Sustainable Innovation? Addressing challenges and finding opportunities in a rural region of Norway.

Abstract: A key question for researchers is what blockages are on the pathway towards a sustainable transformation? This research is exploratory and advocacy based, taking place within a rural region in Norway. It involved two interconnected questions: Q1. What are the challenges to increasing environmentally sustainable performance in the region? Q2. What solutions could increase environmentally sustainable performance and the region’s overall competitive advantage? The initial research focused on looking at the technical side of sociotechnical change. However, unexpected blockages on the socio side arise therefore, a second iteration of the research focused on the socio blockages. The research demonstrated there is a desire by environmental leaders to increase sustainability in the region, what lacks is the capability to integrate economic, societal and economic sustainability into policy and action. The challenges to change are reinforced by a strong resistance to letting outsiders play a leadership role. Regional level findings support prior research demonstrating Norway's oil industry crowding out innovation in other areas. The findings in the region may serve as antecedents as to blockages on a national level. The research discusses some possible ways of catalyzing a sustainable transformation without the pain generally needed to start one. Key findings are Norwegian net exports mostly being raw resources might be driven by policies that were founded long ago and may have caused a deeply embedded world-view of resource exploration rather than resource value add as the focus of the economy. The Norwegian innovation system is not particularly innovative when compared to its neighbors yet, the process of reshaping culture to be so are not being addressed as policy or results. Finally, some perspectives and world views that may help to facilitate a transformation spark are offered and suggestions for future research.