Coffee & Chips: Meeting place for chip enthusiasts

Published: 06 November 2025

Text: Anne-Marie Korseberg Stokke

Photo: Megapiksel

With 'Coffee & Chips', Vegard Standeren Olsen from SINTEF Digital hopes to create a physical meeting place where semiconductor and sensor technology are the focus.

Every other Friday of the month, engaged researchers, entrepreneurs, and technologists are invited to a morning of professional inspiration at Oslo Science Park, an initiative by the competence center CC-NorChip. Over coffee and chocolate chip cookies (of course!), participants share experiences and ideas on everything from sensor technology to European semiconductor development. The first “Coffee & Chips” event earlier this autumn drew a full house. Now, the countdown is on for the next gathering at Parken Bakeri on November 14.

“It was incredibly pleasant and inspiring to start the day surrounded by so many bright minds,” says Vegard Standeren Olsen, researcher at SINTEF Digital and head of CC-NorChip. “We hope to see just as many at our next meetup.”

A person speaking in front of a projected presentation slide labeled "Norchip" with an audience seated in a conference room.
A person speaking in front of a projected presentation slide labeled "Norchip" with an audience seated in a conference room.
Ralph Bernstein is a senior business developer at SINTEF Digital and part of the leadership team at CC-NorChip.

Preben Storås, one of the founders of Optronics Technology, was among the participants at the first event:

“I got a couple of new ideas just by mingling and chatting with professionals and entrepreneurs. It was also great to see so many former colleagues and acquaintances — and everything they’ve accomplished.”

A meeting place for exchange and collaboration

CC-NorChip collaborates with several Norwegian and European partners to strengthen the region’s position in advanced technologies.

“To succeed, it’s important for us to have different meeting places where we can listen to the needs that exist,” says Vegard Standeren Olsen.

For Olsen and his team, "Coffee & Chips" is as much about relationships as it is about research.

“The idea is to meet at sunrise over a cup of coffee — to be inspired by various speakers and discuss how we can best support different actors,” he says.

For Oslo Science Park, Coffee & Chips exemplifies how informal gatherings can help bridge the gap between research and industry. The event takes place at Parken Bakeri, right in the heart of the park, and invites open, low-threshold conversations that often mark the start of new collaborations.