Trondheim municipality

Trondheim Municipality has awarded NOK 50,000 to Ocean Autonomy Cluster to establish two travel grants of NOK 25,000 each for Trondheim-based ocean technology companies seeking to expand into the US market. The grant will support a company participating in an delegation to TMA BlueTech Week in San Diego in October 2026. The initiative is part of Ocean Autonomy Cluster's long-term effort to connect companies from the Trondheim region with international markets, partners and technology ecosystems. Since its establishment in 2020, Ocean Autonomy Cluster has worked to develop international relationships, particularly in the US, Canada and Europe. One of its key international partners is TMA BlueTech, a San Diego-based organisation and network connecting companies, research institutions and other stakeholders across the blue technology sector. OAC has helped several companies from Trøndelag establish connections with the TMA BlueTech ecosystem. The new travel grant is intended to give a relatively mature startup or scale-up an opportunity to take the next step towards the US market. Building bridges between Trondheim and San Diego The travel grant builds on the collaboration between Ocean Autonomy Cluster and TMA BlueTech, including The US–Norwegian Ocean Tech Symposium, which was piloted in Trondheim in June 2026. The symposium brought together companies and technology communities from Norway and the US with the ambition of creating new commercial partnerships and attracting international companies to Trondheim and the Trondheim region. The long-term goal is to strengthen the links between the two ecosystems and encourage more international companies to establish partnerships or operations in Trøndelag, while helping Norwegian scale-ups access the US market. “International networks are essential for companies that want to scale ocean technologies. This grant gives a Trondheim-based company an opportunity to explore the US market together with an established delegation and ecosystem in San Diego,” says Frode Halvorsen, Cluster Manager at Ocean Autonomy Cluster. A boost for international growth Trondheim Municipality considers the initiative a good opportunity to help relatively mature scale-ups gain access to new markets, while also strengthening Trondheim’s position as a technology capital and promoting the region’s ocean technology ecosystem. “The initiative is a good opportunity to help relatively mature scale-ups gain access to new international markets. At the same time, it strengthens Trondheim’s position as a technology capital and helps promote the region’s ocean technology ecosystem and test arenas internationally,” says Lisa Marie Dickson, Senior Advisor for International Business Relations at Trondheim Municipality. The municipality also highlights the potential to attract more international companies to the region and establish new partnerships with companies in Trøndelag. Open to Trondheim-based ocean technology companies Two travel grants of NOK 25,000 each will be awarded to relatively mature Trondheim-based startups or scale-ups working with ocean technology and in the commercialisation phase. Among the criteria are that the company: has ambitions and a basis for scaling technology with commercial potential in the US; has a product suitable for the American market; is based in Trondheim and operates within ocean technology; and preferably has developed its technology in Trondheim and in collaboration with Testination. The recipient will be selected by a jury, with Trondheim Municipality approving the final selection based on the agreed criteria and justification. The grant will be announced in connection with the visit of a TMA BlueTech-led US delegation to Trondheim on 1 June. Strengthening Trondheim as an ocean technology hub The initiative also contributes to the wider ambition of promoting Testination and the Trondheim Fjord as a test area and increasing international awareness of the ocean technology environment in Trøndelag. OAC aims for the Ocean Tech Symposium to develop into an annual event that attracts international companies and activity to Trondheim. The NOK 50,000 grant from Trondheim Municipality is earmarked for two travel grants of NOK 25,000 each, enabling two companies to participate in the OAC delegation to TMA BlueTech Week in San Diego in October 2026. The support is provided as de minimis aid under the applicable EEA state aid rules.

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