Vetenskap & Allmänhet

What Vetenskap & Allmänhet does

Vetenskap & Allmänhet (VA) is a Swedish non-profit membership association founded in 2002 and headquartered in Stockholm, positioned as a national expert organization at the interface between research and society. Its stated purpose is to promote dialogue, openness, and collaboration between researchers and the general public, operating across six expert areas: research communication, citizen science, co-creation and dialogue, open science, meeting places, and studies. The organization does not operate a unified technology platform; instead, its product portfolio is a set of interconnected programs and initiatives, including ForskarFredag (annual public-researcher engagement event), Forskar Grand Prix (research communication competition), Låna en forskare (borrow-a-researcher program), Vetenskapsbarometern (annual longitudinal public-attitude survey), Resurscenter för forskningskommunikation (resource center for research communicators), and Folk och Forskning (national meeting platform for evidence-based policymaking).

The organization serves a hybrid customer base: persona segments include the general Swedish public, academic researchers, decision-makers, research communicators, teachers, and journalists; business-unit segments consist of organizational members drawn from universities, research councils, government agencies, and civil-society organizations. VA's revenue model rests on two streams — recurring annual membership fees from both organizational and individual members across all societal sectors, and project-based funding from Swedish research councils and government bodies for specific initiatives. It has 100+ member organizations including all major Swedish universities (Uppsala, Lund, KTH, Karolinska Institutet, Chalmers) and the principal public research funders (Vetenskapsrådet, Formas, Forte, VINNOVA). Distribution is multi-channel and event-driven: physical and digital events (Almedalen Arena, Frihamnsdagarna science festival), a weekly newsletter, organic social media, and a self-serve website. No revenue, funding rounds, M&A, or leadership-change data are disclosed, and the organization is member-governed with no parent company.

Name

Vetenskap & Allmänhet

Legal name

Vetenskap & Allmänhet

Website

https://v-a.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vetenskap & Allmänhet is a Swedish non-profit membership association, founded 2002 and based in Stockholm, that promotes dialogue between researchers and the public through events, citizen-science programs, and an annual attitudinal survey, serving 100+ member organizations across Swedish universities, research councils, and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Communication and Science Engagement Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Science communication
• Research outreach
• Public engagement
• Citizen science
• Research policy dialogue

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from both organizational and individual members across all societal sectors
2. Project funding: Funding from various research councils and government bodies for specific projects and initiatives

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vetenskap & Allmänhet is a Swedish non-profit membership association that facilitates dialogue, communication, and collaboration between researchers and the general public. Its core offerings are organized programs (ForskarFredag public engagement events, Forskar Grand Prix research communication competitions, Låna en forskare researcher-borrowing school visits), an annual public opinion survey (Vetenskapsbarometern), a resource center for research communication, and a national meeting forum (Folk och Forskning). Membership is open to both organizations and individuals from all societal sectors in Sweden.

Product overview

Vetenskap & Allmänhet is a non-profit association and expert organization focused on dialogue, communication, and collaboration between research and society. Rather than a unified software platform, its portfolio consists of interconnected programs and initiatives: ForskarFredag and Forskar Grand Prix are public engagement events; Låna en forskare enables researcher borrowing; Vetenskapsbarometern conducts public surveys; and Resurscenter för forskningskommunikation provides support materials. The organization operates across six expert areas: research communication, citizen science, co-creation and dialogue, open science, meeting places, and studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ForskarFredag: A project/program focused on research communication activities
• Forskar Grand Prix
• Låna en forskare
• Vetenskapsbarometern

Products and services

• ForskarFredag (Researcher Friday) An annual pan-European public engagement event, held on the last Friday of September, that brings researchers and citizens together for direct dialogue about science. Held simultaneously across Sweden and other European countries, coordinated through the EU-Citizen.Science network.
• Forskar Grand Prix A research communication competition in which researchers compete to present their work in an engaging and accessible manner to non-specialist audiences, attracting media attention and public participation.
• Låna en forskare (Borrow a Researcher) A program that enables organizations, schools, and other groups to borrow researchers for lectures, discussions, and educational activities, supported by participating universities and research institutions.
• Vetenskapsbarometern (Science Barometer) An annual survey measuring Swedish public attitudes toward science, research, and scientists, providing longitudinal data on public perception of science. Conducted with member organizations as stakeholders.
• Resurscenter för forskningskommunikation (Research Communication Resource Center) A resource center providing tools, guides, and support for research communication activities and science outreach to research communicators and institutions.
• Folk och Forskning (People and Research) A national meeting place (conference) bringing together researchers, civil society, and decision-makers for dialogue on evidence-based policymaking.

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• ForskarFredag networkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European researcher outreach event held simultaneously across Sweden and other European countries, coordinated through EU-Citizen.Science network
• Forskar Grand PrixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetition format where researchers compete to present their work in engaging ways, attracting media attention and public participation
• Låna en forskarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram connecting schools with researchers for classroom visits and dialog, supported by participating universities and research institutions
• Almedalen ArenamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual political festival in Visby where Vetenskap & Allmänhet hosts an arena focused on research and democracy topics
• VetenskapsbarometerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual public opinion survey measuring Swedish attitudes toward science and research, conducted with member organizations as stakeholders
• European Citizen Science ambassadörminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in European-wide citizen science ambassador program connecting Swedish initiatives with EU networks

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: UK-based large-scale science foundation that funds research and runs significant public engagement programming (e.g., Wellcome Collection, public engagement grants). Adjacent funder-and-engagement model, comparable at the strategic level though vastly better-resourced.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): US-based scientific society, publisher of Science, and host of the Annual Meeting; runs extensive public engagement programs. Much larger scale but covers the same science-society interface mandate.
• Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW): Larger, older Dutch academy with broader institutional mission (research evaluation, academy membership, public engagement). Overlaps with VA in promoting science-society dialogue but operates at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Science Foundation Ireland: Ireland's primary research funder with statutory Smart Futures public engagement program and membership/network model. Comparable for mixing research funding, member services, and outreach programming.
• British Science Association: UK non-profit operating the British Science Festival, Science Week, and CREST programs, with membership structure and mission of public engagement with science. Directly comparable mission and delivery model to VA.
• Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT): Swiss umbrella academy promoting dialogue between science and society, running awareness campaigns, public events, and member-based networks. Same interface mandate, similar national-level scope, comparable funding mix of public grants and member dues.
• Wissenschaft im Dialog: Germany's national science-public dialogue organization founded 1999; operates flagship events such as Wissenschaftssommer and Jugend forscht analogs, funded by major research foundations. Direct functional peer to VA for science communication and citizen engagement.
• Forskning.no: Norwegian science communication platform and editorial outlet covering research news, with Forum for Forskningskommunikasjon (ResearchCom) public-engagement events. Comparable national role for science-public interface in a neighboring Nordic market.

Others

• Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council): Principal Swedish public research funder and one of VA's named institutional members / funders. Not a peer in delivery but a critical counterpart: VA's positioning depends on alignment with Vetenskapsrådet's research and communication priorities.

Emerging players

• European Citizen Science Association (ECSA): Network-based association coordinating citizen science initiatives across Europe, of which VA is a member. Shares overlapping agenda around citizen science and open science, though operating model is looser (membership network rather than program operator).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vetenskapoallm
• Facebookfacebook.com/vetenskapoallm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Vetenskap & Allmänhet