Exchange of experience between cities and municipalities, as well as across borders, is crucial if we are to develop smart, sustainable and livable cities. Earlier this week, we entered a cooperation agreement with our sister organization in Slovakia. Now, we are entering a partnership with the German-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce.
“Norway and Germany have a lot to learn from each other regarding smart cities, and there is a great potential for increased technology transfer between the countries” says project manager Sybille Köhler from the department Market Entry & Business Development at the German- Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. “It is therefore beneficial for us to have a close cooperation with the Smart Cities Norway network to connect with expertise and to lay out a good foundation for future cooperation. Further, the partnership could contribute to increased export between the countries in a market segment that is growing and that will become more and more important in the years to come.”
CEO at the Smart Cities Norway network Terje Christensen agrees. “Norway is already 3-5 years behind in development when it comes to the application of smart city solutions, compared to other countries that we usually compare ourselves with” he says. “By opening for collaboration and sharing of experiences with the ones that are a few steps ahead of us, we can contribute to close this development gap.”
“Exchange of experience within smart city development between countries will help accelerate the market, development and implementation of smart solutions, Christensen adds. “It is beneficial for all market players – governmental, municipal and private.”
Sybille Köhler is happy that we now can carry out this cooperation. She believes that this will contribute to connect Norwegian and German businesses into attractive partnerships, which is one of the core services of the German-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce.
About the Smart Cities Norway Network
Smart Cities Norway is an informal network where all players that are interested in smart and sustainable cities can meet on neutral grounds to share their experiences and ideas. The network connects businesses from the fields of IT/tech, construction, architecture, planning, climate and environment, and others that have an interest in smart and sustainable urban development. Among our 150+ members are both small and larger municipalities and businesses from different fields. The network is managed by Smarte Byer Norge AS.
About the German- Norwegian Chamber of Commerce
The German-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce is one of Germany’s foreign trade chambers, called AHK (Auslandshandelskammer), and is a subsidiary of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). The German-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce promotes cooperation between Norwegian and German business and assists companies that seek entry in the Norwegian and German market respectively. The chamber is also a member organization with over 780 members from both countries.
About: Smart Cities Norway - Network is an informal network that gathers members from civil society, municipalities, startups, research, businesses and government agencies. We are the largest Smart City network in Norway.