History of The Explorer

The Explorer is one component of the Government’s initiative to position Norway as a pioneer in sustainability and to increase exports.

In January 2017, Innovation Norway was commissioned to develop The Explorer by Prime Minister Solberg. By September 2017, the digital showroom had begun to take shape. Innovation Norway was invited to the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit to share how Norway is working to create a more diversified national economy centred around sustainability. Cathrine Pia Lund, Director of Division Brand Norway, spoke to an engaged audience and presented a video of the forerunner to The Explorer.

Partners in development

Norway has formal partnerships with United Nations Global Compact, DNV GL and Sustainia. The Explorer was planned in collaboration with these partners, who are also the founders of the Global Opportunity Explorer.

The Explorer owes much of its structure to the Global Opportunity Explorer (GOE). Through several visits and reviews with the GOE team in Denmark, Norway’s development team gained essential insight into ways to connect pressing global sustainability problems with a diversity of solutions that address them. The Explorer strives to maintain standards as high as the GOE’s, both in the quality of content and the way it is presented.

The two Explorers complement one another and are maintaining the partnership with ongoing dialogue to facilitate exchange of ideas and plans for future development. The hope is that these platforms – and others – not only provide an community for exchange of solutions, but also are solutions themselves.