Building AI competence in Bergen

‘We support Norwegian Cognitive Center so that corporations can hoist their sails and stay in the digitalization race’, says Siren Sundland, Chair of Agenda Vestlandet and Executive Vice President at Sparebanken Vest.

Agenda Vestlandet is a foundation established by Sparebanken Vest as a driving force in the green shift.

‘We see that artificial intelligence is quickly disrupting established business models in all industries’, Sundland (Photo) says.

Norwegian Cognitive Center assists companies in applying AI to their operations, and build competence and capability for the industry.

Sundland points out that it can be expensive to develop competitive technology in this field for different organizations. Therefore, the need for a competence center that can work across both individual companies and industries to raise capability is substantial.

‘It is a tough international competition, and we need to be at the top of our game’, Sundland says.

Norwegian Cognitive Center (NCC) is a joint initiative and effort at the intersection of academia, the private and public sectors. The ambition is to ensure access to relevant expertise, accelerate applied AI, and give businesses and cooperations in Norway a distinct and robust competitive advantage.

Joint effort

NCC started as a project in NCE Media but was soon established as a joint effort between several Norwegian industry clusters; GCE Ocean Technology, NCE Finance Innovation, NCE Seafood Innovation, Proptech Innovation, and NCE Media, all working at the forefront of AI development and innovation for their respective companies and members. IBM was chosen as the technology partner.

A broader consortium is also part of the initiative, with the City of Bergen, Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the University of Bergen, Norce, Western Norway University College, Helse Bergen, NORA (the national network of universities working with AI), NHH as key players. NCE Maritime Cleantech, Norwegian Smart Care Cluster, and VIS Innovation are also part of the consortium.

Up and running

NCC is located in Media City Bergen, and activities are up and running.

– A number of projects, all aiming to accelerate digitalization and competitiveness, are now initiated, along with webinars, workshops, and seminars, says Odd Gurvin, Project Manager at NCC.

– The center is fully operating, open to everyone.

If you need assistance and aid in starting your AI journey, just get in touch. With the support from Agenda Vestland, our activity will increase substantially in the future, and our capacity will more than double, Gurvin concludes.

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Our organization can provide information, introductions to useful contacts, and even help you to find your ideal business location in Greater Bergen. If you’re interested in these services, simply get in touch with us today.