BUSKERUD AND VESTFOLD 2006

Business and industry in Buskerud has a strong international orientation and is therefore influenced more strongly by international competition and restructuring requirements than business and industry in the rest of the country. After a record year in 2005 there was a decline in exports from Buskerud in 2006.

Vestfold is one of the most densely populated counties, with strong annual population growth. However, the county has a net job deficit equal to around 10% of the working population. Business and trade in the county is internationally oriented, and Vestfold is Norway’s fifth largest export county.

Innovation Norway in Buskerud and Vestfold covers two counties and has a joint board of directors. While all of Vestfold is outside the scope of regional policy, Buskerud is a much more complex county with rural municipalities, a varied business and industry structure, well-developed tourism and a broad range of agriculture.

The office has good cooperation with the county authorities in Buskerud and Vestfold, the regional cooperation in Buskerud/Telemark/Vestfold, the county governor’s agricultural department in the two counties, and other regional development players. In recent years, closer cooperation with the colleges in the two counties has developed as a result, for example, of the colleges’ participation in the regional cluster projects.

Buskerud and Vestfold are among the smallest counties in Innovation Norway, measured on the basis of the use of public support. In 2006, 4.4% of Innovation Norway’s combined support was allocated to our counties. The office has a lot of activity in the area of multi-company and cluster projects.

Director: Ole Johan Sandvær.

The office has a total of 19 man-labour years.