The recent study by forumNordic (see below) on the international visibility of Nordic innovations examines the challenges Nordic companies and scientific bodies face in gaining global attention—a key factor for exports, investments, and talent acquisition. The report identifies inadequate international visibility as a major hindrance to leveraging the region’s innovations for economic growth and proposes actionable solutions to address this gap.
Nordic markets are too small to sustain large-scale investments without global outreach. However, analysis of international media coverage from 2020 to 2024 (including The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Economist) reveals that Nordic innovations receive scant attention. Of 40 major Nordic companies studied, only four Danish firms—Vestas, Novo Nordisk, Orsted, and Maersk—achieved notable visibility due to specific geopolitical or product-related factors. Government-supported research bodies like Vinnova, VTT, and Innovationsfonden received almost no international coverage.
Current methods to increase visibility, such as English-language press releases, trade fairs, and paid articles, are costly and offer limited reach. Press releases often fail to resonate internationally, while trade fairs provide short-lived impact. Moreover, fragmented efforts by individual Nordic governments lack coordination and fail to deliver sustained global interest.
To address these challenges, the study advocates for a centralized platform, forumNordic, launched in March 2024. The platform offers free, ad-free, English-language articles that showcase Nordic innovations across diverse sectors. This single, searchable site highlights the strengths of the Nordic model—high living standards, democratic governance, and innovation diversity—while targeting business leaders, researchers, and skilled workers globally. It has already garnered growing readership and supports users by allowing them to reuse its content in their communications.
ForumNordic’s approach aims to create cost-effective, long-term visibility for Nordic innovations by consolidating information and tapping into global curiosity about the region’s unique socio-economic and cultural model. The initiative aspires to transform the visibility landscape for Nordic enterprises and scientific projects, fostering global partnerships, investments, and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
