Northern Connection Living Lab supports SMEs
Insulation made from seagrass and customized solar panels for facades and roofs. These are just a few of the sustainable construction projects presented at the "Living Lab" in Gothenburg on May 8, 2019. The event was organized as part of Northern Connections – creating innovative partnerships between companies and clusters in the energy sector.
The goal of the Living Lab Event was to introduce various companies and organizations in sectors such as construction and real estate to new, innovative solutions for fossil-free construction. Around 150 participants from eight countries networked and made important new business contacts. Many new collaborations are expected to emerge.
27 companies represented
More than 40 SMEs expressed interest in participating and presenting their products and solutions at the event. Ultimately, 17 of them were selected to give a two-minute pitch on stage and have one-on-one conversations with interested parties. Ten additional companies also participated and had their own booths at the event.
"We made a lot of new contacts here. It was a fantastic event...much bigger than I expected.", says Kirsten Lynge of the Danish company Læsø and one of the founders of Læsø Zostera. Læsø Zostera uses a long-established method of harvesting washed-up seagrass. They then use modern techniques to convert the grass into environmentally friendly, highly effective insulation for buildings.
A trend in the market
Xavier Flasse of ISSOL, a company that offers custom-made integrated solar panels for roofs and facades, sees a trend in the market. Flasse: “There's significant interest in creating attractive building shells that can also convert solar energy into electricity. What happened here today confirms the trend we're currently seeing in the market. There's definitely a growing demand for climate-smart products and solutions.".
Upcoming Northern Connection Living Labs
The event was organized by Business Region Gothenburg, Innovatum, and Sustainable Business Hub as part of Northern Connections – a partnership of 22 clusters, cities, regions, and knowledge institutions working together to create innovation links between companies and clusters in the energy sector.
Next upcoming Living Lab event in Hamburg
A similar Living Labs event will take place in Hamburg on June 13th, organized by the Hamburg Energy Cluster and the city of Flensburg. This time, two Living Lab case studies will be presented on new sustainable urban developments in Hamburg and the Flensburg region. The focus of these Living Labs will be on District Energy Supply Solutions (power, heating, and cooling) and sustainable mobility solutions such as charging infrastructure, e-mobility, car sharing, etc.
