Via the EEA funds, Norway supports business in ten countries to the tune of a total of NOK 3.4 billion. Innovation Norway administers the programmes in Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Greece via our international offices in these four countries. In 2022 alone, Innovation Norway allocated NOK 651.9 million to EEA projects via our four international offices in Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Greece.
Innovation Norway is partnered with the national administrators of the six programmes in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia. As a partner, we contribute to the development and implementation of programmes to make them of interest to Norwegian industry and commerce. We also mobilise Norwegian companies or research institutes to cooperate in projects.
The EEA programmes include bilateral funds for thematic and strategic collaborative activities that can create arenas for cooperation, explore market opportunities, and open doors for Norwegian companies in Europe. Innovation Norway organises various activities with these funds. Examples from 2022 include a conference on blue growth, a networking event on EU reconstruction funds in Portugal for Norwegian companies in Portugal, and a study trip about the space industry in Norway for Baltic companies.
The EEA funds provide Norwegian companies with an opportunity to participate in a joint European effort in the face of new challenges. A total of 166 Norwegian partners took part in 241 business development and innovation projects. In addition to good results for the recipient countries, the EEA funds can point to results in Norway. Examples include establishing jobs, new knowledge and expertise, access to and familiarity with the European business market, partnerships, and the development of strategic and professional international networks. Individually and collectively, this is of major significance for Norwegian industry and commerce.
The bilateral cooperation provides Norwegian companies with international training and experience in cooperating within the EEA, and the projects can also act as springboards to further cooperation in EU projects. The EEA funds are aligned with the developing focus in the EU on a green transition.
In Innovation Norway’s 2022 customer satisfaction survey, 80 per cent of the Norwegian respondents said that the EEA cooperation provided high added value. The EEA funds also support Norwegian partners with funding, and 63 per cent of Norwegian project partners expect the cooperation to increase their company’s turnover. In many cases, the EEA cooperation is the first step a Norwegian company takes into international markets, and 48 per cent of the Norwegian partners expect the cooperation project to lead to increased exports.