What Telemarksforsking does

Telemarksforsking (legal entity: Stiftelsen Telemarksforsking) is an independent Norwegian social-science research institute founded in 1986 and headquartered in Bø i Telemark. It operates as a non-profit foundation (stiftelse) without shareholders, governed by an 8-member board with representation from the University of South-Eastern Norway and Telemark County Municipality. The institute organizes its work into three research groups: Municipal and Regional Development (Kommunal og regional utvikling); Cultural Life and Cultural Policy (Kulturliv og kulturpolitikk); and Social and Ecological Sustainability (Sosial og økologisk bærekraft). Its stated focus is producing 'knowledge that is used in society' through practice-oriented research.

The institute's productized and bespoke offerings include commissioned regional analyses (Regionale analyser), KOSTRA- and efficiency analyses (KOSTRA- og effektivitetsanalyser), and two proprietary annual indices — the Norsk kulturindeks (Norwegian Cultural Index) and the Norsk idrettsindeks (Norwegian Sports Index) — that provide longitudinal coverage of cultural and sports activity across Norwegian municipalities, regions, and counties. Core methodology is interdisciplinary social-science research combining qualitative evaluation work with quantitative municipal-statistics analysis; no software platform or commercial product architecture is disclosed.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: (1) recurring basic funding from the Research Council of Norway (Norges Forskningsråd) as an approved research organization, and (2) commissioned research, evaluations, and follow-up studies for Norwegian ministries, directorates, county authorities, municipalities, regional councils, organizations, and select European research projects. Pricing is project-based and negotiated per engagement; no public price list exists. Distribution is direct commissioned work, supported by professional memberships in FOKUS (the five Norwegian regional research institutes) and FFA (the Norwegian Association of Research Institutes), and a data-processing partnership with Sikt for compliant personal-data handling. The institute holds Miljøfyrtårn environmental certification (2021) and counts the 2025 Fulbright Article Prize among recent recognitions.

Name

Telemarksforsking

Legal name

Stiftelsen Telemarksforsking

Website

https://telemarksforsking.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Telemarksforsking is an independent Norwegian social-science research institute (founded 1986, Bø i Telemark) that conducts commissioned research, evaluations, and regional analyses for ministries, municipalities, and public-sector bodies, organized across municipal development, cultural policy, and social-ecological sustainability research groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bø

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. Research Council of Norway Base Funding: Telemarksforsking is an approved research organization receiving annual basic funding from the Research Council of Norway (Norges Forskningsråd).
2. Commissioned Research and Evaluations: Conducts commissioned evaluations, analyses, and follow-up studies for municipalities, organizations, and government authorities. Projects include regional analyses, KOSTRA analyses, municipal restructuring studies, and policy evaluations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Telemarksforsking is an independent social science research institute that conducts commissioned research, analyses, evaluations, and follow-up studies for Norwegian municipalities, ministries, directorates, and organizations. The institute organizes its work across three research groups — Municipal and Regional Development, Cultural Life and Cultural Policy, and Social and Ecological Sustainability — and offers services including regional analyses, KOSTRA- and efficiency analyses, and the proprietary Norsk kultur- og idrettsindeks (Norwegian Culture and Sports Index).

Product overview

Telemarksforsking is an independent social science research institute offering research services, analyses, evaluations, and expert consultations. Their portfolio includes regional analyses (Regionale analyser), KOSTRA- and efficiency analyses, and the Norwegian Culture and Sports Index (Norsk kultur- og idrettsindeks). The institute organizes its work across three research groups: Municipal and Regional Development (Kommunal og regional utvikling), Cultural Life and Cultural Policy (Kulturliv og kulturpolitikk), and Social and Ecological Sustainability (Sosial og økologisk bærekraft). Their vision is to produce knowledge that is used in society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regionale analyser (Regional Analyses) Digital regional analyses for Norwegian municipalities and regions, providing data-driven insights for strategy development, regional attractiveness evaluation, and community planning.
• KOSTRA- og effektivitetsanalyser (KOSTRA and Efficiency Analyses) Analysis of municipal statistics and efficiency metrics based on KOSTRA (Kommune-Stat-Rapportering) data systems, used by Norwegian municipalities to benchmark performance.
• Norsk kultur- og idrettsindeks (Norwegian Culture and Sports Index) Annual overview of cultural and sports activities and facility coverage in Norwegian municipalities, regions, and counties, combining the proprietary Norsk kulturindeks (Norwegian Cultural Index) and Norsk idrettsindeks (Norwegian Sports Index).
• Research Services (Commissioned Research and Evaluations) Social science research, analyses, evaluations, and follow-up studies conducted in close interaction with practice for municipalities, organizations, and government authorities across Norway and European research projects.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FOKUS - Norske regioninstituttcoreOthersMember of FOKUS, the organization for the five Norwegian regional research institutes. Provides networking, collaboration, and shared advocacy for regional research institutes in Norway.
• FFA - Norsk Forening for ForskningsinstituttercoreOthersMember of FFA (Norwegian Association of Research Institutes), which represents 35 research institutes in Norway.
• Sikt - Kunnskapssektorens tjenesteleverandørcoreTechnology or IntegrationAgreement with Sikt for personal data processing in research projects. Sikt provides services in information security and privacy, including general information, training, project assessments, registers, and data deletion protocols.
• Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)coreOthersAs an approved research organization, Telemarksforsking receives annual basic funding from the Research Council of Norway and participates in NFR-funded research projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Agderforskning: A small Norwegian regional research institute conducting applied research for municipalities and regional bodies, structurally very similar to Telemarksforsking with overlapping municipal and regional development practice.
• Oxford Research: A Nordic policy-research consultancy offering evaluations and analyses for governments, regions, and municipalities. Closely comparable in GTM (commissioned policy work) and customer base, with overlapping cultural-policy and regional-development practices.
• Vestlandsforsking: Another FOKUS regional research institute focused on innovation, culture, and societal development in western Norway. Comparable as a small, interdisciplinary social-science research foundation serving Norwegian public clients.
• Møreforsking: One of the five Norwegian regional research institutes within FOKUS, directly comparable in size, mission, and municipal/regional development focus. It mirrors Telemarksforsking's commissioned-research, foundation-style model in western Norway.
• Nordlandsforskning: A fellow FOKUS member and Norwegian regional research institute conducting applied social-science research for public-sector clients. Highly comparable in scale, governance, and customer base to Telemarksforsking.

Broad incumbents

• SINTEF: Europe's largest independent research institute. While primarily technology/specialized sciences, SINTEF also undertakes social-science and policy-adjacent projects for Norwegian government, making it an overlapping incumbent competitor for large public commissions.
• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre: One of Norway's largest independent research institutes, formed through merger of several regional institutes (including Uni Research). It is a broader incumbent competing for the same government-commissioned research tenders across multiple disciplines.
• NIFU (Nordisk institutt for studier av innovasjon, forskning og utdanning): A Norwegian policy-research institute studying innovation, research, and education systems. Comparable as a publicly funded Norwegian research foundation producing commissioned studies and indicators for ministries and agencies.

Emerging players

• Samfunnsøkonomisk analyse: A Norwegian economics and policy consultancy producing commissioned analyses for public-sector clients. Comparable as a small applied-research outfit competing for evaluation and impact-analysis commissions from ministries and municipalities.
• Frisch Centre (Frischsenteret): An Oslo-based economic and social-science research institute affiliated with the University of Oslo. Comparable as a Norway-focused, mission-driven research outfit competing for policy-evaluation commissions, though narrower in disciplinary scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/telemarksforsking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telemarksforsking
• Instagraminstagram.com/tmforsk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Telemarksforsking