Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore
Location: Europe, Norway
GPA: 2.5

Startups and Entrepreneurship in Norway

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Dates & Deadlines

Program Overview

This four-week program will introduce you to Norway’s unique approach to innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. The program highlights how Norwegian and Scandinavian values, public policy, and natural resources shape Norway's role in global business, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. Oslo is the capital of Norway and one of the largest startup ecosystems in Scandinavia.

The combination of cultural and government programs and business and innovation leaders is a key component of this program. While on the program, you will have the opportunity to visit and engage with local startups, government organizations supporting innovation, and private enterprises growing ecosystems for entrepreneurship in Norway. Some examples of potential company visits include reMarkable (consumer tech), 1x.tech (robotics), retyre (sports and automotive), Cognite (industrial automatiom), Ardoq (B2B SaaS), Tise (consumer e-commerce), or Dune (blockchain data platform). As part of your courses, you will learn the regional and global challenges shaping Nordic innovation and get a chance to apply the entrepreneurial process by evaluating potential opportunities, assessing viability, and adopting "business model thinking." You will also get a chance to learn about the Nordic culture and history that underpin every aspect of business and life in the region by visiting prominent museums and cultural sites. These may include visits to the Norsk Folkemuseum, Gothenburg, saunas, Fram Museum, or others. You will take two courses for eight credits (see below for more details).

Dates and Deadlines

Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Summer 2027 03/15/2027 early July early August

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff will review the application materials of complete applications in the order that they are submitted (“first come, first serve”). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you submit a complete application. There are some programs that fill fast, some even before the deadline. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early.Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application. This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement. 

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Faculty-Led Scholarship Opportunity

Applicants to this program are eligible for program-specific scholarship funds. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500-$1,500. To be considered, apply to the GEO General Scholarship by the advertised deadline for the term you will be abroad. Students who apply will automatically be considered for all available funding within the General Scholarship, including this program's scholarship funds.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

The program offers two, four-credit courses, for a total of eight credits. Both courses are taught in English by Assoc. Teaching Professor Nathan Lillegard of the UO Lundquist College of Business.

Course 1: MGMT 410 - Innovation and Startups in Scandinavia (4 credits)

  • Regional and global challenges shaping Nordic innovation strategies. How integration (or not) with EU and global markets shapes opportunities.
  • Sustainable Business and Innovation — including Norwegian examples that integrate profitability with societal and environmental impact.
  • Norway’s sector‑specific competitive advantages: Digital innovation and data‑driven business, renewable energy and clean technology, health and welfare technologies
  • Public and private dynamics of starting and growing a globally successful and impactful business from Norway.
  • Build foundational understanding of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Combining government programs, private capital, and individual entrepreneurial risk-taking to create economic and social value.
  • Develop business model thinking: Assess the viability of ideas in terms of customer needs, financial prospects, and market dynamics related to unique cultural resources. 
  • Master team management: Learn to build, motivate, and lead peer teams in high-pressure startup environments. Students will work in teams on a project throughout the course. 
  • Build entrepreneurial knowledge: Gain a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurial frameworks, organizational behavior, team dynamics, and leadership principles that are critical to startup success. 
  • Evaluate market opportunities: Learn to analyze potential business ideas using repeatable frameworks and tools across technologies, markets, and cultures. 
  • Enhance analytical skills: Improve the ability to analyze management challenges and to propose realistic solutions that consider context and unintended consequences.

Course 2: MGMT 335 - Launching New Ventures (4 credits)

  • This course will supplement the other course as a hands-on application of the entrepreneurial process.
  • Evaluate potential opportunities using a framework of tools and methods that is repeatable across technologies, markets, and cultures.
  • Assess the viability of an idea in terms of customer, financial, and market dynamics.
  • Explore an entrepreneurial idea to intelligently and passionately decide whether to “go for it” or not.
  • Learn 'business model thinking' as a tool for evaluating potential opportunities.
  • Gain an understanding of the startup process - from idea to execution and practice reaching out to potential customers, partners, suppliers, and experts.

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Faculty and Staff

Associate Teaching Professor Nathan Lillegard of the UO Lundquist College of Business is the program faculty leader. When creating this program, Nathan noted: "I have identified as a global citizen since my time as a study abroad student in Norway in the late nineties. Through a career in software, my MBA, and then as a startup founder, I've stayed connected to friends and business opportunities around the world. 

As a professor of entrepreneurship at the UO Lundquist College of Business since 2012, I've made many international connections. Taking MBA students on trips to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand gave me a great appreciation for the region's dynamic modern economies. Engagement with entrepreneurial projects in Pakistan helped me connect with communities where small businesses drive local prosperity and opportunities. These experiences have helped me understand and appreciate the unique opportunities entrepreneurship has to influence economic growth in different cultures. I am excited to bring this perspective to exploring the unique attributes of the Norwegian and greater Scandinavian startup and innovation ecosystem."

Housing Description

Housing is still to be determined. Most likely student apartments with shared rooms. Check back soon for more information.