The project “A knowledge-based Sogn og Fjordane” is one of several sub-project in "A knowledge-based Norway” (www.ekn.no). The overall goal of this project is to contribute to long-term economic growth in Sogn og Fjordane - and thus to the preservation of viable and attractive communities To realize this goal, the project will be fact-based - to build on a solid knowledge base. Furthermore, the project will address the major challenges in the region, identify the causes of these, discuss solutions to the challenges and end in specific measures.

The project is based on statistics and trends in economic development and demographic trends and other challenges,  and will explore the situation in Sogn og Fjordane. What are the myths, what are the facts about trends in Sogn og Fjordane? How should business environments, knowledge actors and the public support system could address the challenges that are in the county, identify reasons, discuss possible solutions to the challenges and recommend concrete actions?

“A knowledge-based Norway” is a further development of the projects A competitive Norway (1992) and A value creating Norway (2001). These projects focus on cooperation, interdependence and externalities between different actors in the economy, and categorize the actors differently than traditional economic analyses that are based on industrial classifications that groups enterprises according to similarity in their internal activities and processes. Even if Sogn og Fjordane do not have any clusters as defined by Porter (1998) it is useful to use the cluster perspective because it emphasises the interaction between actors. This interplay is the driver for innovation and to study the mechanisms of technology and organization upgrading, but also to the creation and flow of knowledge in knowledge hubs.

“A knowledge based Sogn og Fjordane like the national project have a strong focus on mechanisms for knowledge creation and flow.  In a world that is becoming more global, and more specialized, these mechanisms are becoming more important and knowledge suppliers more central to the value creating processes.