Objective

The Nordic Nexus Network (NNN) is a two-stage project that aims to accelerate sustainable innovation in the NEXUS sectors (Food, Energy, Water) to ensure a competitive and resilient Nordic region to 2050 and beyond. It seeks to establish a connected network of Nordic innovation ecosystems by pairing dynamic community ecosystems with vital testbed infrastructure, enabling them to share knowledge, best practices, resources, data, and supply chains. The project will create a large-scale, pan-Nordic enabling environment of collaborative Testbed Nodes (IEBP, Sotenäs Symbioscentrum, Gjøsund Harbour, Hirtshals Port) and Community Nodes (Iceland Ocean Cluster, Innovatum, ÅKP, Danish Ocean Cluster), equipped with a comprehensive set of innovation tools to ensure that critical solutions reach market faster and with maximized impact.

Context

Despite the Nordics’ global reputation for innovation and sustainability, only 30–40% of innovations reach market readiness (NCM 2021), and NEXUS innovations experience critical delays due to a lack of testbed infrastructure. The current landscape is highly fragmented, and less than 20% of Nordic testbeds are accessible to startups (SINTEF 2018). Furthermore, testbeds often operate in isolation, struggle with long-term financial sustainability, and face high thresholds for SME engagement. These limitations come at a crucial time. Nordic competitiveness, climate resilience, and sustainable development depend on bridging this gap. For example, scaling the circular economy could unlock $140 billion by 2030 (Norden 2021). The Nordic Nexus Network directly addresses this by activating and connecting innovation actors across borders and sectors, building on the strengths of successful models like Iceland’s 100% Fish.

Partners

The project is led by the Iceland Ocean Cluster in collaboration with Innovatum, Danish Ocean Cluster, ÅKP, Iceland Eco-Business Park, Sotenäs Symbioscentrum, Gjøsund Harbour, and Hirtshals Port.

Funding

The project is funded by Nordic Innovation under the Nordic Forward: Resilience and Competitiveness for 2050 program.