SAMS Norway

What SAMS Norway does

SAMS Norway (Sustainable Autonomous Mobility Systems) is a Norwegian non-profit innovation cluster founded in 2018 and headquartered in Oslo, with a secondary office at Campus Vestfold in Borre. The cluster connects 30+ member organisations spanning companies, universities, and public bodies to drive systems-level innovation in autonomous mobility and transport solutions across land, air, and sea. SAMS does not develop technology directly; instead it functions as a coordination node and consortium builder, leading and facilitating projects such as Cargo Express (Interreg ØKS), AUTOSHIP (Horizon 2020), ZAWAS, Reach Remote, Seashuttle, and the Yara Birkeland container ship initiative.

Revenue is derived from two streams: annual membership fees (starting at 7,875 NOK per member organisation, billed on an annual subscription cadence) and project funding drawn from EU programmes and Innovation Norway grants. The cluster is led by CEO Eja Tuominen and specialist Dr Jan Tore Pedersen, supported by a small team of 8 employees, a Board of Directors elected at the Annual General Meeting, and an active LinkedIn, newsletter, podcast ("The Autonomy Journals"), and seminar-driven go-to-market motion. Direct partnership enrolment via a Board-reviewed application form is the primary channel for adding new members and partner ecosystems such as VAMOS (Finland) and Seapower Portugal have been formalised as associate partners to channel Norwegian autonomous-mobility expertise into international markets.

Name

SAMS Norway

Legal name

SAMS Norway

Website

https://sams-norway.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SAMS Norway is a non-profit innovation cluster connecting 30+ companies, universities, and public organisations to develop and commercialise autonomous mobility and transport solutions across land, air, and sea. It funds operations through annual membership fees and EU-funded projects coordinated on behalf of members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Mobility Innovation Cluster

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Port/Terminal Heavy Cargo Handling & Stevedoring (Heavy Crane Ops) (TLAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Port Operations, Stevedoring & Terminal Management (EDAOANAC)

Keywords

• Autonomous mobility solutions
• Maritime autonomy systems
• Sustainable transport innovation
• Innovation cluster services
• Mobility systems integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SAMS Norway is funded through annual membership fees paid by innovative companies, academia, and public organisations. The annual membership fee starts at 7,875 NOK per member organisation.
2. Project Funding: SAMS Norway is funded through various projects, including EU-funded initiatives such as Interreg ØKS (Cargo Express), Horizon Europe collaborations, and grants from Innovation Norway. These project funds support cluster activities and member participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SAMS Norway is a non-profit innovation cluster that connects companies, academia, and public organisations to coordinate the development and commercialisation of sustainable autonomous mobility and transport solutions across land, air, and sea. It sells annual membership to its ecosystem and coordinates cross-border projects, seminars, training programmes, and publications to advance Norwegian autonomous mobility exports.

Product overview

SAMS Norway is a Norwegian innovation cluster for autonomous mobility and transport solutions, operating as a coordination and facilitation organization rather than a product company. The cluster brings together companies, academia, and government to drive systems innovation across land, air, and sea. Its portfolio includes research projects (Cargo Express, ZAWAS, SEA Shuttle, Yara Birkeland, Reach Remote, AUTOSHIP H2020), a training program (SAMS LAB), a podcast (THE AUTONOMY JOURNALS), and events (SAMS Seminars). Members include various Norwegian companies working in autonomous systems, maritime technology, and sustainable transport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAMS Norway Membership Annual partnership programme for companies, academia, and public organisations involved in transport and logistics; grants access to the SAMS ecosystem, projects, seminars, regulatory insights, and international market channels. Annual fee starts at 7,875 NOK.
• SAMS LAB - Business Modeling for Advanced Services Training programme focused on business modeling for advanced services, developed jointly with USN and Luleå University of Technology for member companies and stakeholders.
• SAMS Seminars Series of in-person seminars exploring autonomous mobility and logistics topics, including the flagship 'Autonomous Mobility and Transport - from Innovation to Scale' event at Deichman Bjørvika and cybersecurity-focused sessions.
• The Autonomy Journals Podcast Free podcast series covering autonomous mobility and transport topics, available on Buzzsprout to build awareness and thought leadership for the SAMS ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Yara Birkeland will reduce diesel-powered truck haulage by 40,000 journeys a year as the world's first fully electric and autonomous container ship.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VAMOS Ecosystem for Autonomous Mobility in Smart Spaces (DIMECC Oy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMS Norway and Finland's VAMOS Ecosystem have become associate partners to drive collaboration for sustainable and autonomous mobility. The two ecosystems have complementary strengths: SAMS brings deep maritime expertise while VAMOS contributes extensive knowledge in smart spaces technologies, electrification, and autonomous smart mobility. They plan to pursue joint projects including a collaborative white paper outlining the future of autonomy and the future of mobility and transportation. A cross-border seminar was held June 11-12, 2025 in Turku, Finland.
• Reach SubseaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReach Subsea leads the Reach Remote project in cooperation with Kongsberg Maritime AS and Massterly AS, supported by a grant from Innovation Norway. The project aims to develop future-proof, sustainable solutions for subsea services, with the goal of providing a full portfolio of subsea services from a low-emission, cost-effective remote and autonomous fleet by 2025.
• ASKO Maritime AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASKO Maritime AS is a key partner in the Cargo Express project (Interreg ØKS). ASKO has pioneered zero-emission autonomous and electric shipping solutions in Norway, and the Cargo Express project adapts these innovations for cross-border applications between Norway and Sweden. ASKO's maritime expertise informs the project's goal of developing sustainable short-sea shipping as an alternative to road freight.
• University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSN provides expertise in maritime autonomy and multimodal logistics as a partner in the Cargo Express project. The university also collaborates with SAMS on the SAMS LAB training program (Business Modeling for Advanced Services) alongside Luleå University of Technology. USN board member Arild Tjomsland participates in SAMS seminars and governance.
• CLOSER (Lindholmen Science Park)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLOSER, hosted by Lindholmen Science Park in Sweden, is the project coordinator for the Cargo Express project under the Interreg ØKS programme. The collaboration connects Swedish automotive and Norwegian maritime clusters to tackle cross-border transport challenges.
• Massterly AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassterly is a partner in multiple SAMS projects including the Seashuttle project (leading the way for sustainable short-sea shipping alongside Samskip) and the Reach Remote project. Massterly is a key player in Norway's autonomous shipping ecosystem and was represented at SAMS seminars discussing key drivers and barriers in the maritime industry.
• Kongsberg MaritimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKongsberg Maritime is a key SAMS partner active in multiple projects including the Seashuttle project, the AUTOSHIP H2020 project (installing autonomous technology on vessels for short-sea coastal shipping), and the Reach Remote project. Kongsberg contributes technology leadership, automation expertise, and cybersecurity knowledge, with executives such as Vanessa Lopes participating in SAMS seminars.
• YETIMOVEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYETIMOVE is a new SAMS partner offering cloud-based software that automates snow clearing operations at airports, reducing emissions while increasing profitability. Their autonomous snow technology was tested at Fagernes Airport in Norway as a pioneer application.
• Hefring MarineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHefring Marine is a new SAMS partner providing automation and autonomy capabilities through analysis of vessel motion, impacts, fuel profile, and conditions, offering real-time speed guidance and risk reduction for rescue or work boats.
• Zeabuz AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZeabuz AS is a Trondheim-based company developing maritime autonomous navigation systems and a SAMS partner. Zeabuz recently launched its Dual-Use Autonomy Platform expanding into Defense & Security applications. Business Development Manager Carl Petersson spoke at SAMS events about scaling from a university spin-off to an international success.
• ZAWAS (Zero-emission Automated/autonomous WAter Shuttles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZAWAS is a SAMS project and partner initiative developing zero-emission autonomous water shuttles for urban transport. Two electric, autonomous-ready urban water shuttles were launched during the project as a gateway to Norwegian solutions for zero-emission water shuttles.
• Yara BirkelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYara Birkeland, a SAMS-associated project, aims to be the world's first fully electric and autonomous container ship with zero emissions. Yara will reduce diesel-powered truck haulage by 40,000 journeys a year, demonstrating the commercial viability of autonomous maritime transport.
• AUTOSHIP H2020coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUTOSHIP is a Horizon 2020 project building around EU industrial market and leading technology providers. Kongsberg Maritime is installing and testing autonomous technology on two vessels for short-sea coastal shipping and Europe's inland waterways. The project supports new paradigms of multimodal transport to develop sustainable businesses and relieve road congestion.
• SeashuttlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeashuttle is a project led by Samskip with Massterly leading the way for sustainable short-sea shipping. Partners include logistics consultant FlowChange, technology group Kongsberg Maritime, and hydrogen integrator HYON. The project aims to bring emissions-free, autonomous container ships to market that also operate at a profit.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Kongsberg Maritime: Norwegian technology group and core SAMS partner providing autonomous vessel systems, integrated ship control, and cybersecurity. Comparable as a key industry incumbent whose technology and personnel underpin SAMS-led projects like AUTOSHIP and Seashuttle.
• Massterly AS: Norwegian autonomous shipping joint venture between Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen. Comparable as a SAMS core partner commercialising autonomous vessel operations and a leading operator in SAMS-coordinated projects (Seashuttle, Reach Remote, ZAWAS).

Direct peers

• CLOSER (Lindholmen Science Park): Swedish logistics and transport cluster coordinating the Cargo Express Interreg ØKS project with SAMS. Direct comparable as a Nordic cross-border cluster focused on sustainable freight and logistics innovation.
• Ocean Autonomy Cluster: Norwegian innovation cluster headquartered in Trondheim focused on ocean autonomy technologies including autonomous vessels, subsea robotics, and maritime data. Direct comparable given shared Norwegian maritime autonomy mandate and similar cluster/membership structure.
• One Sea Autonomous Maritime Ecosystem: Finnish-led multi-stakeholder ecosystem aiming to enable autonomous maritime transport by 2035. Direct comparable to SAMS because both coordinate industry, academia, and public partners to commercialise autonomous shipping in the Nordic region.
• GCE Ocean Tech: Norwegian cluster cluster for ocean technology including subsea, offshore, and maritime autonomy. Direct comparable given shared Norwegian maritime innovation mandate and cluster/membership operating model.
• The Maritime Autonomy and Sustainability Network (MAS): International non-profit network promoting maritime autonomy and sustainability research and policy. Direct comparable as a coordinating ecosystem for autonomous shipping stakeholders, sharing SAMS's systems-innovation framing.
• VAMOS Ecosystem (DIMECC Oy): Finnish innovation cluster for autonomous mobility in smart spaces. Direct comparable: like SAMS, it is a membership-based ecosystem bringing together companies, academia, and public organisations around autonomous mobility, and is SAMS's official associate partner.

Regional players

• Sea Power Portugal: Portuguese maritime cluster partnering with SAMS to bring Norwegian autonomous maritime expertise into Portugal's green maritime transformation. Regional comparable: similar cluster model but focused on the Iberian market and offshore energy.
• NCE Maritime Cleantech: Norwegian global centre of expertise for maritime cleantech innovation. Regional comparable as a Norwegian cluster driving sustainable maritime technology, with overlapping member base in green shipping.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sams-norway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAMS Norway