2025 reminded us what FORCE is at its best: a practical arena where competence is shared, ideas are tested, and real working relationships are built across companies and disciplines—because people choose to contribute. 

That is why my first message is simply: thank you. FORCE depends on voluntary effort. Many of you participate on top of demanding day jobs and other commitments, yet you still show up prepared, you contribute, and you challenge each other in a constructive way. That mindset is the real engine of this collaboration.  

 2025 was a major milestone for us. We marked 30 years of FORCE with an anniversary event at Stavanger Konserthus—an evening with strong engagement, honest feedback, and the kind of conversations that remind us why these meeting places matter. The anniversary did not just celebrate the FORCE history; it created momentum for the next phase. We will build on that momentum with new initiatives that respond to today’s challenges. 

 Activity-wise, FORCE delivered a full program through 2025, combining in-person events with webinars to reach broad participation while still placing emphasis on the value of physical arenas where networks and trust develop fastest. We also saw strong engagement in several topical areas, including decision-making in the age of AI, the continued growth of CCS-related activities, and the field-based learning experiences that bring colleagues together around shared subsurface understanding.  

The revision of the Cooperation Agreement is now nearly completed. If the revised agreement is approved, hopefully in Q1 of 2026, it will open for research institutions and academia to join FORCE as associated members in 2026. We hope this will increase the sharing of ideas and innovation even more. 

I look forward to all the activities that are planned for 2026, so stay tuned for news and messages in your inbox and on our website! 

None of this happens without the effort that goes into planning and delivering events and maintaining continuity through the year. I also want to recognize everyone who organizes, hosts, presents, and contributes—your work is what turns FORCE from an idea into something that delivers value for us an industry. 

On behalf of the FORCE Management Committee,

Kent Høgseth 
Chair, FORCE Management Committee 
Special Advisor Exploration & Subsurace, DNO Norge. 

About FORCE 

 FORCE is a cooperating forum for Sustainable Recovery (SR), Improved exploration (IE) and Energy efficiency & environment (EEE). The members are licensees on the NCS and the Norwegian authorities. Our ambition is to play a significant role in the future value creation on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, through facilitating cooperation between industry, research institutions and authorities. 

The basic idea of the forum is to improve collaboration by sharing knowledge through network groups and by enabling the establishment of cross licensees /company piloting projects within exploration and enhanced oil recovery through project groups. 

Members

All companies qualified as licensees in Norway can become FORCE members.  

In addition, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate is a member of FORCE. Interested parties can apply for membership by contacting the Secretariat. The Management committee, consisting of 8 members, will be consulted.  

New companies must sign the FORCE Cooperation Agreement. The cost is a given amount divided equally among all members. For 2025 this was NOK 130682, -. 

These 22 companies were members during 2025 (this is according to invoicing). 

Activity Report

Remember the FORCE 30 celebration? 

The seminar/party at Stavanger Concert Hall on October 23 was something else! Over 160 people gathered to listen to debates and discussions, reminiscing stories from the earlier days and thoughts about the future. The new logo and the celebration of 30 years in the business, marks the start of a new era, and discussions are ongoing about “what’s next”. 

In 2025, the earlier observed decline in seminar and webinar participation seems to have somewhat plateaued, with the total number of participants being about the same as 2024. With a total of 20 events, 1072 participants joined FORCE events. 

As we try to move back to meeting in person again, we see that almost half of the events in 2025 were webinars, and the rest were in-person seminars, including the long-anticipated field trip to Corinth. We are happy to announce that the trip was a success and is scheduled (and fully booked) to be repeated for 2026. 

We may never again see the participant numbers we achieved during the pandemic, when our online seminars and webinars were easy to join. Another factor for lower attendance numbers is the ongoing trend of companies merging, which may have impacted the dynamics within our network groups. We see that fewer member companies may contribute to the difficulty of sustaining high levels of activity and engagement among members. 

The seminar with the highest participation in 2025 was titled “Better decision-making in the age of AI: opportunities and challenges in subsurface” – a two-day seminar in June, organized by the Sustainable Recovery TC in collaboration with the Society of Decision Professionals’ Stavanger Chapter. Over 100 people met to get more insight into decision quality. It is also worth mentioning that the CCS group has been very active, and organized a total of 8 events, and their “in-person” seminars have all had good attendance. Their 2-day seminar “Legacy Wells” is on top of the list with 83 participants. 

As we are moving forward, we are constantly looking to find innovative ways to boost engagement and participation within our network groups, as well as attracting new people eager to contribute We must explore new strategies to adapt to the changing landscape and ensure that our seminars and webinars continue to provide value to our members. 

Seminar Activities 2025

Budget and annual accounts 2025