The company’s formal registered company name will be Norwegian Research Centre AS.
In NORCE, the leading research companies in southern Norway merge into a research giant that will make this area of Norway a leader in research, innovation and value creation. With its headquarters located in Bergen, NORCE will gather the forces of the Bergen-based Uni Research AS and Christian Michelsen Research AS, International Research Institute of Stavanger AS headquartered in Stavanger and Agderforskning AS and Teknova AS in southern Norway.
NORCE was established this autumn under the preliminary project name Forskningsselskapet SørVest AS, and has recently employed Elisabeth Maråk Støle as CEO. Now the brand name is also in place.
The acronym NORCE plays the English “Norse” with clear cultural and geographical references to the Nordic and Norwegian languages. NORCE can also be read as a composite word in which the first part of the acronym, NOR (Norwegian / Nordic), primarily identifies a cultural and geographical location, while the second part of the word, RCE (Research Centre) reflects the international research community that it will be an important part of. This gives the name an international sound base, which emphasizes the company’s ambition to raise competition with research institutes at home and abroad.
“This name takes a good look at the core business of the new company – research and innovation – and that it has a geographic base along the west and south coasts, while having ambitions to be an innovative company operating in an international market,” says Chairman of the Board Hans Olav Lindal.
“The name brings to mind both something original and something modern and powerful. It strongly supports what the board has defined as the company’s vision of being an innovative force in an international research field.”
The Board and General Assembly have now chosen the name NORCE – A pioneer in Norwegian Research and Innovation. The next step is to develop a logo and visual profile, again in close dialogue with owners and organizations.
“Both the board, our owners and our employees wanted a name and a profile that reflected opportunities and potential based on regional, national and international perspectives, and we also wanted it to reflect that many of our employees are English-speaking. We are confident that we have achieved this in choosing the name NORCE, “says chairman Hans Olav Lindal.
