FOI

What FOI does

FOI (Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut), operating as the Swedish Defence Research Agency, is a statutory government research institute under the Swedish Ministry of Defence, founded in 1941 and headquartered in Kista, Stockholm, with additional sites in Linköping, Grindsjön and Umeå. The agency conducts research, method and technology development, and analysis across an unusually broad span of defence and security domains, organised into seven divisions covering Security Policy Analysis, Defence Technology, Defence Analysis, Research Support and Administration, Electromagnetic Warfare, Weapons/Protection/Security, and CBRN Defence and Security. Core technical capabilities span underwater technology (submarine detection in the Baltic Sea, anti-submarine warfare for the Gripen system and surface vessels), cyber defence and Command & Control (including the Skade threat-hunting training prototype), electronic warfare (radar, laser, electromagnetic interference and sensor signatures), CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection and protection — operationalised through the EU-SENSE Horizon 2020 sensor network and EDF-funded HiTDOC project), space systems, civil defence and emergency preparedness, and security policy research distributed across seven thematic newsletters.

FOI's business model is institutional, not commercial. Revenue is fully derived from public-sector sources and is not commercially priced. Approximately 46% of 2025 revenues come from Swedish Armed Forces commissions (simulation, underwater technology, information warfare, aeronautics), 16% from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), about 27% from direct government appropriations covering policy analysis, CBRN research and police-related studies, and the remainder from civil authorities (MSB, Radiation Safety Authority, National Food Agency, Police) plus international funding streams such as the European Defence Fund, Horizon Europe, and NATO STO participation. Work is acquired via government assignment and long-standing institutional relationships rather than sales motions, and outputs are delivered as research reports (downstreamable PDFs), courses, seminars, specialist support during operations, and active prototypes such as Skade and HiTDOC.

Name

FOI

Legal name

Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut

Website

https://foi.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

FOI, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, is a statutory government institute under the Ministry of Defence that conducts research, method and technology development across defence and security for the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV, civil authorities and NATO/EU partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defence Research Services

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281), National Security (928110), International Affairs (92812), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence (C4I) Systems (IMABAOAA)

Keywords

• Defence research services
• Security policy analysis
• CBRN defence research
• Cyber defence research
• Electromagnetic warfare

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission-based financing: Nearly all of FOI's projects are publicly funded. In 2025, 46% of total revenues came from the Swedish Armed Forces (commissions in simulation, underwater technology, information warfare, aeronautics), 16% from FMV (e.g., electromagnetic interference prevention). Civil authorities provide additional commission work (civil defence, analysis for police, etc.).
2. Appropriation-based financing: About 27% of FOI's activities are funded directly by the Government (Ministry of Defence and Ministry for Foreign Affairs). Covers security/defence policy analysis, CBRN research, international defence materiel activities, police-related research, and security policy/disarmament investigations.
3. International financing: Some activities financed internationally, e.g., through the European Defence Fund (EDF) and Horizon Europe framework programmes. FOI coordinates and participates in EU-funded defence and security research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FOI is a Swedish government research agency that conducts research, methodology and technology development, and analyses and studies for defence and security. It operates across seven research divisions covering security policy, CBRN defence, cyber defence, electronic warfare, underwater technology, space systems, weapons/protection/security, and civil defence/emergency preparedness, serving primarily the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), and civil authorities.

Product overview

FOI (Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut - Swedish Defence Research Agency) is a government research agency under the Swedish Ministry of Defence that conducts research, methodology/technology development, and analyses for defence and security. FOI is organized into seven divisions providing research across multiple domains including: Security Policy Research and Analysis covering Russian, European, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern security; CBRN Defence Research; Cyber Defence and C2 Technology; Electronic Warfare; Underwater Technology; Space Systems; and Civil Defence and Emergency Preparedness. FOI operates specialized research centres including the Food Defence Research Centre, and develops research prototypes such as Skade for threat hunting training. The agency produces research reports, publishes seven thematic newsletters, and collaborates nationally with universities and internationally through NATO STO, EU framework programmes, and bilateral partnerships. Most activities are commission-based, funded primarily by the Swedish Armed Forces (46%), the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (16%), and government appropriations (27%).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security Policy Research and Analysis Research covering Russian foreign and defence policy, Northern European and transatlantic security (NOTS), Asian security, African security studies, Middle Eastern security policy, and international missions. Produces newsletters, reports, and strategic analyses for government clients.
• CBRN Defence Research Research on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence including threat assessments, detection technologies, and protection methodologies. Covers chemical agents, biological agents, nuclear weapons issues, and radioactive agents.
• Cyber Defence and C2 Technology Research on cyber threat hunting, IT security, industrial information and control systems, and Command & Control technology. Includes the Skade project for threat hunting training capability development.
• Electronic Warfare Research Research on electromagnetic warfare, radar systems, laser technology, and sensor systems including signatures and camouflage detection capabilities.
• Underwater Technology Research Research focused on submarine operations in the Baltic Sea, including detection of foreign submarines and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
• Space Systems Research Research on space weapons and space-based systems for defence applications.
• Civil Defence and Emergency Preparedness Research Research on command and control, robust communications platforms, risk and vulnerability analysis, energy supply security, and emergency management for total defence.
• Food Defence Research Centre Interdisciplinary research centre developing methods to detect and mitigate threats to the food system. Focuses on biological, chemical, economic, and information warfare targeting food systems. Collaboration between FOI, SLU, SVA, SLV, and SJV.
• Skade Threat Hunting Training Prototype A prototype application for cyber threat hunting training capability. Generates threat scenarios with varying difficulty levels, different threat intelligence amounts, and various sensors for training threat hunters in national defence and civil security contexts.
• HiTDOC Hidden Threats Detection Challenge EDF-funded project developing test procedures and methodologies to evaluate detection technologies for improvised explosive devices and landmines, including unmanned ground and aerial systems.
• Research Reports and Publications FOI publishes research reports, memos, briefings, and maps covering all research areas. Available for download in PDF format through the reports search page.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

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

• EU-SENSE (Horizon 2020, Grant No 787031)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018EU-SENSE (European Sensor System for CBRN Applications) was a 3-year Horizon 2020 project (May 2018 – April 2021) developing a novel network of sensors for CBRNe applications using chemical detector technologies and machine learning algorithms for detection and risk area calculation.
• Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) — SECURIT ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012The SECURIT programme (Security Culture and Information Technology) ran from July 2012 to November 2017, funded by MSB and coordinated by FOI. It involved nine research projects addressing social aspects of information security culture across Swedish organisations.
• Chalmers University of TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012Chalmers was a joint research partner in the SECURIT programme (2012–2017), contributing expertise in information security culture alongside FOI, KTH, University of Gothenburg, Örebro University, and Linköping University.
• Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012KTH was a joint research partner in the SECURIT programme (2012–2017), contributing multi-disciplinary expertise to the study of information security culture in organisations.
• University of GothenburgmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012University of Gothenburg, in cooperation with University West, was a joint research partner in the SECURIT programme, contributing social science and humanities perspectives to information security culture research.
• Örebro UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012Örebro University, in cooperation with Linköping University, was a joint research partner in the SECURIT programme, contributing expertise in organisational culture and information security.
• Karlstad University / Swedish IT Security Network for PhD Students (SWITS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2012Karlstad University coordinated and supported SWITS (the Swedish IT Security Network for PhD students) with funding from SECURIT.
• NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOI contributes to strengthening NATO's shared capabilities and ensuring its technological edge. FOI is active in NATO's research structure (STO), coordinating Swedish participation. Jens Mattsson (Director-General) represents Sweden on the STO Board. Sweden is one of the most active nations in STO, alongside Norway. FOI participates in several research panels and leads research activities within the STO framework.
• European Commission / European Defence Fund (EDF) / Horizon EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOI participates in EU research framework programmes. The European Defence Fund aims to promote competitiveness and innovation in defence and technology, with ~8 billion euros in support across the 2021–2027 programme period. FOI coordinates the EDF-funded HiTDOC project (started 1 December 2023) on detection technologies for hidden threats.
• US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Skade project (cyber threat hunting training) is funded by MSB's bilateral R&D agreement with DHS. CISA and MITRE provide expert advice and access to threat emulation tools. FOI and MSB share research results with DHS.
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLU is a core partner in the Food Defence Research Centre, an interdisciplinary centre working to develop methods to detect and mitigate threats and attacks on the food system. The centre focuses on chemical, biological, economic, and information warfare threats to the food sector.
• Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVA is a core partner in the Food Defence Research Centre, contributing expertise on animal health and veterinary threats to food system security.
• Swedish Food Agency (SLV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLV is a core partner in the Food Defence Research Centre, providing food safety expertise and regulatory knowledge relevant to chemical, biological, and economic threats to the food system.
• Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJV is a core partner in the Food Defence Research Centre, contributing agricultural policy and production expertise to the centre's work on food system resilience and defence.
• Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MSB/MCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSB is FOI's principal civil client and R&D partner. MSB funds and co-develops research including the Skade cyber threat hunting training project, and SECURIT (the Security Culture and Information Technology programme). MSB also acts as the coordinating authority for the National Preparedness Laboratory for Water.
• EXERTER (Horizon 2020, Grant No 786805)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEXERTER (Security of Explosives pan-European Specialists Network) was a 5-year Horizon 2020 project connecting 20 practitioners from 13 EU member states into a specialist network addressing explosives security and terrorism prevention.
• Umeå UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmeå University collaborates with FOI in the Food Defence Research Centre, advancing epidemiological surveillance by combining eDNA technology with computational modelling for disease and pathogen monitoring.
• European Defence Agency (EDA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOI maintains strong partnerships with the EDA alongside NATO STO and bilateral collaboration with the US and UK.
• United States (DHS, CISA, MITRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral collaboration with the US includes the Skade project under the MSB–DHS R&D agreement, with CISA and MITRE providing expert advice and threat emulation tools access.
• United KingdommajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOI maintains bilateral collaboration with the UK in defence research as part of its international defence research programme.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• RAND Corporation: RAND is a US-based policy think tank with a major defense research practice covering security policy, military analysis, cyber, and CBRN. It overlaps with FOI's Defence Analysis division (security policy and military studies).
• Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI): UI is a Swedish research and policy institute on international affairs and security policy. It is partial-overlap with FOI's security policy analysis practice (newsletters on Russian, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern security).
• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP): SWP is the German government's foreign-policy think tank advising the Bundestag and federal ministries on security. It is a thematic counterpart to FOI's security policy research function focused on international affairs.

Direct peers

• Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI): FFI is Norway's national defence research agency under the Ministry of Defence, with a comparable statutory mandate covering naval, cyber, space, weapons, and defence analysis research. It is the closest Nordic counterpart to FOI and a frequent collaborative partner.
• Finnish Defence Research Agency (FDRA / Puolustusvoimien tutkimuslaitos): FDRA conducts applied research for the Finnish Defence Forces across sensors, C2, CBRN, and defence analysis. As a Nordic, government-funded research agency with overlapping domains, it is a directly comparable peer.
• Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO): TNO is the Netherlands' statutory applied-research organisation with a substantial Defence, Safety & Security unit covering C4ISR, cybersecurity, CBRN, and sensor research. Its mix of statutory mandate + applied commercial activities makes it structurally similar to FOI.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Society: Fraunhofer operates 75+ applied-research institutes including defence-relevant units (IOSB, FKIE, IZM, FHR). It is a broader and larger applied-research incumbent than FOI but performs much of the same C4ISR, sensor, cyber, and CBRN applied R&D work.
• ONERA (French Aerospace Lab): ONERA is France's national aerospace research lab under the Ministry of Defence, performing applied research in aeronautics, space, electromagnetics, and sensing. It is broader in aerospace than FOI but performs comparable sensor and electromagnetic warfare research for defence.
• NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO): NATO STO is the alliance-level body coordinating collaborative defence research across 40+ nations, including FOI. As an umbrella for the very consortia FOI participates in, STO overlaps with FOI's research mandate and capabilities.

Others

• European Defence Agency (EDA): EDA is the EU intergovernmental agency coordinating member-state defence capability development, including collaborative R&D. As one of FOI's key European partners, it operates in the same defence research ecosystem but functions as an enabler/coordinator rather than a researcher.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FOIresearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/foiresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/foiforskning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FOI