Enabling technologies

These technologies have significant potential for widespread adoption, both nationally and internationally. They drive innovation across industries and bring about major changes in society.

Enabling technologies include ICT, biotechnology and materials technology. The introduction of steam engines and electricity are examples of enabling technologies, as are digital technologies. ICT is crucial to value creation and efficiency in the private and public sectors. Advanced biotechnology can enable products based on renewable biological materials to replace almost all petroleum-based products, including energy. Materials technology and nanotechnology are also important in achieving a low-emission society.

The development of enabling technologies contributes to new solutions that can be applied across almost every area of society, including food production, energy efficiency, transport, and improved health and care services.

We offer a range of funding schemes that may be relevant to enabling technologies:

• The Environmental Technology Scheme supports the development and demonstration of enabling solutions to environmental challenges, provided you can describe and quantify the environmental impact.
• Innovation Contracts support the development of new solutions through close collaboration between a supplier and a pilot customer.

The grants above support innovative projects that develop and test a new product or service in the market.

• Green growth loan may be relevant once you reach the investment phase.

Funding is available to companies that plan to develop, demonstrate and test innovative enabling technology. The grant will reduce risk and help ensure that the solution is tested before commercialisation. We prioritise collaborative projects between suppliers and pilot customers.

This includes businesses of all sizes throughout Norway and across all industries.

We expect your company to uphold the principles of responsible business conduct and have guidelines for ethics and corporate social responsibility.

We are looking for technology that supports the green transition of Norwegian industry and individual sectors. Your project must have the potential to create value in Norway, strengthen the competitiveness of Norwegian companies and deliver long-term benefits for society, for example by improving the environment. We are seeking cross-sector solutions with a wide range of applications.

The solution must be significantly better than competing technologies currently available, and you must clearly describe the project's level of innovation and associated risks. In your application, you must clearly explain the market opportunities and how you plan to promote wider adoption of the technology.

You should support the project with evidence that demonstrates its feasibility and impact on your company.

We also offer other financial instruments that may be relevant to companies investing in the green transition. Innovation loans can support the commercialisation of new solutions, strengthen working capital, and fund growth and international expansion. Other funding schemes are also available from Enova, the Research Council of Norway and EU programmes for radical innovation.