Marianne Bahr Simonsen, prosjektleder i NHO Nordland.

Innovation will save Europa

9 februar, 2015 15:22 Del Del

– Research and development will help the EU to emerge from its crisis, and innovation is the engine that will make this happen. This is why the EU is now focusing strongly on its new programme, Horizon 2020.

This is a continuation of the earlier framework programmes for research and development (R&D) in the EU, and the EU is now focusing heavily on a broader field. Horizon 2020 has a budget of almost EUR 80 billion Euro, and there is a very attractive opportunity for Norwegian trade and industry to be part of this, says Marianne Bahr Simonsen, project manager at NHO Nordland.

She points out that the new EU Commission has two “pet projects”; one is to considerably reduce unemployment in the EU, and the other is to bring about growth in EU countries. Another of the EU’s targets is for 20 per cent of EU’s total energy supply in 2020 to come from renewable energy production.

– If any companies are mature enough to be part of Horizon 2020, the companies at Mo Industrial Park are, says Marianne Bahr Simonsen.

Del Del