“As a start-up company, it was very valuable for us to get in touch with potential customers and partners,” says Andreas Bjune Kjølseth of Infraspace. During last year's Innovation Arena, he had the opportunity to present Infraspace's new online service for early stage planning of road and track routes. The invention, which uses map data, algorithms and so-called parametric design to calculate the most environmentally friendly, affordable and fast routes in the terrain, aroused the excitement of the panel of experts. After the event, Kjølseth and his colleagues went home with several important people on their contact list.

“It has been important for us to meet visionary people at builders, contractors and consultants, so that we could get started with pilots,” says Kjølseth.

I want to be a partner again

This year's Innovation Arena will take place at Clarion Hotel & Congress Gardermoen on 15 November. This year's organizers are VIA — the industrial cluster fortransport infrastructure, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and New Roads. In addition, 20 partners contribute.

“Last year we had 220 participants, and this year we expect to pass 300,” says Benedicte Titlestad, Head of Communications at VIA. She points to several of the people who were partners last year, and want to join this year as well.

— Being a partner means that you get to promote your company in connection with the event, four day passes, a seat on the panel and a stand on the fairgrounds.
Registration is now open: https://viacluster.my.site.com/s/event?vCampaignID=701IV00000DPevo

More way for the money

New Roads sees great benefit in participating in the Innovation Arena.

“We live for more money,” says Anne Stine Johnson, Head of Technology and Skills Department at Nye Veier. She believes that the meeting place at Gardermoen responds to a great need for innovation on the part of road management and builders.

“It is terribly difficult for entrepreneurs to come up with new ideas due to strict regulations with test and documentation requirements. We need to break down a barrier to be able to encourage new and innovative solutions,” Johnson said.

The Road Administration is changing its image

Department Director of the Construction Department at Authority and Regulation in the Directorate of Roads, Ing-Cristine Ericson, sits on the board of VIA. She can tell of a startling interest in the event in the agency, which invests over £100 billion a year.

“The state road administration has often received criticism for being difficult in terms of implementing innovation, and we need to change this image,” Ericson says. The agency's efforts to set up relevant 1:1 meetings with innovation actors received a boost after last year's Innovation Arena, which was a huge success. This year, expectations are high for the country's innovators and inventors at the event.

“All major divisions of the Road Administration will be there: Roads, Development, Transport and Society, as well as Authority and regulations in the Directorate of Roads. We have a clear purpose to put together a puzzle with the right pieces,” Ericson says. Among the innovations of last year, she highlights the recycling of artificial grass and the reuse of material for noise screens.

“When we hear good ideas from the country's Petter Smarter, we think 'let's try', and we would very much like to participate in pilot projects,” Ericson says.

Walkover to commercialization

Over the course of one day, the Innovation Arena runs parallel sets of exhibitors, panel presentations and 1:1 meetings, in addition to presentations from the stage. The subject panels are composed of builders, experienced engineers and contractors. Companies are given the opportunity to present their idea to the panel, before there are questions and immediate feedback. Anne Stine Johnson of Nye Veier advises innovation actors to think of the Innovation Arena as a useful meeting place to move forward with their commercialization.

“An immediate guide from that market that you're going into is incredibly valuable for an entrepreneur; you get the vibe soldered, you get input early, and it happens in a simple way,” Johnson says.

For Andreas Bjune Kjølseth in Infraspace, the choice is simple:

“Since last year we have run three pilots, and we will be participating in the Innovation Arena this year as well!