Seattle, WA – Held each year in Ballard, the Nordic Innovation Summit follows the collaborative Nordic model, connecting private industry, academia, non-profits/NGOs and government policy makers in one two-day conference. The Summit brings together leaders in innovation to exchange ideas, discuss issues, and explore opportunities of mutual concern; the goal is to accelerate innovation as well as economic and cultural exchange.
Originally scheduled for May, this year’s summit will be held in October of 2025 to be more responsive to recent challenges and opportunities between the Nordic countries and the United States. In the midst of a shifting international landscape, the Summit asks: what new opportunities might there be to learn from innovation in the Nordic countries?
"We recognize that we are at a crossroads today. Like our ancestors, we can create a new future, where both America and the Nordics thrive through the interchange of ideas. At the core of innovation is openness and collaboration — characteristics needed more than ever.”
—Lāth Carlson, NNM Executive Director and CEO
The move to October will align the Nordic Innovation Summit with two important events - the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to America and One Ocean Week. These two events, one looking back to an initial point of cultural intersection, the other addressing the future from a global perspective, will help complement and accelerate the work of the Summit this October.
"The Nordic Innovation Summit is a powerful reminder that around the world, leaders, innovators, and communities are grappling with the same issues—and finding creative, forward-thinking solutions."
—Marko Liias, Washington State Senator
The Nordic nations and the Pacific Northwest are home to some of the most cutting-edge companies, researchers, and policymakers anywhere in the world. It draws participants both from the Pacific Northwest, and from across the world, including C-suite business leaders, innovators, tech investors, academics, NGO leaders, and policymakers.
Past speakers have included Jay Inslee, former Washington State Governor; Guðni Jóhannesson, former President of Iceland; Mikko Hautala, former Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the United States of America; Peter Zonneveld, President, Neste US; Karin Ekdahl Wästberg, Director of Innovation, City of Stockholm; Chris Levesque, President & CEO, TerraPower.
This year’s 2025 Nordic Innovation Summit continues the work of this global and topical convening, using the Nordic model of cross-sector collaboration to explore innovative solutions to today's global issues.
