Welcome to Procurement Spotlight where we bring startups the latest public procurement news and opportunities in Oslo.
New guide on doing business with Oslo municipality
Check out Oslo Business Region's new, nuts-and-bolts digital guide on navigating the City of Oslo and connecting with procurement opportunities. "The Startup's Guide for Public Procurement" helps you find relevant resources for scaling your startup with the City of Oslo as a testbed and customer. Jump into the guide here.
At the launch event on 25 January, Jan Fredrik Lockert, head of the business development unit at the City of Oslo highlighted the city's priorities and ambitions for stimulating innovation. A panel discussion followed with practical insights from Ida Laustsen from LUP (Innovative Procurement), and Tore Rismyhr from Airthings. The panel was moderated by Andrea Nylund and Siw Andersen from Oslo Business Region. Watch the recorded event here.
The guide lays the groundwork for our upcoming sequel where we will explore specific needs, strategies and goals of various city departments. If you have feedback or questions -- or simply want to connect to ensure you are in the loop on future initiatives -- please reach out to Andrea Nylund via the contact link below. You can also sign up for our fast-growing Public-Private Innovators Network.
Loopfront saves Søndre Nordstrand NOK 3 million
Søndre Nordstrand, a district in Oslo, relocated 300 employees to new offices and used Loopfront's circular management platform to save nearly NOK 3 million by mapping and reusing furniture and other interior elements.
“For us, finances and reuse have gone hand in hand," underlined Per Ivar Hammershaug, Unit Leader in Oslo Municipality, District Søndre Nordstrand. "Earlier in the project, the focus was more on the environmental side of reuse. Along the way, there has been quite a strong focus on the financial, which means that we were challenged on reuse to a greater extent than we had actually planned.” Read the full story here.
Survey: Norway's purchasing power is underutilized for innovation
A survey by the Office of the Auditor General (Riksrevisjonen) shows that, when it comes to innovation, Norway’s public sector does not fully leverage its purchasing power. The National Programme for Supplier Development (LUP) was established in 2010 to kick things up a notch and has led to a number of innovative “green” procurements such as emission-free construction sites, electric ferries and emission-free speedboats. But there still is a way to go to reach its full potential, as Norway's public sector’s purchasing power amounts to NOK 611 billion in products and services annually. See the full report and recommendations for increasing innovation here.
SDG guidelines for R&D applicants
Are you planning to apply for innovation funds from The Research Council of Norway in 2022? Your company will be assessed on the extent to which you will contribute to solving sustainability challenges. See the Council’s new guidelines on the UN Sustainable Development Goals here (information in English). See the recorded webinars for specific sectors here.
Application Deadlines
StartOff procurement competitions
Deadline: 18 and 28 February 2022
Submit your solution for gamifying public spaces in Larvik. Come up with a new way to make city bikes more easily accessible in Rogaland.
See the competition for Larvik here and Rogaland here.
Call for input on data infrastructure
Deadline: 28 February 2022
The Research Council of Norway is inviting input on the Data Infrastructure Committee's preliminary recommendations on how infrastructure for data can best be organized and financed. Submit feedback here.
More info here.
Open call: Oslo Architecture Triennale Exhibition
Deadline: 18 March 2022
Oslo Architecture Triennale has launched an Open Call for the 8th edition of OAT in September. A selection of the submissions will be chosen by an international jury for the exhibition in Oslo. Learn more about the open call and how to include your projects in the new Neighbourhood index.
More info here.
Funding for two Nordic HealthTech testbed networks
Deadline: 31 March 2022
Nordic Innovation now has an open call for proposals to help strengthen Nordic value chains and testbed networks in the field of health technologies.
More info here.
R&D demonstration projects
Deadline: Rolling
Apply to The Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd) to implement a demonstration project within the following themes: land-based food, environment and bio-resources.
More info here.
SmartOslo
Deadline: Rolling
SmartOslo is municipal program that supports innovative pilot projects in Oslo. City entities partner with startups and apply for matching funds to test new technologies, products and services.
More info here.
Public-Private Events
Oslo Life Science 2022
11-17 February
Five days filled with events for everyone who is interested in research, education, innovation, business and politics in life sciences. Hosted by UiO:Life Science and partners, the conference is free to attend, but some events require registration. More info here.
Supplier meeting on IT solutions
15 February 2022
Do you want to provide IT solutions to the public sector? KS (“Kommunesektorens organisasjon”) is inviting suppliers to share input on digitalization solutions and sustainable restructuring. If you missed the event, check out the website and sign up for their newsletter to track RFP opportunities. More info here.
Nordic Proof meets your clinical test needs
16 February, 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Get to know Nordic Proof testbed consortium. Managed by Norway Health Tech, Nordic Proof offers access to professional and efficient test facilities throughout the Nordics and serves as one point of entry to test facility partners. More info here.
Funding opportunities for innovation and research in Oslo
17 February, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Regional Research Fund will present R&D funding mechanisms within the fields of circular economy, green transformation, health and life sciences, and digitalization. More info here.
Tech Thursday: NEMKO
17 February, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Join this session for the latest knowledge on current innovative technologies, trends, and regulations within radio, Internet of Things (IoT), cyber security, battery, and sustainability – including how these will accelerate in the years to come. More info here.
Breakfast seminar on bundling and digitalization for hybrid solutions within solar and hydropower
18 February, 8:30 am - 11:30 pm
NORWEP and the Norwegian Solar Energy Cluster are arranging a program focusing on digitalization as a crucial part of optimizing the benefits of hybridization. More info here.
Nordic digital health delegation to London and Leeds
14-17 March
The delegation includes a one-day program organized by the Department of International Trade and UK partners and attendance at Digital Health Rewire. More info here.
Want to share news and tips with Oslo's startup ecosystem? Reach out to Andrea Nylund (contact below).
Join the new Public-Private Innovators Network to connect public procurement opportunities with innovative solutions. Sign up here!
