Successful biotech companies in the region include Genis and Primex (both in Siglufjordur), with startup support from the New Business Venture Fund.
Improved technology in fish farming seems to have a bright future and e.g. concepts in large-scale algea growth have matured and could be ripe for funding.
The 2000-student local university, with its connections to the University of the Arctic, could provide some break-through synergies, along with the standard mentor-student relationship. The Innovation Center Iceland has a contact point in Akureyri, providing support for new ideas.
Venues for conferences equipped with web broadcasting exist both at the university and the cultural house named Hof.
Collaborative research and innovation projects can sometimes be co-funded through the Rannís fund or European framework programmes, in which Iceland fully participates. A specific example of the latter, focusing on rural North-West Europe and the Arctic region is the so-called NPA fund, which has helped creating a fruitful collaborative international network.
And then we could always look to the skies for more ideas...