Norway contributes to sustainable business development in Lithuania: six green innovation projects are launched
The Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA), implementing the 2014-2021 Norway Grants has signed agreements with 6 Lithuanian private businesses to finance 6.7 million euros for the implementation of green innovation ideas.With the help of Norway, Lithuanian companies will develop and implement a system for careful sorting of unnecessary vehicle parts, improve the development of green energy for electric vehicles, modernize PET bottle production, increase the use of recycled materials in the construction market, optimize production processes and create innovative and sustainable CO2 facades. footprint.
The European Union is committed to the principle of sustainable development: to create a competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy. Norway contributes to this by investing intensively not only in its own economy, but also in the economies of other less advanced EU countries, which number about 15. Lithuania is no exception. In recent years, Lithuania has been catching up with other countries and closing the gap in business sustainability.
"The country's level of competitiveness depends directly on its ability to innovate. We cannot yet boast a wealth of green investment, but companies that care about sustainability are slowly growing. Lithuanian businesses are beginning to realize that blind profit-seeking must be replaced by responsibility for climate change. Companies are increasingly looking for solutions to contribute to environmental protection. The financial investment of Norway Grants is a great incentive and opportunity for Lithuanian business to implement green innovations, ”says Ina Sinkevičiūtė, Head of the Business Development, Innovation and SME Program of Norway Grants.
Terra recycling, one of the six Lithuanian companies participating in the program, is developing a closed-loop waste management system that will allow valuable raw materials to be extracted from unsorted car scrap. The volume of scrap metal in the country is growing every year - not collecting waste suitable for re-use, losing large sums of money and irreparably polluting nature. The aim of the project is to maximally sort the scrap of car parts, to collect and prepare valuable non-ferrous metals for secondary use and to separate plastics.
Another participant in the program, Avago, is developing a technological process for the production of sound-insulating acoustic panels from recycled polyurethane, plastic and rubber waste. The lack of sound insulation is a curse of modern construction, people are tired of hearing every step of the neighborhood. Innovative acoustic panels from recycled waste can help solve the problem. Climate change is forcing us to look for new ways to turn waste into resources and make useful products from recyclable materials.
Soli Tek R&D will make everyday life easier for those who drive electric cars - the solution being developed will allow them to be loaded autonomously and conveniently. The market for renewable electricity and electric vehicles is constantly growing, which requires convenient and innovative solutions.
Artificial intelligence will help produce greener PET packaging. Sprana intends to develop a new inspection system for packaging blanks to detect black spots and other contaminants at an early stage of production. Controls will be carried out through online monitoring and analysis, thus increasing the concentration of recycled materials in production processes. Machine monitoring and artificial intelligence technologies will help to achieve this.
Energy Advice offers predictive maintenance in production, which is currently considered to be the most advanced method of maintaining production equipment. It is based on technology that captures a wide range of data with the help of sensors, reading temperature, vibration, conductivity, etc., and the collected information is placed in the clouds. This information is then processed with the help of algorithms - historical and real-time data are analyzed, from which decisions are made on how to perform various processes more efficiently in order to achieve lower production costs and better results.
The lightning-fast construction sector in Lithuania also requires sustainable solutions. During the project, Staticus will develop a less polluting, automated façade system integrated into building management systems. This solution is particularly needed in the construction sector, which is gradually moving towards more sustainable and advanced digitalisation solutions. The project offers a remote facade maintenance system that reduces CO2 footprints and will contribute to green change both nationally and internationally.
Norway is one of the largest exporters of green innovation in Europe and even worldwide. It has created a favorable environment for its businesses to create and innovate through a variety of programs and organizations. Not only financial incentives are important, but also favorable conditions for the development of innovation. For example, Norwegians have created a virtual platform, The Explorer, where innovators from Norway can present and sell their solutions to potential customers around the world. This channel opens up opportunities to grow even the smallest companies.