Being at the 2020 Arctic Frontiers Conference
Dates: 26-30 January 2020[image error]
Place: Tromso, Norway
Conference Theme: The power of knowledge
About the event: The Arctic Frontiers conference is a leading event in the Arctic Region. It is a forum where discussions on the present state and the future of the region are discussed and deliberated on. The importance of the region and its impact on the global ecosystems of every kind can be seen by the range of speakers and panelists on the program. It was an absolute pleasure and honor for me to be part of this important event.
[image error]Photo Courtesy: Einar (Just finalizing the presentations)
Einar Rasmussen and I from Nord University, Bodo joined colleagues from The Arctic University of Norway at Tromso (Lene, Eva, Bjonar) and from the University of Stavanger (Babak) in leading a side event titled
“Connecting scientific research and entrepreneurship” Link: https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/614/side-events/
We presented five different perspectives on the importance of how corporations, universities and startups can come together in bringing scientific research to the market. This was followed by a panel with leading experts (industry veteran, University Rector, a CEO, and a senior incubation executive) from the region. During the 30 minute panel discussion, they shared their views on how scientific knowledge can be applied to solve societal challenges including UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The world is grappling with the potential consequences of having the Arctic Region open up for more action. Issues relating to climate change, reduction in the ice cover, opening of trade routes, etc only showcase the paradoxes that lie in how this needs to be managed for a sustainable future. This event brought to the focus the important role of plugging in scientific knowledge into the debate via entrepreneurship. This is interesting for several reasons and is itself filled with innumerable challenges. We hope our sessions triggered enough ideas for the various people who attended the session.
I learned a lot from the session presentations, panel and post event discussions with experts from various public and private enterprises. This has enhanced my personal interest in doing more about sustainability in general and sustainable entrepreneurship in particular. Interestingly, this comes at an important time for me! I am presently designing and will be offering a new course titled “social and sustainable entrepreneurship” at Nord University. This is part of our exciting new Master’s course in Global Management. Look here for more details: https://www.nord.no/en/studies/master-of-science-in-global-management
Big Take-away: Sustainability is an important topic. It is a complex challenge. No one solution is enough. Everyone of us needs to do our part in ensuring a sustainable planet.
