6. Gravitational fields

A strong innovation district cannot be built from scratch. It must stand on the shoulders of strong and leading expert communities that already have a presence in the district. In the area from Majorstua to Gaustad, we currently find more than 10,000 researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs, business developers, business managers, investors and people working in public administration. They all have cuttingedge expertise within their disciplines.

From the broad and varied knowledge base in Oslo Science City, four strong thematic fields clearly stand out. They can all point to broad and internationally leading expertise related to research and innovation. These are broad thematic fields that span a wide range of professional disciplines. We call them «gravitational fields of expertise».

  • Health and life sciences

  • Digitalization and computational sciences

  • Climate, energy and the environment

  • Democracy and inclusion

The four thematic gravitational fields demonstrate particular strengths in today’s Oslo Science City. Here, we find solid and well-established alliances. The fields also cover the thematic structure of the EU’s new framework program for research and are at the center of the national policy approach to solving major societal challenges locally, nationally and globally. The fields attract and collaborate with national and international institutions within civil society and the business sector, speeding up innovation and value creation.

Consequently, it is particularly relevant to build an innovation district around these fields. Notice though, that there is also world-leading expertise in the district that does not neatly fit into these wide thematic fields. Oslo Science City should be organized in a way that ensures that innovations within all disciplines are supported.

Climate, energy and environment

Climate and environmental challenges currently receive major attention in research and society in general. The links between businesses, public administration and the research communities are becoming ever closer in working on these challenges. A number of the knowledge institutions in Oslo Science City are members of CIENS, one of Europe’s largest research communities within environment, climate and society, which has established a cooperation agreement with Oslo Science City. Norway is an energy nation and a country with great natural wealth. This has created long traditions for research and innovation in strong interaction with producers, in storing and using clean energy. We now have an internationally leading position on studies of handling carbon emissions. Over the last 20 years, we have seen the emergence of strong research institutes that focus on the international management of and adaptation to climate problems. Many of these expert communities are located in or close to Oslo Science City. Now we also see clear patterns of technology communities emerging in the district. Oslo also hosts one of Europe’s strongest communities within sustainable finance.

2200 RESEARCHERS GATHERED IN ONE DISTRICT

No less than 2200 researchers in the communities in Oslo Science City are working on topics related to climate, energy and environment. The University of Oslo, SINTEF, NGI and its strategic alliance partners IFE, NIVA and NILU, in addition to CICERO, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Institute of Transport Economics are the largest of these communities. The actors in the field have established a close dialogue and collaboration with some of the strongest expert communities in Europe. The knowledge institutions in the area have established large interdisciplinary centres such as the FMEs (Centres for Environment-friendly Energy Research) and the SFIs (Centres for Research-based Innovation) where both public and private actors collaborate. This involves collaboration between research institutions, advisors, consultants and urban developers. Today’s active collaboration with the City of Oslo shows how innovation and new technologies within climate and energy can be taken into use in the public sector.

STRONG RESEARCH COMMUNITIES ON CLIMATE AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION

A key field of knowledge is climate adaptation. It is all about understanding the consequences of climate change and taking the right actions, either to prevent or reduce damage or to exploit the opportunities the changes may entail. Oslo Science City possesses leading expertise and hosts strong professional communities in fields such as climate and climate scenarios, climate adaptation of buildings and infrastructure in a cold climate, flood and surface water management, landslides and avalanches, nature-based solutions, warning systems, socio-economic analyses and decision processes. There is a large potential for innovation and business development related to the design of requirements, methods and practical solutions within climate adaptation. Good examples of such innovations and related establishment of enterprises are Kjeller Vindteknikk and Storm Geo.

ENERGY STORAGE AS A FOCUS AREA FOR NORWAY

Industrial players in Norway have a clear ambition to take a leading role in the development of a green, European battery industry. Two important trends are driving this market. One is electrification, especially in the transport sector, the other is the increasing need for energy storage. Both mobile and stationary applications have value chains that span all the way from raw material to system integration. An important strength of Oslo Science City is precisely the ability to bring different actors together, which makes it possible to cover and cooperate along large parts of these value chains. SINTEF and the University of Oslo are two key suppliers of expertise in these fields. There are strong links both between those that work with Energy Systems and the expertise of the environments that belong to the gravitational field of Digitalization and computational science. Oslo Science City has the advantage of hosting internationally leading research communities within materials science and electrochemistry. In addition, there is good access to world-class research infrastructure (laboratories and research instruments), although there will be a considerable need for new investments and capacity increases in the time ahead.

LARGE NUMBER OF COLLABORATORS IN CCS-PROJECTS

CCS (carbon capture and storage) is expected to be a key element in achieving climate neutrality around the middle of this century. In Oslo Science City there are a number of players with cutting-edge expertise within the area. This includes everything from education to research and innovation activities. These communities are studying capture technologies (materials, new concepts, system solutions, test facilities), transport of CO2 (materials, thermodynamics, safety) as well as storage or use of CO2 (geology, geotechnology, chemistry). SINTEF plays a key role in this work together with the University of Oslo, Fortum, the City of Oslo’s Waste-to-Energy Agency, Aker, Equinor, NGI and many more. The City of Oslo has set ambitious climate goals for itself. The Klemetsrud plant will in principle contribute to the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere and pave the way for similar projects both nationally and internationally. Within CCS, IFE possesses national research infrastructure as part of the ECCSEL collaboration with NTNU and SINTEF.

LEADING COMPETENCE ON HYDROGEN AS AN ENERGY CARRIER

Hydrogen is an energy carrier and thus suitable for both transporting and storing energy. Green hydrogen is produced with renewable energy (and falls under the field of Energy systems), while blue hydrogen originates from natural gas, where CO2 is separated and stored (and belongs to the field of CCS). Both variants will play a key role in the energy solutions of the decades ahead, and Norwegian industrial players are already developing production facilities. Just as for batteries, SINTEF and the University of Oslo are two key players within research on hydrogen technology. Within hydrogen, SINTEF, IFE, NTNU and the University of Oslo constitute the strongest expert cluster in Norway and have entered into a partnership with the intention to apply for an FME in this field.

ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR THE FUTURE

An energy system consists of a collection of components that produce, distribute and consume energy. Electrification of society, for example the car fleet, places new demands on the energy systems, and the supply of energy from new renewable sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal, changes energy systems in several ways. Access to data from sensors and other measuring devices determines the efficiency of the systems and therefore also the competitiveness of the solutions. Changes in the energy systems are of great importance for societal development. There will be a significant need for new expertise, and great potential for new jobs in the future. It is a prerequisite for innovation that the technology environments cooperate closely with the social sciences and the legal profession to understand the demands this places on technology and users.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Circular economy is about utilizing natural resources and producing efficiently, in a circular flow where as few resources as possible go to waste. This topic is now high on the social agenda. The transition to circular economy is a prerequisite for achieving the UN’s sustainability goals. The knowledge enterprises in Oslo Science City have complementary expertise in circular economics and this topic is therefore well suited for further development across disciplines and knowledge environments. This may apply in particular to knowledge and expertise on processes, materials and environmental impact, which will be crucial to achieving a circular economy. Recycling and further utilization of waste and masses (building and construction, plastics), circulation of environmental toxins, risk assessments, sustainability assessments, design and repair of products, and attitude changes in the population are key areas of competence in the district. We also see that the legal and the financial professional environments base themselves on leading expertise within the circular economy.

BIODIVERSITY: THE WORLD IS LOOKING TO NORWAY

More than half of the world’s GDP is dependent on nature. According to the Dasgupta Review on Biodiversity published in 2021, natural capital per capita has been reduced globally by 40% since 1992. The consequences of reduced biodiversity will be catastrophic if this development is not reversed. Fundamental changes are needed in food production, energy production, transport systems, and consumption patterns. In Oslo Science City we have internationally leading expertise that provides important contributions to solving the great challenges we face. The University of Oslo, SINTEF, NGI and the research institutes in CIENS are centrally positioned here. Through closer cooperation between the institutions in the area, and targeted collaboration with businesses, the public sector and voluntary organizations, this knowledge can be mobilized, developing sustainable solutions.