The Gjedebo Family Donates NOK 50 Million to Innovation Research at UiS

This is fantastic news! And first class community building, says UiS rector Aslaug Mikkelsen, who just cannot thank the Gjedebo family enough.

The donation is one of the largest gifts ever made in Norway. It makes it possible to develop a research environment which is unique both in Norway and internationally. The center will conduct research at a high international level within innovation and contribute to value creation and welfare.

The research will provide a better basis for education and development of entrepreneurial attitudes in companies, the public sector and among students. The proximity to students and the research environment will increase the catchment area for potential entrepreneurs and promote technology development and incubator activity at Ullandhaug.

University builder
Behind this donation is Mr. Jon Gjedebo, his wife Mrs. Torunn Lange Gjedebo and their two sons, Tore and Finn.

We have for some time been thinking of giving a donation to the university and been looking for the right purpose and opportunity. It all came together when we heard of the Center for Innovation Research. It fit like a glove. This was just what we had been waiting for so the choice was very simple, says Tore Gjedebo, managing director of Styrbjørn AS, the family investment company.

The father, Jon Gjedebo, is one of the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs in the Stavanger region. His company Hitec was for many years one of the region's most important businesses with its high technological and innovative products linked to remote controlled drilling operations. The company was later sold to National Oilwell.

The last few years Jon Gjedebo has distinguished himself through the establishment of industrial centers at Hinna Park in Stavanger and in Asia together with large investments in real estate in Norway and abroad. He has earlier donated four million to UiS and is therefore among the university builders who played a decisive role in the establishment of the university.

Torunn Lange Gjedebo has been an enthusiast in the development of Nasjonalforeningen in Stavanger and of the senior citizen center Skipper Worse which she managed for many years. She has contributed to a renewal of senior citizen policy in Stavanger

Of great importance
Rector Aslaug Mikkelsen appreciates the donation from the Gjedebo family. She underlines that the center will be of great importance for research and innovation in a number of areas. It will contribute to developing a culture of inquisitiveness and innovation at Ullandhaug founded on our applied and basic research, she says.

We do not believe there is necessarily a linear connection between basic research and applied research. It does not mean that we first need basic research which will lead to applied research and then to industrial development and commercialization. This may happen in some cases, but it is oftener linked to problems in organization, management, marketing or cost effectiveness that have to be solved. Contact with users is central in those processes and a main source of innovation, Mikkelsen says.

Jon Gjedebo responds:

Rogaland is an innovative region and there is much innovation to do research on. Stavanger has a history as Fortuna's city with industrial development from canning to printing and petroleum and then to finance industries. Stavanger is a natural place for this center.

Energy and Welfare
Technologically based innovation is decisive for creating welfare in society. Research at UiS and IRIS is a rich source for such development.

We also have the work done in the applied fields in many of the study programs for the different professions.

Rector Mikkelsen wants the Center for Innovation to have an interdisciplinary profile and focus on solutions of important challenges in society and industry. To study the conditions necessary for success is a central topic.

We need new technology to reduce the emission of climate gases, and we have to develop alternative forms of energy. We need new products and services which can support our welfare society and at the same time handle the cost of our way of life, Mikkelsen says, and mentions the global challenges which have to be solved regionally and that the region always has been known for innovation, entrepreneurs, go getting spirit and politicians who are willing to follow up.

The center will try to formulate what is little understood and ask questions about how understanding can become possible and contribute to comprehension. Both faculty and students play an essential role because they possess competence to be used in innovation. It all about releasing creativity in each other. Solve problems in cooperation and break down barriers, she concludes.

Text: Thomas Bore Olsen
Photo: Håkon Vold