Innlandet has some of Norway’s strongest land-based bioeconomy assets, accounting for 20% of national agricultural production and more than 40% of timber harvesting from Norwegian forests. Alongside these bio-based strengths, the region is home to established industrial environments and recognised strengths in digitalisation and cyber security. This is also reflected in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025, where Innlandet is classified as a Strong Innovator-.
Through the Inland Portfolio and its smart specialisation agenda, Innlandet has established a strategic framework for turning regional strengths into green growth and circular value creation. The portfolio brings together key green innovation projects across the region and is designed to strengthen collaboration, unlock export and business potential, and support sustainable industrial development. Its four priority areas — industry, agricultural technology, circular biohubs, and Tech Valley — provide a practical structure for mobilising regional assets, supporting cooperation around waste streams and industrial symbiosis, and linking promising sites and projects more closely to national and European innovation efforts.
In RIVCircular, Innlandet brings the perspective of a region with both rural and urban characteristics, where circular transition must work in diverse local contexts, across longer distances, and within geographically dispersed industrial structures. This makes the region a relevant environment for developing and testing how sustainable innovation can be translated into practice beyond major metropolitan centres. In such contexts, success depends not only on technological development, but also on strong local value chains, collaboration across sectors, and better integration with European research and innovation networks. Through this work, Innlandet is strengthening its role as a European region for sustainable innovation and contributing to more resilient, circular, and innovation-driven value creation in Europe.
*Photo credits: Ferskvann