Nordic Green Growth Road Show

The Nordic Green Growth Road Show programme was commissioned by the Nordic Working Group for Green Growth – Innovation and Entrepreneurship and coordinated by Nordregio in partnership with local actors. Over 200 green growth actors participated in the Road Show events, which were held in ten locations across the Nordic Region between May and October, 2016.

The Road Show was one of the final activities of the Nordic Working Group on Green Growth – Innovation and Entrepreneurship and was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the progress that has occurred since the group’s inception in 2013. Each Road Show event provided insight into the current status of green growth in the Nordic Region as well as a platform through which to gather ideas to inform joint Nordic efforts going forward.

The feedback from the regional Road Show events suggests that there has been a rapid increase in awareness of green growth across all five Nordic countries and the Nordic islands and that green growth is now high on the agenda across the region. Despite the headway that has been made overall, differences are also apparent with respect to progress both in the adoption of green thinking and in the implementation of green strategies. Specific topics that were high on the agenda at many (though not all) Road Show events included:

• Public-private partnerships
• Regional branding
• Playing to regional/local strengths
• Regulations and policy support
• Networks and collaboration at the local and regional level

Participants also provided valuable insights to pave the way forward for Nordic cooperation in the green growth field. Priorities included:

• Promoting opportunities for information sharing and networking at a range of levels
• Further development of the ‘Nordic green identity’
• More opportunities to participate in joint (Nordic) projects
• Joint advocacy from Nordic countries

Overall, the most valuable component of the Nordic Green Growth Road Show programme was the opportunity to bring together a range of actors and, in doing so, initiate and support processes that may not have occurred otherwise. The enthusiasm with which the programme was received suggests that there is scope for Nordregio to do more of this type of work in the future. Both the Working Group and Nordregio are pleased to have had the opportunity to be a part of the green transformation that is underway across the Nordic Region and we look forward to more fruitful collaboration in the next Nordic Cooperation program.