A powerhouse for innovation

Press release 27 January 2022

Major investment in innovation in Kongsvinger

Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark merges with Høgskolesenteret i Kongsvinger and Høgskolen Eiendom
to build Innlandet Science Park in Kongsvinger.

Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark, Høgskolen Eiendom and Høgskolesenteret i Kongsvinger (HIK) are pooling their resources to build Innlandet Science Park in Kongsvinger. Together, they will erect a building of around 5.000 square meters in the college area where research and innovation will contribute to the development of new companies, as well as to develop established companies.

- We are now in the process of realizing Innlandet Science Park with the investment in Kongsvinger. Together, we will develop a nationally leading Science Park, with the goal of an international position within selected research and business areas. Kongsvinger is first on the trail followed by Hamar and eventually Elverum, says Tore Anstein Dobloug, director of the Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark.

A Science Park is an "ecosystem" where higher education and research are the hub of an integrated collaboration with entrepreneurs, knowledge companies, investors and public actors.

Dobloug points out that the concept is well-proven. The idea is that knowledgeable people from a variety of disciplines and industries come together, strengthen professional environments and create new links and ideas. In sum - and done right - experience from other countries shows that a Science Park strengthens the region's attractiveness and value creation.

Research boost

Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark has since 2017 supported the University College initiative in Kongsvinger with NOK 34 million. Kristin Vitsø Bjørnstad, head of gifts and society at Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark, is impressed with what the Kongsvinger region has achieved in recent years, with the University College Center at the forefront.

- There has been very good work in the environment around the University College Center and there is simply impressive work behind the investment in sustainability and digitalisation where the research center is secured solid funding in the future, says Vitsø Bjørnstad.

Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark also plans to channel tens of millions of kroner annually, from its educational and research funds, to activities that take place in Innlandet Science Park - to strengthen the investment. In Innlandet Science Park, an interaction is planned between Kongsvinger, Hamar and Elverum. 

- A solid foundation has been laid in Kongsvinger, which is very important for realizing the vision of Innlandet Science Park. Through close collaboration between the research centers, our region will be lifted up and able to compete with good environments both nationally and internationally, says Kristin Vitsø Bjørnstad.     

To create this ecosystem, good meeting places and activities are arranged that enable people to meet and develop collaborations and ideas.

The new building is planned to be completed in the autumn of 2023. 

Big ambitions

- This will undoubtedly help to raise the level of activity around the college. We are incredibly proud and grateful that the Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark sees the potential and contributes so heavily to the investment in Kongsvinger. This contributes to the further development of Kongsvinger as a college town, which in turn will lift the region and the business community to new heights, says Vegard Herlyng, general manager of HIK.

The innovation actor Klosser has already signed an agreement with the parties to move into the new building. Their role will be important in the work of making Innlandet Science Park a leading arena for innovation and entrepreneurship.

 

- For Klosser, it is important to co-locate with the university college and the new research center. With this, we want to be able to be an even stronger link between the business community and the competence of the future, says Lars Gillund, general manager of Klosser Innovation Kongsvinger.

Gillund says that the region is well on its way to building a nationally led ecosystem in Kongsvinger within sustainability and digitalisation, with research, education, innovation companies and more.

- This is a very important investment for the region. Good premises and facilities for innovation and knowledge sharing are very important for the business community and will contribute to increased value creation, Gillund adds.

Herlyng and Gillund are pleased that Science Park in Kongsvinger will also include Telenor's department with 100 employees.

- For companies, co-location in Innlandet Science Park could have many positive effects. For example, collaboration on recruitment, joint events and activities related to the study offers in, for example, digital management, business development and sustainability economics, says Herlyng.

Further expansions are also being arranged for the establishment of knowledge-based activities in future construction stages.

Collection on public procurement in the Kongsvinger region

Business forum for the Kongsvinger region at the municipalities of Kongsvinger, Grue, Åsnes, Nord-Odal, Eidskog and Nord-Odal invites to a meeting place on public procurement.

March 17, at 12:30 - 16:10

By putting purchasing on the agenda, we want to lift local business by stimulating more people to be motivated to deliver to the public and provide insight into what is required to succeed.
The event is free.

Sign up today!

registration

Audience

Suppliers who want to participate (s) in public tenders and become more competitive

Program

12.30-13.00: Registration and lunch

13.00 - 13.05:  Welcome by the regional council leader for the Kongsvinger region

13.05 - 13.25:  How to get started? How do the tendering processes take place in the public sector? Information and tools by Terje Øverby Purchasing Manager, Regional Purchasing Kongsvinger Region (RIIK)

13.25 - 13. 50:  How to make offers? v / Øystein Sætrang, Purchasing Manager, Innlandet County Municipality

13.50 - 14.00:  Presentation of fictitious tender documents, by Øystein Sætrang Purchasing Manager, Innlandet County Municipality

14.00 - 14.50:  Group assignment. The groups formulate proposals for offers

14.50-15.00:  Break

15.00 - 15.10:  Experiences with making offers and having the public as a customer by Per-Otto Sletten, Flisa Trykkeri and Erik Heggelund, Klubben AS

15.10 - 16.00:  Evaluation of offers Questions and discussion. v / Øystein Sætrang, Purchasing Manager, Innlandet County Municipality and Terje Øverby Purchasing Manager, Regional Purchasing Kongsvinger Region (RIIK)

16.00 - 16.10:  Summary and conclusion

Contact us for more info: Ann-Kristin Torgersen Aamodt, tel. 990 36 495,
E-mail: ann.kristin@klosser.no

Logo-Landscape-Colors
6 municipalities
The county of Innlandet

Continuation of the restructuring program in the Kongsvinger region? Information meeting 20 September 2021

The Kongsvinger region has for several years received restructuring funds from Innlandet (Hedmark) county municipality. These are funds that have contributed to, among other things, financing parts of the City Region project. From 2022, the region will no longer receive restructuring funds.

Work has now been done and a case prepared to continue the restructuring program with its own funding. In an introductory meeting with the chairmen and business committees in the Kongsvinger region on Monday 20 September, Rune Lund, municipal manager in Kongsvinger and Lars Gillund, general manager of Klosser Innovation, Kongsvinger, presented how this can be done further.

The case will be processed in the Kongsvinger region IPR on 30 September, then in the individual municipality.

You can see the meeting here.

 

Kongsirk - inter-municipal re-use market

Circular economy is a green engine of change and a recognized and effective tool for achieving the goals of, among other things, the Paris Agreement and the UN's sustainability goals. The goal of circular economy is to utilize the resources from the earth in the best possible way. This means that we, among other things, keep raw materials and materials in the cycle through reuse and recycling.

The Kongsvinger region (Nord-Odal municipality as host municipality), has received discretionary funds from the County Governor of Innlandet for "Circular economy as a green engine of change". This is a further extension of the project "Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region" which was completed in 2020. "Circular economy as a green engine of change" consists of the establishment of three circular pilot projects in the public sector. Kongsirk is one of these pilot projects.

Kongsirk is an ambitious rebuilding project for the region's municipalities and intermunicipal companies. Through the project, an inter-municipal re-use market will be established to sell furniture and other equipment using the digital recycling platform Loopfront. Kongsirk will be Norway's first inter-municipal redevelopment project for the sale of furniture and fixtures!

The main goal of the project is;

"Achieving climate benefits as well as financial savings through better and longer utilization of furniture and other fixtures"

The project will ensure a conversion to reuse rather than throwing away furniture and fixtures, so that the amount of waste is reduced, furniture and fixtures have a longer lifespan, and demand is turned towards repairs rather than new purchases. In the long run, this will lead to many positive effects for the municipalities and the intermunicipal companies in the region, such as reductions in the municipalities' waste volumes, reduced emissions of CO2equivalents and financial savings.

The project is now in a start-up phase, and more information about the project will therefore come continuously.

 

The leader of the project is Hanne Lundberg Hogseth

E-mail: hanne.hogseth@inn.no

Phone: 480 45 796

Oslo International Career Fair 28 September

The Oslo International Career Fair will be held for the first time on 28 September. Does your company need to recruit expertise?

Here you can:

  • Meet hundreds of international and national candidates
  • Get the opportunity to market the company as positive to international applicants.
  • Be present at Oslo Innovation Week with an event
  • Join a coordinated effort to attract more international talent to the Oslo region
  • Get the opportunity to participate in a "pre-fair" webinar where you get tips on how to carry out the event.

You can read the invitation here.

Agenda Inlandet 2021

12 August will be the Agenda Innlandet conference 2021 - in the entire county!

Together with Agenda Innlandet, we have the pleasure of inviting you to Agenda Innlandet conference 2021.

Agenda Innlandet is the most important meeting place for business, politicians and the knowledge environments in Innlandet. On 12 August, lunch meetings will be held in eight different locations in the Inland, where there will be a joint digital conference and a regional panel discussion on the Inland.

In just over two hours, we set the pulse on the Inland. You will hear about the ambitions for the Inland from both Erna, Jonas and Trygve, the rectors of HINN and NTNU Gjøvik, KS Innlandet and representatives of some of the industries of the future in the Inland. And we engage both the panel and the meeting participants in a joint, regional conversation about the Inland, our opportunities and solutions to the challenges.

Lunch meetings are arranged in Kongsvinger, Elverum, Hamar, Tynset, Gjøvik, Valdres, Lillehammer or Otta. You can also follow the conference digitally with some of the regional panel discussions. All meeting places will of course follow the rules for infection control and there is a limited number of places.

See the website of Agenda Innlandet for more information and registration. 

Program lunch meeting in the University College Center in Kongsvinger 12 August

The Regional Council for the Kongsvinger Region and 7sterke invite to Agenda Innlandet's regional gathering in the Kongsvinger Region. This will be a lunch meeting that addresses why large national and international companies choose the Kongsvinger region as a starting point for their companies. Participants in the panel discussion are Trond Hagerud (Mapei), Jan Hultman (Glamox) and Erland Løkken (Bergene Holm). The host is Lars Løfsgård.

Time: 11: 00-13: 00
Venue: Høgskolesenteret i Kongsvinger, Strandvegen 1-2.

See the website of Agenda Innlandet for more information and registration. 

"Interacting in the region is more important than municipal boundaries"

The claim comes from one of 15 working groups in a joint meeting of the municipal councils in the Kongsvinger region on 27 May. The municipal councils in the Kongsvinger region had a joint meeting on 27 May. Around 150 municipal board members attended the digital meeting. The meeting was filmed, and you can see the whole meeting here.

 

Victor Norman, Professor Emeritus NHH, opened with the Demography Committee's report (NOU 205: 15 - It's about Norway - Study on the consequences of demographic challenges in the districts)

Norman pointed out, among other things:

Emigration from the districts has stopped because there are so few young people left who can move. This applies to the whole of Norway, but with a reinforcement in the Kongsvinger region.

There are not enough young people left for the districts to be able to reproduce themselves.

Population in itself is not an interesting quantity. The goal must be good societies, societies that are good to live in and financially sustainable; Demographic sustainability.

The reality in the district municipalities has become different.

Bolyst - you have to cultivate the format you have. We cant

A particularly exciting post, where Norman also discussed views with the participants. You can see the post with the following discussion here.

 

 

"Young involvement" is a project, financed by Innlandet county council, the State Administrator in Innlandet, NAV Innlandet and the municipalities in the Kongsvinger region. Kongsvinger municipality is the owner of this 3-year project. The project focuses on young people who are outside the workforce.

The project is in the start-up phase, and was presented by Lars Andreas Uglem (councilor Kongsvinger), Mai-Britt Aasen (leader of NAV Kongsvinger) and Hilde Opberget (project leader).

Presentation 27 May joint municipal board meeting Young involvement

 

The meeting participants were divided into groups for group work related to the current presenters. A lot of good work was done in the groups. You can read the result of this work here: Input from group work in a joint meeting of the municipal councils 27.05.21

Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region - first in Norway!

Norway's first Circle Scan has now been completed here in Kongsvinger region. In the last workshop, action plans were established for four circular pilot projects. These will contribute to less CO2 emissions, better resource utilization, new circular jobs and public savings.

Together with representatives from the public sector and business, the Kongsvinger region has carried out a Circle Scan (also called City Scan) for the construction industry. 

- Circle Scan is a tool for solving future challenges and achieving the sustainability goals, says project owner Anne Huse from the regional council.

Inland county, they have a new, ambitious strategy with a focus on sustainability. The Regional Council believes that Circle Scan has helped to provide concrete content for parts of the strategy. Mayor of Sør-Odal, Knut Hvithammer, supports the message from Huse.

- The Kongsvinger region is Norway's green heart, and we have an ambitious regional business strategy with sustainability as an important focus area. Now we can take the lead in circular economy, says Hvithammer.

In circular economy, the goal is to reuse or reuse all raw materials so that no waste is produced. Hvithammer emphasizes that they have good raw materials in the timber in the region, and have a construction industry that is large and leading. The effect of becoming more circular in this sector is therefore high.

 

Hear how we work with circular economy. Regional council leader Knut Hvithammer (mayor Sør-Odal), Trond Sørensen (GIR), Anne Huse (regional council), Eva Snare (Nord-Odal municipality), Ole Gunnar Holen (Sør-Odal municipality), Jon Guttormsen (Topos architecture) and Sofie Pindsle (Circular Norway) talks about the method and an ongoing circular construction project.

Collaboration process with many stakeholders

The project has lasted a year and has involved politicians, public administration and actors from the construction industry in the six municipalities in the region.

- We are very pleased with the process in Circle Scan Kongsvinger. The collaboration has been completely unique, and we are impressed by the local commitment that has led to more pilots already being implemented, says Jordi Pascal, project manager Circle Economy.

The project has been led by the Dutch Circle Economy in collaboration with Circular Norway and has gone over four phases in which key actors from the local community have participated. In phase one, the region's socio-economic conditions are mapped. Then a material flow analysis is performed, then strategies for increased circularity are developed. Finally, action plans are made for circular pilots.

- Circle Economy has very good tools for engaging and involving people. It has also been very good to have Circular Norway as the Norwegian link for anchoring in the methodology, says Eva Snare, business manager in Nord-Odal municipality and local project manager.

Solid local efforts

Sofie Pindsle has been Circular Norway's project resource. She emphasizes that the circular pilots in phase four are important so that this does not just become a desk exercise.

- The action plans that have been developed show both socially beneficial effects, as well as the financial savings that come from reusing more materials, says Pindsle who is very satisfied with the local efforts in the Kongsvinger region.

Read more about the pilots here

The general manager of Glåmdal Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap, Trond Sørensen, confirms that the project has led to increased circular practice.

- In the project, we challenge the waste pyramid. The waste pyramid starts at the bottom by putting things in the landfill. And then there is energy recovery or incineration of garbage, then there is material recycling, and on top of that is not producing waste. That's where we want to be. It requires a change in consumers, and in manufacturers. In the future, we will not make waste, but things that can be used again. 

- In addition to increasing circularity, Circle Scan also contributes to the Kongsvinger region delivering on six different sustainability goals. This is something the municipalities are also measured on, so Circle Scan is also relevant within the sustainability goals, says Pindsle.

 

Revision of business strategy for the Kongsvinger region 2016-2028

Revision of business strategy for the Kongsvinger region 2016-2028

Business strategy for the Kongsvinger region 2016-2028 is under revision. Project manager at the City Region Program Lars Gillund leads the work in close collaboration with the Kongsvinger region's mayors, business advisers, regional councils and business.

Consultation deadline 12.11
We now invite you to provide input on specific focus areas associated with the main strategies.

Consultation statements are sent to post@klosser.no or to Klosser Innovation, Markensvegen 1B, 2212 Kongsvinger by 12.11 and marked «Consultation statement business strategy».

The business strategy shall be considered by the regional council on 19.11 November and thereafter in each of the municipalities.

Click here to see the consultation document

This is how the Dream Weekend was for Ine and Marcus in the Kongsvinger region

Ine Lindseth Slettbakken and Marcus Borger received the happy news that they were winners of the "dream weekend" just before the summer holidays. The last weekend in August, the couple came "home" and set out on a journey to experience the possibilities in the Kongsvinger region. Apart from an extensive package list, they have had no idea what to expect.

Weekend in brief

The first stop on the journey was Pan treetophytter in Åsnes. When they woke up after a good night's sleep among the treetops, they knew little about the fact that a few hours later they would swing from tree to tree in Gjesåsen climbing park, fish with Explore Finnskogen, have dinner by the fire and sleep in Lavvo on a desert island in Røgden.
Saturday started the day with a fast-paced boat trip to the mainland after spending the night on Storholmen. The joy was great when the two were told that the next stop on the journey was the wellness hotel Finnskogtoppen. After a few hours of pure well-being, they were told to meet in Kongsvingerhallen, where "Two bouncy" was waiting by the clearing wall. A little later, the couple received a warm welcome and storytelling by Lars Ovlien at Kongsvinger Fortress. Mayor of Kongsvinger, Margrethe Haarr, and Runa Sørlie Rekstad with colleague Erik Øvrum from Statistics Norway Kongsvinger took the trip to talk about career opportunities in the region. After a lovely dinner at Festningen Hotel & Resort, the couple went on to Café Bohem in Øvrebyen where artist Kenneth Norum filled the premises with evocative tones.
Sunday started with a royal breakfast at the fortress before leaving for Eidskog municipality. At Magnor Glassverk, they were met by Cato Amundsen, who showed off the glassblowing profession. It looks relatively simple when a driven glassblower forms glass. The couple learned that it is not as simple as it might seem. A little later and a few meters away in the street, Ingelsrud Konditori serves up delicious sandwiches, barista coffee and wheat bread for lunch. Just before leaving for the weekend's last stop, Ine and Marcus learned that water skiing was the weekend's last challenge.

Well ahead at Slåstad Vannskiklubb, the couple was well received by Knut Einar Kvisla with the junior national team and others involved in the club. Sondre Stalheim performed tricks, slalom and jumps with his teammates. Impressively, both Ine and Marcus mastered water skiing. The latter was challenged to jump and was already on the third attempt.

All weekend, Ine and Marcus got to drive a brand new Mercedes GLB. Thanks to Kongsvinger car center for car loan.

Short film

The result of the dream weekend will be a short film that will show the possibilities in the Kongsvinger region. Mats Birkeund and Hallvard Kolltveit have been following the couple through the camera lens all weekend. - The goal is to make as short a film as possible without too much direction, and it seems that we will get the material we have now collected, says director Mats Birkelund satisfied. The film will be ready during the autumn, but if it is too long to wait, you can enjoy "behind the scenes" film clips and photos from the weekend on the Kongsvinger region's Instagram profile.

Join behind the scenes in the dream weekend! See archived stories in the "dream weekend" folder directly above the news feed.

Competence recruitment and tourism go hand in hand

The Dream Weekend project is part of the reputation and competence recruitment program in the Kongsvinger region. If you as a guest have got a good impression of a place, the probability will naturally be greater that you actually consider moving to that place at a later date. Our goal with the dream weekend is precisely that, that Ine and Marcus should get a good impression, share it with their circle, and maybe even one day bring their expertise and consider moving "home" to the region, says development manager in the Kongsvinger region , Lars Gillund.
The Kongsvinger region would like to thank all the parties involved in Drømmehelga and look forward to the launch of the film this autumn.