Norwegian University of Science and Technology

What Norwegian University of Science and Technology does

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is Norway's largest public research university, headquartered in Trondheim with additional campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund. Founded in 1910, NTNU delivers higher education across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels, offering more than 60 international master's programmes in English and serving a workforce of 5,001–10,000 employees. The institution operates under the Universities and Colleges Act as a state-owned entity, funded primarily through Norwegian government appropriations, research grants (e.g., 50 million NOK SAFE Center, 96 million NOK public funding for SFI SAINT, Rs 341 lakh from India-Norway partnership), and continuing education programmes.

NTNU's technology portfolio consists of research prototypes developed in collaboration with industry and academic partners across robotics, photonics, materials science, water technology, sustainable construction, nuclear engineering, biometrics, and navigation. Notable outputs include the Sashimi-Bot three-armed robotic system (95% tactile accuracy using GelSight sensors trained on 12,000+ samples), a compact microchip laser co-developed with EPFL (published in Nature Photonics), atmospheric water-harvesting polymers with SINTEF, botanical sand concrete with the University of Tokyo, and the NuProShip II nuclear-powered offshore vessel concept with VARD and DNV. The university's revenue model is non-commercial: education is government-funded, while research is financed through competitive grants (Research Council of Norway, NordForsk), bilateral international agreements (India-Norway), and industry co-funding. Customers are segmented between domestic/international students (education) and research/industry partners (collaborative R&D and technology transfer).

Strategic priorities are visible through the SAFE Center at Gjøvik (deepfake detection and biometric authentication with Mobai), SmartNav urban GPS augmentation, and ongoing bilateral ocean-energy programmes with India, signalling a hybrid identity as both an academic institution and a nationally strategic applied-research engine.

Name

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Legal name

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Website

https://ntnu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

NTNU is Norway's largest public research university, headquartered in Trondheim with campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund, delivering higher education and conducting applied research across robotics, photonics, materials science, energy, and maritime technology in partnership with industry and international collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Scientific research
• Engineering programmes
• Doctoral education
• Academic research

Headquarters

HQ city

Trondheim

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NTNU is a public research university providing higher education across bachelor's, master's, PhD, and continuing education programmes, and conducting scientific research across multiple disciplines. The university operates three campuses in Norway and collaborates with industry and international partners on research outputs in robotics, photonics, materials science, water technologies, and construction innovation.

Product overview

NTNU is Norway's largest university, operating primarily as an educational institution with research excellence across multiple disciplines. The university's technology portfolio consists of research prototypes and initiatives developed in collaboration with industry partners and international institutions. Key research outputs include: Sashimi-Bot (robotic food preparation system), Compact Microchip Laser Technology (for Lidar and gas sensing), Atmospheric Water Harvesting Materials (with SINTEF), Botanical Sand Concrete (with University of Tokyo), SAFE Center biometric research (with Mobai), SmartNav urban navigation system, and nuclear-powered vessel concepts (NuProShip II). These research products span robotics, photonics, materials science, environmental technology, biometrics, navigation systems, and nuclear engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sashimi-Bot A three-armed robotic system using GelSight tactile sensor for autonomous food preparation tasks including stabilizing salmon, handling knives, and transferring slices with chopsticks. Achieves 95% accuracy in blade contact detection trained on over 12,000 data samples.
• Compact Microchip Laser Technology A compact, low-cost laser developed with EPFL using microchip technology that outperforms existing models in speed, control, and precision. Features mass-producible design with easy frequency tuning and demonstrated accuracy within 4 centimeters for Lidar applications, and can detect toxic hydrogen cyanide gas.
• Atmospheric Water Harvesting Material An innovative polymeric material developed with SINTEF capable of capturing water from the environment. Operates efficiently in low humidity conditions and can be applied in arid and semi-arid regions as a sustainable, decentralized water access solution.
• Botanical Sand Concrete A construction material developed with the University of Tokyo using abundant desert sand mixed with wood particles under heat and pressure. Allows desert sand to be used in concrete for non-structural applications such as paving stones and walkways while reducing carbon emissions from concrete production.
• SAFE Center Biometric Technology Facial biometrics and liveness detection technology from Mobai, integrated into the Secure Anti-Fraud Excellence Center (SAFE) at NTNU Gjøvik. A five-year research initiative focused on combating deepfakes and social engineering in the financial sector with 50 million NOK in funding.
• SmartNav Navigation System A navigation technology combining satellite corrections, wave analysis, and Google's 3D building data to enhance GPS accuracy in densely built urban areas. Achieved accuracy within 10 centimeters during testing, important for autonomous vehicle operation.
• Nuclear-Powered Offshore Vessel Concept NuProShip II concept design for nuclear-powered dynamic positioning vessels integrating helium gas-cooled nuclear reactor as primary power source. Confirmed technically feasible meeting DP2 power architecture redundancy requirements for emissions-free offshore construction operations.
• Higher Education Degree Programmes Bachelor's, master's, PhD, and continuing education programmes across multiple disciplines, with over 60 international master's programmes taught in English. Available at three campuses in Trondheim, Gjøvik, and Ålesund, plus international exchange programmes including Erasmus+.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34 slices produced, 26 of 28 slices successfully transferred, all 6 stuck slices recovered
• +4 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

Integration4 records

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CSIR (India)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026India-Norway bilateral research partnership involving CSIR partnering with Norwegian research organizations including NTNU for clean energy, offshore wind, sustainability, geosciences, and academic collaboration. Includes a Rs 341 lakh project for ocean energy programme.
• DSIR (India)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026India-Norway science and innovation partnership with DSIR partnering with Norwegian research councils and NTNU through frameworks including 2026-2029 circular economy agreement.
• SINTEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Long-standing Norwegian research partnership with SINTEF, Norway's largest independent research organisation, for joint research in sustainability, ocean energy, and geoscience.
• Research Council of NorwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Partnership with Research Council of Norway for funding and supporting research initiatives in clean energy, offshore wind, and sustainability research.
• EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of compact, low-cost laser technology using microchip technology published in Nature Photonics, combining NTNU and EPFL research expertise.
• University of TokyocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research with University of Tokyo to develop botanical sand concrete using desert sand mixed with wood particles under heat and pressure for sustainable construction materials.
• MobaicoreTechnology or IntegrationMobai is the main biometric technology partner in the SAFE (Secure Anti-Fraud Excellence) Center at NTNU Gjøvik, contributing biometric authentication and liveness detection technology to combat deepfakes and social engineering in the financial sector.
• VARDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian shipbuilder leading the NuProShip II research project on nuclear-powered dynamic positioning vessels for offshore construction, with NTNU as research partner.
• DNVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime classification society collaborating on nuclear-powered vessel research, providing technical validation and regulatory expertise for the NuProShip II project.
• Island OffshoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffshore vessel operator providing industry perspective and operational requirements for nuclear-powered vessel development.
• SINTEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development with SINTEF of innovative polymeric material capable of capturing water from the environment for addressing water scarcity challenges.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• ETH Zurich: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; a leading European public technical university with strong energy, materials, and sustainability research, directly comparable to NTNU in mission, scale, and STEM focus.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU): Denmark's leading technical university; closely comparable Nordic peer with strong focus on energy, sustainability, and applied research with industry partners.
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology: Sweden's largest technical university; comparable Nordic technical university with similar research strengths in energy, materials, and industry collaboration models.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM): One of Europe's largest technical universities with comparable breadth in engineering, natural sciences, and medicine, and a strong industry partnership and spin-out model.
• Aalto University: Finnish university formed by merging a technical university, business school, and art school; comparable Nordic peer with multi-disciplinary research and strong industry partnerships.
• Chalmers University of Technology: Swedish technical university with comparable research strengths in materials, energy, and maritime engineering, and similar industry collaboration structures.
• EPFL: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne; peer technical university and existing NTNU research partner, with overlapping photonics and engineering research strengths.
• Politecnico di Milano: Italy's largest technical university; comparable European technical university with strong industry collaboration and applied research output.

Broad incumbents

• University of Tokyo: Japan's largest research university; an existing NTNU research partner (botanical sand concrete), but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope than NTNU.

Others

• SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research organisation and a long-standing NTNU partner; not a university, but the closest domestic applied-research collaborator and a key channel for NTNU's industry-facing research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NTNU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ntnuinfo
• Facebookfacebook.com/ntnu.no
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kavli-institute-for-systems-neuroscience
• Instagraminstagram.com/ntnu
• TikToktiktok.com/@ntnu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Norwegian University of Science and Technology