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SINTEF AS

SINTEF

SINTEF is a broad, multidisciplinary research organisation with international top-level expertise in the fields of technology, the natural sciences, medicine, and the social sciences.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Advanced Materials Act

13 Jan 2026

SINTEF provides input to this public consultation by answering the on-line questionnaire. SINTEF is a member of the Innovative Advanced Materials Initiative (IAM-I) and supports their main recommendations as expressed in IAM-Is Position Paper on the Advanced Materials Act. In addition, SINTEF takes the opportunity to emphasise some important issues from our perspective. PARTICIPATION OF EUROPEAN NON-MEMBER STATES SINTEF supports the development of a more competitive, resilient and sustainable Europe, in which critical and advanced materials play a crucial role. We believe that Norway can make important contributions to the development and deployment of advanced materials based on a strong track record in developing and applying materials technology in industry sectors that are of great importance for Europe, for instance: Process industry: Energy and offshore: Battery and energy storage: It is therefore important for SINTEF to emphasise that the scope of the Advanced Materials Act should clearly include the entire European Economic Area (EEA), not just EU Member States. By working together across entire Europe we can accelerate innovation, strengthen strategic autonomy, and achieve our shared goals for a greener, more competitive, and resilient future. SECURE PARALLEL COLLOBRATIVE RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION Norwegian industry has a large share of SMEs with limited capacity to do own research and innovation, which has formed the basis for the establishment of a relatively large RTO-sector. The Norwegian RTO sector is characterised by a low level of basic funding compared to European standards, which has led to the development of a strong culture of integrated co-creation involving academia and industry along the entire R&I value chain, from the idea phase to commercialisation. In particular since SMEs are playing an important role for the development and deployment of advanced materials, it is important to incentivise collaborative research, innovation and implementation. A strong involvement of RTOs will not only accelerate innovation and implementation processes but will also avoid lock-in of competence and expertise and secure that generic materials technology is translated between industrial sectors. Accelerated uptake of research results requires project schemes that allow work at both high, mid and low TRL-levels at the same time, without having to carry out new, time consuming project application processes. Norway has positive experience with fast, parallel innovation tracks and incentive schemes offering public support to value chain consortia (industry, academia and public organisations) covering a large span of TRL-levels without having to apply for multiple projects to different sponsors (e.g Green Platform [link]). STRENGTHEN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURES RIs and TIs are the backbone of dynamic R&I ecosystems providing physical and virtual environments where products, services, and processes can be tested under controlled and secure conditions. RTOs in Europe have a long-lasting history of supporting industrial value chains by making available RIs/TIs for testing & validation, upscaling, prototyping and small-scale production with open and neutral access for industry. SINTEF thinks that it is important to create a comprehensive inventory of existing RIs/TIs before investing in new ones in order to avoid duplication and unnecessary competition. Adequate schemes for public financial risk relief for applied R&I and piloting projects that utilise TIs are crucial to accelerate the exploitation of the results of research thereby reducing the time from idea to market. It is important not to create an artificial distinction between RIs and TIs. Many infrastructures serve both low and high TRL activities, See also EARTOs input to the consultation on the GBER Regulations (link).
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Response to European Affordable Housing Plan

4 Jun 2025

Unlocking Affordable Housing through Strategic Investment in RD&I Joint Response of Fraunhofer, SINTEF, TNO and VTT: Innovation in the construction and housing sectors is not an auxiliary concern, but a core enabler of productivity in the construction sector and housing affordability. Without sustained and strategic investment along the whole R&D&I system, affordability goals will remain out of reach. A growing portfolio of promising housing innovations is already available ranging from advanced digital tools and circular construction methods to practical, low-tech approaches grounded in local knowledge and traditions. These are not abstract concepts. Many are being tested and applied across Europe in pilot projects and local initiatives. Yet, these efforts remain isolated, fragmented and insufficiently scaled. Promising innovations often fail to gain traction beyond pilots because they are not adapted to diverse local housing needs or lack validation in real-world conditions. Integration combining different technologies, systems, and actors to create more holistic, cost-effective housing solutions should be created along the following critical dimensions: 1) Localized but replicable and scalable Innovation Pilots & Demonstrators 2) Establishment of innovation hubs that bring together SMEs, research organizations, local authorities, and industry actors to co-create housing solutions 3) Stronger SME Participation in Innovation. SMEs possess deep knowledge of local areas and can serve as powerful multipliers, especially in identifying and converting underused local spaces into productive assets 4) Performance-Based Definitions of Affordability and; 5) Increased, stable and Dedicated R&D&I Funding.
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Response to European strategy on research and technology infrastructures

22 May 2025

SINTEF supports the European Commissions (EC) initiative to develop a new European Strategy on Research (RI) and Technology Infrastructures (TI) and emphasises the vital role of infrastructures in enhancing the EUs global competitiveness. RTOs are mentioned explicitly in the proposed new definition of TI (EC report: Towards a European policy for TI). It is positive that the established infrastructure of RTOs is recognised as an essential part of this landscape and included as a basis for future initiatives. RTOS have long taken the role of supporting industrial value chains by housing a large amount of complex, large-scale Technology Infrastructures, including multi-use research (prototype) and low-rate manufacturing (test & validation) facilities offering technology neutrality that would not be granted when in the hands of, for instance, a technology supplier. The EC report includes two fact boxes: one showing how Norway has structured the Katapult scheme (p. 44) and another on how Horizon Europe has run pilots on Open Innovation Test Beds (OITB) (p. 47). If the EC proceeds with ideas from these schemes, it might not be a favourable development for RTOs, as such schemes could directly compete with the core activities and societal mission of RTOs. Neither the EU nor its member states benefit from creating new parallel and duplicate sectors for infrastructure initiatives. Instead, investments should be consolidated within the existing R&I system. RI and TI with the RTOs are the backbone of dynamic R&I ecosystems. RTOs provide physical and virtual environments where products, services, and processes can be tested under controlled and secure conditions. They allow industry to validate innovations with end-users and investors, reduce the risk of industrial investments, and foster stable, innovation-driven value chains. So, a future approach should consider the existing RTO-based services for TIs and not duplicate efforts. On governance, we bring to your attention that countries and regions outside the EU are mentioned in the recommendation to improve TI accessibility for businesses. However, the report proposes a high-level group/governing body at the EU level for (horizontal) coordination of TI investments, and in this recommendation, associated countries are not mentioned. It is unclear whether, for example, EEA countries will have a seat in the governing bodies for TI and what influence they will have on shaping future initiatives and related prioritisation mechanisms. The standing committee in the EEA EFTA countries has, in a letter to the EC from January 2025, emphasised the importance of their participation in EU programs, which the EEA Agreement covers. It is specified that, according to the EEA Agreement, the countries shall have equal access and rights as EU member states in upcoming programs for the period 2028-2034. The letter emphasises the need for more precise distinctions between the EEA EFTA countries and countries with other association agreements with the EU. The EEA EFTA countries must also have full access to strategic discussions shaping future EU programs and a place in governing bodies throughout the program period. The EC report lists 18 thematic areas that may be relevant for initiatives in technological TI. However, it does not specify how associated countries will be included or their opportunities for influence or participation in such initiatives. We suggest that associated countries be included on equal terms, as this will ensure the development of a robust and holistic pan-European Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures. SINTEF remains dedicated to supporting the European Commission and Member States in shaping and successfully implementing the new EU Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures and looks forward to the forthcoming EU communication on this topic.
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Meeting with Thomas Geisel (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2025 · General exchange on the Clean Industrial Deal

Meeting with Erik Bergkvist (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Hyresgästföreningen / The Swedish Union of Tenants

19 Sept 2023 · Möte

Response to Carbon Removal Certification

22 Mar 2023

This initiative will propose EU rules on certifying carbon removals. It will develop the necessary rules to monitor, report and verify the authenticity of these removals. The aim is to expand sustainable carbon removals and encourage the use of innovative solutions to capture, recycle and store CO2 by farmers, foresters, and industries. The Ocean is Part of the Solution to Climate Change and it is SINTEFs view that this is missing in the framework. SINTEF propose to include marine biomass/blue carbon, more specific Seaweed-CDR to the framework for Certification of Carbon Removals: The UN High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, made up of fourteen serving heads of governments, has already recognised seaweed as a promising ocean-based solution to help counteract climate change and support the SDGs (Seaweed for Europe , 2020). There is a large potential for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) through cultivation of seaweed biomass and storage of the biomass in a way that keep the captured carbon out of the carbon cycle, either by deposition or in an inert state. Seaweeds, especially the large, brown kelps, are extremely effective in building CO2 dissolved in the seawater into biomass through photosynthesis, with no other input than seeded substrate deployed in ocean seafarms. As an example, by cultivating an area of 1,400 km2 about 20 mill tons kelp biomass can be produced and 4 mill tons of CO2 removed from the sea, and thus indirectly from the atmosphere. This biomass can further be processed into climate friendly products, like feed protein, biofuel or bio-plastics to replace products made from feedstocks with larger climate footprints than cultivated seaweed. However, to permanently remove the carbon alternative handling of the biomass is needed. One CDR solution is to use the seaweed biomass to produce biochar, which is resistant against microbial decomposition and thus a long term or even permanent carbon storage and a verified CDR solution. Biochar has several applications, e.g., in soil improvement and water purification, and may also be stored in building materials. Another CDR solution is deposition of the biomass to prevent the release of bound carbon, for instance by deposing it on or in the sediments in deep sea regions where the gas exchange with the atmosphere is extremely slow, meaning that CO2 or CH4 produced during microbial decomposing of the organic material in this deep sediments will be kept out of the short carbon cycle and stored for a long time period (hundreds or thousands of years). During growth, seaweeds invariably lose tissue that contains carbon derived from atmospheric CO2. This matter may be transported far, depending on the size of the particles lost and the prevailing ocean currents, before it settles on the ocean floor. From natural kelp forests, a significant amount of CO2 is removed through this process every year. Ongoing in Europe: A Seaweed-CDR pilot is currently being installed and tested in Norway by SINTEF, DNV, Equinor, AkerBP, Wintershall and Ocean Rainforest. The pilot consists of scalable modules for cultivation of 1000 tonnes of seaweed at sea, with land sites for the conversion of seaweed biomass into biochar for permanent carbon storage. Here, a proof of concept of the Seaweed CDR value chain with a complete carbon budget for standardisation of CO2 offset will be made available by 2024. A demonstration phase with further upscaling of seaweed CDR for validation, regulatory acceptance and implementation of such CO2 offset is planned for 2025-2027. The goal is a technological solution with 1 million tonnes yearly CO2 removal capacity by Seaweed CDR in Europe by 2030.
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Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act

24 Nov 2022

SINTEF https://www.sintef.no/en/ one of Scandinavia's largest independent research organizations, welcomes the European Commission's initiative on Critical Raw Materials Act. We support the CRMA main objectives as given in the Call for evidence for the CRMA. As a research organization, we especially emphasize the importance of research and innovation (objective 6). SINTEF is involved in a significant number of critical materials activities focusing on increasing the European supplies and robustness for CRM into several sectors important for the green transition. For Norway this is of severe importance with respect to our growing battery industry and for production of renewable energy. We acknowledge and would like a further strengthening of the present strategies within EU regarding CRMs and technology development and emphasize the following: - Recovery and recycling from secondary sources as waste generated by industry and in our homes, i.e urban mining of electronic waste, EV batteries, metal smelting slags and biproducts from fertilizer manufacturing. This includes sourcing and national logistic systems, sorting, dismantling and extraction technologies. This will not only give supplies of CRMs, but also reduce the European waste-problem turning waste to value - and give circular economy in practice. - At the same time, we acknowledge that the future need for materials cannot be met by reuse and recycling alone and therefore we also would like a strengthening of incentives, acceptance and possibilities for sustainable primary sourcing and mining of CRMs. - We also recommend a stronger attention and focus on developing CRM substitutes in important value chains (ex Co-free batteries, fuel cells, electrolysers without Co and REE, digital technologies, etc). - Development of reliable systems and methodologies (including digital tools) for sustainability assessments and LCA for CRMs and product with CRMs. - We also recommend strengthening the "raw materials dimension" in existing and future European Partnerships/Funding programs to increase resources and focus on sustainable designs of processes/technologies as well as complementary activities on recovery and recycling. - We recommend implementing a European database, where information on the amounts of raw materials contained in products, in extractive waste or landfilled, i.e. potentially available for recovery or recycling can be documented. In addition to the EU list of critical raw materials, this could also help streamlining research towards the most pressing shortcomings. - We recommend involving local communities in flagships/large circular projects to foster domestic raw materials value chain (extraction/collection, transformation, use, reuse and recycling) to benefit from larger societal/political incentive and achieve optimal efficiency (energy + reduction of CO2 footprint).
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Response to Promoting sustainability in consumer after-sales

5 Apr 2022

SINTEF would like to provide the following comments to the proposed amendment to the Sales of Goods Directive. We believe the following measures will be key to promoting sustainable consumption of goods: 1. Incentivize new products that make it easier for the consumer to repair common faults with provided spare parts and repair instructions, standardized design of components. 2. Incentivize the creation of profitable repair and reuse businesses like automobile repair shops. A few ideas that might help include: a. Create economies of scale by consolidating repair jobs rather than having them scattered. b. Factor in the transportation cost, monetary and environmental, before sending products overseas for repair. 3. Incentivize the creation of profitable recover business to extract valuable raw materials that can go back upstream and into production. A common example is PV panels and batteries. 4. Provide predictive maintenance tools to producers to lower the need for repair in the first place. 5. Encourage more leasing-type contracts (also for second-hand and refurbished goods). 6. Refurbish and resell from the producer or its agent to provide guarantees for second-hand products. 7. Address warranty conditions if consumers are allowed to do the repairs themselves. 8. Encourage consumers to bring back goods that are not damaged to resellers or repair shops. 9. Regulate the duration of the legal guarantee period for both new products and second-hand; whereby the latter may have a shorter period. Also holds for different product groups.
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Response to Climate change mitigation and adaptation taxonomy

18 Dec 2020

SINTEF would like to present its comments to the draft delegated act, Annex I: 3.1 Manufacture of renewable energy sources • In the short to medium term, continued gas exploration will be necessary, also with a view to producing clean hydrogen with CCS. In that period, developing floating wind turbines to power offshore gas exploration will allow for valuable industrial learning and develop key technological achievements for offshore wind energy. One should mobilise funds towards developing new important green technologies, not discourage it based on the type of activity it is embedded in. 3.9 Manufacture of hydrogen • Blue hydrogen produced from natural gas with CCS is necessary to kick start the hydrogen economy. It will play in concert with hydrogen production from renewable energy with electrolysers in developing a market and end use in various sectors. It is key that the threshold values for electricity and carbon footprint enables the hydrogen economy to unfold. As it is set now, there will be very little H2 produced under the taxonomy rules from electricity grid connected electrolysers. This is in general needed to maintain good utilisation of the electrolysers and keep CAPEX costs acceptable. 4.5. Electricity generation from hydropower: • It is demonstrated by IPCC that all renewable energies have low life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. It is reasonable that all or none of the technologies must document their emissions. In its current version, only hydropower must document GHG emissions. • The criteria of “Do no Significant Harm” should be assessed through national licencing and regulation processes, following the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. All water bodies should then reach "good ecological status" or "good ecological potential", and there should be a plan for mitigation if the target is not yet achieved. • The Taxonomy on “Storage of electricity” excludes “Pumped storage connected to river bodies” and only accepts closed-loop pumped storage. Both closed- and open-loop pumped storage can be sustainable, and it is not recommended to exclude this option. For instance, retrofitting conventional hydropower with pumping facilities to become pumped storage with inflow can use existing reservoirs and leave very small additional ecological footprint. 5.11 Transport of CO2: • To allow for development of safe, cost efficient and flexible transportation of CO2, as part of the CCS value chain, modalities such as by ship, rail or zero emission trucks should be included, in order to allow sources of captured CO2 to reach appropriate storage sites off or on shore. This is important to decarbonising energy intensive industries often located far from ports for further transportation to offshore storage sites. • Flexible CO2 transport modes are essential for installing CCS technologies on waste-to-energy facilities, (when waste cannot be reused or recycled) with up to 60 % biogenic CO2, allowing for negative emissions that remove CO2 from the atmosphere and thereby contributing to reversing climate change. 9.1 Research, development and innovation (RDI): • RDI serves as the bridge to developing new climate and environment friendly solutions. RDI is a key enabler for business, industry and the public sector to transform activities and products to meet the benchmark criteria while performing in a competitive market and creating commercially viable value chains. • The role of RDI in transforming activities, including piloting and demonstration of new and sustainable solutions, will be essential to drive the transition. Taxonomy rules should therefore take a broad view on activities that are prone to the evolution of dynamic and innovative value chains. Cross sectoral technological innovation, reflecting EU industrial ecosystems, should be within the remits of the screening criteria. • RDI in new technologies will transform activities towards zero emission solutions, and as such, should be acknowledged.
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Meeting with Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

18 Jun 2020 · Speech at Webinar: EU research project ELEGANCY: Hydrogen and CCS- defining missions for the European Green Deal

Response to Construction Products – AVCP systems for balustrade kits and railing kits to prevent falls

4 Jan 2019

1. It is unclear which products are affected by this act. The act applies to balustrade kits and railing kits intended to be used in construction works solely to prevent falls. This can be understoood as temporary balustrade/railing kits solely used to prevent falls during the construction phase of a building, products which are not being used in the permanent building when it is finished. My understanding is that the act applies for construction products under the CPR. Please clarify. 2. When it comes to the AVCP system for balustrade/railing kits we disagree in system 4. Our proposal is AVCP system 3. We have seen examples of railing products being placed on the market which have fallen down from the building where they have been installed, because of wind loads. This is a risk to health and life, and should be avoided. By testing the products prior to placing them on the market, such incidents can be avoided. We have seen examples of product improvement of railing kits being done by the producer after product testing at SINTEF. 3. Our experience with balustrade/railing kits is that the performance and safety of the kit related to the ability of preventing falls, depends on the product itself combined with the fixing of the balustrade/railing kit to the building. We kindly request you to investigate if such an approach can be followed in this act. Testing of product documentation of balustrade/railing kits should preferably be done by testing the balustrade/railing kit together with the fixing products/solutions provided, or recommended used, by the producer.
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