What Fafo does

Fafo (Forskningstiftelsen Fafo) is an independent Norwegian applied social-science research institute founded in 1981 and headquartered at Borggata 2B in Oslo, with a staff of approximately 148. It conducts contract research across four thematic areas: working life (arbeidsliv), education (utdanning), welfare (velferd), and migration (migrasjon), using established methodologies including surveys, qualitative interviews, register-data analysis, and program evaluations. Core outputs include numbered Fafo-rapporter (reports), Fafo-notater (working notes), Faktaflak (fact sheets), peer-reviewed scientific publications, the FafoPodden podcast, and public seminars such as Fafofrokost research breakfasts and Arendalsuka panels, all freely downloadable from fafo.no.

Fafo is not a commercial product company; it operates as a non-profit forskningsinstitutt and does not sell products or license technology. Revenue is generated entirely through commissioned research contracts awarded by Norwegian government ministries (notably Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet), the LO trade-union confederation and other fagforbund, Norwegian municipalities, and European/international bodies such as Eurofound and EU-funded projects including INDI. All publications are distributed openly through the institute's website, with dissemination amplified by Norwegian earned media, a regular newsletter, and event programming.

The institute functions as an embedded knowledge partner in the Norwegian and Nordic policy ecosystem, combining academic rigor with direct relevance to labor-market legislation, collective bargaining, migration policy, and welfare-services design. Strategic alliances include academic collaborations with Leeds University Business School / Digit (on AI and digitalization in the workplace), the BOVEL Centre for Housing and Welfare Research consortium led by OsloMet/NOVA, and bilateral work with Samfunnsøkonomisk analyse on staffing-agency regulation. Fafo's go-to-market is reputation-led: its leadership team (CEO Hanne Cecilie Kavli, Research Directors Kristin Alsos and Kjersti Misje Østbakken, Research Leaders Beret Bråten, Ketil Bråthen, and Kaja Reegård) and communications director (Stein Roar Fredriksen) maintain public visibility through expert committees, media commentary, and policy events.

Name

Fafo

Legal name

Fafo

Website

https://fafo.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fafo is an independent Norwegian applied social-science research institute founded in 1981 in Oslo, employing ~148 staff. It conducts contract research on working life, welfare, education, and migration for government ministries, trade unions, and EU bodies, publishing open-access reports, notes, and fact sheets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fafo is an independent Norwegian applied research institute that conducts commissioned social science research on working life, education, welfare, and migration. It sells research projects to government ministries, agencies, trade unions, and municipalities, and disseminates the resulting reports, notes, fact sheets, and peer-reviewed scientific articles through its website, seminars, and podcast.

Product overview

Fafo is a Norwegian applied research institute that functions as a unified research services organization rather than a traditional product company. The core offering consists of research publications and reports (Fafo-rapporter, Fafo-notater, Faktaflak), scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, research projects commissioned by public and private organizations, public seminars and events, and the Fafo podcast. These offerings are interconnected, with research projects generating publications that are disseminated through the website and at public events, forming a complete research-to-communication cycle focused on labor market, welfare, migration, and education policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prosjekter (Commissioned Research Projects)
• Fafo-rapporter (Fafo Reports)
• Fafo-notater (Fafo Notes)
• Faktaflak (Fact Sheets)
• Vitenskapelige publikasjoner (Scientific Publications)

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Leeds University Business School / Digital futures at work research centre (Digit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration on digitalization and artificial intelligence in the workplace. Fafo's labor life group conducts workshops with researchers from Leeds University Business School to discuss how digitalization affects jobs, labor market participation, and the role of social partners.
• BOVEL - Senter for bolig- og velferdsforskning (Centre for Housing and Welfare Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFafo is a partner in BOVEL led by Velferdsforskningsinstituttet NOVA at OsloMet. Partners include AFI (Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet), SIFO, NIBR, Frischsenteret, Institutt for samfunnsforskning, VID vitenskapelige høgskole, Nord Universitet, and Nordlandsforskning.
• Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFafo serves as national correspondent for Eurofound in cooperation with STAMI (Statens arbeidsmiljøinstitutt). Eurofound is a tripartite EU body producing knowledge on work life and welfare policy. Work is financed by Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet.
• Samfunnsøkonomisk analysecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Fafo and Samfunnsøkonomisk analyse on evaluating new provisions for hiring from staffing agencies. Fafo leads the project with this partner contributing economic analysis.
• OsloMet - Velferdsforskningsinstituttet NOVAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOVA leads the BOVEL Centre for Housing and Welfare Research, a collaborative partnership with multiple research institutes including Fafo.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions): EU tripartite agency producing comparative research on work, employment, and living conditions. Fafo acts as Eurofound's national correspondent for Norway and is a research partner; they operate in the same thematic space with overlapping methodological and client overlap.

Direct peers

• NIBR - Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (OsloMet): OsloMet institute conducting applied research on urbanization, regional policy, and welfare services. Overlaps Fafo on Norwegian public-sector commissioned research and is a BOVEL partner.
• SOFI - Swedish Institute for Social Research (Stockholm University): Stockholm University research institute producing evidence on welfare, labor, and social inequality in Sweden. Comparable Nordic applied social-science research mandate with overlapping government and union clientele.
• VIVE - The Danish National Centre for Social Research: Denmark's leading applied social science research institute focused on welfare, labor market, and public services. Closest Nordic cross-border analogue to Fafo with similar government-commissioned research model and welfare-state expertise.
• Institutt for samfunnsforskning (Institute for Social Research): Norwegian social science research institute based in Oslo that conducts applied research on labor, welfare, politics, and society. Closest direct peer to Fafo with overlapping methodological approaches, policy-research mandate, and Norwegian public-sector client base.
• AFI - Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet: OsloMet's work research institute focused on working life, organizational development, and labor-market issues. Direct thematic overlap with Fafo on labor and workplace research and a BOVEL partner.
• SIFO - National Institute for Consumer Research: OsloMet research institute studying consumption, sustainability, and welfare. BOVEL partner with overlapping Norwegian public-sector client base and applied social-science methodology similar to Fafo.
• Frisch Centre (Frischsenteret): Oslo-based applied economics research institute affiliated with the University of Oslo. Competes with Fafo for Norwegian ministry contracts on labor market, welfare, and policy evaluation research, and is a partner within the BOVEL consortium.
• Velferdsforskningsinstituttet NOVA (OsloMet): Welfare research institute at OsloMet that leads the BOVEL Centre for Housing and Welfare Research, of which Fafo is a partner. Overlapping mandate on welfare, housing, and social policy evaluation with comparable Norwegian public-sector clients.
• Nordlandsforskning: Nordic applied social science research institute based in Bodø, Norway. Comparable applied research mandate across welfare, labor, regional development, and public-sector evaluation; also a BOVEL consortium partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/steinrf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fafo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Fafo