Naturfagsenteret

What Naturfagsenteret does

Naturfagsenteret (The Norwegian Centre for Science Education) is a national resource center for science education, operating as an organizational unit within the University of Oslo's Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Det matematisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet). Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Oslo, the center serves Norwegian kindergartens, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary schools with the aim of improving science teaching quality across all education levels. It is a government/state entity, funded through the Norwegian public sector rather than commercial revenue.

The center's product portfolio is multi-platform and curriculum-aligned. Core digital assets include viten.no (online learning modules in science for lower and upper secondary schools), naturfag.no (learning resources and teaching methods for school use), and forskerfrø.no (activities and professional resources for kindergarten educators). Adjacent programs include Kompetanseutvikling (partnership-based continuing education for teachers), Forskning og utvikling (research on teaching practice and resource development), Realfagsløyper (localized professional development in math and science didactics), Skaperskolen (cross-disciplinary programming/technology education in collaboration with Norwegian science centers), and Stort Læringspotensial (resources for gifted and high-potential learners). Supporting offerings comprise the Naturfagpodden podcast and the peer-reviewed journals Naturfag and NorDiNa, alongside the annual Forskerfrøprisen award for kindergarten science education.

The business model is non-commercial: services are funded by the Norwegian government via UiO and delivered free of charge to Norwegian schools and kindergartens. Go-to-market is community-led and institutionally embedded — Naturfagsenteret works through direct partnerships with schools, kindergartens, science centers (Vitensentra), and UiO academic units rather than through traditional sales channels. As of the input data, revenue is not publicly disclosed, no pricing exists, the center has ~16 employees, and a leadership transition was announced in April 2026.

Name

Naturfagsenteret

Legal name

Naturfagsenteret

Website

https://naturfagsenteret.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Naturfagsenteret is Norway's national center for science education, operating under the University of Oslo to deliver digital learning platforms, teacher professional development, and science didactics research to kindergartens and K–12 schools nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Training, Professional Development & Education Leadership (BPADAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual World Language & Electives Providers (K–12) (EDAJADAK)

Keywords

• Science education resources
• Teacher professional development
• Educational research services
• Digital learning platforms
• Kindergarten science programs

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a national center under the University of Oslo Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Naturfagsenteret operates primarily through government funding from the Norwegian government.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Naturfagsenteret (The Norwegian Centre for Science Education) is a national center that develops and delivers science education resources, teacher professional development, and research for Norwegian kindergartens, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary schools. It operates multiple digital learning platforms (viten.no, naturfag.no, forskerfrø.no) and produces supporting programs including a podcast, academic journals, and the Forskerfrøprisen award.

Product overview

Naturfagsenteret (The Norwegian Centre for Science Education) is a national center under the University of Oslo's Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The center operates a multi-platform portfolio combining digital learning resources (viten.no for secondary schools, naturfag.no for general science education, forskerfrø.no for kindergarten), professional development programs (Kompetanseutvikling, Realfagsløyper), and research/development activities (FoU). Supporting offerings include the Naturfagpodden podcast, Naturfag Tidsskrift journal, Stort Læringspotensial program for gifted students, and Skaperskolen collaboration on programming/technology education. The center also manages award programs like Forskerfrøprisen to recognize excellence in early science education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Viten.no: Online teaching materials in science for lower secondary and upper secondary level
• Naturfag.no
• Forskerfrø.no
• Stort Læringspotensial
• Realfagsløyper
• Skaperskolen
• Naturfagpodden

Products and services

• Kompetanseutvikling (Professional Development)
• Forskning og utvikling (FoU) — Research and Development
• viten.no
• naturfag.no
• forskerfrø.no
• Stort Læringspotensial
• Realfagsløyper
• Skaperskolen
• Naturfagpodden
• Naturfag Tidsskrift

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Norwegian Science Centers (Vitensentra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with science centers across Norway, including joint initiatives like Skaperskolen which demonstrates how programming and technology can be used creatively and cross-disciplinarily in education.
• Norwegian Schools and KindergartenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablishes direct partnerships with schools and kindergartens across Norway to provide competence development and implement science education resources.
• University of Oslo (UiO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at UiO, providing institutional backing and academic research connections.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Science Foundation Ireland: Irish national science agency with a significant STEM education and public engagement mandate — comparable as a national-state-backed science education organization.
• National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM): UK government-funded national centre for math teacher PD and curriculum support — directly analogous institutional model to Naturfagsenteret, only for mathematics rather than science.
• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA): Largest US professional organization for science educators, providing journals, PD, and teaching resources — highly comparable in mission to support science teaching across K-12.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM): US professional association for math educators providing journals, standards, and PD — comparable professional association model to national subject-specific resource centres.
• Association for Science Education (ASE): UK-based association supporting science teaching across all education levels with publications, CPD, and curriculum resources — closely aligned with Naturfagsenteret's teacher-focused mission.
• STEM Learning: UK national STEM education charity that provides teaching resources, CPD, and digital platforms for science educators — directly comparable to Naturfagsenteret in mandate, national scope, and multi-platform portfolio.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy: Large free online learning platform with content across science subjects — comparable to viten.no and naturfag.no as a free digital learning resource, though operating at a global rather than national scale.
• Science Gallery International: Global network of science engagement spaces targeting young adults with innovative programming — overlaps with Naturfagsenteret's science communication and Skaperskolen-style creative-tech intersection work.

Others

• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based museum of science, technology, and arts with extensive teacher PD and online resource programs — adjacent peer in science education ecosystem, particularly the in-person and digital pedagogy work.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Broad US scientific society with extensive education and outreach programs (including Project 2061) — overlaps with Naturfagsenteret in science education but extends well beyond it into research and policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturfagsenteret

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Naturfagsenteret