Green growth – innovation and entrepreneurship

The aim of the working group was to contribute to policy development on green growth, innovation and entrepreneurship in the Nordic countries. The working group focused on the regional potential of green growth and what regional actors could do to promote green growth, bioeconomy, industrial symbiosis etc.

The results have been summarised in a synthesis report.

The main tasks of the working group 2013-2016:

• to present an overview of policy instruments and their importance, and to explore “good practice” case studies of national, regional and local governance to support innovation and entrepreneurship for green growth
• to examine factors that hinder and promote green growth
• to disseminate and discuss results with national, regional and local stakeholders in the Nordic countries
• to contribute to public policy development to support innovation and entrepreneurship for green growth at regional level in the Nordic countries

Different types of Nordic regions have been involved in the studies carried out within the framework of the working group.

The working group finalised five major projects:

• Bioeconomy in the Nordic countries – in-depth study
• The potential of industrial symbiosis as a key driver of green growth in Nordic regions
• Green Growth in Nordic Regions – 50 ways to make it happen
• Developing a greener economy in Nordic regions: interventions to overcome the challenges
• The Nordic green growth road show

Additional publications produced by the working group are: policy brief on bioeconomy, a policy brief on industrial symbiosis, a theme issue of Nordregio News on industrial symbiosis, and a policy brief: Green transition in Nordic regions: State of play, practices and needs.

In March 2017 a synthesis report was published, highlighting key results and ways forward.

Working programme 2016 – summarising the final year of the working group

During 2016, the final in-depth study was carried out called Green growth in Nordic regions: State of play, practices and needs, based on a digital survey and interviews with officials at the regional level in the Nordic countries. This resulted in two publications listed above that have been disseminated widely.

Besides this, a compilation of 50 Nordic green growth solutions was successfully launched in August, followed by seminars at several events, including COP 22 and Nordregio Forum. Another major dissemination activity in 2016 was a Nordic green growth road show, including 10 round-table meetings targeting some 220 key stakeholders in all the Nordic countries. The road show report (listed above) shows how this effort paid off in terms of fruitful policy discussions and sharing of Nordic good practice.