Northern Norway Engineering Conference 2026

Conferences

Northern Norway Engineering Conference 2026

Panoramic view of Tromsø harbour, photo: Getty Images

How can we develop and strengthen Northern Norway together? The North Norwegian Engineering Conference highlights opportunities and challenges related to expertise, business development and community building in the north.

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Panoramic view of Tromsø harbour, photo: Getty Images

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Northern Norway Engineering Conference 2026

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At this year's conference, we are based on everything that is already happening in Northern Norway – and the choices that will affect the development going forward.

The Northern Norway Engineering Conference is not only a professional arena – it is also a meeting place for reflection and discussion. Here, engineers, technologists, union representatives and decision-makers gather to share experiences, build networks and discuss what it takes to make Northern Norway an even more attractive place to live and work. 

You will hear about developments in areas such as space travel, technology, innovation and health services – and concrete examples of businesses that are succeeding. Topics such as the increased presence of the Armed Forces, developments in Svalbard and challenges in working life provide several perspectives on how Northern Norway is affected – both locally and globally.

Through presentations from political leadership, the business community and public actors, you will get a clear picture of the framework conditions, opportunities and priorities going forward, while at the same time raising the more demanding questions: What will it take to retain expertise in the High North? How do we create attractive jobs and good local communities?

After the conference, we hope to have answered the question - why should you choose to stay in the north?

Program

Registration
Welcome to the Northern Norway Engineering Conference
Head of Department NITO Finnmark
The region in the coming years - What is unique about the North?
Political leadership
Questions and answers - political leadership
Moderated
What does the future hold for Northern Norway?
Hanne Karoline Kræmer - KBNN, CEO of Sparebanken Nord-Norge
Observation, emergency preparedness and global services
Trude Nilsen, General Manager Earth Observation Tromsø AS
Innovation - Startups, entrepreneurs and technology in the region
Asbjørn Lilletun, CEO Norinnova
Lunch
The paradoxes of Norwegian working life
Fredrik Fornes, Speaker, working life influencer, TEDx speaker, serial entrepreneur and best-selling author
Panel debate: Is Northern Norway rigged for the future?
Anders Paulsen, NHO Nordland, Hans Jacob Bønå County Mayor of Finnmark, Anne Berit Figenschau, Director, Innovation Norway Arctic. Moderated by Tora Lind Berg.
The Armed Forces' footprint in the region in the coming years
Army
Svalbard and the way forward
Terje Aunevik, Chairman of the Longyearbyen Community Council
North Norwegian health technology at its best
Tom Robert Elvebu, Deputy CEO Northern Norway Regional Health Authority ICT
From the shore in Risøyhamn to the high tide in Hong Kong
Frode Nilsen, CEO of LNS
Why the future is being built in Finnmark
Hans-Jacob Bønå, County Mayor of Finnmark
Conclusion and summary
The way forward - what have we learned, and what do we do now?
Conference dinner

Fredrik Fornes

Fredrik Fornes is Norway's biggest working life influencer, speaker and author. Through his channels on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok, he shares humorous and serious content on topics such as working life, career, recruitment and age discrimination. In total, he has over 200,000 followers in his channels, and has generated millions of views with his content. He has been ranked as Norway's third most influential voice on Norwegian LinkedIn, beaten only by Nicolai Tangen and Petter Stordalen. His book, "No one cares about your career – until you do it yourself" sold over 1000 copies in less than a month, and is now completely sold out. Fredrik has several times been a guest on programs such as God Morgen Norge, Dagsnytt 18 and TV2 Nyhetskompaniet, in addition to having given TEDx lectures. He is considered one of Norway's most sought-after speakers, and has been on stages all over the country.

Fredrik Fornes. Photographer Line Owren.

September 3rd - 08:30 - 10:00 Common

Negotiation psychology - from participation to influence

Negotiations are a psychological game. We start the day with joint presentations before the collective bargaining sessions go their separate ways. Join us and learn the secret of influence, persuasion and psychology.

Every day we negotiate about goods, interests and values. In every situation where you need to achieve something, you need insight into negotiation. Through a psychological perspective, you'll learn the secret of influencing and persuasion. You get to know your own natural defense mechanisms and how negotiation psychology can actually change the game - because the rules of the game are not what you think.

The speaker is Ole André Bråten, who for a number of years has assisted with advice and competence development in negotiation psychology.

In the lecture, you will get an introduction to the following:

  • What are psychological negotiation techniques?
  • How can we use negotiation psychology tactics in everyday life?
  • Psychological defense mechanisms – how do they affect us in negotiation?

By signing up for the collective bargaining session for your agreement area below, you are also signed up for this lecture on negotiation psychology in the morning.

3 September - 10:00 - 15:30 Tariff meetings per agreement area 

Ole André Bråten

Ole André Bråten is a well-known author and speaker with extensive experience in security, emergency preparedness and crisis management. He is a specialist in work and organizational psychology and has a background from NATO, the UN and the Norwegian police, as well as extensive advice for socially critical businesses. Bråten is the author of several textbooks, including Handbook in Crisis Management, and is widely used as a professional resource in the public and private sectors. He will lead us through the conference with his knowledge of operational understanding, decision psychology and ability to structure complex emergency preparedness topics into clear learning and insight.

Practical information

  • Accommodation is reserved for visitors, in accordance with the rules and regulations. NITO's travel policy.
  • The North Norwegian Engineering Conference is open to members in Region North and other union representatives who participate in the collective workshop for the state and spectrum.
  • For union representatives, NITO covers travel, subsistence, accommodation and any lost earnings when you also participate on 3 September.
  • You may be entitled to time off work to attend courses - remember to apply as early as possible.
  • Other members are welcome to participate, but may arrange accommodation and transport themselves.
  • We have a great demand for the conference and want all the seats to be used. For this reason, we invoice NOK. 500 NOK if you do not show up and have not reported your absence by the registration deadline.

Renate Bakkehaug

Senior Advisor

91151616

Janne-Iren Nerdal

Senior Advisor

99259218

Inge Lykseth

Regional Manager North

90933577