/ Entrepreneurs to provide new solutions
The Parks Department and Engineering Department sign agreements to help solve waste management and infrastructure monitoring challenges in a new way.
The signing comes after Kristiansand became the first municipality in Norway to invite innovation environments to solve municipal challenges. A number of companies took part in the competitions to solve the challenge of waste management in the archipelago for the parks department and to improve the monitoring of critical infrastructure for the engineering department. The winners will now work on their ideas in close cooperation with the municipality. The agreements include the development of a minimum solution to be ready during the year.
The company Clean Sea Solutions will further develop its idea for the parks department, with the aim of making it easier for boaters to dispose of their waste.
- "Waste management is a major challenge throughout the archipelago service from Hvaler to Western Norway. This competition is an exciting way to approach possible new solutions, says Kurt Tange Jensen, project manager in the park service. Autility AS won the competition to develop a solution for better monitoring of critical infrastructure for the engineering department. Roads, water and sewage are basic and important functions for society. The engineering department wants data from operational information to be collected and easily accessible, so that those on duty can make good, quick and correct decisions about necessary measures. Operational information from existing sensors and future planned low-cost sensors will be included in such a system, says Torfinn Jore, project manager at the engineering department.
From left: Ole Jacob Rynning-Tønnesen, Business Region Kristiansand, Tor-Fredrik Axelsen, zone manager, park service, Kurt Tange Jensen, production manager, park service, Per Elvestuen, Founder Clean Sea Solutions, Kjersti Berg, StartOff, senior advisor DFO.
- Innovation is essential for business development
Innovation communities were invited through the new national initiative StartOff to compete for new solutions to manage waste in the archipelago. The aim of the initiative is to address the needs of the municipality and help the public sector use new innovative companies to solve challenges.
- "Innovation is an important element for business development, and this gives small businesses a unique opportunity to develop their product together with a large, potential customer," says Geir Haugum, Head of Business Region Kristiansand Municipality. It is advisor in Business Region Kristiansand, Stein Otto G. Daatland, who, together with colleague Ole Jacob Rynning-Tønnesen, is organizing the initiative on the part of the municipality.
From left: Sebastian Videhult, Utility, Richard Gumpen Hasselberg, Engineering, Kjetil Breistein, Engineering, Andreas Almedal, Engineering and André Keane, Utility (Photo: Kristin Wallem Timenes, Kristiansand Municipality).
A long-awaited initiative
Per Elvestuen, founder of Clean Sea Solutions, says they have been waiting for initiatives like this.
- Competitions launched in this way through StartOff are long overdue. These are the kind of solutions we need to get start-up companies up to a level where they can compete for contracts. This is a low-threshold offer that we were enthusiastic about from the first second," says the entrepreneur.
The solution they are now working on for the Kristiansand Parks Department is a floating waste return point that can be used by visitors to the archipelago.
Return point (Illustration: Clean Sea Solutions I SEANICS - Saga Studio Aps).
Hope more municipalities follow Kristiansand
The starting point for StartOff projects are problems for which a public sector organization is seeking new solutions. Senior advisor at DFO, Kjersti Berg, believes there is a great potential for municipalities to use StartOff.
- We hope more municipalities will follow Kristiansand's desire to give innovative companies the opportunity to solve problems in a new way.
Berg says that there are many start-up companies ('startups') eagerly waiting for a suitable StartOff competition to apply for. To this end, a mailbox has been set up to receive proposals from entrepreneurs.
- Here they can submit proposals for competitions they would like to apply for, to help ensure that public needs are better met," she says.
You can read more about the ongoing projects mentioned on the StartOff website.
