Invest Newcastle highlights smart city and green energy credentials in visit to Norway

Attendees of Oslo Innovation Week heard all about Newcastle’s strengths in clean technology and the green energy revolution during a panel event last week.

Having explored links between the regions throughout the year, a representative from Invest Newcastle, part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), visited Stavanger and Oslo in Norway last week to speak directly with businesses in the clean tech and smart city sectors about the opportunities in Newcastle.

Sam Cassidy, energy and sustainability sector lead for Invest Newcastle, met with Nordic Edge, Norway’s “leading” smart city cluster, in Stavanger to present the “strong market opportunities” in Newcastle which became UK’s Smartest City in the 2021 IMD Smart City Index ahead of many of the world’s “best-known” cities.

Smart cities are regions that work for people and the planet, reducing further environmental damage, restoring ecosystems, and helping citizens live longer, healthier lives.

Speaking at the Kongsberg Innovation and British Embassy Oslo event, ‘How do we accelerate adoption of technology for our future cities’, Sam presented Newcastle’s smart city journey and explored how Invest Newcastle can support companies operating within the smart city sector to scale their technologies across borders.

Sam commented: “It has been fantastic to share ideas and ways of working with businesses and organisations in Norway. With synergies in expertise and smart city aspirations between the two locations, there are so many opportunities for businesses in the Nordics to take advantage of in Newcastle.

“I am looking forward to hosting Nordic delegations in the coming months and working with businesses who are looking to scale internationally and locate and grow their business Newcastle.”

The UK’s deputy ambassador to Norway, Clare Filshie, added: “It was fantastic to hear about Newcastle’s journey to becoming the UK’s Smartest City at Oslo Innovation Week.

“The UK and Norway have a shared interest in accelerating the development and use of new technology in our Future Cities and events like this are a great opportunity to bring people from the UK and Norway together to share ideas and generate business on both sides of the North Sea.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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