NIBIO

What NIBIO does

NIBIO (Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi), legally the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, is a Norwegian government state entity established in 2015 through the merger of Bioforsk, Skog og landskap, and NIJOS. Headquartered in Ås with approximately 750 employees and 15 offices across Norway, it operates as one of the country's largest research institutes covering agriculture, forestry, environment, natural resources, and the bioeconomy. Its research activities trace back to 1891 and the appointment of Norway's first government entomologist.

NIBIO's technological capabilities center on CRISPR gene editing (including Norway's first CRISPR food plants and the world's first CRISPR lettuce with fungal resistance), Norway's leading national biogas laboratory, a pilot-scale microalgae laboratory with photobioreactors up to 250L, drone-based photogrammetry for soil erosion (MetFure), and the VIPS plant health warning system. Products include the Gardskart, Kilden, and Kart8 national mapping services, the Fenologi citizen-science mobile app, a map-based climate gas calculator, and the VIPS advisory service that has served Norwegian farmers for 25 years.

NIBIO operates a sales-led, public-funder model. It generates approximately 400 million NOK in annual project revenues from Norwegian government ministries and competitive grants, with substantial activity in EU and EØS projects plus international research collaborations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Customer segments span the Norwegian agriculture and food sector, environmental management agencies, and the international research community, with industry partners including Graminor, Gartnerhallen, Bama, Hoff, Findus, Maarud, NLR, Cermaq, and NMBU. As a government state entity, NIBIO functions as an applied research provider with no venture capital, private equity, or external shareholder ownership.

Name

NIBIO

Legal name

Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi

Website

https://nibio.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NIBIO is a Norwegian government research institute with approximately 750 employees conducting applied research in agriculture, forestry, environment, and bioeconomy for state ministries, EU programs, and Norwegian food-industry partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural and environmental research services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biological Formulation, Fermentation & Scale-Up Manufacturing (AFABAEAM), Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae) (AFAEAAAE), Microbiome Analytics, Sequencing & Bioinformatics Platforms (HLAAAFAI), Fermentation Nutrients & Media (Yeast Extracts, Peptones, Nitrogen Sources, Minerals) (AFAJAJAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural research
• Forestry research
• Bioeconomy science
• Plant health advisory
• Environmental monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Lysaker

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: NIBIO brings in approximately 400 million NOK annually in project revenues from national and international financing sources. They have high activity within EU and EØS projects and participate in research projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
2. Research Services: NIBIO delivers knowledge about food and plant production, environment, climate-smart agriculture, maps, land use, genetic resources, forestry, resource management and agricultural economics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NIBIO is a Norwegian government research institute that conducts multidisciplinary research and produces research-based knowledge in agriculture, food production, plant health, forestry, environment, climate, natural resources, bioeconomy, mapping, and agricultural economics. It delivers a portfolio of public mapping and advisory services (Gardskart, Kilden, Kart8, Fenologi App, VIPS), operates specialized research laboratories (national biogas lab and microalgae lab at Vollebekk), and develops CRISPR-based plant breeding and other bioeconomy technologies. Approximately 400 million NOK in annual project revenues are sourced from Norwegian ministries, the EU, EØS, and international research partners.

Product overview

NIBIO is a Norwegian research institute with approximately 750 employees offering research-based products and services in agriculture, forestry, environment, natural resources, and bioeconomy. The organization's product portfolio includes mapping services (Gardskart, Kilden, Kart8), mobile applications (Fenologi App), advisory services (VIPS plant health warning system), and specialized research facilities (biogas laboratory, microalgae laboratory). NIBIO operates multiple divisions covering biotechnology and plant health, environment and natural resources, food production, forest resources, and survey and statistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gardskart (Farm Map) Map-based service providing area data for agricultural properties, used by Norwegian farmers, advisors, and public authorities for land management and agricultural planning.
• Kilden NIBIO's main map solution integrating all institute data in one place along with selected national datasets, used as a unified access point to Norwegian agricultural, forestry, and environmental geospatial information.
• Kart8 (Kartdata Nedlasting) Service providing downloadable map files for use in custom mapping programs, with many datasets also available via Geonorge, targeting GIS users in agriculture, forestry, and public administration.
• Fenologi App Mobile application backed by a Miljølare.no server that lets users learn about phenophases in nature, register phenological observations with location and photo data, and submit them to a national citizen science platform.
• VIPS (Varsling i plantevern) Plant health warning service operated by NIBIO for 25 years that helps Norwegian farmers detect diseases, pests and weeds before they become problems, increasingly using AI, drones, and sensors to deliver precision warnings for individual fields.
• CRISPR-edited strawberry line Norway's first CRISPR gene-edited food plant, developed by NIBIO as gene-edited strawberries with improved resistance against fungal diseases, intended to reduce the need for pesticides.
• CRISPR lettuce with downy mildew resistance World's first iceberg lettuce with increased resistance against downy mildew (peronosporales / powdery scab) developed by NIBIO using CRISPR gene editing, addressing a major fungal disease in lettuce production.
• CRISPR potato line with late blight resistance Gene-edited potato line developed by NIBIO with promising results for resistance to late blight (tørrråte), supporting reduced pesticide use in Norwegian potato cultivation.
• Kartbasert klimagasskalkulator Map-based calculator for the land use sector that enables calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural lands, used by Norwegian farmers, advisors, and public authorities for climate accounting.
• Biogas Laboratory (Vollebekk) Norway's leading national biogas laboratory operated by NIBIO in cooperation with NMBU at Vollebekk, providing research infrastructure for testing gas production potential of waste fractions and mixtures, and researching optimization of pretreatment methods and process parameters.
• Microalgae Laboratory (Vollebekk) Fully equipped microalgae laboratory at Vollebekk for research on production and use of microalgae for food products, feed with optimal nutrient composition, high-value products for pharmaceutical use, and nutrient recycling from side streams, with photobioreactor systems up to 250L pilot scale.
• MetFure – Drone photogrammetry for soil erosion NIBIO-developed method using drone photogrammetry to quantify rill erosion on agricultural areas and estimate its contribution to total soil loss in Norway, used by researchers and public land managers.

Quantifiable outcome

• VIPS warning system has helped Norwegian farmers detect diseases, pests and weeds before they become problems for 25 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Embrapa (Brazil)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026NIBIO signed a cooperation agreement with Brazil's Embrapa, one of the world's largest agricultural research institutions. The aim is to strengthen research on sustainable food production, climate adaptation, and natural resource management.
• NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with NMBU on the leading national biogas laboratory at Vollebekk, integrated within many research activities on Campus Ås including fertilization, soil quality, environment, climate, bioenergy, molecular biology, microbiology, and plant health.
• EliteplantercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration project on garden plants where NIBIO researchers attempt to make ornamental plants sterile using CRISPR technology so they don't spread in Norwegian nature.
• GraminorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlant breeding company partnering in the NoBlight project for integrated pest management of potato diseases including testing Norwegian potato varieties and breeding lines.
• GartnerhallenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian produce company partner in NoBlight project focusing on table potatoes.
• BamamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVegetable company partner in NoBlight project focusing on table potatoes.
• Hoff, Findus, MaarudmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial potato processing companies partnering in NoBlight project for integrated pest management research.
• NLR (Norsk Landbruksrådgivning)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian Agricultural Advisory Service partner in NoBlight project providing extension services and field expertise for integrated pest management strategies.
• Nordic and EuroBlight NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordic cooperation and EuroBlight network collaboration in the NoBlight project for shared research on potato diseases.
• CermaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaculture company partner in SUFFICIENT project developing circular bioprocess routes for conversion of biowastes into products for fish and animal feed.
• Woolero and TerramarinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgriculture and biorefinery partners in SUFFICIENT project developing circular bioprocess routes for biowaste conversion.
• GreentechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiorefinery partner in SUFFICIENT project for developing circular bioprocess routes including anaerobic digestion, hydrolysis and fungal fermentation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rothamsted Research: UK's oldest agricultural research institute with deep expertise in plant pathology, crop science, and IPM; directly comparable to NIBIO's plant health and sustainable agriculture programs.
• Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke): Finland's national research institute covering natural resources, agriculture, food, and bioeconomy; highly comparable Nordic peer with similar funding model and bioeconomy mandate.
• Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária): Brazil's national agricultural research corporation covering tropical and temperate crops, sustainability, and biotechnology; NIBIO's June 2026 strategic partner and a peer in scale and applied agricultural science.
• Agroscope: Switzerland's federal agricultural research institute covering crops, livestock, environment, and food; comparable in mandate and scale as a small-country national applied research body.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR): Netherlands-based applied research institute covering agriculture, food, environment, and bioeconomy with comparable multidisciplinary mandate and significant EU-grant capture; closest international analogue to NIBIO's bioeconomy focus.
• Teagasc: Ireland's agriculture and food development authority with applied research across crops, livestock, and rural economy; comparable public-mandate applied research peer with strong farmer advisory services.
• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement): France's national research institute for agriculture, food and environment; directly comparable in scale, mandate, plant health, and bioeconomy research, and a direct competitor for EU Horizon funding.
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): Sweden's primary agricultural and life sciences university with strong applied research in plant health, soil, and forestry; comparable Nordic peer with overlapping bioeconomy and agricultural research portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency with major programs in agriculture, food, and environment; comparable in national-mandate applied research and scale, but with a broader industrial technology portfolio.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied research organization covering a far broader mandate including biotech, energy, and agriculture; comparable applied research business model but much larger and more diversified.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfvBzDisycpX9ks3PkWiEFw
• Facebooknb-no.facebook.com/Nibio.no
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/80106
• Instagraminstagram.com/nibio_no
• Xx.com/nibio_no

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NIBIO