Elements of Innovation

The unique Nordic advantages as a competitive edge for innovation

The Elements of Innovation is inspired by the periodic table and serves as a tool for innovation, arranged categorically with corresponding cards for each element,  co-developed by P1 Chief Scientific Officer Camilla Nørgaard Jensen and P1 Director, Prof. Serge Belongie.

With the ambition of transforming scientific breakthroughs into impactful innovation, the Elements of Innovation is developed to inspire Moonshots and innovation projects drawing on the unique Nordic advantages as a competitive edge for innovation.

Earning the element of AI in innovation

While the element of AI has not yet been fully earned, and certain components such as sufficient venture capital or a large engineering workforce also appear to be missing, Denmark and the Nordic Region possess unique strengths that can offer a distinctive competitive edge for innovation. These strengths are rooted in deep trust in institutions, strong democratic values, a long tradition of collaborative culture, and an ecosystem grounded in openness and responsibility.

Drawing on the principles that shaped Nordic Cuisine, Nordic Design, and the Nordic Film manifestos: high quality, authenticity, local resources, and transparency - the process of earning AI for innovation, and co-creating the brand for Nordic AI, these movements show how locally rooted practices values can achieve global impact.

By leveraging the cultural DNA of the Nordics, P1 and initiatives such as CAISA and the Nordic AI Partnership are actively co-creating and shaping a distinctive Nordic AI narrative, built on resourcefulness, cooperative models, and cultural values that enable systems to function here in ways they could not elsewhere.