“Our current strategy expires in a few months. Thus, we have initiated a new process to determine a new strategy for the 2024-2030 period,” says Tom Fidjeland, CEO of GCE NODE.
Based on a strategy seminar, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews with a select group, cluster participants will have ample opportunity to provide input to the development of GCE NODE for the remainder of this decade.
“How should we approach the green transition? And what about our activities in oil and gas, which is still core business for many participating companies. These are some major questions that will have to be asked and answered,” says Fidjeland.
To say that “a lot has happened” since the current strategy was defined in 2019, is a great understatement. A pandemic, and outbreak of a war in Europe, and a rapidly accelerating green transition have taken most by surprise.
“The last few years prove how important it is to adapt in a fast-changing world. It is of course hard to predict a pandemic and the outbreak of a war, but we have also been surprised by the fast technology transfer from oil and gas to industries such as offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture, aquaculture, and marine minerals,” says Fidjeland.
Asked if GCE NODE is about to leave behind it legacy of being an oil and gas cluster, Fidjeland says:
“We never go our own way – we always follow our participating companies. Within our largest companies there has been a transfer of both technology and attention from oil and gas to also include new industries. This is being reflected in the life of GCE NODE,” says Fidjeland.
The 2020s have been labelled “a decade of transition”. Fidjeland expects this to be reflected in the new strategy.
“Technology transfer and the green transition will greatly influence our companies in years to come. GCE NODE will also be affected by the decline and eventual halt of Innovation Norway funding. 30 per cent of the cluster’s income will be lost by 2026. This is something to take into consideration,” says Fidjeland.
He looks forward to talking about the strategy process at the GCE NODE Top Leader Forum in Kristiansand in November. The new GCE NODE strategy is to be implemented in April 2024.
