The UiS Business School and the Centre for Innovation Research are participating in a new circular bioeconomy initiative in Western Norway

Biocircle is one of eight projects that were successful in the fierce competition for winning funding from the Research Council of Norway under its Capacity Pledge.

The Capacity Pledge will contribute towards increased value creation and restructuring in the business sector through cooperation between research and educational institutions and regional businesses and industry. 

Biocircle shall ensure that research-based solutions in the circular economy are transferred and utilised by the business sector in the region. The project will build a regional resource platform for circular innovation and interaction between research, businesses, the public sector and education. Those involved will be part of a larger network that will boost expertise on circular bioeconomy in the business sector, as well as encourage increased interdisciplinary cooperation. 

The UiS Business School and the Centre for Innovation Research are contributing towards research and education  

The project, which is being led by Norce, has a total budget of NOK 44 million and is scheduled to continue until 2028. Assistant Professor Silje Haus-Reve from the UiS Business School is heading one of the project’s work packages. Haus-Reve is also affiliated with the Centre for Innovation Research at the UiS.  

"In this project, we will be focusing on bio-based value chains and promoting processes and innovations aimed at green and circular economy in our region. Norway, and not least Western Norway, has several comparative advantages for succeeding and being involved in this development. Biocircle will play an important role in this development. The project could provide opportunities for increased value creation and become an important factor in securing jobs in the regional areas," says Haus-Reve. 

"The way the project is organised, the transfer of knowledge being planned and not least the regional perspective, lie at the very heart of the leading innovative research being conducted by several researchers at the Centre for Innovation Research. It will be very exciting to gain an insight into these processes from the inside, to help increase capacity and to conduct research on what promotes processes and innovation aimed at green restructuring. 

Students involved in the project 

Students from the UiS Business School will participate in the Biocircle project by working on project assignments and being involved in internships with the project’s business partners. 

"By having better insight and dialogue we can, in our capacity as an educational institution, ensure that our students enter the labor market with competence that is in demand, and we can offer tailormade courses for businesses based on their needs and expertise," says Haus-Reve.

Will contribute towards innovation, restructuring and value creation throughout the country  

"I would like to congratulate the business community and institutions on their success in this open and very fierce competition. These are projects in important industries such as fisheries, bioeconomy and care technology that will contribute towards innovation, restructuring and value creation throughout the country," says Minister of Local Government and Rural Affairs Bjørn Arild Gram in a government press release about the award. 

Tekst: Silje Marnburg Ellefsen