In order to release the full potential of research and innovation to improve people’s lives, the interactions and synergy between people, sectors, organisations and institutions need to be improved and reoriented towards a fair, sustainable and inclusive society. 

Norway has the potential for leading the way in building a collaborative and socially minded system of research and innovation. In our vision, citizens, governing bodies, research institutions and businesses will work together in developing and making available knowledge, solutions, services and goods. Together they will create value and make it widely available to enable all citizens to live well and manage resources sustainably.  

Citizens, policy makers, researchers and businesses will bring their unique perspective and resources and by engaging with each other will be compelled to think critically about future challenges and possibilities. Collaboration will be based on their capacity to question and to challenge each other, to be open and accountable. In this environment trust can be earned and participants can become responsible and collaborative agents of change. Innovation that is developed through mutual engagement, that is co-produced through an open and fair process can be ambitious in its aim and humble in pursuing it considerately. Innovation will be daring, not reckless; it will reach further but respect its limits. 

AFINO will work in planting the seeds that can produce this model of innovation. We will promote experiments in participatory and collaborative forms of innovation. We will support activities of engagement, knowledge sharing, foresight and future literacy. We will help early career scientists and other professionals across various sectors and organisations to develop the skills for conducting responsible research and innovation. 

We believe that by 2030 the Norwegian innovation system will have valuable expertise and robust mechanisms to incorporate and increasingly prioritise consideration for ethics, sustainability and social needs in its working. We expect Norway to be a leader in the capacity of diagnosing and anticipating strategic societal needs and in mobilizing the knowledge and skills dispersed across society to address them in a timely and sustainable way.