Business support

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What kind of assistance is provided to enterprises in Norway?
List of Norwegian official institutions
List of Norwegian registering institutions
List of Norwegian Chambers of Commerce
List of Norwegian County Councils

Norwegian public institutions have long tradition in providing assistance to business establishment in Norway. There is no clear division who has the responsibility to assist foreign companies that wish to establish an enterprise in Norway. The two most important public national institutions dealing with industrial development in Norway are SIVA and Innovation Norway. Private business consulting supports business in Norway as well.

SIVA provides access to competence, capital, network and infrastructure within innovation centers, research parks, science parks, business centers and industrial parks.

Innovation Norway provides a range of offers on loan and support agreements, network and competence. Innovation Norway can be found in most of the countries since it represents Norwegian export and investment interests abroad.

Norwegian municipalities, public institutions along with Siva and Innovation Norway as well as private organizations provide important assistance to companies that want to establish enterprise in Norway.

If Your company experiences difficulties contacting the organizations and institutions that are represented on Barentsnova under Business support, please contact Innovation centers Polar Star and North Star and we promise to help You as much as we can to connect You with the right persons and institutions in Norway.

Norwegian governmental and public institutions

Official institutions

NORUM is a private management company, which is responsible for operating the North West and West Russia Regional Venture Fund I and II on behalf of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The Industrial Development Corporation of Norway SIVA offers infrastructure, competence and ORUM»:http://www.norum.ru/doc/en/chapter1.html is a private management company, which is responsible for operating the North West and West Russia Regional Venture Fund I and II on behalf of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The Industrial Development Corporation of Norway SIVA offers infrastructure, competence and network, see the SIVA’s concepts. SIVA is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry. SIVA has long experience in international business activities and innovative work in many countries as well as broad network, and SIVA’s work has been evaluated several times with very positive results.

Innovation Norway promotes nationwide industrial development profitable to both the business economy and Norways national economy, and helps release the potential of different districts and regions by contributing towards innovation, internationalisation and promotion.

Eksportfinans is the Norwegian Export Credit Agency. It is the joint institution of the banks and the Norwegian Government – whose purpose is to develop and offer competitive, long-term financial services to the export industries and the local government sector.

GIEK is the central governmental agency responsible for furnising guarantees and insurance of export credits. The Institute’s primary function is to promote export of Norwegian goods and services and Norwegian investment abroad.

The North Norwegian Film Centre / Nordnorsk Filmsenter AS
At 71 degrees North, in Honningsvåg – in the municipality of Northcape, the Film Centre of Northern Norway is undoubtedly the northernmost located film fund.
It is an independent regional centre for short and documentary films supported by the three counties in the north (Nordland, Troms and Finnmark) and the host municipality, and we distribute funds from the Norwegian Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The production grants for 2003 is approximately 500 000 euro.

Nordic Development Fund was established in 1989 as a multilateral development institution by the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) to promote economic and social development in developing countries by providing concessional credits to projects of interest to the Nordic countries. NDF Credits are provided by way of co-financing, normally parallel financing, with other, primarily multilateral financial, institutions (hereinafter referred to as the Lead Agency).

The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation is a risk capital institution financing environmental projects in Central and Eastern Europe. Its purpose is to facilitate the implementation of environmentally beneficial projects in the neighbouring region, with transboundary effects which also benefit the Nordic region.

The Nordic Investment Bank offers its clients, comprising businesses and organisations in the private and public sectors, long-term loans and guarantees on competitive market terms. NIB can help to finance projects presenting adequate security and a good risk classification, both within and outside the member countries. NIB was originally formed by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in the mid-1970s. In the beginning of 2005 NIB acquired three new members with the accession of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The Nordic Innovation Centre is the Nordic Council of Ministers single most important instrument for promoting an innovative and knowledge-intensive Nordic business sector. Our basic assumption is that each of the Nordic countries possesses knowledge, which through increased co-operation significantly will improve innovation capabilities and competitiveness for Nordic businesses.

Sami Development Fund the main aim of Sami Development Fund is strong and vivid society with stabile settlement and comprehensive economic activity, cultural and social life. The means will contribute to strengthen female participation and equal status in the economic activity.
The target group is the Sami people in Norway and the whole population within that geographical area. The whole population within the fund’s field of activity can apply for means from Sami development Fund. Sami Development Fund can finance enterprise that especially strengthens Sami language and culture in the rest of the country.

Official Nordic co-operation is a channelled through two organisations: the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.The Council of Ministers’ secretariat – in addition to its normal secretariat duties – also provides on-going supervision of the Nordic institutions as well as overall management
of the Nordic information offices in Saint Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.

NHO Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise is the main organisation for Norwegian employers. Membership consists of more than 16 000 enterprises ranging from small family-owned businesses to large industrial enterprises.

The Brønnøysund Register Centre is a government body under the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, and consists of several different national computerised registers. These registers contain information and key data about such matters as:

Liabilities and titles in mortgaged movable property
More than 280 000 business entreprises
More than 1 300 000 annual accounts and auditor’s reports of limited companies
Bankruptcies and compulsory liquidations
Approximately 200 000 marriage settlements

The Brønnøysund Register Centre contributes greatly towards creating improved and more orderly conditions in business, trade and industry. We are convinced that openness and traceability serve to counter white-collar crime. Reliable, impartial information yields financial security.

NGU is a national institution for knowledge on bedrock, mineral resources, surficial deposits and groundwater. NGU is a government agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (NHD).NGU shall actively contribute to ensuring that geoscientific knowledge is utilised for the effective and sustainable management of the nation’s natural resources and environment.
www.ngu.no

Norwegian Design Council main objective is to promote the understanding – and use – of professional design in market oriented product development and market communication, in order to increase competitiveness and profitability for the Norwegian industry.

Norwegian Space Centre is a government agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. NSC promotes the development, co-ordination and evaluation of national space activities as well as supports Norwegian interests in the European Space Agency (ESA). Membership in ESA and NSC’s own programmes are the key public means employed. Areas of focus are activities in which Norway can compete in the global market for space-related goods and services and which to a great degree are based on national qualifications and needs.

Norwegian Accreditation is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. Accreditation by Norwegian Accreditation demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators.

Research Council of Norway offers project financing to companies that invest in research and development. The mandate of the Council is to promote and support basic and applied research in all areas of science, technology, medicine and the humanities. Important goals include raising the general level of the understanding of research in society as a whole and supporting innovation in all sectors and branches of industry.

The Executive Committee for Northern Norway and Nord-Trøndelag (ECNN) has as its main purpose to manifest the areas wealth creation potential, identify, co-ordinate and solve tasks of common interest in the North. The purpose is to find the powerful common denominators around which the four owners of the Regional Committee – Nord-Trøndelag, Nordland, Troms and Finnmark county councils can unite. The area of ECNN is the northernmost region in Norway.

The Norwegian Patent Office is a national centre of competence for industrial property rights. The Norwegian Patent Office (NPO) is a government authority organized under the Ministry of Trade and industry. The NPO has approximately 270 employees working with legal issues, technology and science, finance and administration, as well as information and marketing services.

Registering

Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities (Enhetsregisteret)
The Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities registers basic data about legal entities to coordinate information on business and industry that resides in various public registers.
(http://www.brreg.no/english/registers/entities/)

Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret)
The Register of Business Enterprises registers all Norwegian and foreign business enterprises in Norway.
(http://www.brreg.no/english/registers/business/)

Norwegian Chambers of Commerce

Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Drammen Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Stavanger Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kristiansand Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kongsberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mid-Norway Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Tromsø Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Gjøvik-region Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Sarpsborg Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Norwegian County Councils

Akershus County Council