Paper short abstract:

How does global request for green shift towards more sustainable energy economies takes place locally? The focus of the paper is on Nordic and Gulf region business interactions in smart energy sector and sociocultural dimensions of developing energy technologies in intercultural environments.

Paper long abstract:

In 2016, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's growing cluster for clean-tech companies facilitated the establishment of the Nordic Innovation Hub (NIH) - a business incubator designed to bring Nordic clean technologies to the Gulf. The initiative was formed after the Nordic Council of Ministers provided a mandate to assist Nordic companies in exploring opportunities in green technology market in the Gulf. The paper will focus on challenges and opportunities the Nordic companies face in developing smart energy cooperation projects in the Gulf.

The case is based on a post-doctoral research that aims to explore how the global request for green shift towards more sustainable energy economies takes place locally in particular within cooperation projects. Nordic and Gulf region business interactions in the smart energy sector and the socio-cultural dimensions of developing energy technologies in challenging intercultural environments is the focus of the study.