Ruralis

What Ruralis does

Ruralis – Institutt for rural- og regionalforskning (Institute for Rural and Regional Research) is an independent Norwegian research foundation founded in 1982, headquartered in Trondheim with a branch office in Oslo. The institute conducts interdisciplinary social science research across three areas: business development and bioeconomy, climate and resource management, and local and regional development. It holds national responsibility for theoretical and methodological development of interdisciplinary rural studies and is described as one of Europe's leading academic communities in this field. Ruralis has completed over 200 research projects since 1982 and published in 150+ academic journals, with a 32-person staff in which the majority hold doctoral degrees.

The institute's core technology is its research methodology stack: qualitative and quantitative social science approaches including large-scale community surveys (Lokalsamfunnsundersøkelsen), interviews, focus groups, ethnographic fieldwork, document analysis, and bio-economic farm optimization modeling (FarmDyn). It does not develop or sell software products; its outputs are research deliverables, reports, policy consulting, and academic publications. Revenue is generated through commissioned research contracts from Norwegian government agencies, municipalities, agricultural organizations, and EU/Nordic research bodies, supplemented by public research funding from the Research Council of Norway, EU programs, and the Nordic Council of Ministers. As a nonprofit foundation, Ruralis operates on a project-based, grant-funded model rather than commercial pricing.

Ruralis serves Norwegian government ministries and directorates, municipalities, agricultural industry organizations (notably Norsk Bondelag), and academic partners including NTNU and NMBU. Its international collaboration network spans universities across Sweden, Finland, Germany, and the Baltic states, with recent projects reaching Sub-Saharan Africa and Ukraine. The foundation is governed by a board appointed by its founding stakeholders (NTNU, NMBU, Norsk Bondelag, Norsk Bonde- og Småbrukarlag, Norsk Landbrukssamvirke, Distriktssenteret, and employees), reflecting its mission-driven nonprofit structure and institutional ties to Norwegian agricultural and academic policy communities.

Name

Ruralis

Legal name

Stiftelsen Ruralis - Institutt for rural- og regionalforskning

Website

https://ruralis.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ruralis is a Norwegian independent research foundation founded in 1982 that conducts interdisciplinary social science research on rural and regional development, serving Norwegian government agencies, municipalities, agricultural organizations, and EU research programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

Keywords

• Rural research institute
• Interdisciplinary rural studies
• Agricultural policy research
• Regional development research
• Bioeconomy research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Trondheim

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Research: Research contracts commissioned by government agencies, municipalities, agricultural organizations, and EU bodies. Projects are typically awarded through competitive bidding or direct commission.
2. Public Research Funding: Funding from Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd), EU research programs, and Nordic Council of Ministers for collaborative research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ruralis conducts interdisciplinary social science research on rural and regional development across three research areas: business development and bioeconomy, climate and resource management, and local and district development. The institute delivers commissioned research projects, policy advisory services, and academic publications for government agencies, municipalities, agricultural organizations, and EU and Nordic research bodies.

Product overview

Ruralis – Institute for Rural and Regional Research is an independent research foundation and academic institute, not a commercial product company. It does not offer software products or technology services for sale. Instead, Ruralis provides research-based knowledge services including: interdisciplinary social science research on rural and regional development topics (climate and resource management, local/district development, business development and bioeconomy); commissioned research projects for public and private clients; scientific publications including reports, articles, notes, and fact sheets; and research collaboration platforms through national and international project partnerships. The organization's offerings are research deliverables, consulting expertise, and academic knowledge products rather than commercial software, platforms, or SaaS offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commissioned Research Projects
• Policy Advisory and Consulting Services
• Academic Publications and Reports
• Community Survey Research (Lokalsamfunnsundersøkelsen)
• Climate and Resource Management Research
• Local and District Development Research
• Business Development and Bioeconomy Research

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 research projects completed since 1982
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• University of TurkucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Lead partner in CREEP project focusing on Nordic food system resilience; coordinates collaboration between Norway, Sweden, and Finland on food system crisis research
• NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap collaborates on food systems and rural development research projects including CREEP and CIVIC Renewables
• Karlstad UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish partner in CREEP project on Nordic food system resilience research
• Swedish Defence UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in CREEP project studying food system vulnerabilities
• Uppsala UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on Nordic food system crisis prevention and resilience
• Finland Futures Research Centre (University of Turku)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture-oriented research on sustainable food systems and regional development
• University of Jyväskylä School of Business and EconomicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish partner in Nordic food systems research collaboration
• NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the founding organizations that appoints board members to Ruralis; ongoing research collaboration on agricultural and environmental topics
• Norsk Bondelag (Norwegian Farmers' Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding organization that appoints board members; collaborative research on agricultural policy and rural development
• Norsk Bonde- og Småbrukarlag (Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding organization appointing board representatives; research partnership on agricultural issues
• Norsk Landbrukssamvirke (Norwegian Agricultural Cooperative)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppoints board member to Ruralis; collaboration on agricultural business and bioeconomy research
• Distriktssenteret (Rural Centre)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppoints board member representing rural development interests; collaborative work on regional development
• SINTEF OceanmajorTechnology or IntegrationProject collaboration on SocialFeed project developing indicators for social sustainability in feed value chains
• Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies (SCAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Ruralis researcher Natalia Mamonova's fellowship program for writing book on Ukrainian agriculture and identity
• Aberystwyth UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic exchange through 'Rural Reawakening' team visits for interdisciplinary rural studies collaboration

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research): Norway's primary applied research institute for agriculture, food, forestry, and bioeconomy. Competes directly with Ruralis for Norwegian government and EU research funding, serves overlapping public-sector and agricultural clients, and operates in the same Nordic agricultural research ecosystem.
• Centre for Rural Economy, Newcastle University: UK research center focused on rural economy, rural sociology, and land-use policy. Highly comparable in academic focus on interdisciplinary rural studies, with a similar small-center model that partners with larger universities.
• LUKE (Natural Resources Institute Finland): Finnish national research institute covering natural resources, bioeconomy, and rural livelihoods. Directly comparable to Ruralis in size, Nordic public-sector mandate, and research portfolio on rural development, agricultural economics, and sustainable food systems.
• Agroscope: Swiss federal agricultural research institute conducting research for agriculture, food, and the environment. Closely matches Ruralis in applied agricultural research, climate/resource management, and policy advisory roles, though at larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute): Global CGIAR-affiliated food policy research institute producing economic research on agriculture, food security, and rural development. Comparable in delivering policy-relevant agricultural economics research but at much larger scale and global remit.
• Wageningen University & Research: Largest European agricultural and food research institution. Operates in the same bioeconomy, rural development, and food system space but at significantly greater scale with broader topic coverage, dominating EU Horizon agriculture grants that smaller Nordic institutes compete for.
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): Sweden's main agricultural university and research institution, partnered with Ruralis on CREEP. Overlaps on rural development, agricultural policy, and bioeconomy but operates as a much larger university with broader disciplinary scope.

Others

• SINTEF: Norway's largest applied research organization, an active project partner of Ruralis on SocialFeed and other initiatives. Not a direct competitor — different applied focus — but a key collaborator and Norwegian counterpart for accessing Nordic and EU consortium funding.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization): UN specialized agency for food, agriculture, and rural development. Sets global frameworks that drive Ruralis's commissioned research agenda and is an indirect funder/partner through FAO-aligned EU and Nordic programs.
• OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate: OECD directorate producing international agricultural policy analysis and economic research. Comparable in producing policy advisory outputs on agriculture and rural economies, though operating as an intergovernmental body rather than a national institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ruralis_no
• Facebookfacebook.com/stiftelsenruralis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ruralis_no
• Instagraminstagram.com/ruralis_no
• Xx.com/ruralis_no

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ruralis