The day was a success where 270 participants from across the value chain met at Gardemoen to discuss innovation and more climate-smart solutions for road, bridge, track and tunnel. The innovation arena is an important meeting point for innovation and innovation.

We need to know how the entire value chain thinks in order to find the best solutions together. Road managers, consulting engineers and large contractors get a meeting point where they can meet a variety of suppliers in a very short time as well as get an overview — from early-stage development projects, to piloting and market-ready solutions.

Helen Roth, general manager of VIA, began the gathering by stressing the importance of collaboration to find the best solutions.

-The innovation arena is an important collaboration to find the best solutions in road construction. We need to work together across the entire value chain,” says Helen Roth, CEO of VIA.

Over the course of one day, the Innovation Arena had 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. Anette Aanesland, CEO of Nye Veier, was one of those who held posts at the Innovation Arena.

She spoke about the need for innovation and new thinking in the transport sector. She stressed the importance of figuring out what the problem actually is in order to be able to find the best solutions. -In New Roads we always ask ourselves the question “what is the problem, really?”

We need to identify what the problem is, and then find good and precise measures and solutions that actually solve the challenge we have identified and nothing else,” says Anette Aanesland, CEO of Nye Veier.

Aanesland told about Nye Veier's digital operation support system. A digital database that collects information, making it possible to optimize operations and maintenance. The system provides a knowledge base that allows planning the operation and maintenance of roads based on condition and risk.

In the future, we need to know more. What are new technologies doing to demand for transportation? How will digital platforms change business models, and what will it take to have a more data-driven transport sector? says Aanesland.Part of the purpose of the Innovation Arena is to think new and develop new technologies, and it is also important for the State Road Administration.

-In Norway, we are quick to adopt new technologies. We have to a greater extent maintain and secure what we have. New technology needs to be incorporated into old infrastructure to increase safety and accessibility in the transport system,” says Ingrid Dahl Hovland, road director at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

Innovation Arena will also be hosted next year and date coming soon