KORUS

What KORUS does

KORUS is Norway's national network of seven regional competence centers dedicated to substance abuse prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, and public health. Funded and mandated by the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet), the organization delivers evidence-based knowledge, tools, and training to Norwegian municipalities, schools, healthcare and social services, and the general public. Its service portfolio spans free digital publications and brochures, handbooks (e.g., overdose prevention), conversational tools (Motivational Interviewing posters and value cards), educational board games (Mestringsspillet and Metaspillet families), and e-learning courses covering topics from youth substance use to elderly alcohol and medication interactions. KORUS also operates the Ungdata national youth welfare survey system, which has captured over one million responses since 2010, and the newer Ungdata Plus longitudinal survey launched in 2023 following 6,000 children in Vestfold and Telemark through 2039, with professional research responsibility shared with NOVA at OsloMet.

The business model is non-commercial: KORUS is entirely government-funded (parental mandate from Helsedirektoratet), and all products are distributed free of charge via the korus.no webshop and as PDF downloads. Go-to-market is event- and content-driven, using courses, conferences, webinars, e-learning, podcasts (Spillradioen), and a nation-wide network of regional offices that deliver in-person support and tailored workplace training. The technology stack is modest and operational — Piwik Pro for analytics, Make for newsletters, Cimple for e-learning delivery, and Deltager.no for course registration — rather than a proprietary platform business. Strategic research partnerships with NOVA, RKBU/RBUP, RVTS, and universities, plus an operational relationship with Blå Kors, embed KORUS within Norway's broader public health and academic ecosystem. KORUS functions as a publicly mandated knowledge dissemination infrastructure rather than a commercial enterprise, with no disclosed private ownership, M&A activity, or equity funding.

Name

KORUS

Legal name

KORUS

Website

https://korus.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KORUS is Norway's national network of seven regional competence centers, funded by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, providing free evidence-based knowledge, tools, training, and surveys on substance abuse prevention, harm reduction, and youth welfare to municipalities, schools, and healthcare professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Competence Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC), KOL Engagement & Medical Education (Advisory Boards/CME Support) (HLAGALAM)

Keywords

• Substance abuse prevention
• Public health competence
• Youth welfare surveys
• Harm reduction training
• Motivational interviewing tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Skien

Offices6 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 Funding: KORUS is a government-funded national competence center. The Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) finances the operations of the competence center network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KORUS is Norway's national network of seven regional competence centers that provides free knowledge, evidence-based tools, training courses, publications, and the national Ungdata youth welfare survey system to municipalities, schools, and professionals working in substance abuse prevention, early intervention, harm reduction, treatment follow-up, and public health. Its offerings span physical brochures and handbooks, educational board games, e-learning courses, motivational interviewing conversation tools, and large-scale youth surveys (Ungdata, Ungdata Plus, Ungdata Junior) plus drug trend monitoring (Føre Var).

Product overview

KORUS (Koordineringsorganet for rusmiddelforebyggende arbeid i kommunene) is a national network of seven regional competence centers for substance abuse and public health, funded by the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet). The organization provides knowledge, tools, and training services to municipalities across Norway. Its product portfolio includes physical and digital publications (brochures, handbooks, research reports) such as the Gaming Brochure, Pengespill Brochure, and Håndbok i overdoseforebyggende samtaler; e-learning courses including Aldring alkohol og legemidler and the Digital Course in Physical Health and Substance Use; and educational board games (Mestringsspillet in versions for lower and upper secondary school, Metaspillet). KORUS also operates the Ungdata survey system, its longitudinal extension Ungdata pluss, and Ungdata junior, providing municipalities with survey-based knowledge about young people's health and wellbeing. Supporting tools include Motivational Interviewing (MI) materials (conversation posters and value cards). All products are available cost-free for municipalities and professionals working in prevention and public health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ungdata: A national welfare survey for children and young people conducted across Norway, providing knowledge about how youth live, their school environment, friendships, leisure activities, and health.
• Ungdata pluss
• Føre Var
• Spillradioen

Products and services

• Gaming – Brosjyre (Gaming Brochure)

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommunecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in the Ungdata Plus project, providing funding and municipal participation for the longitudinal survey of children aged 10+ in Vestfold and Telemark.
• Universitetet i Sørøst-NorgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaborates with KORUS Sør on Ungdata Plus research, including focus group studies with children and youth in Vestfold and Telemark.
• NOVA (Velferdsforskningsinstituttet), OsloMetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOVA at OsloMet has the professional and legal responsibility for the Ungdata survey. KORUS collaborates closely with NOVA on Ungdata and Ungdata Plus research projects.
• Helsedirektoratet (Norwegian Directorate of Health)coreOthersHelsedirektoratet funds and mandates KORUS's national competence center operations, including the Ungdata surveys and regional substance abuse competence support.
• Blå Kors NorgecoreOthersKORUS sør is part of Blå Kors Norge. Blå Kors has appointed a privacy officer (personvernombud) that supports KORUS. KORUS øst co-produces the Spillradioen podcast with Blå Kors.
• RKBU/RBUP (Regionalt kunnskapssenter for barne- og ungdomsforskning)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKORUS collaborates with RKBU/RBUP on following up Ungdata results, particularly related to child and youth mental health, violence and traumatic stress.
• RVTS (Regionalt videre- og spesialopplæringssenter)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKORUS collaborates with RVTS for follow-up of Ungdata results, specifically regarding violence, traumatic stress and suicide prevention.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Folkehelseinstituttet (Norwegian Institute of Public Health, FHI): Norway's national public health research institute, operating at a broader scale than KORUS across all population health topics. FHI's research on substance use, youth health and population surveys overlaps substantively with KORUS's mandate and dataset focus.
• EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction): EU agency providing evidence on substance use at a multinational scale. EMCDDA's remit is conceptually comparable to KORUS's — collecting data, producing reports, and supporting policy — though operating at EU rather than national level.
• Blå Kors Norge: Norwegian addiction treatment and prevention NGO; KORUS sør operates as part of Blå Kors, and KORUS øst co-produces the Spillradioen podcast with Blå Kors. Blå Kors is a broader addiction services operator with treatment, not just prevention, focus.

Direct peers

• Actis - Rusfeltets samarbeidsorgan: Norwegian umbrella organization for actors working in alcohol and drug policy. Actis shares KORUS's substance abuse prevention remit and serves as a complementary policy/advocacy body that KORUS works alongside.
• RKBU/RBUP (Regionalt kunnskapssenter for barne- og ungdomsforskning): Norway's regional knowledge centers for child and youth research, with which KORUS collaborates directly on Ungdata follow-up. RBUP/RKBU shares KORUS's government-funded competence-center model and addresses overlapping child/youth welfare and mental health subject matter.
• RVTS (Regionalt videre- og spesialopplæringssenter): Norway's regional centers for violence, traumatic stress and suicide prevention. KORUS and RVTS jointly follow up on Ungdata results; both are government-funded specialist centers offering training, guidance, and competence support to municipalities on sensitive public health topics.

Others

• Helsedirektoratet (Norwegian Directorate of Health): KORUS's sole funder and mandate holder. Although not a peer in the competitive sense, Helsedirektoratet's broader role in Norwegian health-system competence building intersects closely with KORUS's mandate, including funding and oversight of overdosefore.no and national prevention campaigns.

Regional players

• Nordic Welfare Centre: Inter-Nordic body supporting knowledge and competence in welfare, health, and social policy across the Nordic countries. Operates in a similar public-funded competence-center niche as KORUS, with overlapping substance abuse, prevention, and social-services training scope at the regional level.
• THL - Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare: Finland's national public health and welfare institute serving a similar role as Folkehelseinstituttet in Norway. THL conducts population health surveys, prevention research, and competence support for municipalities — conceptually parallel to KORUS's mandate in a neighboring Nordic jurisdiction.
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA): Canada's national competence body on substance use, providing evidence, policy advice, and workforce development. CCSA's mandate, public-funded status, and product portfolio (reports, guidelines, training, data) closely mirror KORUS's role in Norway, scaled to a different country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korus-norge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 KORUS