visit norway Photo: Visit Norway The article was first published in Finansavisen on June 8, 2016. For a long time, research institutions and businesses in Bergen have been working to strengthen Bergen as Norway's marine capital. The goal is to co-locate 1,200 researchers in marine research fields from the University of Bergen, the Institute of Marine Research, the Veterinary Institute and a number of other research institutions and administrative agencies under one roof.
The cooperation between these institutions is already strong. During the government's Ocean Conference, naturally held in Bergen, Prime Minister Erna Solberg opened the Norwegian Ocean Laboratory on Monday, where most of the state-of-the-art marine monitoring technology is gathered.
Now the business community itself is taking a clear step to strengthen the marine cluster. One of the world's largest aquaculture companies, Lerøy Seafood, has decided to move to Marineholmen to be closer to research, education and a vibrant professional environment. They probably won't be able to have the researchers or laboratories to themselves for very long.
Bergen Business Council and NCE Seafood have conducted a survey among companies in the seafood industry in Hordaland. The answers leave no doubt.
8 out of 10 believe that co-locating marine research in Bergen is important for Norway as a seafood nation.
7 out of 10 believe it is likely that co-locating marine research will increase collaboration between research, education and business.
3 out of 4 believe that co-locating marine research in Bergen will increase investment willingness, jobs and economic growth in the marine sector.
6 out of 10 believe it is likely that their own company will locate all or part of its R&D activities close to such a marine cluster in Bergen.
Over half believe it is likely that their own company will increase its level of activity in Bergen if the co-location of marine research is realized.
The world's largest and most important players in the production of salmon and trout are among the companies behind it. So are world-leading producers of feed for the aquaculture industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and companies that supply equipment and drive technology development for the aquaculture industry.
The Bergen region is Norway's strongest in the marine industries. That's not just something we here in the west believe. It was also confirmed in a national opinion poll published in March this year, where almost a third of those surveyed believe Bergen is Norway's natural marine capital, with Tromsø in second place.
In this context, it is worth considering that not only do the Bergen region, Hordaland and Western Norway account for a very large share of value creation within the maritime industries, but value creation per employee within these industries is also higher in Western Norway than elsewhere in the country.
Bergen has a unique mix of internationally leading research, business and management expertise within the marine industries. The potential for important synergy effects is great. Bergen is undisputedly Norway's and also the world's most important city for the aquaculture industry. 40 percent of the world's production of Atlantic salmon and 45 percent of feed for the aquaculture industry is controlled from here.
Co-locating the marine research communities in Bergen is important for the Bergen region and Western Norway, but even more important for Norway. Over half of all research in Norway on the ocean, fish and coast takes place in Western Norway, as the rector of UiB and director of the Institute of Marine Research wrote in an op-ed in BT this week.
This is due not least to the expertise we find in the institute sector, the administration and of course UiB. With more knowledge and targeted interaction between research, administration and industry, we can achieve the goal of the best possible industrial development based on sustainable management principles.
If we are to secure jobs and welfare in the future, we must meet the societal changes and the decline in the petroleum industry with restructuring. Investing in research, education and knowledge in close and good collaboration between world-leading research and teaching environments and the world's strongest seafood cluster is one of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure that we can create growth, jobs and welfare in the future as well.
If we are to believe the OECD's predictions, growth in the ocean industries will outpace growth in the global economy. This could secure future value creation and jobs in our country, if we manage our pound well and make the right strategic choices.
As the survey conducted by Bergen Business Council and NCE Seafood shows, the most important players in a knowledge-intensive and research-heavy business sector in one of the potentially most important industries of the future are clear and distinct in their mandate to the ministry and government.
In the face of the biological and technological challenges that the aquaculture industry faces and to ensure sustainable growth, we need to strengthen the already world-leading marine cluster in Bergen. Norway has always lived from what we have harvested from the sea. If we are to continue to do so in the future, the position and advantages of the Sea City of Bergen must be cultivated.
Chronicle writers:
Ole-Eirik Lerøy, Chairman of the Board of Marine Harvest and Bergen Business Council
Henning Beltestad, CEO Lerøy Seafood Group
Andreas Kvame, CEO Grieg Seafood
Einar Wathne, managing director Cargill Aqua Nutrition
Johan Kvalheim, CEO MSD Animal Health Norway
Tanja Hoel, CEO NCE Seafood
Marit Warncke, CEO Bergen Business Council
