He was part of a Norwegian expert group on digitalization and data sharing which presented a report to the Norwegian Minister of Regional Development and Digitalization last year. A recent government white paper on the same subject is in part based on the expert group’s report.
“New technology is in itself not a source for value creation, unless companies are willing to make the necessary changes in their organization, work processes and business models, to fully utilize the new technology,” says Viste, citing conclusions from the report.
For companies it is essential to acquire knowledge about the opportunities presented by new technology.
“If you are looking to take advantage of data, you will need to have access to the right competence. The lack of relevant competence is the main reason why companies, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, are unable to exploit the potential for value creation from data. Many do not have employees with insight into data analysis and artificial intelligence,” says Viste.
GCE NODE has offered a series of courses to build such competence in cluster companies.
“Conclusions in the report are well aligned with courses offered by GCE NODE Business Development Lab, such as “From Data to Value” and “Quick Wins and Deep Dive”. Also, various webinars and other competence increasing measures are designed to assist companies in taking advantage of data-driven business opportunities,” says Viste.
According to the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, the purpose of the white paper is to present the government’s policy for value creation based on data as a resource.
“The emergence of the computer economy is expected to be an important driver for economic growth. Better utilization of data is important if Norway is to succeed in the transition to a more sustainable society and a greener economy. The Government’s ambition is to increase the sharing of data within the business community and between the public and private sectors,” says Minister Linda Hofstad Helleland.
The expert group:
- Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO of Sintef (chair)
- John Markus Lervik, CEO of Cognite
- Jan Helge Viste, Project Manager at GCE NODE
- Liv Dingsør, CEO of Digital Norway
- Arve Føyen, partner at Føyen Torkildsen
- Erland Kjesbu, CEO of Landbrukets Dataflyt
- Terje Seljeseth, Head of Analyses at Stiftelsen Tinius
- Jan Børre Rydningen, Senior Advisor at GCE Blue Maritim Cluster
- Astrid Undheim, Head of Technology and Development at SpareBank SMN
- Anne Torill Nordsletta, Head of Department at Nasjonalt senter for e-helseforskning
