mining industry is a long-standing industry in Northern Norway.
However, due to increased demand of minerals and improved technology to
extract and commercialize minerals, this sector is becoming increasingly
important.
? The ICT sector is emerging on the basis of the university and the emerging and
growing industries in the region.
A paradox is that three of these sectors are highly capital-intensive while located in the
part of the country which has the least access to capital. Further, the headquarters and
the main markets are located in the south, leading to a branch status of the industry with
a lack of decision-making power in the North. To ensure a sustainable economic
development, it is therefore crucial that strong institutions like local and national
governments, in addition to the university sector, addresses these critical challenges and
create the right mechanisms and instruments to secure a sustainable economic
development where the ownership of the industry remains in the region in which it is
located.
In the remainder of this report, we will show the result of the four individual workshops.
For each industry we discussed industry challenges and the potential role of the
government and the university. The participants gave specific advice, which is shared
in this report. Finally, we summarize and conclude the main learning points from the
conference.
THE ARCTIC BIOTECH Industry
Biotechnology refers to the large and growing array of scientific tools that use living
cells and their molecules to make biological products for many different industries.
Human and animal health care, agriculture, forestry, environment, and specialty
chemicals are among the industries that have benefited most from biotechnology. It is a
high-growth industry with high economic potential, but it is also capital intensive and
risky. The growth of the bioscience industry development is shaped by the fast pace of
advances in biological sciences, making the industry highly innovative. The close
connections with basic research discoveries make results within the biosciences
particularly well- documented.
In Tromsø several biotechnology companies have spun out of the university. A triple
helix arena called BioTech North, comprising a cluster of enterprises and R&D
organizations, has been formed to aid the development in this sector. The basic activity is
bioactive molecules and compounds from Arctic-marine resources and therefore BioTech
North serves as a marine biotech cluster. The majority of BioTech North’s enterprises are
active within life science applications and markets. The cluster contains around 30
organizations from both the private and public sector. In 2010 the cluster formed a
secretariat (BioTech North Secretariat), which is established and administrated by the
Troms Chamber of Commerce and partly financed by the regional development fund RDA–
Tromsø.
64
The workshop session covered the challenges of the industry, the role of the triple helix
cooperation and a discussion of what facilitates the commercialization process in the
biotech sector.
Challenges
Although this is a high-growth sector, moving a promising research discovery to market
is a complex, costly and challenging undertaking. The challenges are associated with
difficulties of finding funding, high cost of drug development, high risk, long time to
market and scarce resources. R&D is costly and often the greatest expense in bringing
a biologic drug or product to market. Biomedicine R&D is at least as complex as
traditional pharmaceuticals and researchers may not know for years what forms their
products will take.
The following points were central in the workshop discussion:
? It is difficult to attract the right human resources to biotech. Few professors are
willing to abandon their academic careers to venture into the business world.
? Management must also find a balance between science and commercialization
opportunities, as not all interesting scientific results will offer viable commercial
results.
? The role of intellectual property rights (IPR) is central in the commercialization
process and managers must understand how to handle IPR issues.
? It is important to map and communicate the scalability of the project to investors
as early as possible and made clear when communicating with investors.
? It is important to ‘communicate’ the sector’s risks, opportunities as well as the
success stories.
? One must make people aware and comfortable of the importance and challenges
of the sector.
? There are major funding gaps between development stages, particularly in the
stages from preclinical tests to the so-called proof of concept. Competent capital
is ‘key’ in this (high) risk sector.
? Investors must understand the business and how revenues will be generated.
Generally when developing biotechnology applications or markets one needs to
understand the customers, because technology does not sell itself. One needs to be sales
focused and preferably involve funders and other relevant stakeholders. Because of high
development costs and overlapping application, it may be essential to be first movers in
the market. Also, human resources play a decisive role. Companies need to spend more
time in getting the right people or alternatively license out the technology. Finally,
making or creating tighter collaborations with existing players should be considered, in
addition to a good cooperation in the ‘triple helix’ setting.
65
What can the government do?
National Government
The Government should clearly and deeply understand that innovation and creativity
are ‘key’ in this business. It is necessary to influence government by communicating
messages that they can relate to. There should be an assigned ministry taking
responsibility for innovation in Norway. In this respect, the cooperation between the
parties within the ‘triple helix’ is very important for successful commercialization. The
large focus on the oil and gas sector in Norway may be a barrier for the development of
the biotechnology sector; however, other sectors like aquaculture, seafood and the
maritime sector have also managed to develop into important national core industries.
The biotechnology sector may do more if the capital sector and ‘general public’ better
understand the risks and possible returns (benefits) of investing in bioscience. In
addition, the national government could play an important role by lowering the financial
risks of biotechnology business development.
Local and Regional Government
The local government may contribute by creating a culture that promotes innovation
and entrepreneurship. Generally, governments may help to reduce the risks and costs of
creating companies, not only in terms of funding. However, investing more money in
startups has been shown to give better results. Additionally, local and regional
governments could stimulate new business development by measures giving individuals
involved in entrepreneurial activities more benefits. Also, governments need to
understand and accept that successful companies will most likely be sold.
What can the university do?
The position and attitude of the universities and R&D institutions are crucial. Therefore,
it is important to address the restrictions that exist in institutions like universities and
research institutions, i.e. restrictions that hamper the commercialization processes.
Additionally, what could be done to stimulate the processes?
Network and arena building:
? Universities need to cooperate better with industry.
? Create a common language between all parties of the ”triple helix”.
Technology development and commercialization
? Universities are poor owners of IPR because the IPR may be hidden in the system
and never get the chance to be commercialized.
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? Universities need to timely decide what to do with the IPR that come as a result of
research.
? Universities need to create incentives for faculty members and students to engage in
entrepreneurship and innovation.
Technology Transfer Office
The role of TTOs is to strengthen the bridge between R&D and business. TTOs must
offer access to good business networks. Good communication is essential. They should,
for example, give universities clear advice about what to do with IPR. Also here it is
important to address restrictions that hamper the commercialization process. Of equal
importance is to address the risks involved and to show alternative revenue
generators. All parties involved should understand the benefits they want to derive from
the process.
THE ENERGY SECTOR
There needs to be local administration and ownership – Roger Ingebrigtsen
Energy is a global concern and the circumpolar countries often have access to a variety
of energy sources. The energy sector consists, in broad terms, of fossil and renewable
sectors. The fossil-fuels industry in general, and the oil industry in specific, are unique
because of high value creation which brings with it a promise of financial spillovers to
enhance community development and building. The renewable energy sector has the
opposite challenge, struggling with a low profitability but a strong environmental
profile. Further, while fossil fuels still are the dominant energy source, renewable
technologies are constantly becoming more sophisticated. Thus, it is not a question of
choosing either fossil or renewable energy sources, but developing them both in a
sustainable manner.
Estimates indicate that a large share of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas resources
are to be found in Arctic areas. This is an important reason for the growing interest in
the region. Higher oil prices make it profitable to extract from less-accessible areas such
as the Barents Sea outside of Northern Norway and Northwest Russia. In response to
the prospects of oil and gas production in the North, large parts of the Norwegian
offshore and supply industry have been building up expertise and making strategic
investments. A challenge for the northern region, however, is that there are no
headquarters established here, so all the main decisions are made in the south. This has
also sparked a broad public debate on the spin-off effects that can be expected for local
communities and the business sector in Northern Norway.
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Even if the petroleum industry may bring interesting opportunities in terms of job
creation and investment in Northern Norway, there are other challenges associated with
this industry. First of all this sector is inconsistent with environmental concerns.
Northern Norway has a grand and vulnerable wildlife, and extraction of oil in these
areas must be done in an environmentally safe way. Another challenge is that Norway’s
dependency on fossil-based energy as a source of income is inconsistent with a
sustainable economic development as other industries become marginalized and
struggle in the competition for financial and human resources. There are also strong
political incentives in many countries to develop alternative energy sources as the
control of energy sources becomes security-policy issues and it is important that
Norway does not fall behind in the development.
Historically there has been a substantial development of hydro energy in Norway.
However, several countries (i.e., Denmark, Germany, and China) are ahead of Norway
in other areas of renewable energies. In Northern Norway, there is a huge potential for
wind energy, but the demand for it is insufficient because other energy sources are so
readily available. Additionally, renewable energy technologies are not able to compete
with fossil energies, since the price of the fossil energies is still relatively low. However,
despite these facts the established industry within oil and gas attributes up to 20% of
their activities to participating in developing the renewables. There are, however,
several challenges in developing both the fossil- and renewable-energy sources in
parallel. The question we posed in the conference was how to create a triple helix
cooperation that would support and develop the energy sector.
Challenges of the industry
The energy industry is technology focused. Whether it is about exploring the deep
Arctic seas or utilizing the wind, waves and sun, better technology is key to cost
reduction, increased efficiency and safety. The industry is concerned about tech transfer
and the development of technology to specific needs in the industry. Further, health,
environment and security issues and climate changes play a very important role,
especially in Northern Norway.
Some of the comments at the conference were contradictory, such as the call for
technology transfer between the fossil and renewable energy sector at the same time as
they say that these sectors must develop independently. The table underneath is a
summary of the discussion in the workshop concerning technology development in the
energy industry.
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Issue Comments from industry actors
Technology Transfer In terms of new technologies within the energy sector, there are many
new technologies
within the oil industry, which also can be used for clean energy.
I ndependent
development of
sectors
There are already very advanced and developed technologies within the
fossil energy
industry. Innovative technologies within the field of renewable
energies must develop
independently.
Lacking technology
within gas sector
With respect to gas energy, there are not enough-developed
technologies that enable us using it as much as possible, and it was
believed that it originates from politics, whereby new regulations in
terms of moving more and faster toward gas energy should be set.
Increasing oil price would create a better situation to use gas as its
alternative; however,
gas technologies need to become more advanced.
Risk Risk of new technologies: New technologies are quite needed,
however, the risks involved
in utilizing them have to be considered, especially when they are related
to operating high
costly equipment.
Multidiscipline
Technological
background
Industry should be aware that technology competence should be mixed
with other types of
competence. To have good engineers are important, but to be
innovative engineering
competence must be coupled with other types of competence (judicial,
social science,
psychology, business)
To meet these challenges, there is a call for innovative searching and drilling
technology. Creating innovative technologies demands different types of resources.
Universities and governments can contribute in different ways.
What can the Government do?
An important point for the government to consider was to treat each sector of energy
separately as they have unique challenges. Further, it was also noted that the discussion
between renewable and fossil-based energy is a parallel to the discussion about oil and
gas energies. In both these cases it is in necessary to treat the industry individually
because of different challenges.
69
Renewables
? Support from government: It is not possible to develop renewable energy without
considerable support from the government.
? Government as customer: Government can create demand through being a customer.
? Creating models and incentives for industry to pursue technology development and
commercialization within renewable technology.
Oil and Gas
? Create a common regulative framework: Common rules and clear political rules to
guide stakeholders and collaboration in this industry. Since the Arctic region is a
common area between different countries (e.g., Russia and Norway), it is crucial to set
common rules and political regulations in advance in order to have a good collaboration.
? Develop ownership, administration and location in the High North.
Conditions for innovation and business development:
? Politicians must pay more attention to the significance of innovation within the
energy sector and create incentives for innovation and growth through targeted
programs (e.g., tax-deduction schemes such as Skattefunn).
? Challenges in the commercialization of technology must be addressed, since new
technology suffers from liabilities of newness.
? Small businesses cannot grow without employees. However, graduated students
within the field of business are attracted to large international companies, such as
Statoil, Aibel, and Aker. The government can aid small businesses to become
attractive for newly educated students through targeted programs (i.e. through
Innovation Norway).
What can the University do?
Cooperation with industry
? A better cooperation between universities and industries is needed. A good research
network is a combination of the university and private sectors. In this respect, the role
of Industrial PhD programs is quite significant to bridge the gap between university and
industry.
? Working purely academically within the energy sector is not sufficient. It is needed
to get out from the university and be directly in touch with industries.
? The university can aid the development of a supply sector by involving with SMEs
in developing innovative technology in cooperation with the energy sector.
Educational Programs
? Create targeted education programs in conjunction with industry.
70
? Fill the gap between engineers and other educational programs. Engineers usually do
not know enough about business, psychology, politics, sociology, etc., and to be
innovative a multidisciplinary approach is needed.
? The BCE program has the potential to bridge industry and academia and could be a
very interesting program for commercializing renewable-energy technology.
? Work alongside with SMEs: A considerable challenge is that small companies have
the highest need for educated business developers; the university has an important task
in promoting small businesses as an attractive career opportunity.
THE MINING INDUSTRY
If the mining sector is a 1000 yard race, we have gone about 2 yards - Ken
Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
The Northern hemisphere has large undiscovered reserves of minerals. For the regional
development of the Arctic areas, it is important that an industry is built up around a
mining perspective. Norway is the 7
th
largest mining nation in the Northern region.
Norway needs technology within the mining industry.
Perspectives on innovation in this context were varied and included consideration of the
need for innovative approaches when working collaboratively with northern
communities and people, including indigenous people. It is imperative to develop the
needed infrastructure in remote northern communities to support mining activities,
developing new technologies suited to mining in these regions and the need for
innovations to support social development in the North. Education is needed at high
school-, college- and university-level because of the shortage of people educated in the
sciences as such and engineers in particular.
Another important aspect of the mining industry is the focus on environmentally friendly
and sustainable ways of developing technology for extraction of minerals from the
ground and ways of handling the disposals. An innovative focus might help reduce the
remains from the industry from being waste to become building blocks or a usable
resource that develops the industry and the technology even more. The potential for
environmental development is important and should be part of an inventive and
innovative perspective.
Universities can and should play an important role in facilitating mining and mineral
development in northern regions. The panel highlighted the need for more engineers in
71
the North and noted that student practicum placements might help alleviate some of the
shortage of workers with engineering skills.
Challenges of the industry
The challenges within the mining industry revolve around the long decision making
processes, which scares investors. Further, it is difficult to attract the right people. Finally
there are issues around transport and cargo transport solution, which are crucial. In the
future, the Arctic mining industry will need new technology for projects and a wide range
of logistics investments in roads, ports and handling equipment.
One key to attract talent to the North is to identify what some people find appealing
about living there and use that knowledge to recruit workers. Companies should seek
individuals who have a predisposition toward living in northern communities and
provide the services needed to attract them there. Universities might also take their
students to northern mining communities to help these students better understand what
it is like to live in the North.
Another option for companies is to facilitate a role reversal where they hire local students
from high school and give them periodic leaves from their jobs to earn academic
credentials that will enable them to become more valuable to their employers. This might
be an appealing alternative to the current norm where high-school students accumulate
large debts and have trouble gaining valued experience when they immediately enter
postsecondary programs and take breaks between academic years during which they seek
relevant short-term jobs to gain some experience. The option to grow northern-based
human resources within companies instead of seeking to attract postsecondary graduates
to remote northern communities might pay dividends for many companies. The industry
should work well together with government and universities to meet their challenges.
What can the Government do?
? Creating a Sustainable society: To enable development there needs to be political
processes to secure and strengthen sustainable regions around existing and emerging
industries. The social and local aspect must attract people. Further, the rights of
indigenous people must be sheltered and their role must be developed in a sustainable
manner. Hence, the maintenance of local government decision making regarding
development of the mining industry must include sustainable systems that provide both
dialog and structure of the relation between local government and indigenous
communities as part of the decision-making processes.
? Creation of infrastructure: The government must build infrastructure to improve
logistics through investments in roads, railroads and ports.
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? Perform Stakeholder analysis and assessment: The government must perform a
stakeholder analysis. It is impossible and ineffective to please every stakeholder at the
same time.
? Faster political decision making: There is a controversy between local and central
political decision makers. Local governments are closer to the industry and should be
given greater autonomy for making decisions that are crucial to the industry and the
population.
? Mapping of resources: It will be crucial for Norway that the mineral resource base is
mapped, and the promotion of increased effort along the ore and mineral supply chain.
What can the University do?
Networks:
? The university is an important player in a region with weak and relatively poor
industry. By reaching out to dispersed and diverse businesses in the North, the university
can be an engine of industrial development.
? Establish broader circumpolar networks between universities and develop
educational programs within mining to increase availability of labor and competence
? Create triple helix arenas for debates and discussions.
Education and Research:
? Bridging the knowledge gap: Target knowledge gaps through specific research
programs and industry PhDs. Education should be directed towards practical managerial
subjects and have an increased technological content.
? Create centers of excellence: Centers of excellence can be used to address questions
central to the industry.
? Develop targeted educational programs at all levels of education in the North and for
the North: the industry needs more qualified labor, and targeted programs will provide
the specific knowledge companies need for their development.
THE ICT sector (Information and Communication Technology & e-Health
15
)
The ICT industry is characterized by constant change
16
. Faster processing speeds, bigger
data, and greater online accessibility have made this industry one of the fastest growing
in recent history. Hyper connectivity has transformed societies in fundamental ways.
The ICT industry has changed the way people interact with each other, how firms and
governments are organized, and how information is collected, stored, and disseminated.
15
e-health is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication
16
Sources: Duta, S. and Bilbao-Osorio, B., “The Global Information Technology Report,” INSEAD & World Economic Forum,
2012.
73
Due to this inherent flux, and the complexity it begets, the ICT and e-Health industries
are highly dependent on competent human capital.
Both engineers and managers must remain updated on the fast-paced industry and
technology developments, while simultaneously looking to the future in pursuit of new
innovations. These non-trivial, high-competence human-capital requirements have
created a dearth of talent availability in the industry worldwide. Top-level programmers
are in short supply in Silicon Valley, Western Europe, and Asia—and the trend only
seems to continue. Human resource departments have struggled to find that elusive
engineer capable of keeping up to date and innovating on the technical front, while
simultaneously understanding the business and managerial realities in which her
company is embedded.
On the financing front, ICT has historically been successful at attracting substantial
capital, mainly in the form of private-equity investments. Although the global financial
crisis put a halt to some financing activities, investment levels in the industry seem to
be back to their post-crisis highs. Fortunately, ICT industry players have not been overly
reliant on major capital injections due to their relatively low capital intensity, especially
during early stages of development.
Norway and Scandinavia have been very successful at developing and leveraging ICT
infrastructure and systems across the public and private sphere. According to the World
Economic Forum, “the Nordic countries are the most successful in the world at
leveraging ICT. They have fully integrated ICT in their competitiveness strategies to
boost innovation and ICT is present everywhere and in all areas of society, such as
education and healthcare.” Northern Norway is no exception. Tromsø, for example, is
home to a host of successful homegrown software companies, many of which
collaborate with global players, such as Microsoft and SAP, and sell their services
globally to a vast array of companies in multiple industries.
Challenges of the Industry
Customer Focus.
ICT companies in Norway need to shift their focus from a product- and technology-
centered perspective, to a more market-driven focus fueled by tangible customer needs—
and not simply by the most cutting-edge technology.
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Global Competition.
The ICT industry is one of the most global. Competition stems from many parts of the
globe, increasingly from low-cost countries in Asia. Companies in Norway must focus on
R&D and user-centered innovation to retain their leadership, while finding ways to
collaborate with their international counterparts. Complementarities, both economic and
technological, should drive these relationships.
Competence Building.
ICT companies must keep as a high priority the recruitment and, especially, the retention
of high-caliber employees whom are up-to-date with the most recent, fast-changing
technology trends. Recruits and current employees should be supported to enter
competence-building programs, both within the company and at higher-education
institutions.
The ICT and e-Health industries are well positioned for continued growth. Widespread
technological advancements will continue spreading the influence of digitization and
connectivity into an increasing number of households and organizations across the
planet. The industry has certain limitations, however. Its primary challenge will most
likely lie in its ability to attract, train, and retain talent.
What can the Government do?
? Local and national governments should continue to pioneer the use of ICT and e-
Health infrastructure and systems.
? Due to the large scale of many government initiatives, the public sector is well
positioned to lead in the implementation of major ICT projects.
? Public-sector investment in ICT must continue to increase, in Norway and abroad.
There is still significant space for greater adoption rates.
? The allocation of public financing to ICT and e-Health initiatives, whether small or
large scale, should increase. SMEs should be supported in their pursuit of greater ICT
integration.
What can the University do?
? The role of universities in developing new generations of engineers and technically
versed managers cannot be understated.
? Much of the industry’s potential growth lies in universities’ ability to promote
attractive educational programs, which offer the right set of skills to a broad group of
students.
75
? Universities are also responsible for creating forums for collaboration where
industry, government, and academic leaders can meet and share perspectives.
? Universities must do a better job at eliminating the division between academia and
the business community, as well as the divisions among multiple disciplinary fields.
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CONCLUSION: BUILDING AN ENGAGED AND ACTIVE UNIVERSITY SECTOR
The circumpolar conference raised several topics for discussion and gave several ideas
and suggestions for understanding the role of the universities in collaboration with
governments in strengthening sustainable economic development. Taken together,
some general ‘building blocks’ for developing the industries are emerging. Below we
have categorized the suggestions and ideas from the workshop giving us four distinctive
areas where targeted instruments and policies can be developed:
Building Competence and Skills
Targeted competence for the industries in the Arctic regions is called for. Further, there
is also need to create specific, practical skills for the different industries. Therefore we
suggest the following activities:
? Targeted policy to aid small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating
attractive workplaces for graduated students (i.e. through Innovation Norway).
? A triple helix cooperation to establish Industry PhD programs.
? A triple helix cooperation to map education and training needs for the established
workforce
o e.g., practical and multidisciplinary engineering programs.
Create an entrepreneurial culture and ability to development and change
The velocity of change that is occurring virtually everywhere in the world is forcing
everyone, regardless of their education or employment situation, to become
entrepreneurial in how they address the future. There is a growing need to provide local
residents with truly entrepreneurial environments, both physical and digital, that
promote this increasingly important way of thinking and acting.
? Government endorsement of entrepreneurship and innovation through targeted
policies and incentives for entrepreneurs and industry.
? Higher focus on university entrepreneurship, commercialization and business
development:
o Strengthen practical entrepreneurship and business development programs
(e.g. BCE).
o Strengthen students initiatives for entrepreneurship (e.g., Start
17
).
o Establish student incubators and provide funding for student ideas.
? Create strong networks among organizations that work with entrepreneurship.
17
Start UiT is a studentorganization that works active for entrepreneurship and innovation as a larger part of the academic environment at
UiT.
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Commercial Accelerators
While innovation have been on the agenda for many years, the importance of growth
has been somewhat ignored. There is a need to understand the importance of institutions
that actively engage in understanding the growth mechanisms of the industry. Further,
we need more knowledge on the commercialization process because so many new ideas
are created and developed that never succeed or even reach the marketplace. Jobs do
not come from original thought or ideas but rather from effective commercialization
efforts that solve a real problem in a cost-effective fashion.
? Support and strengthen the technology transfer infrastructure such as NTT.
? Create incentives to develop new ideas and commercialize research (e.g., through
government
programs).
? Targeted business development programs for the SMEs (e.g., through Innovation
Norway).
Provide access to capital for the emerging industry through targeted financial
instruments (e.g., Investinor
18
).
? Government, industry and academia should cooperate to establish capital funds
directed towards industry ownership and business development in the Arctic regions.
Triple Helix collaboration, creating communities and ownership
The final factor critical to the creation of sustainable economic environments in remote
communities is effective collaboration. Individuals, government agencies, academic
institutions, professional service providers and existing commercial entities are
important in a community. Without a true community effort, it is doubtful if any
sustainable improvements will occur. The key is for everyone to understand how he or
she will personally benefit from meaningful economic development and then to
personally participate in the evolution of the community’s future.
? Quality of life. Communities need more than jobs to prosper. Creating opportunities
to become involved in activities such as within sports, culture or spiritual life engages
people and creates cooperation and wellbeing.
? With the merger of Finnmark University College and UoT, the new university can
reach out and create active dialogues in remote Arctic communities.
18
Investinor AS is a government-funded investment company. They invest venture capital into internationally oriented and competitive
Norwegian companies in the early growth and expansion stages.
78
? Business schools can develop arenas for cooperation and developing relationships
with industries through the Chamber of Commerce in Tromsø, Biotech North, NHO
Troms, CONNECT, NTT, and Knowledge Parks in the county. Further, we need
input from similar institutions in Finnmark.
doc_567020787.pdf
In such a brief elucidation related to entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and the commercialization of high north science.
1
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INTRAPRENEURSHIP AND THE
COMMERCIALIZATION OF HIGH NORTH SCIENCE:
BUILDING A COLLABORATIVE CIRCUMPOLAR
NETWORK FOR THE NEW ECONOMY
A report for Norgesuniversitetet
By
Lene Foss, Elin M. Oftedal, Ken Coates, Aileen Espiritu, Federico
Lozano and Øyvind Antonsen
2
Table of Contents:
1. Competence enhancement in teaching entrepreneurship and innovation at the lecturer
level................................................................................................................3
2. Revision of current track of BCE. Introduction of new track in intrapreneurship and innovation
(TUBS). Strengthening the commercialization aspect of courses at NCFS and
HUC...........................................................................................................................3
3. The comprehensive recruitment of student and companies and the establishment of an
international industry platform for mobilizing northern science for commercial
purposes...................................................................................................................................26
4. International network of Northern professionals focused on commercialization of Northern
relevant technologies...............................................................................................................32
5. Report from Dr. Ken Coates, University of Saskatchewan and ICNGD……………………………….35
6. Budget.......................................................................................................................................38
7. Publications and Conferences..................................................................................................40
8. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................42
9. Sources......................................................................................................................................43
10. Appendices:
a. Program: The Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship and
Innovation....................................................................................................................44
b. Report: The Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship and
Innovation....................................................................................................................55
3
Introduction
This report is organized according to the deliveries of the project according to page 2 in the Application. We start
with #1 and #2 in a common track, then moving to #3 and #4. The project has made it possible to develop and
apply new competences and skills in teaching entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. The focus on High North
Science and the Circumpolar region in this project has created strong ties between our institutions and towards
further collaboration. The project has added strength to the competence on commercialization and innovation
processes within biotech, telemedicine and renewable energy. The course – portfolio within commercialization of
research is far more robust and focused on life sciences than earlier. Further, the project has led to new initiatives
on important areas of development.
1. Competence enhancement in teaching entrepreneurship and innovation at the lecturer level
and
2. Revision of current track of BCE. Introduction of new track in intrapreneurship and innovation
(TUBS). Strengthening the commercialization aspect of courses at NCFS and HUC .
Deliveries of tracks in intrapreneurship, innovation and commercialization at TUBS, NCFS and
HUC
Courses and Educational Tools
In the application, we focused on enhancing the research institutions’ competence on entrepreneurial education
through securing skills and learning outcomes embedding entrepreneurship within an industrial
environment. During the project, we worked with ideas of how to combine this educational element with the
need to be visible in business creation and entrepreneurship in Northern Norway. We developed a long-term
cooperation with the project partners. We collaborated with other departments and faculties at the UiT to
disseminate information and benefit from multi-disciplinary interaction. As a result, we have established
agreements with other members at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries, and Economics (BFE), more specifically
the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science (NCFS) and Department of Arctic and Marine Biology.
4
1. Deliveries TUBS
BED-3029
Idea Evaluation and Strategy
The course is administrated by
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
This course is for the Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship and
mastergradsprogram i bedriftsledelse only. This course can not be taken as a singular course
Admission requirements
This course is for the Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship and
mastergradsprogram i bedriftsledelse only. This course can not be taken as a singular course
Course contents
The course is divided into two sections:
The first section gives a general overview of idea evaluation, understanding and determining the important
assets and features of a specific idea or project, and the clarification of the ownership structure surrounding the
idea or project.
The second section deals with strategies for evaluating ideas and exploring their commercial feasibility and
preparing for competitive strategies in the market. The section also gives training in how to use early-stage
analysis of technological, competitive and market opportunities.
Objective of the course
Students who have successfully completed the course should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension:
Knowledge of the key concepts and options in idea evaluation
Awareness of the critical role that idea evaluation plays in the commercialization of knowledge based ideas
Knowledge about roles of different actors and their utilization of project evaluation tools
Skills:
The course should prepare the student to:
Carry out feasibility studies as well as build competitive strategies to launch ideas to the market
Apply theoretical concepts and ideas to new areas
Using assessment strategies of evaluating the commercial potential of an idea and its realisation
Competence:
The students should be able independently and cooperatively to develop their own competence and expertise in
the field of idea evaluation
The students should be able to discuss central questions, analyse and conclude the project evaluation steps and
their obstacles in order to achieve the overall potential of an idea and the idea development
The students are competent in the implementation process of idea evaluations and their realization
Language of instruction
English.
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminars, group based work.
Assessment
Group based paper with presentation, and oral examination. Grades A-E, F is failure.
There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.
5
BED 3031
Entrepreneurial Financial Management
Spring 2012 Syllabus
Lecturer: Kelley Ritchey
Course Description
This course teaches prospective entrepreneurs the fundamentals of finance as it applies to the new or young
venture. Topics include development of pro forma financial statements for cash flow analysis, business valuation
models, and raising capital.
Students who have successfully completed the course should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension:
• Knowledge of how to do financial forecasting and incorporating supply and demand considerations into the
forecast
• Comprehension of different valuation techniques appropriate to an entrepreneurial setting
• Knowledge of different suppliers of funds to entrepreneurs and their objectives and requirements (what I call
the institutional relationships)
Lecturer Information
Biography
I am an American citizen holding a BA in Politics from Whitman College, an MBA from the University of
California, Los Angeles and a MA in International Economics and Finance from Chulalongkorn University,
Bangkok. I hold both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations.
Prior to joining the University of Tromsø as a Lecturer, I was an Associate Dean and Finance/Banking Department
Head at the Asian University Faculty of Business. I was also the Senior Portfolio Manager of Weston Capital
Management, the Vice President and Head of Market Research at the Alternative Investment Strategies group at
Citibank, and the Director of Alternative Investment Research and Education at the New York Mercantile
Exchange (NYMEX). In earlier roles at NYMEX, I developed new option contracts and maintained existing
contracts in the energy and metal complexes. Prior to that, I traded equities and their derivatives as a member
of the American Stock Exchange and as a managing director, equity trading of Imperial Savings.
Contact Details
Office: TEO 5.426
E?mail: [email protected]
Work: 77.64.60.42
The easiest way to initially contact me is immediately after class or through e-mail. I welcome the opportunity to
meet with individual or small groups of students to discuss class material or finance-related topics (after setting
up a mutually-convenient time).
Philosophy
Although this is a graduate-level course for which you will earn academic credit, students should be able to
actually apply the finance concepts discussed in this course in the real world. Although applying finance can
sometimes be challenging, especially in entrepreneurial settings, it can also provide important additional insights
and an appreciation for the context of financial decision-making.
I will focus the course on real-life situations in two ways. First, I try to provide many examples in the lectures to
real-life companies and situations. (Entrepreneurial companies are non-public, but we can get some insight
through prospectuses of new IPOs.) Second, we will work through cases or real financial statements together in
class using Microsoft Excel.
Textbooks
The primary textbook is:
Smith, Smith and Bliss, Entrepreneurial Finance: Strategy, Valuation, and Deal Structure (2011).
Though ordered in early December, the bookstore (as of last week) said 4-6 weeks until delivery. We will spend
at least 4 weeks understanding the basics of finance with Welch textbook (below), so this delay may not be
critical. If book is delayed, we may adapt the schedule somewhat to accommodate.
The secondary textbook is:
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Welch, Ivo. Corporate Finance: 2nd Edition (2011). This text is available to be read online at no cost athttp://book.ivo-welch.info/ed2/. I have successfully accessed the text online many times, with only one instance
of server unavailability.
If desired, you may also purchase a softcover edition of the book at $60 through Amazon.com (though the
assigned first three chapters of the text will be posted on Fronter in pdf format). I cannot post additional
chapters because the material is copyrighted.
Course Format
We will use interactive lectures, case studies, and exercises based on real-life companies and situations.
Interactive Lectures: I prefer two-way interaction between students and lecturer. In my experience, interactivity
requires some preparation on the part of students. I encourage you to review the assigned material before the
lecture. In addition, I will try to post my PowerPoint slides on the night before class so you can review them
and/or print them out. I often add additional slides for discussion in the class (or remove answers to questions).
Additionally, it will be helpful to have a calculator (even a relatively simple one) in class.
Case Studies: Case studies expose you to real?life situations faced by managers in the past. It is an opportunity to
address a complex situation. You must decide what the main issues are and how to address them using the
material you are learning.
Exercises on Real-life Companies: There is some information available on entrepreneurial companies from
prospectuses (issued when a company goes public). We will use this information where possible in the seminars
and exercises to get some real-world understanding.
Ungraded Quizzes: I use short quizzes to gauge class understanding. Please do the quizzes on your own to get
maximum personal feedback and send me the right message about class comprehension of the material.
Grading:
Final Written Exam 100%
Because the final exam is a practical exam, I will have a midterm exam (pass/fail only) as a means to give you
performance feedback and insight into my style of exam.
The questions on my exams are never exactly the same as the ones in class (or with one number changed). Even
if they look the same, the answers to the questions may not be the same as discussed in class. So the emphasis
should be on understanding the concepts involved, not memorizing the solution.
Typically, the exam will be a PC-based exam using Microsoft Excel that incorporates many of the topics discussed
in the class. While the questions have a calculation component, performing the calculations is not enough,
unless you can also explain the limitations and assumptions and interpret the results correctly. Knowledge of the
underlying finance concepts and language also may also be very important.
Although attendance is not directly evaluated, I encourage class attendance and try to make it beneficial for
students by working through exercises and providing insight not in the book or PowerPoints.
Class Schedule
The schedule and topics subject to revision as needed.
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Session Week Topic Assignment
BASIC TOOLS OF FINANCE
January 12 2 Introduction Welch, Chapter 1
19 3 Present Value Welch, Chapter 2
26 4 Annuities and Perpetuities Welch, Chapter 3
FINANCIAL FORECASTING
February 2 5 An Introduction to Financial Statements Welch, Chapter 13
9 6 Uncertainty and Simulation Handout
16 7 Revenue Forecasting SSB, Chapter 6
23 8 Integrated Financial Model SSB, Chapter 7
March 1 9 Assessing Financial Needs (Internet Grocer) SSB, Chapter 8
VALUATION, DEAL STRUCTURE, AND CONTRACT DESIGN
8 10 Mid-term Exam
9* 10 Foundations of New Venture Valuation SSB, Chapter 9
15 11 Valuation in Practice (Deer Meadows) SSB, Chapter 10
22 12 Entrepreneur’s Perspective on Value SSB, Chapter 11
29 13 Deal Structure (Connected Home (A)) SSB, Chapter 12
apr.12 15 Value Creation and Contract Design SSB, Chapter 13
19 16 Financing Choice SSB, Chapter 14
26 17 Harvesting and Exit Strategy (Nantucket Nectars) SSB, Chapter 15
May 3 18 INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
10 19 Venture Capital and Angel Investing SSB, Chapter 3
BED- 3048
Corporate Entrepreneurship
Welcome to BED-3048 - Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE)! This syllabus contains most of the information you
will need to succeed in this course. Please read through all sections carefully before our first class, and refer to it
often throughout the semester.
8
Goals
CE will be divided into three sections: theoretical, case-based, and project-based. You will be introduced to the
major theories in the field through lectures and seminars. You will also be part of dynamic case discussions
where you will be able to apply your theoretical knowledge to situations faced by managers of large, innovative
organizations. Towards the final part of the class, you will engage with real-world companies to help them
become more creative, innovative, and intrapreneurial.
CE will span a broad array of topics. Not focusing solely on the narrow subject of corporate entrepreneurship, we
will explore other important areas in the cross section of entrepreneurship, strategic management, and
corporate management.
CE’s four major goals are to:
1. Introduce you to the corporate management landscape by covering broad topics such as corporate strategy
and culture
2. Hone your interpersonal-behavior skills, and give you a glimpse into the importance of organizational
dynamics in team and corporate environments
3. Give you a hands-on understanding of how established firms can be more entrepreneurial and innovative
4. Immerse you in design thinking, and develop your applied skills in this cutting-edge, human-centered
methodology
Overview
Companies today face a challenging and fast-changing environment. International competitive pressures have
increased significantly during the past decade and have been exacerbated by the global economic slowdown.
Simultaneously, rapid technological advancements continue to disrupt many industries. To survive and maintain
competitive advantage, companies must be able to adapt swiftly to the changed environment. Or in the wise and
quite blunt words of Peter F. Drucker: “nless an organization sees that its task is to lead change, that
organization whether a business, a university, or a hospital will not survive.”
So although the need for innovation is central to developed firms success, the implementation of innovative
activities within a corporate setting (labeled either “corporate entrepreneurship” or “intrapreneurship”) is more
challenging for a number of reasons. Mature organizations tend to adopt policies and procedures that bring
order and consistency to operations. They also rely upon systems that reward safe, conservative behavior with
short term benefits and structures that over-supervise employees. In addition, entrepreneurial initiatives do not
fit well within strategic planning systems.
Recognizing that you may end up in a corporate setting following graduation, CE will make you cognizant of the
special challenges of entrepreneurship in the corporate environment. In addition, it will familiarize you with the
internal ventures and “external” collaborative approaches central to corporate entrepreneurial activity.
Innovation challenge
CE will have a distinctive component: a private-sector innovation project. During some classes, we will be
working directly with a local company to help its management become more creative, empathetic, and human-
centered.
We will split our class into four or five teams. Each team will work on a particular “design/innovation challenge,”
which you will pinpoint along with the company’s leadership. (Examples of potential design challenge could be:
“How might we increase the communication flow between our marketing and R&D teams?” or “How might we
modify product X to serve the preferences of customers in Southern Europe?”)
Throughout the semester, we will periodically apply design-thinking techniques to these challenges. Towards the
end of the course, you will present your innovative solution to the company’s leadership by way of a
presentation and a written report (these two assignments will each count for 20% of your grade).
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We will discuss this project during our first class session.
The case method
You will be asked to read business cases, which we will then discuss in class. This proven pedagogical
methodology—“the case method”—has become a crucial part of management education, and is widely used in
business and entrepreneurship programs around the world.
Essentially what case studies do is expose you to real-life situations faced by entrepreneurs and managers. It is
your responsibility to study these complex situations, decide what the main issues are, and address them
appropriately. Whether the challenge, for example, is launching a new product online, hiring your first
employees, or negotiating a term sheet with venture capitalists, it is important—above all else—that you put
yourself in the shoes of the cases’ protagonists when analyzing and discussing the situations faced. The more
you are able to personally immerse yourself—thinking, analyzing, and deciding as an actual manager—the
deeper the learning will be.
I will discuss the case method towards the beginning of the course in much more detail (for those of you who
have had me as a lecturer before, you do not have to be present during this.)
Participation
As mentioned before, due to the highly engaged nature of our class discussions and activities, broad and active
participation will be byfarthe most important factor in whether CE proves to be a valuable experience for your
classmates, your lecturer, and—most notably— you. Thus, I will periodically and without prior notice “cold call”
(i.e., ask particular questions about the case) those whom I think could contribute more to classroom discussion.
The majority of your success will be determined by your ability to listen in class, contrast the discussion to the
assigned readings, formulate creative ideas, and add to the classroom debate with analytic and articulate
observations. Emphasis should be placed on building on your classmates’ ideas in a constructive manner. Yet
when you have opposing views, thoughtful disagreements are highly encouraged. And keep in mind: the quality
of your comments is more important than the quantity.
The following is the criteria you can use to gauge how to best participate (in no particular order of importance):
o Relevance: How is the comment related to the current discussion?
o Accuracy: Do you use management and entrepreneurship terms and concepts in ways that are
consistent with definitions provided in readings and lectures?
o Logic: Can you explain the reasoning behind your comment using clear evidence and arguments?
o Integration: Does your comment move the discussion forward by building on previous contributions
with new insights?
o Individuality: Does your comment contribute a new perspective to the discussion, or does it simply
repeat what others have already said?
Attendance
If you need to miss a class due to illness or an emergency, please send me an email before the class explaining
the situation.
Study groups
You will be assigned to a study group during the beginning of the course. You will gather in these groups during
the first 15 minutes of most classes to discuss the relevant details as they apply to the case, readings, and
preparation questions. Use this time actively to prepare as much as possible for the classroom case discussion
held immediately afterwards.
As the “Learning by the Case Method” note states, “the purpose of these discussions is not to develop a
consensus of a ‘group’ position; it is to help members refine, adjust, and amplify their own thinking.” As a sign of
10
respect for your group members, it is very important that you arrive at your group preparation having read the
cases several times and written relevant observations.
(N.B.: I will not be involved in addressing free-riding problems within your group.)
Grading
? Final Individual Case Write Up (Friday, April 5): 60%
? Innovation Challenge Group Presentation (Tuesday, May 7th): 20%
? Design Pilot Application (Friday, May 10th): 20%
Innovation challenge presentation & Design pilot application
The specific details of these deliverables will be discussed in class.
Final individual case write up
You will need to deliver an individual write up for the following case:
? Sathe, V., et al., “Buddy March,” Harvard Business School Case 9-407-128, June 29, 2007, pp. 1-11.
You will need to read the following note as part of the case:
? Chakravorti, B., “A Note on Corporate Entrepreneurship: Challenge or Opportunity,” Harvard Business
School Note 9-810-145, June 25, 2010, pp. 1-9.
Please answer the following questions in your write up:
a. What do you think Buddy March and Dave Devine will do given the situation at the end of the case?
b. Buddy, Dave and Jordan: Why are these folks behaving the way they are behaving?
c. What do you see as Buddy’s weaknesses?
d. How did the firm’s culture influence decision-making and the pursuit of entrepreneurial
opportunities?
e. What is driving Buddy? What is driving Dave Devine?
f. How frequently do you think this kind of conflict develops? Why does it develop and what can be
done about it?
Due Date: Friday, April 5. Please place a hardcopy in my mail box on floor 5.
Writing and argumentation are incredibly valuable—and many times underestimated—assets any manager or
entrepreneur should learn to wield. You will have an opportunity to hone these skills during CE through a case
write up. Your write up should, above all else, present deep critical analysis and strong positions.
I will use the following criteria to determine your grade (in no particular order):
? Theory: How well can you apply the conceptual material offered in readings and lectures?
? Data: How well do you utilize descriptive data to support your argument?
? Analysis: How well do you integrate theory and data to create a coherent argument?
? Organization: How clear and well-organized is the presentation of your hand in?
? Writing: How well do you reflect professional quality in grammar and writing style?
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Formatting details:
? Each of these assignments should have a minimum length of 3 pages and should not exceed 5 pages.
? Please number each page.
? Spacing: 1.5; font: 12-point Times New Roman; margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) all around; do not rewrite the
actual questions—simply number each of your responses.
? Add your student number to the top of every page.
Required readings
I have assigned one or more required readings for each class. Use the theories, frameworks, and additional
information provided in the assigned readings as a basis for your case analysis. The research in these readings
will be directly related to the situations faced by the managers and entrepreneurs in the cases, and will help you
to organize your ideas.
Lecturer information
Name: Federico Lozano
Office: TEO 5.434
E-mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 48.36.85.83
Work: 77.64.44.99
Website: www.federicolozano.com
I am pretty good at answering emails quickly; please use this medium as our primary source of contact. Also, I
am more than happy to schedule one-on-one meetings outside of classroom hours to discuss your progression,
professional opportunities post-graduation, or any other topic you’d like. Simply email me to coordinate a
mutually convenient time and place.
Your personal bio
(Those who’ve had me before, please ignore this part.) We will be interacting often and learning from each other
during the next semester. To help me get to know you better, please prepare a short bio (around 400 words)
telling me a bit about yourself. I’m interested to learn about your:
1. Part-time or full-time work experience, and about your education at UiT or elsewhere;
2. Cultural background, whether you’ve lived in different countries, and why you chose to study your
master’s degree at UiT;
3. Personal and professional objectives immediately after you graduate, and ten years down the road;
4. And hobbies, favorite sports, travel experiences, family, major accomplishments, etc.
I look forward to getting to know every single one of you well—and to having a fantastic semester together!
Class sections
CE will be divided into three major sections. Section A will be led by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal. Sections B
and C will be led by Lecturer Federico Lozano.
A. Theoretical: Key managerial frameworks and theories
B. Case-Based: Applied, in-class discussions
C. Project-Based: Hands-on, real-life work
Sections A and B will be interspersed throughout January, February, and March. Section C will commence in the
beginning of April.
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1. INTRODUCTIONTOCE
RequiredReading
? This entire syllabus
RequiredPersonalBio
? Please come to class with a printed copy of your bio with your full name on the top (only for those who
are new to my classes)
(A)THEORETICAL&(B)CASE-BASED
2. THEORYLECTUREI
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
3. THEORYSEMINARI
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
4. LAUNCHOFLABFORDESIGNTHINKERS
? No required reading. Just come ready to watch a new and very cool movie
(http://designthinkingmovie.com/), which will be publicly screened especially for UiT students. I will be
introducing you to the new Lab for Design Thinkers, and then those who wish can hang out at Bazinga
where we can discuss the movie.
5. INNOVATINGTHROUGHCORPORATECULTURE
RequiredCaseStudy
? Bartlett, C. A., “Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA,” Harvard Business School Case 9-390-132, July 22, 1996, pp.
1-20.
RequiredReading
? Hammond, J. S., “Learning by the Case Method,” Harvard Business School Note Reprint 9-376-241, April
16, 2002, pp. 1-4. (Only for those who are new to my classes.)http://www0.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/ucacdxq/others/learning.pdf
? Christiansen, C. M., “What is an Organization’s Culture?,” Harvard Business School Note Reprint 9-399-
104, August 2, 2006, pp. 1-8. (My previous students, disregard this note.)
DiscussionQuestions
a. What are Kamprad’s values like? How do they influence the culture at IKEA?
b. What do you think about Kamprad’s forceful promotion of IKEA’s culture? Do you agree with the way he does
it? What would you change, and why?
c. What opportunities and challenges do you envision IKEA facing as it transitions its market penetration from
developed to developing countries?
d. What do you think will happen once Kamprad leaves IKEA? Do you think the culture will change? If so, how
and why?
6. THEORYLECTUREII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
13
7. THEORYSEMINARII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
8. THEORYLECTUREIII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
9. THEORYSEMINARIII
Topic and readings to be announced by Associate Professor Elin Oftedal
10. INNOVATINGTHROUGHHUMANCAPITAL
RequiredCaseStudy
? O'Reilly, C. & Pfeffer, J., “Southwest Airlines (A),” Stanford GSB Case Study HR-1A, April 5, 2006, pp. 1-
27.
DiscussionQuestions
a. What specific steps have Kelleher and his team taken to create such a dedicated and customer-oriented
employee base?
b. What are the pros and cons to Southwest’s recruitment and training programs? Are they aligned with the
firm’s culture? How or how not?
c. Can these steps simply be copied and implemented by the competition—or any other company for that
matter—to achieve similar results? Why have you reached this conclusion?
d. Put yourself in Ann Rhoades shoes. Do you think the recent competitive threat could seriously damage
Southwest? And what actions, if any, would you recommend Southwest’s senior management to take?
(C)PROJECT-BASED
11. INNOVATIONCHALLENGE&DESIGN-THINKINGINTRODUCTION
We will use the first part of the class to discuss the Innovation Challenge. The second part will be dedicated to
the introduction of the Design Thinking methodology. (This second part is only for students who are new to
Design Thinking.)
12. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
13. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
14. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
15. COMPANYWORK,DESIGN-THINKINGWORKSHOPS&FIELDWORK
16. INNOVATIONCHALLENGEPRESENTATIONS
Design Pilot Application due Friday, May 10th
14
Innovation challenge General purpose
? To develop your design-thinking and creative abilities (Old students, this will be a chance to refine your
design-thinking skills, and apply them to real-life situations)
? To introduce you to the challenges and opportunities of launching creative and innovative initiatives
within well-established firms
? To introduce firms in Northern Norway to a more creative and innovative way of doing business, and to
the design thinking methodology
Innovation challenge nuts and bolts
Managers from a local Tromsø company and your team will identify a “design/innovation challenge” within the
corresponding firm. As I mentioned in the beginning of this syllabus, these challenges usually start with the
phrase: “How might we…”, and help explore creative solutions to a problem or questions the firm might be
facing.
For example, a leading computer firm may ask: “How might we create a mouse that children between 4 and 8
years old will like to use.” Or a large municipality may ask: “How might we decrease traffic congestion in front of
elementary schools during the morning rush hour?” Your “How-might-we” question could come from many
different sources. What’s important is that it presents an area for innovation and that it is something that
matters to the firm.
Once you’ve identified a design challenge, you and your team—back in class—will apply many different
techniques and tools to devise creative, functional, and human-centered solutions to the company’s challenge.
Towards the end of the course, you will offer a report and presentation describing your findings and suggestions
going forward.
Importantly, you will not be duplicating the work that the company’s managers are already engaged in. Ideally,
you will be innovating in a space (the innovation challenge) that the firm has previously been interested in, yet
has not had the time, resources, of tools to tackle.
BED-3051
Innovation to Market
The development of the courses «innovation to market» came as a direct result of the NUV project. After the
Circumpolar Conference (see separate report), it became apparent that there was a need for the business school
to have a closer cooperation with industry. Further, it was a need to have a closer cooperation with the life
sciences. Based on that, thehttp://uit.no/studietilbud/emner/emne?p_document_id=368670 course “BED-
3051 Innovation to Market” was developed. This course is an attempt to learn about the innovation and
commercialization processes in select industries that are important for the city and the region. The four
industries that were focused upon in the conference were selected. These were biotech, Telemedicine/ICT,
Energy and Mining. The course focused on central topics within the theory and then had four workshops
covering each of these topics. The students needed to understand the challenges of innovation and
commercialization within each of the industries. The course will be followed up and further developed in the
coming fall when we have made certain changes: We limit the focus to mainly biotech and engineering.
We are cooperating with APecshttp://www.apecs.is/en/about-apecs/leadership/international-directorate to
make webinars from the workshops. APECs are also cooperating with our main partners in the project. The
webinars we are developing with APECs will be available for a wide range of domestic and foreign students. This
is a response to our project aim of developing courses that include exchange of students, internships in
companies, and virtual-based interaction through workshops and conferences extend our knowledge and
experience in developing an effective international research and educational environment.
As mentioned in the project proposal, Professor Klara Stensvåg has agreed to participate in our program as our
representative at the various scientific-based institutes at the University. Her department has made the course
BED-3051 compulsory for their biotech master students. We are further cooperating with the institute for
15
renewable energies: Professor Tobias Bostrøm: who are strongly recommending engineering students to take
the BED-3051http://uit.no/om/enhet/ansatte/person?p_document_id=41330&p_dimension_id=88166http://uit.no/om/enhet/forskning?p_dimension_id=88131
We are using case examples from Høgskolen i Hedmark in our teaching for the biotech focus. These cases were
developed for the NUV project.
BED-3047
Entrepreneurial Networking and Methods in Writing BCE Master Thesis
Credits
10 ECTS
Course administrated by
Faculty of Bioscience, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
Theory
Admission requirements
Course for Master's Degree Program in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship (BCE) only
Course contents
The course gives an overview of entrepreneurial networking and methods in writing a Master thesis in Business
Creation and Entrepreneurship.
The course is divided into two sections:
The first section gives a brief overview of the innovation system in academic entrepreneurship and the
institutions and actors involved in commercializing academic knowledge. Further, the course gives a more
detailed overview of entrepreneurial networks, both in general and in commercializing life sciences in particular.
The second section gives a brief overview of various methods for writing a Master thesis in the BCE programme.
Further, the course gives a more detailed overview of challenges in writing an academic thesis in
commercializing university based research.
Objective of the course
The first aim of the course is to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the critical role network
and relations play in bringing a research based idea to the market. The course puts particular emphasis on how
the students can build networks in a dynamic way to get access to necessary resources for commercialisation.
The second aim of the course is to give students the necessary overview of how to design their master thesis,
which is to combine a practical project with a technical study, a market study and a business plan, all combined
with an introduction (umbrella).
Learning outcomes
Students successfully completed the course should achieve the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and comprehension
- Knowledge of how to obtain resources through networks for starting a research based spin-off
- Knowledge of how to build personal and business relations
- Knowledge of how to use various methods in writing a master thesis in BCE
- Knowledge of how to design an analytical thesis around commercializing a research based idea
Skills:
- Preparing the students to analyse their network
- Build a strategy for how to initiate, develop and maintain networks
16
- Develop a research problem, theoretical approach and methodological design for commercializing a research
based idea
Competence:
The student should be able to present an analysis of their own business network and discuss weaknesses and
strengths in their networking approach. Further, they should be able to connect networking to entrepreneurial
teams. The students will obtain competence in how to describe, analyze and conclude in issues to academically
writing. They will be able to reflect on their Master thesis as a piece of academic entrepreneurship and discuss
and defend their theoretical and methodological choices in groups.
Language of instruction and examination:
English
Teaching methods:
Lectures and seminars
Assessment methods
Students are evaluated through two term papers. Course work requirements: two oral presentations have to be
approved.
Teachers
- Lene Foss (LF), Professor, [email protected] ( Course responsible)
- Elin Oftedal, Associate Professor, [email protected]
- Vår Støle (VS), Senior Lecturer, [email protected]
- Mette Solnørdal (MS), Assistant Teacher, [email protected]
Guest lecturers
- Christin Kristoffersen, Mayor Longyearbyen, Svalbard, [email protected]
- Dagfinn Sætra, Connect Norge, [email protected]
- Anne Eriksen/Ragnhild Sandvoll, UiT
Workshops
1) Finance for Everyone
By Andromeda Simulations International
- Eliza Helweg-Larsen, [email protected]
- Robin Helweg-Larsen, [email protected]
Local contact person:
- Sven Arne Rokvam Pedersen, UiT, [email protected]
2) IPR and technology/product
By Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT)
- Bård Hall, CEO, [email protected]
3) Market
By Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT)
- Hilde Ludvigsen, Senior Consultant, [email protected]
Literature:
Articles on Fronter
17
BED-8004
Academic entrepreneurship - preparing PhD students for an entrepreneurial career
The course is administrated by
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Type of course
Multi-disciplinary
Admission requirements
The course is open for candidates with a documented admission to a PhD program at all faculties at UiT - The
Arctic University of Norway. PhD-candidates from other institutions are also welcome.
Maximum 20 participants.
Use this application form to register on the course and send it to Ingjerd Gauslaa Nilsen at BFE Faculty, UiT The
Arctic University of Norway ([email protected]):
Admission PhD Courses
Course contents
The learning journey of a PhD student can often be a lonely one, with students required to work towards
intensive individually researched and sole authored academic projects of scholarly importance. As a
consequence, entrepreneurship, team working and networking - elements that are becoming increasingly
important to the wider world of work - are often neglected. Indeed, many PhD students have ideas that can
potentially be commercialized; they also have talent and skills that can be used outside academia.
The term used to describe the start-up of a firm based on a research-based idea is called academic
entrepreneurship, and this has become vital in helping universities fulfill their third mission: to contribute to
regional innovation. The success of university-based spin-offs is dependent on talented PhD students and this
course provides the necessary tools for learning about entrepreneurship and commercialization.
The course is aimed at preparingPhDstudentstotakeonanentrepreneurialrole after completing their PhD.
Theoretically the course contains literature from academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial networking and
entrepreneurial teams. The students will learn about the university context's support for academic
entrepreneurship, and the prerequisites required for university contribution to knowledge based regional
development through university spinoffs.
Access to networks is a critical resource for academic entrepreneurs. A change of career path and exchange of
information or tangible resources between actors are influenced by social relations. Finally, entrepreneurial
creativity and team formation is crucial for successful commercialization of research based ideas.
The course will include a variety of pedagogical approaches, including:
? Lectures to provide the theoretical concepts
? Small groups discussing theoretical articles
? Small group working to allow students to reflect on their own experiences, roles and skills
? Group case work - students working on literature case studies and presenting in plenary session
Objective of the course
Knowledge:
? Knowledge of research on academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial teams and entrepreneurial
networking
? Knowledge of how to use frameworks to analyze university based spin-offs, research based ideas for
commercialization, entrepreneurial networks and team roles
Skills:
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? Be able to understand the university context of academic entrepreneurship
? Recognize the value of different team roles within a research based venture
? Be able to build a strategy relating to how to initiate, develop and maintain networks
? Be able to recognize and understand the processes of commercialization and technology transfer.
Language of instruction
English
Teaching methods
The course will use a combination of lectures; guest lectures from academic entrepreneurs, assignments in
smaller groups, presentations in plenary sessions.
Assessment
Exam:
In order to meet the objectives of the course, each participant will be required to write a scientific paper. In
order to pass the exam, each student will have to provide:
? Pre-coursework - by the submission date indicated below, and according to instructions provided ahead of
the course.
? Participation - in all parts of the course.
? Written scientific paper - by the submission date indicated below; subject will be provided during the
course.
19
2. Deliveries NCFS
Prof. Klara Stensvaag
For the biotechnology teaching programs (bachelor in biotechnology and master in marine biotechnology), it is
of utterly importance that the candidates are prepared for future jobs in science and in biotechnology
companies and are aware of the challenges and what are important for business without them being specialized
in developing scientific ideas and results into business. In addition, the science has changed during the last
centuries; today the focus is addressing a social challenges that should be solved, and even in basic scientific
projects in academia, there is a focus on the innovation potential (even from the research council). The lecturing
in the Universities is supposed to be research based. The Universities in the seventies were at the side of the
society, but today they are very much at the center of what is going on and very focused on the outcome of
science for the benefit for everyone. Thus, the perspectives of business and commercialization has become
more essential in all parts of the society, in science, and also in education.
University of Tromsø, the Norwegian College of Fishery and biotechnology.
The focus for some time has been on integration of the perspective of multi-disciplinary interactions onto the
biotechnology program and to help bridge the gap between business and science. This has been the idea from
the start as the initiation of the biotechnology bachelor and master study in the first place was means-tested
among the regional leaders in SMSs.
Interaction with business and companies – evaluation of the program with interaction of students and the Arena
Biotech North, the network of leaders of regional SME.
The biotechnology program started up in 2006 and the first masters of these students were educated in
2011.The biotechnology program was evaluated both at a master, but also at a bachelor level. Based on the
feedback from the companies, it was obvious that the whishes were biased. Some companies wanted specialized
personnel and was not looking for these aspects of knowledge in their future staff members. Other companies,
was very clear that it was very important to have excellent biotechnologists that also had basic knowledge of
how to develop biotechnological results into business. These fundamental ways of thinking had to be in the back
of the spine every day at the lab bench. For instance, looking for data in patents should be as important as
reviewing the literature before following up ideas. The conclusion of the discussion was that the aim for the
marine biotechnology students should be to introduce them into the basics of innovation and
commercialization. The challenge was to implement this according to the regulation at the university.
Development of the program and courses for NCFS
Short termed changes versus longer perspectives
BIO-3611SeminarinMarineBiotechnology. This master course was turned as a seminar based course,
emphasizing involvement from the students. The focus of the course has been discussions of commercialization
aspects, and students giving presentations from each. The must also be on both sides in small pays of different
business meeting discussing concrete biotechnology cases. It is a seminar that is going on for two years, and
some of the activity is ongoing in the research group where the students are doing their master projects. The
aim has been to replace this course, but still maintain some of the activities within it, in other contexts.
BED-3051 Innovation to market – will replace Bio-3611 from autumn 2014
This is a master course at School of Business and Economics. During the last semester, the interaction of the
teaching staff of this course and the teaching staff at the master in marine biotechnology has discussed and
optimized the content of the course to fit it for master student in marine biotech. The theoretical teaching
material will fit to cover introduction into basic knowledge of innovation, commercialization, market and IPRs
strategy. Biotechnology research provides the university and the industry with a huge potential of creative ideas
and discoveries, which has to be transferred in products or services. The will be group work in groups of students
belonging to both business and biotech students. The topic for the semester project is going to be within marine
biotechnology and the home exam will be an extension on the same project, but on an individual basis.
20
Bio-2606MarineBiotechnology(bachelor)andBio-2310IndustrialBiotechnology(master).
These courses are further developed.
The idea is to develop these courses further and integrate parts of them as courses suited also for partners in
Arena Biotech North. The planning for a pilot is ongoing, with involvement of staff of the School of Business and
Economics, the Design Thinking Lab, personnel and teaching professors at NCFS and personnel from Norinnova
Technology Transfer AS and the Arena program Biotech North.
21
3. Deliveries HUC
Hedmark University College
Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course, 2Bio062
By Dr. Frank Larsen
Mole Genetics – Automated Nucleic Acid Purification System
Description
Mole Genetics, a Norwegian biotech company was started in 2005. The Mole products address laboratories
analyzing nucleic acids by PCR. The company has developed a fully automated system working with prefilled
reagent cassettes containing all necessary reagents. This is “plug and play” system making it easy for laboratories
to automate tedious and labor-intensive processes. The case is presenting the company in 2010 in the process of
international commercialization. The company is also facing the challenge to bring in capital from investors after
the international financial crisis (2008/2009). The task is to do customer segmentation and do the right priorities
to get significant sales in a market with two large competitors.
Learning objective:
To understand customer segmentation, market analysis, competitor evaluation, strategic decisions using tools
like SWOT analysis. Learn about the famous business model “razor and razor blades” by doing sales projections.
In addition, understanding how a financial crisis can influence a good company in its process of commercializing
products.
Subjects Covered:
Business model, market segmentation, marketing strategy, pricing strategy, competitor evaluation, SWOT
analysis, investor presentation, financial climate
12p Marketing Plan, English PDF
19p Business Presentation, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: 17
• Event Year: 2010
Publication Date: January 2014
Discipline: Marketing, finance
Source: Authors Tone Yrvum and Frank Larsen
Ecolice - The Salmon Louse Fight
Description
Baard Johannessen is a Norwegian biologist that has filed a patent application for chemical treatment of Salmon
to get rid of Salmon Louse. He got the patent granted in 2011. He has formed a company Ecolice and his
business model is to license the technology to the fish farming industry. but the salmon industry is not willing to
pay him any royalty. This is a typical case of a small inventor against a big industry.
Salmon louse is a small copepod which is a parasite living on salmon. This parasite is one of the major threats to
salmon farmers. Johannessen found that it was possible to get much better effect of treatment by drugs, if they
were used in combination in the right quantity and for the right time. This so called combination method will
need less drugs for efficient treatment of salmon louse, and much less than the traditional full dose treatment
used by many salmon farmers.
Learning objective:
Technology start-up, how strong is a patent in a commercial market place, licensing as a business model.
22
Subjects Covered:
Immaterial Property Rights (IPR), technology licensing, how to depend a patent, business models, market
strategy
4p summary, English PDF
1 p newspaper article, Dagens Næringsliv 14. March 2014
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: 1
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: March 2014
Discipline: IPR and technology transfer, entrepreneurship
Source: Author Frank Larsen
Seaweed Energy Solutions: Kelp farming for biofuel production
Description
Seaweed Energy Solutions (SES) is a kelp (seaweed) farming company with a patented new technology for
improved farming of seaweeds. Seaweeds like kelp are growing very fast and can be harvested after 5-7 months
growth in the sea. The kelp contains up to 40% sugar (mannitol and laminaran) which by fermentation can be
used as substrate for bioethanol and biogas production. In addition, kelp contains alginate another carbohydrate
which is used both in food industry and in pharmacy. SES is focusing on ecological biofuel production and is
working to reduce production cost to be commercially competitive. So far, production cost is three times higher
than needed to be competitive. Can SES survive on biofuel production or do they need to make a product mix to
be profitable?
Learning objective:
How can an ecofriendly production method of biofuel become profitable? Will a new industry blossom along the
international coasts to deliver an alternative to fossil fuel? The business case is about developing a sustainable
business plan using a business model where both high and low value ingredients in seaweeds are used. This
allows to students to combine products in food industry, pharmacy and bioenergy to build a business model.
Subjects Covered:
Innovation, production cost, sales channels, product development, business models
15p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count: unknown
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: April 2012 – revised May 2014
Discipline: Innovation, Marketing
Source: Authors: Dag Aadne Sandbakken and Frank Larsen
iPerian - Stem Cell Technologies
Description
The iPierian case profiles a startup biotechnology company leveraging the recent development of induced
pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-adult stem cells that have been reprogrammed to a "pluripotent" state whereby
they can differentiate into approximately 200 different cell types in the body. The science in this field is in the
nascent stages but the pace of change is rapid as new discoveries are made and as companies devise
23
applications for the technology. iPierian has established itself as an early leader in the space by creating a
consistent way to create high volumes of high quality iPSCs and subsequently differentiate those cells into motor
neurons. The company must decide between three major directions-tools, drug development of therapeutics-in
which it can steer the business and continue to develop its technology. iPierian must also make this decision in
the context of the role of large pharmaceutical players in the industry with whom they can either partner or
potentially compete against in the race to find successful applications for iPSC technology.
Learning objective:
The learning objective of the case is several-fold, first exposing students to the newly emerging but rapidly
changing and revolutionary field of induced pluripotent stem cell technology. Second, the students must analyze
the business model which they believe will be most successful for the company at a time when the technology is
brand new and no clear winner has yet emerged. Finally, students read the iPierian case in parallel with the
Millenium case and are asked to compare and contrast the two companies to better understand how the
economic, political, regulatory and business factors at play at the time of the respective cases factor into a
company's strategic and financial decisions.
26p, English PDF
Subjects Covered: Business models; Stem cell research
Setting: Industry: Biotechnology
Publication Date: Feb 4, 2011
Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business
BioPure – Blood Substitute HemoPure
Description
It is early 1998 and Biopure Corp., a small biopharmaceutical firm with no sales revenues in its ten-year history,
has just received government approval to release Oxyglobin, a revolutionary new "blood substitute" designed to
replace the need for donated animal blood in the veterinary market. A virtually identical product for the human
market, Hemopure, is in the final stages of testing by Biopure and is expected to gain approval within one to two
years. In response to the timing of approval for these two products, there has been a long-running debate within
Biopure as how to proceed with Oxyglobin. At odds are those in charge of Oxyglobin, who want to see the
animal product released immediately, and those in charge of the Hemopure, who worry that an immediate
release of Oxyglobin would create an unrealistically low price expectation for what they feel should be a very
high-margin human product. Exacerbating the problem is the nature of the biopharmaceutical industry, where
product approval is never a certainty until achieved.
Learning objective:
To introduce the concepts of market segmentation, product line policy, and multi-product pricing. Also
introduces students to the unique business dynamics of the biotechnology industry.
Subjects Covered:
Market segmentation; Marketing strategy; New product marketing; Pricing strategy; Product lines
18p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic:United States
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Company Employee Count:150
• Event Year Begin:1995
• Event Year End:1998
Revision Date: May 27, 1999
Discipline: Marketing
Source: Harvard Business School Premier Case Collection
24
Arctic Red: Land-based farming of freshwater fish
Description
Norway is a leading salmon farming country based on top breeding, vaccines, feed and farming technology.
However, we have not been successful with other fish species. Fresh-water fish farming is for example much
larger in Sweden, Iceland and Denmark. Char farming has started to grow in Norway and about ten farmers are
organized in Røyeforum. An initiative is taken by Hedmark Kunnskapspark to work together with the Char
farmers to develop a better Char breed. The breeding companies in Hamar together with Hedmark University
College, represent a national competence centre for breeding of animals, plants and fish. If the breeding project
is successful, the company Arctic Red will be started and funded. Before this can happen a business plan has to
be developed. Will sale of special breeds (e.g. smolt) be large enough to make a profitable company, or will
Arctic Red need to start farming of Char in addition.
Learning objective:
This case is about the background for a start-up company and how to develop the first business plan. What is the
market situation, the customer segments and the current available segments? What will a breed program cost
and will Arctic Red become profitable by selling breeds? What are the sales channel of Char? Does it have an
international market or should the farmers focus on the Norwegian market? The students will learn how en
entrepreneur need to think to develop a technology company.
Subjects Covered: Marketing and sales, business model and business plan.
14p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology and aquaculture
• Company Employee Count: 0
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: February 2014
Discipline: Innovation, development, marketing and finance
Source: Author Frank Larsen
Rørosmeieriet: The dairy with unique, local products
Description
Rørosmeieriet was formed in 2001 to continue the production facility in Røros previously owned by Tine. Over
the years, the dairy has managed to develop unique, local food products and they have also managed to reach
customers outside the region through distribution agreement with major food chains. The Røros dairy is facing a
challenge making a good product mix from the milk they get from farmers, e.g. a combination of fat-containing
products and light-milk products. How can they position their products and what is the right value proposition
for the different customer segments. In the beginning, the dairy got financial support from Innovation Norway,
but without support the dairy need to grow to stay profitable. The last three years the sales have grown from 20
million kr. in 2009 to 50 million in 2013 but with less than 1 million as a result. This put pressure on the
management and the board to find the right marketing strategy for growth.
Learning objective:
This case teaches the importance of strategic marketing and customer segmentation. It covers everything from
the branding, product names to value propositions for the individual customer segments. How is Røros dairy
going to reach new customers and what are the right sales channels. What is the right product mix to become
more profitable and deliver surplus back to the owners.
Subjects Covered: Marketing and sales, business model
13p, English PDF
Setting:
25
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Biotechnology and food industry
• Company Employee Count:
• Event Year: 2013/2014
Publication Date: April 2013 and revised april 2014
Discipline: Marketing, sales and finance
Source: Authors: Dag Aadne Sandbakken and Frank Larsen
Rørosbryggeriet: Scale up of local beer production
Description
The Røros region of Norway is known for good local food products, and the association Rørosfood initiated the
project to make a local beer to accompany the excellent food served in Røros. This started out with a micro
brewery serving draft beer at the local restaurants. Later it was decided to make bottled beer in association with
another small beer company, Atna Beer. The sales of the local labels have been good and the company owners
want to step up production volume. This requires investment in a production facility.
Learning objective:
The strategic alternatives for a start-up company going into a growth phase is discussed.
This is also about product positioning and marketing
Subjects Covered: Finance, Marketing
10p, English PDF
Setting:
• Geographic: Norway
• Industry: Food/beer
• Company Employee Count:
• Event Year: 2014
Publication Date: April 2014 and revised April 2014
Discipline: Marketing and finance
Source: Author Dag Aadne Sandbakken (Frank Larsen)
26
3. The comprehensive recruitment of student and companies and the establishment of an
international industry platform for mobilizing northern science for commercial purposes.
In this part of the project Per Arnold Dyrkoren played a significant role in providing access to a larger industrial
company portfolio – that gave a significant increase in the number and width of companies for the BCE students
Master thesis. He also played an important role in teaching at the BCE programme at various levels. Below is a
description of the early impact of the BCE alumni that this part of the project has resulted in, this is followed by a
description of the DTLab and their recruitment of companies and organizations. The third and last part of this
section highlights how the collaboration in this project aims for building a platform for economic growth in the
Arctic.
3.1 Making an impact – the early result of BCE alumni
The BCE program have profited on the systematic cooperation with industry. First, several Master’s theses have
been productive for establishing companies within NTT. One example is ProCelo AS, which offers diagnostic kits to
public and private microbiological laboratories through dedicated distributors. Secondly, several Master’s theses
have been used as input for NTT to develop projects instead of a start-up: the Yellow Binder and Call-me-Smart.
Third, companies have employed BCE alumni as business developers. One example is Scandinavian Dermal
Innovations AS, which develops and markets unique ingredients for high-end cosmeceutical products. Ingredients
are based on bioactive compounds from the Arctic, discovered by Scandinavian Dermal Innovations in close
cooperation with research institutions such as Bioforsk and the Marbio screening platform. Another example is
Ramsalt Lab, a web agency specializing in Drupal, a market leading open source content management system.
Ramsalt's clients include universities, online newspapers and banks. Clients are from Chile in the south to Russia
in the north. Fourth, and finally there are two examples where BCE students, based on their thesis, were offered
CEO positions in a start-up company:
Table 2: Project and Status of BCE projects
Project Cohort Industry Status
Globesar 2010 Satellite
technology
Started and recently gathered more capital. Students
as CEO’s
D’liver 2011 Biotechnology Started and sold. Student as CEO
Procelo 2011 Biotechnology The inventor started without the students.
Few Touch 2011 IT technology Not started
Medication
Assistance for
Elderly Patients
2012 E – health Not started
Synchronized
Media
Presentation
2012 E- health Not started
Edmire Pickups 2012 Music technology Not started
CallmeSmart 2013 E – technology Not mature enough for startup when students finished
their thesis. Students were given offers to work for
them, but at that time they had moved on to other
jobs.
Praqo Logging
System
2013 Film technology Not started
Fleksee Hygiene
Bag
2013 Medical care
technology
Not started
Arctic Terra Preta 2014 Agriculture Testing procedures due before start up
Chondro 2014 Medical
technology
Must reach proof of concept. Students offered a role
when milestone is reached.
Uarctic Student
Portal
2014 It technology Development project, already up and running. Student
is employed.
Ramsalt Labs 2014 IT technology Development project in existing company.
Arctic Bio Plants 2014 Nutraceutical Will be starting. Students offered CEO position, but
they already got other offers
27
Kystens Mathus 2014 Retail
Turismeprosjekter 2014 Tourism Students own idea
Kildeboksen 2014 Waste removal Already established project.
Design thinking lab as a tool for recruiting companies
“Tromsø’scompaniesshouldseizethisopportunitywith bothhandsandgowholeheartedlyinto theofferingsof
the DTLab! For us this has been instructive, useful and extremely fun!” – Monica Mathisen, Project Manager,
Drytech AS.
The Design thinking labhttp://www.thedtlab.com/ has been a unique tool for recruiting companies in this project.
As the DT Lab is a wideranging unit at UoT, beyond just TUBS, it has a great potential for UoT and the private
sector to collaborate to a much larger extent. The DT Lab links companies with talented students on company
specific innovation projects. A wide range of other services is also offered companies, including:
Design Thinking Introduction Workshops
Design Thinking Implementation Workshops
Company Specific Innovation Projects in Classroom (master level at UiT)
Consultancy
Renting of the DT Lab
Custom-tailored services
The DT was launched in June 2013, half way through our project. The following companies have been
recruited since then:
North Energy ASA
Norinnova Technology Transfer AS
Jupiter System Partner AS
Breivoll Inspection Technologies AS
Drytech AS
Remiks AS
Kraemer Maritime AS
OliVita AS
Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (starting February 2015)
Student Incubator
Another prime focus enhanced in the application, is the collaborative area will be to help bridge the space between
business and science—what is commonly referred to as “the knowing-doing gap.” We highlighted in the
application to overcome these gaps by facilitating increased academic and practical interaction between the
science and business communities at UoT and beyond. We aimed to do this through the exchange of lecturers
between departments, and by holding multiple seminars and conferences aimed at effectively bridging this
knowledge gap. As a result of a visit to the University of San Diego (prof. De Noble) – we learned the value of
having a student incubator. We prepared an argument for the next BCE committee meeting and presented it for
department leader Derek Clark. We have also furthered the idea in other settings. This initiative is coming into
fruition and led by the Design Thinking lab. The Start grouphttp://startuit.no/ – which was initiated as part of our
first NUV project will also be central in the work on the Student Incubator. The student incubator will be a tool to
further promote entrepreneurship and innovation among a wider area of students. The incubator will be open for
students with ideas across all disciplines. Further, it is a great platform of cooperation with industry and as such it
has built on the good reputation the DT lab has produced.
Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the High North
This part of the report highlights how the collaboration in this project aims for building a platform for economic
growth in the Arctic
Tomeetfutureneeds,itistheGovernment’sviewthatweneedsoundandpredictableconditionsforindustry.We
28
must actively provide for knowledge development, creative thinking, restructuring and innovation. Renewal has
alwaysbeenimportantforeconomicgrowthinNorway.
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2008-2009.
Resource extraction, necessary capacity-building and wealth creation, climate change, and population growth are
happening or are anticipated in the High North/Arctic. These are relevant issues to all of the Circumpolar North
communities. The question is how prepared national and regional governments are for their opportunities.
Certainly preparedness means policy and structural changes that take advantage of the benefits and mitigates the
ills that resource extraction and climate change are sure to bring and to advance sustainability and resilience when
rapid change occurs because of resource development made possible by climate changes. The Norwegian
Government’s White Paper on innovation and sustainability published in 2008 argues as much (Norwegian
Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2008). The Canadian government produced a document of its own on innovation
after 2010 looking at how the Canadian economy can become more innovative (Independent Panel on Federal
Support to Research and Development, undated). The assumption has been that there are serious barriers to
academia and industry collaboration, despite the fact that academic teaching and research in Universities produce
the foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship in industry.
Perhaps overlooked in the discourse on economic development in the Arctic, is the possibility for innovation and
entrepreneurship that can advance sustainability and mitigate some of the negative consequences of rapid
resource extraction and industrialization in the High North/Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Ongoing projects and
research on innovation from a social science perspective would serve to link these questions and be of potential
benefit to Northern communities –communities that expect to have population growth because of increased
resource extraction and logistics concerned with shipping raw and processed materials to the world markets; and
communities that expect to have standards of living and quality of life commensurate with their complements in
the southern parts of the country. The success of whether these expectations are being met is proves to be uneven
across the Circumpolar Norths. While the Nordic countries, notably Norway, have fairly even development and
provisions of social welfare throughout the country, the case is not the same for Russia, Canada, Greenland, and
the United States. The topic of our meetings in Canada therefore revolved around the following questions: “How
can both national and regional governments ensure the sustainability of such communities while maintaining
sustainableeconomicdevelopmentandgrowth? “
The question was sought explained in a workshop at the University of Saskatoon which is described below.
USask Meeting
Attending the innovation seminar that took place at the International Centre for Northern Governance and
Development at the University of Saskatchewan on 29 may 2014 were JD Bell, Ken Coates, Lee Swanson, Aileen
Espiritu, Nancy Carlson, Gerlis Fughman, Tuiara Sveciva , Joelena Leader, Elin M. Oftedal, Paola Chiste, Carin, Billy
and Emmy Neuls. The discussion illustrated the many definitions of innovation. What has been evident in the
Canadian North is that innovation has largely been driven by government. What needs to happen is that is must
start to be driven by communities that capitalize on its place and circumstance: cold, remote, and often sparsely
populated regions that have the potential to produce innovative goods, technology, and especially innovative
ways of governance. Innovation is not all positive. What will be the impact on the North? Innovation the largest
reason for job loss in Canada. We are racing to train the Northern workforce, but we are training them for the
industrial age, instead of the new age technologies and the knowledge economy, for example micro jobs – based
on high technology industries. Therefore, what we need are strong policies in place to counter the negative
developments. It can be positive.
As noted above, the Canadian innovative system is driven mostly by the Canadian government by funding
research that leads to innovation and commercialization. Universities are key but they are located in the South in
Canada, and thus do not take into account the needs of Northern communities
29
On the whole, Canadians feel less able to contribute innovative ideas in the workplace.
1
Moreover, a report from
the World Economic Forum has dropped Canada’s ranking from 12
th
to 25
th
most innovative from 2010 to 2014
respectively.
In Northern Norway, the innovation is mostly driven from the university. The industry does not have resources to
develop their product and services further. On the other hand, the university sector does not have the
commercial competence to bring the technology to market. Also, there are bureaucratic hindrances to have
effective partnership between universities and industries.
Key Questions
Again, we must ask the vital questions on whether universities and industry can collaborate robustly. What would
to the sustainability of these collaborations. Clearly, for sustainable development and for prosperous communities,
academic research must be applicable for industry and for economic development. This may be even more
important for communities in the North where many assume there are less possibilities for innovation and local
wealth creation in the peripheral High North.
Background and the status of knowledge
The online BusinessDictionary.com defines innovation as “The process of translating an idea or invention into a good
or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.” (businessdictionary.com). How can scientists combine
their inventions with entrepreneurship and collaborate with industry in order to innovate? Is it possible to learn
entrepreneurship? Moreover, how can social scientists, natural scientists, and businesses work together to create
innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship? And what can social scientist contribute to these inter- and multi-
disciplinary linkages? Certainly social scientists can and have used social science approaches, theories, and
methodologies to analyse “the factors that diminish the barriers to university-industry collaboration” (Bruneel, et
al., 2010), arguing that it is important to know why the barriers exist so that solutions can be formulated to
overcome them.
Also pervasive in the studies on innovation are questions on university-industry relations, and notably, questions
on degrees of collaboration. D’Este and Patel (2007) have argued that rather than systemic barriers to cooperation
between industry and academics in the United Kingdom, individual personalities play more of a role in whether
collaboration with industry will take place. D’Este and Patel also write that successful collaboration between
academics and industry takes place in contexts where profit and the market take second place. Indeed they argue
that interaction between university and industry are facilitated by “creation of new physical facilities, consultancy
and contract research, joint research, training, and meetings and conferences” (D’Este and Patel, 2007: 1309).
Clearly, then, promoting innovation through collaboration between academic researchers and industry is can be
complex and multi-faceted. Augmenting this argument is the research done by Bekkers and Freitas (2008), which
uses the Dutch example to conclude that know and technology transfer between universities and industry occur
in 23 distinct transfer channels. While knowledge and technology transfer may not guarantee innovation, it does
increase the chances of its likelihood as well as stimulates further creation of knowledge and technology.
Along this line of research is research done by Fontana, Geuna, and Matt (2006) who look at factors affecting
university-industry research and development projects. They suggest that openness to collaboration is also
complex and heterogeneous – that is, it is not generalizable across all universities and all firms, nor is it
generalizable across partnerships. As Fontana, Geuna, and Matt’s study revealed, patterns of collaboration may
be explained in participants’ “willingness to interact”( Fontana, Geuna, and Matt, 2008: 321).
Another approach to research on partnerships between industry and universities is to question whether such
collaboration leads to economic development. Such lines of inquiry may be of great value to the Circumpolar North
where resource extraction and their transport to markets will have become economic priorities for all the Arctic 8
countries. How then can Northern communities in the peripheries of capitals and centres of power and population
engage fully with such economic development? Entrepreneurship is certainly one answer, and is often supported
by governments through policies and projects (e.g. business incubators). Studies by Michael and Pearch (2009)
suggest that if governments want to create entrepreneurship, they would do well to focus on generating rewards
1
Leah Eichler, Is there an innovation gap in Canada? The Globe and Mail, 15 August 2014.
30
and incentives in order to encourage innovation.
While studies have proliferated on looking at why there are barriers between university research and industry and
the market, they have primarily concentrated on barriers rooted on specific and separate nation states (See
Abramo, et al., 2009; Motohashi, 2005). There are a myriad of studies looking at national innovation systems, for
example (e.g. Bekkers & Freitas, 2008; D’Este & Patel, 2007; Motohashi , 2005) Does this mean then that barriers
are necessarily dependent on national political culture and policies? Or do barriers between industry and
university exist no matter where they are located because the cultures of industries and universities are similar
regardless of geographical location? A comparative approach is clearly warranted in order to answer such
questions and to enhance solutions to overcome these barriers. Importantly, what is needed in an Arctic and sub-
Arctic context are comparative studies across countries and compare their educational institutions and industries
in order to bridge the gap between academic research and industry. Such research and analysis has yet to be done
despite the growing number of innovations produced by collaborations between industry and universities located
in the High North/Arctic, especially in the Nordic countries.
Proposed Areas of Development
The foundations for further multi- and inter-disciplinary research and collaboration on questions of innovation
and entrepreneurship can have at its core planned activities and deliverables that have emerged from other
projects and studies on innovation through university-industry partnerships.
? Investment in Human Capital and Innovation
Human capital is one of the most valuable resource in any country or region. Yet, in many of the countries in the
Arctic 8, the investment in education and training of populations is uneven and has not take top priority. Besides
the Nordic countries, opportunities and easy access to education and advanced education in the Arctic and sub-
Arctic regions is limited. Russia, Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska still struggle to realize the full potential
of human resources in the High North, thus we see a gap in skills and labour required to develop and build
economies that take advantage of the abundant and valuable natural resources now being quickly exploited in all
of the Arctic countries. This is a worldwide phenomenon that will have massive positive and negative
consequences for Northern regions. Research questions that attempt to elucidate the complexities of advancing
innovation and entrepreneurship through the lenses of social science, economics, and business would enrich our
understanding of these processes that may be rooted in long-standing policies, socialization, and/or culture.
Importantly, the research must take place specifically in the North in order for us to better grasp why there exists
difference in levels of entrepreneurship and innovation between Northern and Southern regions in the Arctic
countries.
? Teaching Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This proposed area of development is related to the previous one. As partners from the University of
Saskatchewan’s International Centre for Northern Governance and Development (ICNGD) plan to deliver
• The test delivery of a graduate course on Circumpolar Innovation, delivered as part of ICNGD's graduate
program, Masters of Northern Governance and Development, which is under development as a Joint
Degree with the University of Tromsø.
• The conversion of the Circumpolar Innovation into a Totally Open Online Course, which will see all of the course
material made available globally for use by any academic unit or individual users. This TOOC will be co-
developed and promoted through the University of the Arctic.”
Hedmark University College report their innovation course deals with at least 8 successful businesses in the fields
of health and biology under the larger umbrella of “bio-entrepreneurship”.
2
Examples of bio-entrepreneurship
have far-reaching impact such as Ecolice - The Salmon Louse Fight, Seaweed Energy Solutions: Kelp farming for
biofuel production, iPerian - Stem Cell Technologies, etc. All of these emerged because of academic research
meant to answer or solve human, health, and industry needs. Such transfers of research into value-added goods
and services is and will be the foundation for diverse economies in Norway and other parts of the Circumpolar
North. Diversity will be critical in the years to come as Arctic countries advance sustainability through less reliance
2
See Frank Larsen, “Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course 2Bio062,
Hedmark University College.
31
on fossil fuels and more reliance on human capacity and innovation. Such examples are also key in the teaching of
what is innovation and entrepreneurship to students who are still just entering the field, whether as practitioners
or as researchers.
? Research and publishing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Again, partners from the University of Saskatchewan’s International Centre for Northern Governance and
Development (ICNGD) propose to deliver
• “The continuation of research on a book on comparative Circumpolar innovation systems;”
Such products of research on innovation in the Circumpolar North can go a long way create knowledge and
understanding on how innovation may be fostered, and to promote possible industry-university collaboration.
While it seems obvious that researchers and industry should find synergies, it is much more difficult to bridge the
assumed cultural divide between academia and business. That academic institutions such as the University of
Saskatchewan and the UiT The Arctic University of Norway are open to even discussing and writing about
innovation and its capacity to lead to regional economic development signals to both governments and industry
that collaboration with researchers could be fruitful and advantageous. Moreover, it could lead to solving the
underdeveloped human resources endemic in the High North.
? Best collaborative practices between university and industry
Can best collaborative practices between university and industry in the Arctic and sub-Arctic offer any lessons for
those in the South? There are many best practices of innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship in the Arctic,
the city of Tromsø with its University is but one of them. From bioprospecting to leading the way in telemedicine,
this small city on the 70
th
parallel in Norway’s High North can offer many best case examples. Examining what the
foundation is and has been for Tromsø’s success could lead the way for a detailed rendering of a template for
developing innovation and entrepreneurship based on university-industry relations. In the case of Norway, where
government gets involved in entrepreneurship, the collaboration goes three ways: government, industry, and
university. But what of other Northern contexts, notably Russia, where governmental social welfare structures
have been reduced overwhelmingly in the last two decades despite the great natural resource wealth that the
Russian North provides?
Conclusion
The North should be able to commercialize products with the pull of the market. We can learn from other global
examples. The North is a larger region if you look at it as one. (include North America, Northern Nordic states,
and Russia). The North should develop the North, but it should also place itself on the political and innovation
agenda on the global scale – no one has the North on their agenda. The challenge for us is HOW do we put
Northern innovation on the agenda? Based on the results from our collaboration, we have found several
potential interesting areas that we can follow up in further projects.
32
4. International network of Northern professionals focused on commercialization of Northern
relevant technologies.
The Circumpolar conference on High North Entrepreneurship and Innovation
As proposed in the NUV application, two meeting/ conferences were planned to establish an international
network. The Norwegian conference was The Circumpolar conference: High North Entrepreneurship held in
November 2012http://en.uit.no/nyheter/artikkel?p_document_id=319185.
This conference was the largest conference TUBS has arranged and was very well received by academic scholars,
students, industry and policymakers. The conference was the main standing event that spurred off the
collaboration to reach delivery #1- 3. The Circumpolar Conference report is attached to this report.
The Saskatchewan Forum
In June, 2014 was the Canadian response. They arranged a session in The Saskatchewan Forum:http://www.conferenceboard.ca/conf/sask/default.aspx , which is the most influential conference in the region,
with major policy – and decision makers present.
The NUV project had a separate session in the conference. Ken Coates who is heading the Canadian side of the
project has a central role in the Forum. The session was arranged as follows:
Lunch session Saskatchewan: The Next Norway?: Greg Michael Poelzer, Executive Chair, International Centre for
Northern Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
Concurrent Session B1_ Insights into Northern Innovation
Moderator:
Ken S. Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
Panellists:
Lorna J. Butler, Coordinator, Northern Saskatchewan Health and
Wellness Research, International Centre for Northern Governance
and Development and Dean, College of Nursing, University of
Saskatchewan
Elin Merethe Oftedal, Associate Professor, School of Business and
Economics, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway
Greg Michael Poelzer, Executive Chair, International Centre for
Northern Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
Tweets Responses to our session at the Forum
It was active tweeting during our session. These tweets were published on the Forums website:
Finally got to meet @KenSCoates @ #SaskForum2014! 1st convo? How Saskatchewan's #aboriginal economic
development compares to rest of Canada.
6:50 PM - 27 May 2014
Keynote luncheon by Dr. Greg M. Poelzer on how, with right policy choices, #Saskatchewan could become the
world’s next Norway #saskforum2014
Greg Poelzer outlines the 'Norwegian Model' following the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1969.
#saskforum2014
Social consensus is key to the Norwegian Model' #SaskForum2014
8:51 PM - 27 May 2014
Public Private Partnerships have been key to Norway's commercialization of R&D and economic growth
#saskforum2014 #PPP #yqr #yxe
Public-private partnerships critical to the Norwegian economic success. Can SK follow? #SaskForum2014
9:00 PM - 27 May 2014
In many ways, #Saskatchewan is more auspiciously endowed with resources than #Norway is! #energy #uranium
#food #potash #saskforum2014
For Saskatchewan to become Norway it must address: equalization policy, Northern Saskatchewan needs more
investment #saskforum2014 #yqr #yxe
Norway invests all of its #SovereignWealthFund abroad to avoid inflationary risk and picking winners and losers
#saskforum2014
33
9:21 PM - 27 May 2014
Sovereign wealth fund: Norwegian's invest outside of Norway. SK should replicate. #saskforum2014
Saskatchewan can move mountains. That's why we don't have any" - Dr. Greg Poelzer. Heard at the
@ConfBoardofCda #saskforum2014 #yqr
Insights into northern innovation by @kenscoates @JSGSPP, Dr. Butler @UofSNursing, Dr. Oftedal @UiTromso
& Dr. Poelzer @usask #saskforum2014
6:10 PM - 28 May 201
Press Coverage
There were extensive coverage of the Saskatchewan Forum in the papers and Ken Coates who is the leader of the
Canadian part of our NUV project had a central position in the Forum and was interviewed for main newspapers:
Research and publishing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Northern Innovation Workshop
The second event in the Saskatoon visit was the Northern Innovation outcome held May 29th2014.
The overall desired outcome of the workshop was to provide a summary on the current state of innovation and
development in Northern Canada and Norway, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities for improving
northern living. The workshop would identify an action plan for prospect and prosperity or the Northern economy.
The workshop involved an open, semi-structured discussion on a series of major questions relating to the
emerging of a northern innovation economy. The Northern Innovation Workshop resulted in a thinkpiece
from Ken Coates and contribution to this report by Ph. D Aileen Esperitu, The Barents institute. The session was
structured as follows:
34
TIME ICNGD Board Room ,Kirk Hall
12:00 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Welcome and Introduction to Workshop Dr. Ken Coates
1:00 PM Session 1: The state of Innovation in Northern Canada and Norway
• What is the State of the Northern Innovation Economy?
• How Can Indigenous Peoples into the Innovation Culture?
• Is the Social Economy Part of the Innovation Movement? How can Innovation Help
Address Northern Climate Change Issues?
• How are Northern Businesses Engaging with the Innovation Movement?
• What is the Role of Universities and Colleges in Northern Innovation?
2:45 PM Health Break: Refreshments brought in
3:00 PM Session 2: Opportunities and barriers and for improving the northern
4:30 PM Wrap up and Dissemination Plan
• Summary of Current State of Northern Innovation
• Major Paper Framework
5:00 PM End of Workshop
Support for Bachelor Thesis on Entrepreneurship Education: The BCE program in Tromsø is 5 years old and based
on a program at Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship “Entreprenørskapsskolan”
(www.entreprneneur.chalmers.se). They have 20 years experience and spun out about 50 businesses. The faculty
at BCE joined The Entrepreneurial Learning Forum 2014 and publications which describes how BCE in Tromsø
developed from learning from Chalmers are presented on page 36 .
A bachelor student wished to look deeper into how receivers of practical entrepreneurship education experience
its impact. This study was performed among Swedish entrepreneurs who has gone through a practical
entrepreneurship education. The study showed support for such an education, illustrated by the following quote:
”Duharmodet,duhardriven,ochmanharalladomegenskaperna,mendukan
liksom se möjligheterna genom en utbildning, man kan se vad man kan göra.” (quote
respondent)
However, none of the respondent were very concerned about the subjects thought. The respondent mentioned
the atmosphere, network and practical knowledge as one of the main strengths of the program.
”Detärdetjagtyckerärdetabsolutbästamedentreprenörskapsskolan,atmosfären.
etätdeterokayatttesta,detärokayattmisslyckas,jagtrorattdetärderasstyrka,attalla
motiverardig.Heleatmosfärenärattduskalstartabolag.”
The takeaway from this study corresponds with scientific paper we have worked on about the importance of
context for entrepreneurship. We therefore also asked the bachelor student to gather some information which
will be helpful in establishing an alumni network for the BCE program in Tromsø. An alumni network would add to
an entrepreneurial context for the BCE students and it could be connected with the Swedish alumni. A strong
alumni network would strengthen the program.
5. Report from Dr. Ken Coates, University of Saskatchewan and ICNGD
35
36
37
38
6. Budget
NUV - ENTREPRENØRSKAP A38034-
A38037 2012 2013 2014 sum
BEVILGN.NORGESUNIVERSITETET 950000 0 0 950000
UTGIFTER: 2012 2013 2014 SUM
Datautstyr 10393 0 0 10393
Konsulenttjenester 43750 56250 100000
Lønnskostn/indir.kostn. 472261 9550 30616 512427
Konferanseinntekter -131050 -22850 -153900
Driftsutg./reiser 32711 61017 167021 260749
Bevertning 66400 66400
Høgskolen i Hedmark 100000 100000
Tilskudd fra BFE -118000 -118000
Egeninnsats 6463 6463
sum utg. 382928 147717 253887 784532
rest pr. 15.12.2014 165468
REGNSKAP A38037 CIRCUMPLAR
CONFERENCE
UTGIFTER:
REISER 25950
UTGIFTER TIL MESSER 5200
BEVERTNING/KONF.MIDDAG/LUNSJ 64880
GAVER TIL EKSTERNE 1100
LØNNSKOSTNADER 159081
DIV VARER -2000
TRYKNINGSUTG. 3073
SUM UTGIFTER 257283
INNTEKTER:
INNOVASJON NORGE 60000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE/STRAT.MIDLER 30000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE/ADM 20000
DELTAKERAVG.EGNE ANSATTE 21100
TILDELING FRA ANDRE STATLIGE
VIRKSOMH./KONF.AVG. 123000
TILSKUDD FRA BFE TIL
DEKN.OVERFORBRUK 3183
SUM INNTEKTER 257283
39
As seen in the budget we acquired additional funding from various sources, thus the surplus
on 165.468 will be spent on launching of a book on universities’ commercializations of
science and an open seminar where contributors to the book are invited. See program below
and book flyer on p. 40.
40
7. Publications and Conferences
The work with entrepreneurship education through projects such as NUV has resulted in several publication on
entrepreneurship education. We have operationalized, tested and presented a tool for measuring the context of
entrepreneurship for university students. Further, we have published work on the role of the student in
commercializing of new technology. Through a related project “From university research to implementation and
commercialization of innovations – a comparative study” on academic entrepreneurship and commercialization
of research on universities (FORFI programme in NFR) there is cross over knowledge relevant for commercializing
science in the High North, thus the seminar and book launch will be launched as a FORFI/NUV event.
Publications
Henry, C. & Foss, L. (2015) “Case sensitive: A review of the use of case study method in
entrepreneurship research”InternationalJournalofEntrepreneurialBehaviour&Research
Foss, L. (2013) “Innovasjon gjennom akademisk entreprenørskap: Nye samarbeidsmodeller forutdanning av entrepr
enører” i Garmann Johnsen, H. & Pålshaugen, Ø. (ed.)Hvaerinnovasjon?Perspektiverinorsk
innovasjonsforskning,Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akedemisk, pp. 215-238.
Foss, L. (2013) “Entreprenørskap i nord – veien å gå? I Jentoft, S., Nergård, J.I. & Røvik, K.A (eds.)HvorgårNord-
Norge?Bind3.PolitiskSkillelinjer, Stamsund : Orkana Akademiske, pp. 285-302.
Foss, L., Oftedal, E.M. & Iakovleva, T. (2013) “Action-Based Education in Academic Entrepreneurship: A New Role
of the Student?” In: Ferreira, J., Raposo, M., Rutten, R. and Varga, A. (eds) Cooperation,Clusters,and
KnowledgeTransfer.UniversitiesandFirmsTowardsRegionalCompetitiveness, Springer, pp. 249.
Bachelor oppgave i ledelse, innovasjon og marked:
Hilde Haustreis (2014) Utdanningens påvirkning på entreprenørskap: Kan utdanning bidra til en karriere innenfor
entreprenørskap?
Conferences for NUV
Iakovleva, T., Oftedal, E. M & Foss, L. (2012) “Impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions:
University enterprise context, educational program characteristics and theory of planned behavior”. In RENT
XXVIResearchinEntrepreneurshipandSmallBusiness,EntrepreneurshipandCreationofWealthforEconomies,
OrganizationandPeople, p. 70, EMLYON Business School, ISSN 2219-5572
Oftedal, E. M. & Foss, L. (2012) “Challenges in Academic Entrepreneurship: the student as Co- entrepreneur”,
ACERE conference, Perth, Australia 31st Jan-2nd Feb.
Iakoleva, T., Oftedal, E.M. and Foss, L. (2014) “Impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions:
University context and educational program characteristics” Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research
Exchange conference (ACERE), University of NSW, Kensington Campus, Sydney, Australia February 4-7.
Oftedal, E.M. & Foss, L. (2014) “Unlocking the Entrepreneurship potential through University Context “University
of NSW, Kensington Campus, Sydney, Australia, February 4-7th (Submitted abstract).
Foss, L. & Lozano, F. (2012) “Innovation through academic entrepreneurship: Time for new
collaboration models for educating entrepreneurs?” INBAM conference, Valencia, Spain, March 20th-23rd.
Foss, L. and Oftedal, E. (2012) “Academic Entrepreneurship in the High North: from Science to Business in
Entrepreneurial Education” Seminar at Innovation Center UiS, Stavanger, 9
th
Nov.
Foss, L. (2013) “Nettverksbygging – lederes dillemmaer” foredrag Næringsforeningen i Tromsø, April.
Media coverage
Foss, L. & Hall, B. (2014) « Internasjonal utdanning for næringslivet i nord» (http:www.nord24.no) 04.07-2014.
«Jakter fremtidens medisin i kråkeboller» Dr.grads student Runar Gjerp Solstad ved BFE og deltaker på BED 8004
Academic entrepreneurship intervjuet av E24. (http:www.nord24.no) 24.06.2014
«Gründerskap kan læres» Født sånn eller blitt sånn? Et nytt kurs på Handelshøgskolen i Tromsø skal lære
doktogradstudenter til å bli gründere. Lene Foss intervjuet av UiT. 13.02. 2013.
41
42
8. Conclusion
The faculty has developed strong competences and skills through the NUV project. The project has been an
opportunity to understand how other universities dealing with similar challenges as TUBS/ UiT were working and
to strengthen our own focus within the practical entrepreneurship education.
During the project we have also learned what the industry here needs and want from cooperation with us. This
has led to certain initiatives as the course BED 3051 and the work with the student incubator. The contact with
our Canadian partners has grown strong and there are also several takeaways from this cooperation, such as:
1) The importance of creating employment in the northern regions: If there is not an independent base of
competence and local businesses, larger companies will tend to bring their own resources who will leave
after the project period. There needs to be a local base that can manage project and recruit people to
the area.
2) The importance of creating strong and good educational programs. There is a tendency that student often
stay in the area they have studied. They often have friends and significant others in the area and job
opportunities are opening for them.
3) The importance of looking at regional challenges as strengths. Each region has its challenges, but the
north has a major challenge in that the climate and remoteness make people seek jobs and opportunities
elsewhere. However, the innovative potential lays within solving these challenges. UiT has shown that
through its focus on biotech and telemedicine. In fact, even solar power is becoming important in the
north, because of stable weather and midnight sun. In Canada they have strong biotech focus and they
have major natural resources.
43
9. Sources
Abramo, Giovanni, Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo, Flavia Di Costa, and Marco Solazzi. University–industry collaboration
in Italy: A bibliometric examination.” Technovation 29 (2009): 498–507.
Bruneel, Johan, Pablo D’Este, and Ammon Salter. “Investigating the factors that diminish the barriers to university–
industry collaboration. ResearchPolicy39 (2010) 858–868.
D’Este, P., and P. Patel. “University–industry linkages in the UK: What are the factors underlying the variety of
interactions with industry?” ResearchPolicy 36 (2007): 1295–1313.
Independent Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development, InnovationCanada:ACalltoAction.Review
ofFederalSupporttoResearchandDevelopment–ExpertPanelReport.Ottawa, undated.
Larsen, Frank “Business case kits for the Bio-entrepreneurship and business course 2Bio062, Hedmark University
College.
Lee, Y.S., 2000. “The sustainability of university–industry research collaboration: an empirical assessment.” Journal
ofTechnologyTransfer 25, 111–133.
Michael, Steven C. and John A. Pearce. “The need for innovation as a rationale for government involvement in
entrepreneurship.” Entrepreneurship&RegionalDevelopment. 21 (No. 3, May 2009): 285–302.
Motohashi, Kazuyuki. University–industry collaborations in Japan: The role of new technology-based firms in
transforming the National Innovation System.” ResearchPolicy 34 (2005) 583–594.
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, “An Innovative and Sustainable Norway,” Oslo, 2008.
Fontana, Roberto, Aldo Geunab, and Mireille Matt “Factors affecting university–industry R&D projects: The
importance of searching, screening and signaling.” ResearchPolicy 35 (2006): 309–323
44
10. Appendices
The Circumpolar Conference on High North
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
University of Tromsø
26 – 27 November 2012
45
Monday 26.11.12
(0745 Shuttle from Rica Grand Hotel to UiT)
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
0800 Coffee and Registration (mingle area outside Aud 2)
0900 Conference opening and welcome
Jens Johan Hjort, Mayor of Tromsø
Why a Circumpolar Conference on High North Entrepreneurship
and Innovation?
Lene Foss, Prof., Tromsø University Business School (TUBS)
0930-0955 Commercializing Science and Technology in the Circumpolar
Region
Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
1000-1025 A Global Solution to a Local Challenge: JOBS for Everyone
Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic Development Initiatives
and the Global Business Incubator for South-South News
Themes of Today’s Workshops
Lene Foss
1030-1100 Coffee and snacks (mingle area outside Aud 2)
46
Workshops: Challenges for Commercialization
Room Teo-H5 5.402 Room Teo-H5 5.502
1100-1430 Biotechnology
Facilitator: Ernst Kloosterman, Manager
BioTech North
Lecture: “Calanus AS – opportunities and
challenges in developing a new biomarine
value chain” Gunnar Rørstad, CEO, Calanus
AS
Lecture: “Biotechnology: From science to
business” Jørn Ulheim, Managing Director,
Cryogenetics AS
1200-1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1430 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Bob Hodgson, CEO, Cernike
Erling Sandsdalen, Research Director, Biotechnology,
NORUT
Jørn Ulheim, Managing Director, Cryogenetics AS
Jan Buch Andersen, Managing Director ArcticZymes
Tage Skotvold, Business Developer ScandiDerma
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director,
Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise Troms
Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic Development
Initiatives and the Global Business Incubator for South-
South News, New York
Gunnar Rørstad, Chief Executive Officer, Calanus AS
1100-1430 Oil /Gas/Clean Tech/Renewable
Energy
Facilitator: Elin Oftedal, Ass. Prof. (TUBS)
Lecture: “Small Scale Biomass CHP technologies
and its cost economics” Rajesh S. Kempegowda,
Researcher, Department of Energy and
Processing Engineering (NTNU)
Lecture: "Sustainable development –
challengers for new suppliers to the oil
industry" Jan-Are Gudbrandsen, Location
Manager, Aibel Harstad
1200-1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1430 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Toini Løvseth, Policy Manager, Finnfjord AS
John Eirik Paulsen, Senior HSEQ Environmental Advisor, Eni
Norge AS
David Gibson, Prof. University of Texas at Austin
Ken Enoksen, Special Advisor Business Administration, Troms
County Council
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL Greenland
Salve Dahle, Director, Akvaplan-niva AS
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation, university
of Saskatchewan
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
1430-1500 Coffee and snacks (mingle area outside Aud 2)
47
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
1500 - 1545 Meet the University’s Entrepreneurs
Andreas Nilsen, CEO, Moose on the Loose AS
Mari Nilsen, CEO, D’Liver AS
Tage Skotvold, Business developer, Scandiderma AS
1550-1610 Why does Intellectual Property Rights matter?
Alexander Bjørnå, Director IP, Biotec Pharmacon ASA
1610-1630 Why finance this? An investor’s point of view
Karl -Johan Jakola, Managing Partner Norinnova Forvaltning AS
(1700 Shuttle from UiT to Rica Grand Hotel)
1930 Networking and drinks reception, Rica Grand Hotel Tromsø
2000 Dinner and social gathering, Rica Grand Hotel Tromsø
Tuesday 27.11.12
(0800 Shuttle from Rica Grand Hotel to UiT)
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
0830-0845 Innovation and Entrepreneurship. A Governmental priority
Roger Ingebrigtsen, State Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Themes of Today’s Workshops
Lene Foss
0850-0910 Knowledge Transfer Policy in Norway: What Works?
Erik F. Øverland, Senior advisor, Research and Innovation Issues,
Ministry of Research and Education
0915-0945 Drilling in Deep Ice: Petroleum Exploration in Greenland
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL, Greenland
0945-1015 Coffee and snacks (Mingle area outside Aud 2)
48
1015-1035 From Idea to Product. Being Innovative & Reliable!
Tove Pettersen, Managing Director, Rapp Marine AS
1035-1055 Creating an Innovative Circumpolar Region through Human
Capital
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of Saskatchewan
1055-1115 How to Create a Culture for Value Creation and Regional
Development
David Gibson, Prof., University of Texas at Austin
Coffee to go
Workshops: Challenges for Commercialization
Room Teo-H5 5.402 Room Teo-H5 5.502
1130-1415 Mining and Mineral
Facilitator: Lee Swanson, Ass. Prof.,
University of Saskatchewan
Lecture: “Challenges and Opportunities in
Arctic Mining – The Sydvaranger case”
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve
AS
Lecture: “Status of Mining and Mineral in
Canada,” Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair
of Innovation, University of Saskatchewan
1200 – 1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300 - 1415 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Nils Tokheim, Senior Consultant, Rambøll
David Zhang, Ass. Prof., University of Saskatchewan
Greg Poelzer, Director, International Centre for Northern
Governance and Development, University of
Saskatchewan
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
1130-1415 Information and Communication
technology (ICT) and E- Health
Facilitator: Federico Lozano, Lecturer (TUBS)
Lecture: “From Theory to Practice: Spinning a
Company” Dag Johansen, Prof., Department
of Computer Science, UiT
1200 – 1300 Lunch
(Main cafeteria in TEO-House 1)
1300-1415 Round table discussion:
How to commercialize?
Bob Hodgson, CEO, Zernike
Gunnar Hartvigsen, Prof., Dep. Of Computer Science, UiT
Sture Pettersen, Admin. Leader TTL, Norwegian Centre of
Telemedicine
Rune Hansen, CEO, Bedriftssystemer AS
Kolbjørn Engeseth, Business Developer and Chairman of
the board, Jupiter System Partner AS
Rune Kufaas, Account Manager Consulting Midt- og Nord-
Norge, EVRY AS
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director, Confederation of
Norwegian Enterprise Troms
49
David Gibson, Prof. University of Texas at Austin
Hans Kristian Olsen, Managing Director, NUNAOIL
Greenland
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve AS
Bruce Niswander, Director Economic Development
Initiatives at South-South News, New York
Room Teo-H1 Auditorium 2
1430-1600 Realizing the High North’s Potential: Looking forward
A focus towards policy: Lene Foss
Highlights from the workshops (Facilitators)
Final Panel discussion: Policy implications
Panel Moderator: Bruce Niswander, Director of Economic
Development Initiatives and the Global Business Incubator for
South South News
Bård Hall, Director, Norinnova Technology Transfer AS
Ken Enoksen, Special Advisor Business Administration,
Troms County Council
Ann-Kristin Edvardsen, Assistant Director,
Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise Troms
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair of Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
Harald Martinsen, CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve AS
Conference Take Away Message: Lene Foss
(16:30 Shuttle from UiT to Rica Grand Hotel)
50
Speakers
Bjørnå,
Alexander
Director Intellectual
Property and Business
Development at Biotec
Pharmacon ASA
[email protected]. www.biotech.no
Coates, Ken
Canada Research Chair of
Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Foss, Lene
Prof. Tromsø University
Business School, University
of Tromsø
[email protected]
http://uit.no
Gibson, David
Prof. University of Texas at
Austin
[email protected]http://www.utexas.edu
Ingebrigtsen,
Roger
State Secretary, Ministry of
Trade and Industry
[email protected]http://www.regjeringen.no/
nb/dep/nhd
Jakola, Karl-
Johan
Ansvarlig partner,
Norinnova Forvaltning AS
[email protected]
www.norinnovaforvaltning.
no
Nilsen, Andreas CEO, Moose on the Loose [email protected] www.mooseontheloose.no
Nilsen. Mari CEO, D’Liver AS [email protected] www.dliver.com
Niswander,
Bruce
Director of Economic
Development Initiatives and
the Global Business
Incubator for South South
News, New York
[email protected] www.southsouthnews.com
Olsen, Hans
Kristian
Managing Director,
NUNAOIL Greenland
[email protected] www.nunaoil.gl
Pettersen, Tove
Managing Director,
Rapp Marine AS
[email protected] www.rappmarine.com
51
Poelzer, Greg
Director, International
Centre for Northern
Governance and
Development, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Skotvold, Tage
Business Developer,
ScandiDerma AS
[email protected]http://scandiderma.no
Øverland, Erik
F.
Senior Advisor, Ministry of
Education and Research
[email protected]
www.regjeringen.no
Workshop Contributors
Andersen, Jan
Buch
Managing Director
ArcticZymes
[email protected]http://www.arcticzymes.
com
Dahle, Salve Director, Akvaplan-niva AS [email protected]http://www.akvaplan.niva.n
o/en/
Engeseth,
Kolbjørn
Business Developer and
Chairman of the board,
Jupiter System Partners AS
[email protected] www.jupiter.no
Hansen, Rune CEO, Bedriftssystemer AS [email protected] www.bedsys.no
Hartvigsen,
Gunnar
Prof. , Department of
Computer Science, Faculty
of Science and
Technology, University of
Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Johansen, Dag
Prof. Informatik,
Department of Computer
Science, Faculty of Science
and Technology,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Kempegowda,
Rajesh S.
Researcher, Norwegian
University of Science and
Technology, NTNU
Trondheim
[email protected]http://www.ntnu.edu/empl
oyees/rajesh.s.
kempegowda
52
Kloosterman,
Ernst
(Facilitator)
Manager, BioTech North [email protected]http://biotechnorth.no
Kufaas, Rune
Account Manager
consulting Midt- og Nord-
Norge
[email protected] www.evry.com
Løvseth, Toini
Policy Manager, Finnfjord
AS
[email protected] www.finnfjord.no
Martinsen,
Harald,
Chief Development
Officer, Sydvaranger
Gruve AS
Harald.Martinsen@sydvarangergruve.
no
www.sydvarangergruve.no/
Paulsen, John
Eirik
Senior HSEQ
Environmental Advisor, Eni
Norge AS
[email protected] www.eninorge.com
Pettersen, Sture
Adm. leader TTL at
Norwegian Centre for
Telemedicine
[email protected]http://www.telemed.no
Rørstad, Gunnar
Chief Executive Officer
Calanus AS
[email protected] www.calanus.no
Sandsdalen,
Erling
Research Director, Norut [email protected] www.norut.no
Swanson, Lee
(Facilitator)
Ass. Professor, Edwards
School of Business,
University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.edwards.usask.ca
Tokheim, Nils
Senior Consultant Tromsø,
Rambøll
[email protected]http://www.ramboll.no
Ulheim, Jørn
Managing Director,
Cryogenetics AS
[email protected] www.cryogenetics.no
Zhang, David
Ass. Prof., International
Centre for Northern
Governance and
Development, University
of Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Gudbrandsen,
Jan-Are
Location Manager, Aibel
Harstad
[email protected]http://aibel.com/no
53
Panel members
Niswander,
Bruce
(Moderator)
Director Economic
Development Initiatives at
South-South News, New
York
[email protected] www.southsouthnews.com
Coates, Ken
Canada Research Chair of
Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
[email protected] www.usask.ca
Edvardsen,
Ann-Kristin
Assistant Director,
Confederation of
Norwegian Enterprise
Troms
[email protected] www.nho.no
Enoksen, Ken
Special Advisor Business
Administration, Troms
County Council
[email protected] www.tromsfylke.no
Hall, Bård
Director, Norinnova
Technology Transfer
[email protected] www.norinnova.no
Martinsen,
Harald,
CDO, Sydvaranger Gruve
AS
[email protected]
www.sydvarangergruve.no/
Organizers
Foss, Lene
(Coordinator
and
moderator)
Prof. Tromsø University
Business School (TUBS),
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Lozano,
Federico
(Facilitator)
Lecturer Tromsø University
Business School TUBS,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Oftedal, Elin
(Facilitator)
Associate Prof. Tromsø
University Business School
TUBS, University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
54
Reisinger,
Kirsten
Lecturer Tromsø University
Business School TUBS,
University of Tromsø
[email protected]http://uit.no
Contents
Introduction ........................................................ 55
Triple Helix Cooperation ..................................... 56
The Circumpolar Conference ............................................................................................................................. 57
Tromsø – Heading the Arctic future through business development and entrepreneurship ............................ 59
Emerging industries in Norway’s Arctic region .................................................................................................. 61
The Arctic BioTech Industry ..................................... 63
What can the government do?................................ 65
What can the university do? ................................... 65
The Energy sector .................................................... 66
What can the Government do? ................................ 68
What can the University do? ................................... 69
The Mining Industry ................................................ 70
What can the Government do? ............................... 71
What can the University do? ................................... 72
THE ICT sector (Information and Communication
Technology & e-Health) ........................................... 72
What can the Government do? ................................ 74
What can the University do? ................................... 74
Conclusion: Building an Engaged and Active
University Sector ..................................................... 76
The Circumpolar
Conference
High North Entrepreneurship
and Innovation
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and
Economics
Tromsø University Business School
Editors: Elin M. Oftedal and Lene Foss
Contributors: Federico Lozano, Ernst
Kloosterman, Ken Coates,
Lee Swanson and Bruce Niswander
55
Introduction
The circumpolar area is just in the front edge of realizing its resource potential
– and has resources that the rest of the world desperately needs as the
population grows - Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional
Innovation, University of Saskatchewan
The Circumpolar World
3
stands on the edge to an adventurous future. The region
contains natural resources, which are now necessary to exploit. This is due to growing
demands because of the increasing world population, new knowledge and more
environment friendly exploration technologies and climate change that expose
previously hidden resources. While fisheries traditionally have been a crucial element
in the industrial development of the North, new sectors are emerging. The extraction of
oil and gas resources offers a particularly great potential with built-in environmental
concerns. The cold Arctic sea conceals other types of resources such as organisms
harboring protein and enzymes displaying unknown genetic characteristics, which may
be explored in biosciences or the emerging bioeconomy. New commercial opportunities
are expected to arise with the global development of the bio-based industrial process.
With rising oil and gas production and mineral extraction, and a convenient location in
relation to new transport routes, this area is rapidly becoming an attractive location for
other types of industries. Countries such as Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and
Singapore see the Arctic sea routes as a new window of opportunity for cooperation and
exchange. The developments will give room for more expertise and infrastructure. With
the emerging industries and new transport routes, the North may be a convenient
location to develop other types of industries as well. Therefore, while the great areas of
the North are industrially underdeveloped, they have a strong potential in being highly
competitive.
However, resources can be a curse if they are not administered well
4
. There are several
challenges in the circumpolar region for the acceleration of jobs and business creation,
as well as entrepreneurship activities. Local markets are small and spatially distributed.
The infrastructure is insufficient and the logistics are difficult with long, energy-intense
and difficult supply chains. The region has constantly confronted the challenge of
depopulation and the relocation of its population to larger (urban) centers. There is
limited access to highly educated workers, venture capital and other essential economic-
development resources. On a global scale, the massive investment in the
commercialization of scientific and technological discoveries—what is generally
3
The area of the world North of the tree-line found in USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland,
Russia
4
Mehlum,H., Moene,K. and Torvik,R.(2005): Cursed by resources or institutions? Norwegian University of Science and
Technology, Department of Economics, Working Paper Series No. 10/2005, 23p.
56
known as the innovation economy—has largely been focused on southern and temperate
zones. On a global scale, economic development in the Far North has been limited to
short-term resource development as governments and the private sector have limited
their innovation investments to improving the extractive industries. The Norwegian
government has been more strategic in developing its northern areas, however there has
still been a concern that insufficient efforts are being made to identify and
commercialize certain technological innovations that could bring substantial benefits to
northern peoples as well as broaden the economic and employment base in the North.
Triple Helix Cooperation
‘To avoid linearity, it’s important to change, therefore there needs to be arenas
of networking between academia, business and government. We need
laboratories where these actors can ‘experiment’ with each other - Erik F.
Øverland, Senior advisor, Research and Innovation Issues
Ministry of Research and Education
The innovation economy holds great potential for the North, but only if a concerted
effort is made to explore and appropriately promote its potential. This report focuses
on challenges in the Arctic areas to manage and leverage the resources in a way that
benefits the region in a sustainable fashion. To perform this well, it is imperative that
the university engages in triple helix cooperation with industry and the public sector.
The idea of Triple Helix
5
is that the potential for innovation and economic
development in a knowledge society lies in a more prominent role for the university in
cooperation with industry and government to generate new institutional and social
formats for the production, transfer and application of knowledge.
5
Etzkowitz, H. and Leydesdorff, L (2009) The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and ‘‘Mode 2’’ to a Triple Helix of
university–industry–government relations, Research Policy 29 Ž2000. 109–123
57
In a resource-rich and population-poor area, such as the Circumpolar World, triple
helix cooperation is imperative to develop a strong and sustainable industry as a
foundation for building communities. In order to start triple-helix cooperation, we
organized a conference where representatives from academia, industry and
government were present. The conference lasted 2 days from 26 – 27 November, and
gathered 140 people from academia, industry and government.
6
This report presents the motivation for organizing The Circumpolar Conference on High
North Innovation and Entrepreneurship and uses Tromsø as an example of a knowledge-
based city in the Arctic. The report also describes four important industry sectors in the
High North with future planning efforts as well as actions for both local and national
policy makers.
The Circumpolar Conference
We need an engaged population, who wants to stay and who has passion for the
North -Ken Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation,
University of Saskatchewan
6
http://uit.no/ansatte/organisasjon/...t_id=316020&p_dimension_id=88163&p_menu=42432
University Industry
The Triple Helix Cooperation
Gover
nmen
t
58
The circumpolar conference is an effort by a consortium consisting of University of
Tromsø (UoT), University of Saskatchewan (UoS) and Hedmark University College
(HUC) to bring together academia, government and businesses to discuss models of
economic development and challenge the widespread perceptions of the Circumpolar
World. This consortium is a part of the project “Entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship
and the commercialization of High North science: Building a collaborative
circumpolar network for the new economy”, which is funded by the Ministry of
Education and Research and administered through Norway Open Universities
(NUV). The NUV project aims to stimulate collaboration in entrepreneurship
education and activities such as the practical BCE program
7
within the consortium.
Business education in the North rarely deals with the particular challenges of the
North and the BCE builds in an exchange of students, lecturers and company
connections that fills this gap. The long-term goal is to develop the traditional
education process into a dynamic environment of action learning and local impact.
The conference also encompasses the challenges of the FORFI project at UoT, which
focuses on Norwegian research and innovation policy. The FORFI initiative from
the research council aims at creating a better knowledge base for research and
innovation policy. Several white papers points at the need to understand the role of
research and innovation for creating sustainable economic growth (i.e., Climate
Research, Innovation policy, An Innovative and Sustainable Norway) At the overall
level, the FORFI initiative aims to expand and further develop the knowledge base
for various actors responsible for research and innovation policy as well as an arena
for learning and dialogue between policy makers at various levels—including
educational institutions and researchers. In the FORFI project at UoT, we aim to
understand how collaboration and practical entrepreneurial education in universities
is conducive to developing, implementing and commercializing research-based
innovations and ideas. In this context, we would like to explore the role of these
initiatives in a triple helix setting where the challenges of the industries are
addressed.
A focal point of the conference was therefore to explore what universities’ role is in the
creation of sustainable economic centers and how it may be strengthened.
The following topics were particularly addressed at the conference:
7
The Master of Science in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship (BCE) at Tromsø
University Business School (TUBS) www.uit.no/hht is a full two-year Master’s Degree
Program in its fourth years of operation.
59
? Commercialization of research in areas such as biotechnology, information
and communication technology and e-health.
? Development of technology for the extraction of natural resources such as
minerals, oil, gas, as well as renewable energy.
? How to keep human capital and knowledge in the region and attract new
qualifications.
? How to stimulate regional economic development through entrepreneurship,
education for potential business founders, innovation and commercialization
of technology in the circumpolar region.
Tromsø – Heading the Arctic future through business development and
entrepreneurship
The North used to be in the periphery, but we are turning the world upside
down, we can soon say we live in the center of the world – Tove Pettersen,
Managing Director, Rapp Marine AS
With the development of the North, Tromsø, the administrative center of Troms
County, is brought into a central position. With its 75 000 inhabitants Tromsø is the
largest city in Arctic Norway and with the current opportunities that are opening up in
the high North, both government and industry are looking to Tromsø as a hub for the
new Arctic development. However, the development constitutes a new role for the
administrative- and academic-oriented city. The public sector still accounts for about
45% of employment. There are few larger companies in Tromsø and the region scores
poorly on benchmarks and comparative studies focusing on industry. Tromsø’s
industry consists mainly of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Further, industries in
Northern Norway have less-educated workers than the rest of the country. The low
availability of skilled human capital constitutes a major challenge in the development
of the circumpolar region. However, a recent survey of graduates at the university
shows that 69% work in the region from one to two and a half years after graduation.
Thus, universities in this region are vital in educating new generations of students to
raising the educational level of knowledge workers in North-Norwegian businesses.
While education and research are central to regional development, the role of universities
has expanded to also encompass new business creation, innovation and business
development. Academic institutions are re-oriented and new institutions are founded for
this purpose. Tromsø’s advantage is a strong knowledge environment consisting of the
university, the hospital and several independent research institutes, which have created a
60
unique knowledge base about the Arctic environment, culture, and society
8
. Nevertheless,
according to a white paper on research
9
from 2009 the faculty members at the University
of Tromsø delivered fewer ideas than any other university in Norway. Further, UoT lacks
comprehensive and effective procedures with regard to the commercialization processes.
New organizational mechanisms, such as incubators, technology-transfer offices,
science parks, and knowledge networks have become a source of economic activity,
community formation, and international exchange. The University of Tromsø has
successfully developed their TTO, Norinnova Technology Transfer (NTT), as the
university’s tool to commercialize research. NTT has since its establishment in 1994
created 81 companies whereof 43 are still-active growth companies, twelve have been
sold, ten fall in a category of infrastructure (i.e. seed-capital funds or other support
structures) and 16 have gone bankrupt or have been dissolved. This gives a success
rate of about 80% and an initial investment of NOK 87 million has led to companies
now worth 804 million. There are, however, striking differences between the
circumpolar areas and the high-technology areas where mechanisms such as TTOs
were originally established. Originally, TTOs were established to protect the
universities’ knowledge and intellectual properties, since they were weak in
comparison to a more affluent industry sector. In the Arctic, the university is the
affluent part, while the local industry has limited resources to produce and
commercialize innovations or to achieve fast growth. Thus, in the North, the role of
the university is pivotal and their existence is crucial for the regional development.
Although NTT has been successful, the businesses that are created are small, research-
based and capital-intensive, needing competent capital to develop and grow. The main
challenge is the weak industry in the region, which leaves the area without a good
supply of ideas and gives weak incentives for investments in new ventures. The region
also lacks experienced and successful entrepreneurs, which constitutes the desirable
competent capital. This leads to a lack of role models and entrepreneurial culture and
deprives the region of risk-willing funds. This is a challenge for the North in
developing and participating in the innovation economy.
10% of the population has access to 2% of the country’s risk-willing capital -
Karl -Johan Jakola, Managing Partner Norinnova Forvaltning AS
8
Currently, the main focus of the University's activities is on the Auroral light research, space science, fishery science, biotechnology,
linguistics, multicultural societies, Saami culture, telemedicine, epidemiology and a wide spectrum of Arctic oriented research
projects.
9
Stortingsmelding nr.44 (2008-2009). Forskningsløftet i Nord, Oslo: Kunnskapsdepartementet.
61
UoT has also made initiatives to increase the supply of business creators and developers
in the North through the Master of Science in Business Creation and Entrepreneurship
(BCE) program, created in 2008
10
. The program is inspired by and partly based on an
action-oriented entrepreneurship program at Chalmers University in Gothenburg. The
program fills a niche in the Norwegian entrepreneurship education because it addresses
the need to commercialize research-based ideas from the university. At the same time
it is an international program that attracts students of high quality. Students receive a
thorough introduction in the theoretical aspects of business operations in parallel with
work on real research-based ideas from different Faculties at the university and research
institutes such as NORUT and other research centers (e.g., Centre for Telemedicine).
While universities are expected to commercialize technology and create new
businesses, it is vital that universities in the North also are involved in developing the
competitiveness of the regions’ micro businesses. A challenge of the BCE program is
that it has a strong academic profile and SMEs with a low R&D profile may not be able
to absorb this type of competence. Therefore, a new development of the BCE program
is directed towards intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship, which makes it
more likely that existing businesses can benefit from educated BCE candidates and that
more companies can be established in the North
11
. This requires an active dialogue
between the Business School and the established and emerging business communities
in Northern Norway. Another initiative that has come out of the BCE program is a
design-thinking lab
12
, aimed at working together with industry to help them think
creatively and develop their products in a new setting.
Emerging industries in Norway’s Arctic region
Norway’s success relies on that the Norwegian people understand the importance
of burden sharing between the public and the business sector - Roger Ingebrigtsen
State Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Despite its size, Norway is the 24
th
largest economy in the world (IMF). The strong
economic position is often argued to come from extraction of natural resources such as
oil and gas. However, a successful development of a good institutional framework that
administers and distributes the resources is the key to the accomplishments. Thus,
10
Foss, L. (2013) “Innovasjon gjennom akademisk entreprenørskap: Hvordan utvikle nye samarbeidsmodeller for å utdanne
entreprenører ?” I Hans Chr.Garmann Johnsen og Øyvind Pålshaugen (2013) Hva er innovasjon? Perspektiver i norsk
innovasjonsforskning. Bind 2: Organisasjon og medvirkning – en norsk modell? Oslo: Cappelen Akademisk (forthcoming)
11
Foss, L. (2013) “Entreprenørskapsutdanning i nord – veien å gå”, i Svein Jentoft, Jens- Ivar Nergård og Kjell Arne Røvik (red.)
Hvor går Nord Norge? Landsdelen som politisk prosjekt. Orkana Akademisk (forthcoming)
12
http://www.thedtlab.com
62
understanding how different sectors of the society relate to each other is vital to achieve
a sustainable economic development in the region.
A recent report from the project, “A knowledge-based Northern Norway” (EKNN)
states that a higher proportion of employees with higher education is positively
associated with the degree of innovation in companies with more than five employees,
while this correlation between higher education and innovation is actually negative in
micro enterprises (Moilanen and Østbye, 2012)
13
. This suggests that micro-businesses
with initially weak competence base, such as in the Troms region, fail to exploit
expertise to achieve more innovation. This indicates that small businesses in Northern
Norway have more than enough to keep operations going and too little time to increase
the competence for their management and employees.
Universities and university colleges
14
are vital in supporting and aiding the relatively
weak northern Norwegian industry in their development and growth. However, the
university must act in coordination with local, regional and national governments to
play its role successfully. Further, both the university and government sector must have
a greater understanding for the industries in the Arctic region. With more knowledge,
the universities may develop education and research programs in addition to innovation
projects that will fit the industry’s needs. We also believe that the government must
engage in understanding the challenges for both the university and for the industry in
achieving these goals.
For the conference workshop, we identified important sectors that are either emerging
or being developed in the Arctic region and where UoT can be imperative for their
survival and growth:
? The biotech industry has grown out from the strong research environment at
the university and several technologies, patents and spin-out companies have
come from the university.
? The energy Sector. The oil and gas industry is establishing in the North because
of oil reserves in the Barents Sea. Rising oil prices, border settlement with
Russia and improved technology makes it commercially viable to extract the
Barents Sea oil. However, this industry is criticized for putting pressure on other
less profitable industries. Further, in Norway, it has been argued that the
renewable sector is challenged because of the strong position of oil and gas. It’s
important to understand how to cooperate with the oil and gas sector, but still
encourage the emerging renewable sector.
13
Moilanen, M. og Østbye, S. (2012). Kunnskap, læring og innovasjon – en økonometrisk beskrivelse av nordnorske bedrifter, i Sand, J.Y.
(red), Et kunnskapsbasert Nord-Norge, rapport: Universitetet i Tromsø, Universitetet i Nordland, Norut, Menon. Kap 6.
14
Relevant institutions are University of Tromsø, The Arctic University (including Finnmark), University of Nordland, Narvik
University College and Harstad University College.
63
? The mining industry is a long-standing industry in Northern Norway.
However, due to increased demand of minerals and improved technology to
extract and commercialize minerals, this sector is becoming increasingly
important.
? The ICT sector is emerging on the basis of the university and the emerging and
growing industries in the region.
A paradox is that three of these sectors are highly capital-intensive while located in the
part of the country which has the least access to capital. Further, the headquarters and
the main markets are located in the south, leading to a branch status of the industry with
a lack of decision-making power in the North. To ensure a sustainable economic
development, it is therefore crucial that strong institutions like local and national
governments, in addition to the university sector, addresses these critical challenges and
create the right mechanisms and instruments to secure a sustainable economic
development where the ownership of the industry remains in the region in which it is
located.
In the remainder of this report, we will show the result of the four individual workshops.
For each industry we discussed industry challenges and the potential role of the
government and the university. The participants gave specific advice, which is shared
in this report. Finally, we summarize and conclude the main learning points from the
conference.
THE ARCTIC BIOTECH Industry
Biotechnology refers to the large and growing array of scientific tools that use living
cells and their molecules to make biological products for many different industries.
Human and animal health care, agriculture, forestry, environment, and specialty
chemicals are among the industries that have benefited most from biotechnology. It is a
high-growth industry with high economic potential, but it is also capital intensive and
risky. The growth of the bioscience industry development is shaped by the fast pace of
advances in biological sciences, making the industry highly innovative. The close
connections with basic research discoveries make results within the biosciences
particularly well- documented.
In Tromsø several biotechnology companies have spun out of the university. A triple
helix arena called BioTech North, comprising a cluster of enterprises and R&D
organizations, has been formed to aid the development in this sector. The basic activity is
bioactive molecules and compounds from Arctic-marine resources and therefore BioTech
North serves as a marine biotech cluster. The majority of BioTech North’s enterprises are
active within life science applications and markets. The cluster contains around 30
organizations from both the private and public sector. In 2010 the cluster formed a
secretariat (BioTech North Secretariat), which is established and administrated by the
Troms Chamber of Commerce and partly financed by the regional development fund RDA–
Tromsø.
64
The workshop session covered the challenges of the industry, the role of the triple helix
cooperation and a discussion of what facilitates the commercialization process in the
biotech sector.
Challenges
Although this is a high-growth sector, moving a promising research discovery to market
is a complex, costly and challenging undertaking. The challenges are associated with
difficulties of finding funding, high cost of drug development, high risk, long time to
market and scarce resources. R&D is costly and often the greatest expense in bringing
a biologic drug or product to market. Biomedicine R&D is at least as complex as
traditional pharmaceuticals and researchers may not know for years what forms their
products will take.
The following points were central in the workshop discussion:
? It is difficult to attract the right human resources to biotech. Few professors are
willing to abandon their academic careers to venture into the business world.
? Management must also find a balance between science and commercialization
opportunities, as not all interesting scientific results will offer viable commercial
results.
? The role of intellectual property rights (IPR) is central in the commercialization
process and managers must understand how to handle IPR issues.
? It is important to map and communicate the scalability of the project to investors
as early as possible and made clear when communicating with investors.
? It is important to ‘communicate’ the sector’s risks, opportunities as well as the
success stories.
? One must make people aware and comfortable of the importance and challenges
of the sector.
? There are major funding gaps between development stages, particularly in the
stages from preclinical tests to the so-called proof of concept. Competent capital
is ‘key’ in this (high) risk sector.
? Investors must understand the business and how revenues will be generated.
Generally when developing biotechnology applications or markets one needs to
understand the customers, because technology does not sell itself. One needs to be sales
focused and preferably involve funders and other relevant stakeholders. Because of high
development costs and overlapping application, it may be essential to be first movers in
the market. Also, human resources play a decisive role. Companies need to spend more
time in getting the right people or alternatively license out the technology. Finally,
making or creating tighter collaborations with existing players should be considered, in
addition to a good cooperation in the ‘triple helix’ setting.
65
What can the government do?
National Government
The Government should clearly and deeply understand that innovation and creativity
are ‘key’ in this business. It is necessary to influence government by communicating
messages that they can relate to. There should be an assigned ministry taking
responsibility for innovation in Norway. In this respect, the cooperation between the
parties within the ‘triple helix’ is very important for successful commercialization. The
large focus on the oil and gas sector in Norway may be a barrier for the development of
the biotechnology sector; however, other sectors like aquaculture, seafood and the
maritime sector have also managed to develop into important national core industries.
The biotechnology sector may do more if the capital sector and ‘general public’ better
understand the risks and possible returns (benefits) of investing in bioscience. In
addition, the national government could play an important role by lowering the financial
risks of biotechnology business development.
Local and Regional Government
The local government may contribute by creating a culture that promotes innovation
and entrepreneurship. Generally, governments may help to reduce the risks and costs of
creating companies, not only in terms of funding. However, investing more money in
startups has been shown to give better results. Additionally, local and regional
governments could stimulate new business development by measures giving individuals
involved in entrepreneurial activities more benefits. Also, governments need to
understand and accept that successful companies will most likely be sold.
What can the university do?
The position and attitude of the universities and R&D institutions are crucial. Therefore,
it is important to address the restrictions that exist in institutions like universities and
research institutions, i.e. restrictions that hamper the commercialization processes.
Additionally, what could be done to stimulate the processes?
Network and arena building:
? Universities need to cooperate better with industry.
? Create a common language between all parties of the ”triple helix”.
Technology development and commercialization
? Universities are poor owners of IPR because the IPR may be hidden in the system
and never get the chance to be commercialized.
66
? Universities need to timely decide what to do with the IPR that come as a result of
research.
? Universities need to create incentives for faculty members and students to engage in
entrepreneurship and innovation.
Technology Transfer Office
The role of TTOs is to strengthen the bridge between R&D and business. TTOs must
offer access to good business networks. Good communication is essential. They should,
for example, give universities clear advice about what to do with IPR. Also here it is
important to address restrictions that hamper the commercialization process. Of equal
importance is to address the risks involved and to show alternative revenue
generators. All parties involved should understand the benefits they want to derive from
the process.
THE ENERGY SECTOR
There needs to be local administration and ownership – Roger Ingebrigtsen
Energy is a global concern and the circumpolar countries often have access to a variety
of energy sources. The energy sector consists, in broad terms, of fossil and renewable
sectors. The fossil-fuels industry in general, and the oil industry in specific, are unique
because of high value creation which brings with it a promise of financial spillovers to
enhance community development and building. The renewable energy sector has the
opposite challenge, struggling with a low profitability but a strong environmental
profile. Further, while fossil fuels still are the dominant energy source, renewable
technologies are constantly becoming more sophisticated. Thus, it is not a question of
choosing either fossil or renewable energy sources, but developing them both in a
sustainable manner.
Estimates indicate that a large share of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas resources
are to be found in Arctic areas. This is an important reason for the growing interest in
the region. Higher oil prices make it profitable to extract from less-accessible areas such
as the Barents Sea outside of Northern Norway and Northwest Russia. In response to
the prospects of oil and gas production in the North, large parts of the Norwegian
offshore and supply industry have been building up expertise and making strategic
investments. A challenge for the northern region, however, is that there are no
headquarters established here, so all the main decisions are made in the south. This has
also sparked a broad public debate on the spin-off effects that can be expected for local
communities and the business sector in Northern Norway.
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Even if the petroleum industry may bring interesting opportunities in terms of job
creation and investment in Northern Norway, there are other challenges associated with
this industry. First of all this sector is inconsistent with environmental concerns.
Northern Norway has a grand and vulnerable wildlife, and extraction of oil in these
areas must be done in an environmentally safe way. Another challenge is that Norway’s
dependency on fossil-based energy as a source of income is inconsistent with a
sustainable economic development as other industries become marginalized and
struggle in the competition for financial and human resources. There are also strong
political incentives in many countries to develop alternative energy sources as the
control of energy sources becomes security-policy issues and it is important that
Norway does not fall behind in the development.
Historically there has been a substantial development of hydro energy in Norway.
However, several countries (i.e., Denmark, Germany, and China) are ahead of Norway
in other areas of renewable energies. In Northern Norway, there is a huge potential for
wind energy, but the demand for it is insufficient because other energy sources are so
readily available. Additionally, renewable energy technologies are not able to compete
with fossil energies, since the price of the fossil energies is still relatively low. However,
despite these facts the established industry within oil and gas attributes up to 20% of
their activities to participating in developing the renewables. There are, however,
several challenges in developing both the fossil- and renewable-energy sources in
parallel. The question we posed in the conference was how to create a triple helix
cooperation that would support and develop the energy sector.
Challenges of the industry
The energy industry is technology focused. Whether it is about exploring the deep
Arctic seas or utilizing the wind, waves and sun, better technology is key to cost
reduction, increased efficiency and safety. The industry is concerned about tech transfer
and the development of technology to specific needs in the industry. Further, health,
environment and security issues and climate changes play a very important role,
especially in Northern Norway.
Some of the comments at the conference were contradictory, such as the call for
technology transfer between the fossil and renewable energy sector at the same time as
they say that these sectors must develop independently. The table underneath is a
summary of the discussion in the workshop concerning technology development in the
energy industry.
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Issue Comments from industry actors
Technology Transfer In terms of new technologies within the energy sector, there are many
new technologies
within the oil industry, which also can be used for clean energy.
I ndependent
development of
sectors
There are already very advanced and developed technologies within the
fossil energy
industry. Innovative technologies within the field of renewable
energies must develop
independently.
Lacking technology
within gas sector
With respect to gas energy, there are not enough-developed
technologies that enable us using it as much as possible, and it was
believed that it originates from politics, whereby new regulations in
terms of moving more and faster toward gas energy should be set.
Increasing oil price would create a better situation to use gas as its
alternative; however,
gas technologies need to become more advanced.
Risk Risk of new technologies: New technologies are quite needed,
however, the risks involved
in utilizing them have to be considered, especially when they are related
to operating high
costly equipment.
Multidiscipline
Technological
background
Industry should be aware that technology competence should be mixed
with other types of
competence. To have good engineers are important, but to be
innovative engineering
competence must be coupled with other types of competence (judicial,
social science,
psychology, business)
To meet these challenges, there is a call for innovative searching and drilling
technology. Creating innovative technologies demands different types of resources.
Universities and governments can contribute in different ways.
What can the Government do?
An important point for the government to consider was to treat each sector of energy
separately as they have unique challenges. Further, it was also noted that the discussion
between renewable and fossil-based energy is a parallel to the discussion about oil and
gas energies. In both these cases it is in necessary to treat the industry individually
because of different challenges.
69
Renewables
? Support from government: It is not possible to develop renewable energy without
considerable support from the government.
? Government as customer: Government can create demand through being a customer.
? Creating models and incentives for industry to pursue technology development and
commercialization within renewable technology.
Oil and Gas
? Create a common regulative framework: Common rules and clear political rules to
guide stakeholders and collaboration in this industry. Since the Arctic region is a
common area between different countries (e.g., Russia and Norway), it is crucial to set
common rules and political regulations in advance in order to have a good collaboration.
? Develop ownership, administration and location in the High North.
Conditions for innovation and business development:
? Politicians must pay more attention to the significance of innovation within the
energy sector and create incentives for innovation and growth through targeted
programs (e.g., tax-deduction schemes such as Skattefunn).
? Challenges in the commercialization of technology must be addressed, since new
technology suffers from liabilities of newness.
? Small businesses cannot grow without employees. However, graduated students
within the field of business are attracted to large international companies, such as
Statoil, Aibel, and Aker. The government can aid small businesses to become
attractive for newly educated students through targeted programs (i.e. through
Innovation Norway).
What can the University do?
Cooperation with industry
? A better cooperation between universities and industries is needed. A good research
network is a combination of the university and private sectors. In this respect, the role
of Industrial PhD programs is quite significant to bridge the gap between university and
industry.
? Working purely academically within the energy sector is not sufficient. It is needed
to get out from the university and be directly in touch with industries.
? The university can aid the development of a supply sector by involving with SMEs
in developing innovative technology in cooperation with the energy sector.
Educational Programs
? Create targeted education programs in conjunction with industry.
70
? Fill the gap between engineers and other educational programs. Engineers usually do
not know enough about business, psychology, politics, sociology, etc., and to be
innovative a multidisciplinary approach is needed.
? The BCE program has the potential to bridge industry and academia and could be a
very interesting program for commercializing renewable-energy technology.
? Work alongside with SMEs: A considerable challenge is that small companies have
the highest need for educated business developers; the university has an important task
in promoting small businesses as an attractive career opportunity.
THE MINING INDUSTRY
If the mining sector is a 1000 yard race, we have gone about 2 yards - Ken
Coates, Prof., Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation, University of
Saskatchewan
The Northern hemisphere has large undiscovered reserves of minerals. For the regional
development of the Arctic areas, it is important that an industry is built up around a
mining perspective. Norway is the 7
th
largest mining nation in the Northern region.
Norway needs technology within the mining industry.
Perspectives on innovation in this context were varied and included consideration of the
need for innovative approaches when working collaboratively with northern
communities and people, including indigenous people. It is imperative to develop the
needed infrastructure in remote northern communities to support mining activities,
developing new technologies suited to mining in these regions and the need for
innovations to support social development in the North. Education is needed at high
school-, college- and university-level because of the shortage of people educated in the
sciences as such and engineers in particular.
Another important aspect of the mining industry is the focus on environmentally friendly
and sustainable ways of developing technology for extraction of minerals from the
ground and ways of handling the disposals. An innovative focus might help reduce the
remains from the industry from being waste to become building blocks or a usable
resource that develops the industry and the technology even more. The potential for
environmental development is important and should be part of an inventive and
innovative perspective.
Universities can and should play an important role in facilitating mining and mineral
development in northern regions. The panel highlighted the need for more engineers in
71
the North and noted that student practicum placements might help alleviate some of the
shortage of workers with engineering skills.
Challenges of the industry
The challenges within the mining industry revolve around the long decision making
processes, which scares investors. Further, it is difficult to attract the right people. Finally
there are issues around transport and cargo transport solution, which are crucial. In the
future, the Arctic mining industry will need new technology for projects and a wide range
of logistics investments in roads, ports and handling equipment.
One key to attract talent to the North is to identify what some people find appealing
about living there and use that knowledge to recruit workers. Companies should seek
individuals who have a predisposition toward living in northern communities and
provide the services needed to attract them there. Universities might also take their
students to northern mining communities to help these students better understand what
it is like to live in the North.
Another option for companies is to facilitate a role reversal where they hire local students
from high school and give them periodic leaves from their jobs to earn academic
credentials that will enable them to become more valuable to their employers. This might
be an appealing alternative to the current norm where high-school students accumulate
large debts and have trouble gaining valued experience when they immediately enter
postsecondary programs and take breaks between academic years during which they seek
relevant short-term jobs to gain some experience. The option to grow northern-based
human resources within companies instead of seeking to attract postsecondary graduates
to remote northern communities might pay dividends for many companies. The industry
should work well together with government and universities to meet their challenges.
What can the Government do?
? Creating a Sustainable society: To enable development there needs to be political
processes to secure and strengthen sustainable regions around existing and emerging
industries. The social and local aspect must attract people. Further, the rights of
indigenous people must be sheltered and their role must be developed in a sustainable
manner. Hence, the maintenance of local government decision making regarding
development of the mining industry must include sustainable systems that provide both
dialog and structure of the relation between local government and indigenous
communities as part of the decision-making processes.
? Creation of infrastructure: The government must build infrastructure to improve
logistics through investments in roads, railroads and ports.
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? Perform Stakeholder analysis and assessment: The government must perform a
stakeholder analysis. It is impossible and ineffective to please every stakeholder at the
same time.
? Faster political decision making: There is a controversy between local and central
political decision makers. Local governments are closer to the industry and should be
given greater autonomy for making decisions that are crucial to the industry and the
population.
? Mapping of resources: It will be crucial for Norway that the mineral resource base is
mapped, and the promotion of increased effort along the ore and mineral supply chain.
What can the University do?
Networks:
? The university is an important player in a region with weak and relatively poor
industry. By reaching out to dispersed and diverse businesses in the North, the university
can be an engine of industrial development.
? Establish broader circumpolar networks between universities and develop
educational programs within mining to increase availability of labor and competence
? Create triple helix arenas for debates and discussions.
Education and Research:
? Bridging the knowledge gap: Target knowledge gaps through specific research
programs and industry PhDs. Education should be directed towards practical managerial
subjects and have an increased technological content.
? Create centers of excellence: Centers of excellence can be used to address questions
central to the industry.
? Develop targeted educational programs at all levels of education in the North and for
the North: the industry needs more qualified labor, and targeted programs will provide
the specific knowledge companies need for their development.
THE ICT sector (Information and Communication Technology & e-Health
15
)
The ICT industry is characterized by constant change
16
. Faster processing speeds, bigger
data, and greater online accessibility have made this industry one of the fastest growing
in recent history. Hyper connectivity has transformed societies in fundamental ways.
The ICT industry has changed the way people interact with each other, how firms and
governments are organized, and how information is collected, stored, and disseminated.
15
e-health is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication
16
Sources: Duta, S. and Bilbao-Osorio, B., “The Global Information Technology Report,” INSEAD & World Economic Forum,
2012.
73
Due to this inherent flux, and the complexity it begets, the ICT and e-Health industries
are highly dependent on competent human capital.
Both engineers and managers must remain updated on the fast-paced industry and
technology developments, while simultaneously looking to the future in pursuit of new
innovations. These non-trivial, high-competence human-capital requirements have
created a dearth of talent availability in the industry worldwide. Top-level programmers
are in short supply in Silicon Valley, Western Europe, and Asia—and the trend only
seems to continue. Human resource departments have struggled to find that elusive
engineer capable of keeping up to date and innovating on the technical front, while
simultaneously understanding the business and managerial realities in which her
company is embedded.
On the financing front, ICT has historically been successful at attracting substantial
capital, mainly in the form of private-equity investments. Although the global financial
crisis put a halt to some financing activities, investment levels in the industry seem to
be back to their post-crisis highs. Fortunately, ICT industry players have not been overly
reliant on major capital injections due to their relatively low capital intensity, especially
during early stages of development.
Norway and Scandinavia have been very successful at developing and leveraging ICT
infrastructure and systems across the public and private sphere. According to the World
Economic Forum, “the Nordic countries are the most successful in the world at
leveraging ICT. They have fully integrated ICT in their competitiveness strategies to
boost innovation and ICT is present everywhere and in all areas of society, such as
education and healthcare.” Northern Norway is no exception. Tromsø, for example, is
home to a host of successful homegrown software companies, many of which
collaborate with global players, such as Microsoft and SAP, and sell their services
globally to a vast array of companies in multiple industries.
Challenges of the Industry
Customer Focus.
ICT companies in Norway need to shift their focus from a product- and technology-
centered perspective, to a more market-driven focus fueled by tangible customer needs—
and not simply by the most cutting-edge technology.
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Global Competition.
The ICT industry is one of the most global. Competition stems from many parts of the
globe, increasingly from low-cost countries in Asia. Companies in Norway must focus on
R&D and user-centered innovation to retain their leadership, while finding ways to
collaborate with their international counterparts. Complementarities, both economic and
technological, should drive these relationships.
Competence Building.
ICT companies must keep as a high priority the recruitment and, especially, the retention
of high-caliber employees whom are up-to-date with the most recent, fast-changing
technology trends. Recruits and current employees should be supported to enter
competence-building programs, both within the company and at higher-education
institutions.
The ICT and e-Health industries are well positioned for continued growth. Widespread
technological advancements will continue spreading the influence of digitization and
connectivity into an increasing number of households and organizations across the
planet. The industry has certain limitations, however. Its primary challenge will most
likely lie in its ability to attract, train, and retain talent.
What can the Government do?
? Local and national governments should continue to pioneer the use of ICT and e-
Health infrastructure and systems.
? Due to the large scale of many government initiatives, the public sector is well
positioned to lead in the implementation of major ICT projects.
? Public-sector investment in ICT must continue to increase, in Norway and abroad.
There is still significant space for greater adoption rates.
? The allocation of public financing to ICT and e-Health initiatives, whether small or
large scale, should increase. SMEs should be supported in their pursuit of greater ICT
integration.
What can the University do?
? The role of universities in developing new generations of engineers and technically
versed managers cannot be understated.
? Much of the industry’s potential growth lies in universities’ ability to promote
attractive educational programs, which offer the right set of skills to a broad group of
students.
75
? Universities are also responsible for creating forums for collaboration where
industry, government, and academic leaders can meet and share perspectives.
? Universities must do a better job at eliminating the division between academia and
the business community, as well as the divisions among multiple disciplinary fields.
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CONCLUSION: BUILDING AN ENGAGED AND ACTIVE UNIVERSITY SECTOR
The circumpolar conference raised several topics for discussion and gave several ideas
and suggestions for understanding the role of the universities in collaboration with
governments in strengthening sustainable economic development. Taken together,
some general ‘building blocks’ for developing the industries are emerging. Below we
have categorized the suggestions and ideas from the workshop giving us four distinctive
areas where targeted instruments and policies can be developed:
Building Competence and Skills
Targeted competence for the industries in the Arctic regions is called for. Further, there
is also need to create specific, practical skills for the different industries. Therefore we
suggest the following activities:
? Targeted policy to aid small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating
attractive workplaces for graduated students (i.e. through Innovation Norway).
? A triple helix cooperation to establish Industry PhD programs.
? A triple helix cooperation to map education and training needs for the established
workforce
o e.g., practical and multidisciplinary engineering programs.
Create an entrepreneurial culture and ability to development and change
The velocity of change that is occurring virtually everywhere in the world is forcing
everyone, regardless of their education or employment situation, to become
entrepreneurial in how they address the future. There is a growing need to provide local
residents with truly entrepreneurial environments, both physical and digital, that
promote this increasingly important way of thinking and acting.
? Government endorsement of entrepreneurship and innovation through targeted
policies and incentives for entrepreneurs and industry.
? Higher focus on university entrepreneurship, commercialization and business
development:
o Strengthen practical entrepreneurship and business development programs
(e.g. BCE).
o Strengthen students initiatives for entrepreneurship (e.g., Start
17
).
o Establish student incubators and provide funding for student ideas.
? Create strong networks among organizations that work with entrepreneurship.
17
Start UiT is a studentorganization that works active for entrepreneurship and innovation as a larger part of the academic environment at
UiT.
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Commercial Accelerators
While innovation have been on the agenda for many years, the importance of growth
has been somewhat ignored. There is a need to understand the importance of institutions
that actively engage in understanding the growth mechanisms of the industry. Further,
we need more knowledge on the commercialization process because so many new ideas
are created and developed that never succeed or even reach the marketplace. Jobs do
not come from original thought or ideas but rather from effective commercialization
efforts that solve a real problem in a cost-effective fashion.
? Support and strengthen the technology transfer infrastructure such as NTT.
? Create incentives to develop new ideas and commercialize research (e.g., through
government
programs).
? Targeted business development programs for the SMEs (e.g., through Innovation
Norway).
Provide access to capital for the emerging industry through targeted financial
instruments (e.g., Investinor
18
).
? Government, industry and academia should cooperate to establish capital funds
directed towards industry ownership and business development in the Arctic regions.
Triple Helix collaboration, creating communities and ownership
The final factor critical to the creation of sustainable economic environments in remote
communities is effective collaboration. Individuals, government agencies, academic
institutions, professional service providers and existing commercial entities are
important in a community. Without a true community effort, it is doubtful if any
sustainable improvements will occur. The key is for everyone to understand how he or
she will personally benefit from meaningful economic development and then to
personally participate in the evolution of the community’s future.
? Quality of life. Communities need more than jobs to prosper. Creating opportunities
to become involved in activities such as within sports, culture or spiritual life engages
people and creates cooperation and wellbeing.
? With the merger of Finnmark University College and UoT, the new university can
reach out and create active dialogues in remote Arctic communities.
18
Investinor AS is a government-funded investment company. They invest venture capital into internationally oriented and competitive
Norwegian companies in the early growth and expansion stages.
78
? Business schools can develop arenas for cooperation and developing relationships
with industries through the Chamber of Commerce in Tromsø, Biotech North, NHO
Troms, CONNECT, NTT, and Knowledge Parks in the county. Further, we need
input from similar institutions in Finnmark.
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