Business gardens and incubators have now moved from Siva to Innovation Norway

Bringing innovation support together under our organisation will build a strong innovation ecosystem that benefits all of Norway.
Snorklipping for næringshagene og inkubatorene, der rødt representerer Innovasjon Norge og blått representerer Siva. Markeringen ble foretatt av sdministrerende direktør Håkon Haugli i Innovasjon Norge (f.v.), statssekretær Vegard Grøslie Wennesland i Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet, statssekretær Sigrid Ina Simonsen i Kommunal- og distriktsdepartementet og administrerende direktør Jan Morten Ertsaas i Siva.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the business gardens and incubators, with red representing Innovation Norway and blue representing Siva. The ribbon was cut by our CEO Håkon Haugli (from left), State Secretary Vegard Grøslie Wennesland at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, State Secretary Sigrid Ina Simonsen at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and Siva CEO Jan Morten Ertsaas.
© Ingrid Langerud / Innovasjon Norge

The 2026 National Budget approved the transfer of the business garden and incubation programmes from the Industrial Development Corporation of Norway (Siva) to us. Siva and we initiated the transfer in close dialogue with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The transfer took effect on 1 April 2026.

On Tuesday 14 April, we officially marked the transfer at an event at our offices in Trondheim. Attendees included State Secretaries Vegard Grøslie Wennesland (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries) and Sigrid Ina Simonsen (Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development), as well as our CEO Håkon Haugli and Siva CEO Jan Morten Ertsaas.

‘This is a day we have been looking forward to. Bringing the innovation support schemes together will help simplify, improve and strengthen the business support system. This benefits our customers, our commissioning bodies and the use of public funds. I would like to thank Siva for taking the initiative and for managing the process so well. I am pleased that the organisations within the business support system took the initiative to make this transfer happen. We are turning our words into action when we say we want to simplify our services,’ says our CEO, Håkon Haugli.

We already manage the national cluster programme Norwegian Innovation Clusters in partnership with the Research Council of Norway and Siva. By bringing the management of clusters, business gardens and incubators together within our organisation, we will create a cohesive innovation system that is clear and accessible to you.

‘Going forward, we will make the most of having brought together our specialist expertise in innovation support. We see significant potential in this change and will refine our services to deliver even greater value to our customers,’ says Haugli.

As part of the transfer, 11 people who worked on the programmes at Siva have now joined us. They will continue to be based in Trondheim at our regional office for Trøndelag.

FACTS:

  • The Business Garden Programme and the Incubation Programme aim to drive growth, sustainable transformation and increased exports among businesses across Norway.
  • Through the programmes, companies gain access to expertise, networks, partners and capital, as well as the opportunity to draw on others' experience to accelerate their growth and development.
  • The two programmes comprise 73 companies across Norway, providing services to 4,500 businesses each year.
Published 14 Apr 2026Last updated 14 Apr 2026
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