SINTEF Venture AS

What SINTEF Venture AS does

SINTEF Venture AS is the technology transfer and venture capital arm of SINTEF, one of Europe's largest independent applied research institutes, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Trondheim, Norway. The entity manages intellectual property and venture capital funds on behalf of SINTEF, operating alongside SINTEF TTO to commercialize research outputs through patent licensing and spin-off formation. The broader SINTEF ecosystem employs approximately 2,200 people from 80 nationalities and conducts applied research across 12 technology domains: materials science, nanotechnology, energy, climate/environment, health/medicine, digitalization, transport/mobility, ocean space, sustainable production, building/construction, and society/security. Operating as a research foundation (stiftelse) under Norwegian law, SINTEF operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries including SINTEF Community, SINTEF Digital, SINTEF Energi, SINTEF Industri, and majority ownership of SINTEF Ocean, with regional entities across Norway and a Brussels office co-located with NTNU.

SINTEF Venture AS's commercialization mandate covers a portfolio of patented technologies including Ugelstadkulene polymer microparticles (used in medical diagnostics and CAR-T cell therapy for leukemia and lymphoma), multiphase oil/gas transport technology (named Norway's most important post-1980 innovation by Aftenposten), CO2 capture and storage methods (foundational to Norwegian climate policy), zero-emission refrigeration developed with Rema (patented at NTNU in 1989), green concrete with up to 80% lower CO2 emissions, space-grade toxic-gas sensors deployed on the ISS and planned for the Gateway lunar station, nanomedicine delivered via the NaDeNo spin-off, and biological heat storage commercialized through the Cartesian spin-off. SINTEF TTO, the operating entity handling this activity, was rebranded from Sinvent AS in 2015.

The parent SINTEF organization generates revenue through four streams: (1) contract research services for industry and government, (2) participation in EU research programs (SINTEF is Norway's largest participant, supporting more than 30% of Norwegian companies receiving EU R&D financing), (3) commercialization and spin-off income channeled through SINTEF Venture AS / SINTEF TTO, and (4) publication, certification, and standard-product sales via SINTEF Store and Byggforskserien (the de facto quality standard in Norwegian construction). The organization serves approximately 3,300 customers annually through more than 6,000 projects, with go-to-market primarily driven by enterprise field sales alongside institutional channels including the Gemini-samarbeidet partnership with NTNU, the SFI/FME research center framework, and national funding mechanisms. Pricing is project-customized and not publicly disclosed.

Name

SINTEF Venture AS

Legal name

SINTEF

Website

http://www.sintef.no/en/tto

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SINTEF Venture AS is the technology transfer and venture arm of SINTEF, one of Europe's largest independent applied research institutes. The entity manages intellectual property and venture capital funds on behalf of SINTEF, commercializing research through spin-offs and patent licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Transfer and Venture Capital Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533110), Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (53311)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis (BPAHAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• Venture capital management
• Intellectual property commercialization
• Research spin-off investment
• Applied research licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Trondheim

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Research Contracts: Contract research services performed annually for thousands of clients across various sectors including industry, government, and academia. Projects range from small assignments to large-scale collaborative research programs.
2. EU Research Funding: Participation in EU research programs as Norway's largest actor in EU research funding. Over 30% of Norwegian companies receiving EU R&D financing do so in collaboration with SINTEF.
3. Commercialization/Spin-offs: Start-up and development of new companies, patenting and licensing of technology from research environments. Commercialization activities handled through SINTEF TTO.
4. Publications and Knowledge Products: Sales of publications, research reports, software, and certification services through SINTEF Store and Byggforskserien.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SINTEF TTO & Venture manages intellectual property and venture capital funds on behalf of SINTEF. It evaluates, protects, and commercializes research-derived IP through licensing agreements and supports the creation of spin-off companies backed by dedicated SINTEF venture funds.

Product overview

SINTEF operates as a research institute offering research services, laboratory facilities, publications, and technical standards rather than a traditional software product company. Its portfolio includes Byggforskserien (documented building solutions series), Våtromsnormen (wet room construction standard), SINTEF Store (publications and online courses), and the SINTEF Publications Database (13,000+ titles). Laboratory services include MiNaLab for micro/nanofabrication and the Tribology Laboratory for friction and wear research. The organization also provides software tools across various research areas, certification services, and hosts research centers including FME (Energy) and SFI (Research-driven innovation).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SINTEF Community: Building and construction research institute, formerly SINTEF Byggforsk
• SINTEF Digital
• SINTEF Energi
• SINTEF Industri
• SINTEF Ocean

Products and services

• Intellectual Property Management Evaluation, protection, and commercialization of research-derived intellectual property on behalf of SINTEF, including patent prosecution and licensing to industrial partners.
• Venture Capital Fund Management Management of SINTEF venture capital funds, including investment into SINTEF-affiliated spin-off companies and portfolio oversight.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 million lives saved by Ugelstadkulene technology for medical diagnostics
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SINTEF Ocean ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Fusion of SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk, MARINTEK, and Miljøteknologi department to form SINTEF Ocean as world's leading marine research environment.
• NTNU Brussels OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Joint Brussels office established in 2015 to strengthen participation in EU research programs. SINTEF is Norway's largest actor in EU research funding.
• NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1950Gemini-samarbeidet - foundational partnership with NTNU since SINTEF's establishment. Joint research collaboration, technology transfer, and shared campus at Gløshaugen in Trondheim. SINTEF was established by NTH (now NTNU).
• Raufoss Technology (now SINTEF Manufacturing)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAluminum forming research partnership - leading Norwegian companies processing and forming aluminum. Products found in 30% of European cars.
• Steertec RaufossmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAluminum processing partner in GAlf galling research project for automotive industry applications.
• Uppsala UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for tribology testing and characterization in galling research.
• YaramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of Yara Birkeland - world's first electric, autonomous container ship. Research contribution on ship modeling for performance in various wave conditions.
• FME Research Centers (SuSolTech, ZeMe, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership in multiple Research Centers for Environmentally Friendly Energy (FME) and Sustainable Solutions - long-term research collaboration with industry partners.
• IFE (Institute for Energy Technology)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of multiphase technology - named Norway's most important innovation after 1980 by Aftenposten.
• TelenormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of GSM mobile technology - Norwegian solution won European competition in 1986 and became global standard.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Innovation Norway: Norwegian state-owned innovation funding agency that co-funds many SINTEF projects and spin-offs. While not a research peer, it is a key funding intermediary and commercialization partner ecosystem for SINTEF TTO outputs.

Broad incumbents

• National Research Council of Italy (CNR): Italy's largest public research institution with ~8,000 staff across multiple applied and basic research domains. Comparable in multi-domain coverage and public funding model, though less focused on industry contract research.
• CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission): France's largest public research organization with ~20,000 staff spanning fundamental and applied research across energy, defense, health, and digital. Overlaps with SINTEF in applied energy and materials research but operates at much larger scale.
• Max Planck Society: Germany's largest basic research organization with ~25,000 staff across 86 institutes. Tilted more toward fundamental science than SINTEF's applied focus, but a comparable European research institute of similar institutional stature.

Direct peers

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch independent applied research organization with ~3,500 staff focused on contract research, IP licensing, and spin-off creation. Operates under nearly identical applied research model with industry and government clients.
• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency operating ~6,000 staff across multiple research domains with applied research, contract work, and IP commercialization. Comparable scale and operating model to SINTEF despite geographic distance.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest organization for applied research with 30,000+ staff across 76 institutes. Operates under the same applied research, contract-driven, IP-licensing model as SINTEF, with industry and public-sector customers across multiple technology domains.
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: Swedish research and innovation partner formed by merger of several institutes, with similar multi-domain applied research, certification, and IP commercialization activities. Nordic peer with comparable funding and customer model.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish state-owned applied research organization with similar size (~2,200 staff), multi-domain coverage, and contract research plus IP commercialization model. Closest Nordic peer given comparable funding mix and customer base.

Emerging players

• CSEM (Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique): Swiss applied research organization focused on microtechnology, microelectronics, and systems engineering. Overlaps with SINTEF MiNaLab and micro/nano fabrication capabilities, with similar IP commercialization focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/DAPn_dM0jus
• Facebookfacebook.com/sintefforskning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sintef
• Instagraminstagram.com/sintef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments34 records

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

Frequently asked questions about SINTEF Venture AS