The Research Council of Norway

What The Research Council of Norway does

The Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsr\u00e5d) is the Norwegian government's central research-funding and policy-advisory body, established in its current unified form in 1993 from the merger of five predecessor councils (NTNF, NAVF, NLVF, NFFR and NORAS). It administers disbursement of approximately NOK 11.3 billion annually on behalf of all 15 Norwegian ministries, deciding allocations through 12 portfolio boards, ~200 independent board members, and a peer-review network of over 1,754 international experts. Its funding palette spans basic, applied and innovation research, including flagship instruments such as FRIPRO (ground-breaking research), SkatteFUNN (R&D tax deduction), Industrial PhD, Public Sector PhD, and Demonstration Projects, alongside support for Norwegian participation in Horizon Europe.

The Council's operating stack comprises the Prosjektbanken public project databank, a new application and project management portal ('My Page'/nytt s\u00f8knadssystem) rolling out for H2 2026 calls, a website-based AI chatbot for applicant and visitor support, and the Indikatorrapporten statistics platform. It co-funds national research infrastructure including the TRUST Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI in Oslo Science City, and maintains a presence in Oslo (Lysaker), Longyearbyen and Brussels. Beyond grant administration, the organisation runs public-engagement assets \u2014 Forskningsdagene (National Science Week), the Nysgjerrigper science education program, the Researcher Grand Prix, and regional science centres \u2014 that extend its remit into science communication.

Commercially the entity has no traditional revenue model or pricing: it is funded through annual parliamentary allocations and serves three primary client segments \u2014 research organisations (universities, university colleges, research institutes), Norwegian industry pursuing R&D, and the public sector (municipalities, county authorities, agencies) \u2014 none of which pay the Council in the conventional sense. The Council's leadership team is led by CEO Mari Sundli Tveit and includes five executive directors covering research system & internationalisation, industry & public-sector innovation, sustainable development, strategic advice & dialogue, and organisational operations.

Name

The Research Council of Norway

Legal name

Norges forskningsråd

Website

https://forskningsradet.no

Company type

Public

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Research Council of Norway is a government agency that distributes around NOK 11 billion annually in research and innovation funding on behalf of 15 ministries, serving universities, industry and public-sector bodies through competitive grants, peer review and policy advisory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK), Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO), Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

Keywords

• Research funding distribution
• Grant administration services
• Science policy advisory
• Innovation grant programs
• Competitive research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding Distribution: Distributes government funding to research and innovation projects on behalf of 15 Norwegian ministries. Allocates approximately NOK 11 billion annually through competitive grant processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Research Council of Norway is a Norwegian government agency that distributes approximately NOK 11 billion annually in research and innovation funding on behalf of 15 Norwegian ministries. It manages competitive grant application processes assessed by over 1,754 international peer reviewers and provides strategic research policy advice to the Norwegian government. The organization operates digital platforms including a project databank (Prosjektbanken) and a grant application system (My page) to support research organisations, industry, and the public sector in applying for and managing research funding.

Product overview

The Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd) is Norway's national research funding organization that distributes approximately NOK 11 billion annually in research and innovation funding. It does not operate commercial software products but manages internal systems for grant administration, including the Project Databank (Prosjektbanken) for exploring funded research projects and the Application System/My Page portal for submitting applications and managing funded projects. The organization also utilizes an AI chatbot for visitor assistance on its website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nysgjerrigper: Science Knowledge Project for children in primary and secondary school
• Forskningsdagene
• SkatteFUNN
• FRIPRO
• Horizon Europe

Products and services

• Prosjektbanken (Project Databank)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Norwegian grant applications for EU research funding have received support and guidance from the Research Council
• +1 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Bilateral cooperation agreement signed during PM Modi's visit to Oslo for joint workshops, collaborative R&D projects, and scientist exchanges in climate, clean energy, oceans, and health sectors. Part of five agreements strengthening India-Norway science and innovation collaboration.
• Stiftelsen SINTEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Extended collaboration through 2026-2029 focusing on circularity, bio-based processes, ocean energy including offshore wind, carbon capture, and waste valorisation. SINTEF co-leads TRUST AI centre with University of Oslo.
• NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Partner in India-Norway agreements during PM Modi's visit, focusing on offshore renewable energy technologies and academic collaboration.
• Emerald GeomodellingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Partner in India-Norway geoscience collaboration agreements signed during PM Modi's Oslo visit.
• Canada (National Research Council Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Reaffirmed bilateral research cooperation during ministerial meeting in Ottawa, with priority areas including Arctic research, climate studies, marine science, AI, and quantum technologies. Builds on Strategic Cooperation agreement signed March 14, 2026.
• University of OslocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2025Joint lead of TRUST - The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI, receiving national research centre status. Core located in Oslo Science City as part of government's billion-kroner AI investment plan.
• Norsk Regnesentral (Norwegian Computing Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2025Joint lead of TRUST - The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI with University of Oslo and SINTEF, focusing on interdisciplinary research on safe, fair, and responsible AI.
• Inspekt NorwayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in IntellScan AI-powered ultrasonic inspection project for concrete infrastructure inspection, working with Elop Technology and Norsk Regnesentral.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet): Sweden's national research funding body covering all academic disciplines. Highly comparable Nordic peer with similar mandate, peer-review infrastructure, and government-aligned funding flows.
• Science Foundation Ireland (SFI): Ireland's national science funding agency investing in oriented basic and applied research. Comparable as a mid-sized national research funder with industry co-funding and government advisory functions.
• Research Council of Finland (Academy of Finland): Finnish national research funding body under the Ministry of Education and Culture. Closely analogous Nordic peer with similar mandate, disciplinary coverage, and government funding dependence.

Direct peers

• National Science Foundation (NSF): U.S. independent federal agency supporting fundamental research and education across all fields. Comparable in scale, peer-review-driven distribution, and cross-disciplinary coverage; serves as the global benchmark for national research councils.
• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central research funding organization supporting all disciplines through competitive peer-reviewed grants. Most direct European analog in mandate breadth, peer-review rigor, and government-advisory role.
• National Research Council Canada: Canada's primary national research funding agency with mandate to advance scientific R&D. Direct analog as a government-mandated research council distributing multi-billion funding across disciplines, recently reaffirmed bilateral cooperation with the Research Council of Norway.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Switzerland's primary national research funding agency supporting basic and applied research across disciplines. Comparable in mandate, peer-review intensity, and multi-billion funding scale despite different funding model.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): United Kingdom's national research and innovation funding body formed by merging multiple discipline-specific councils. Closely comparable in unified-council model, multi-billion distribution scale, and government policy advisory role.

Broad incumbents

• European Research Council (ERC): EU-level frontier research funding body operating under Horizon Europe. Comparable as a peer-review-driven grant distributor, but operates at supranational scale and is a key partner/funding source for Norwegian researchers routed through the Research Council.

Emerging players

• NordForsk: Nordic intergovernmental research funding organization coordinating cross-border Nordic research. Comparable as a regional research funder, but operating as a collaborative platform rather than a single-country distributor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/norgesforskningsrad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norges-forskningsrad
• Xx.com/forskningsradet

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments4 records

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Frequently asked questions about The Research Council of Norway