About us

Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) is to contribute to food security and safety, sustainable resource management, innovation and value creation through research and knowledge production within food, forestry and other biobased industries.

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Macro algae. Photo: Erling Fløistad
Bioeconomy is an economy that exploits biological resources from land and sea, as well as waste, as inputs for food, energy and other goods and services. NIBIO is to become the leading national centre for the development of knowledge within the field of bioeconomy.

The goal of the Institute is to contribute to food security, sustainable resource management, innovation and value creation through research and knowledge production within food, forestry and other biobased industries. NIBIO provides research, management support, and knowledge to enhance national resilience, benefit businesses, and contribute to society as a whole. Approximately 750 employees are present in all parts of the country. The main office is located at Ås in Akershus, just outside Oslo.

NIBIO is subject to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food as an administrative agency with special authorization and its own supervisory board.

Publications

Abstract

Here you will find 40 articles from the past year, providing a glimpse into the vast array of professional activities at NIBIO. These articles can be considered as samples from our extensive portfolio, which includes around 1500 ongoing projects across our five specialised divisions.

Abstract

NIBIO has an extensive professional portfolio, with close to 1500 ongoing projects at any given time. The projects reflect the great diversity and breadth of NIBIO’s professional activities, with regard to goals, market and geographical location. Many are concerned with sustainability. At the same time, many of our disciplines are subject to increasing polarization in society, which can express itself in both oversimplification and misrepresentation of complex issues. This requires an awareness of the role that research and knowledge institutions like NIBIO play, and a conscious approach to the difference between science and politics. For NIBIO it is therefore important to be active throughout the entire knowledge value chain. Our knowledge must be useful – it must be put to use and must contribute to insight and smart decisions that lead to good solutions. Our framework NIBIO — Making Sustainability Meaningful is about precisely that – contributing to the diversity of knowledge needed to balance different and often opposing considerations in an increasingly complex terrain. In this document we have collected 39 articles – selected samples of the great diversity of NIBIO’s professional activities in 2021. Activities and results that each, in their own way, contribute to important knowledge in industry and management, and in society – locally, nationally, and internationally. We hope that these samples inspire you to seek out more information – both about what is presented here and the many other exciting results of NIBIO’s activities.

Abstract

The year 2020 will go down in history as unusual and different — the year of the coronavirus. Naturally, it has also affected the work of NIBIO. But despite that, we have a great deal to show for in terms of specialist production and dissemination, across a wide range of areas that are important to many people in the Norwegian society. The year 2020 was also special for another reason — this was the year NIBIO celebrated its fifth birthday. Mergers take time and can be difficult, but also create space for development and essential change and NIBIO has come a long way in these five years. We carry out extensive specialist activity all over the country, and increasingly beyond Norway’s borders too. Our broad foundation, covering specialist production problems and value creation, resource and environmental issues with economics and social science included, means that we can fully back up our slogan “NIBIO — Making Sustainability Meaningful.” It is the core of our social responsibility. In other words, our aim is for our expertise to contribute to a positive society, where sustainable solutions depend on the abilities and specialist insight that allow us to balance a range of considerations. With enormous diversity and more than 1,000 projects in our portfolio, it is virtually impossible to present a full picture of NIBIO’s specialised activities. In this brochure, we therefore present just a small selection of articles which are a sample of our specialised activities in 2020. We hope these samples are enough to tempt you to want to find out more about NIBIO and all the exciting projects and specialised development that our 700 employees contribute towards.

Abstract

Brochure in English about NIBIO. NIBIO contributes to food security and safety, sustainable resource management, innovation and value creation through research and knowledge production. Multi-disciplinary and integrated activities Science-policy-stakeholder interactions

Abstract

Foreword The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form an important framework for social development nationally and globally. However, it can sometimes feel as if the concept of ‘sustainability’ is simply being bandied about with no thought for what it actually involves. To NIBIO, the concept means a lot, and we are committed to making it tangible by using the knowledge we develop and manage, both in Norway and through our activities abroad. Our diverse and specialized activities have made it possible for NIBIO to meet many of the 17 SDGs. The wide range and huge diversity of our specialist expertise, projects, types of assignments, relationships, people, presence and geography make NIBIO unique. Our focus is on ensuring that our knowledge will be of benefit and can be used to meet the needs of public administration and industry. In an institute with over 1,000 ongoing specialist projects, it is impossible to present a comprehensive and complete picture. Yet we can convey representative aspects. This is the purpose of this edition of Green Knowledge. It provides a selection of 37 individual issues, which represent a cross section of the varied activities at our institute. We hope that it sparks your interest and spurs you to find out more about NIBIO and our specialized activities.

Abstract

[Foreword] With a team of 700 employees and offices all over Norway, NIBIO is involved in a diverse range of projects in a number of places. The NIBIO team—distributed across five divisions and 16 locations, including Campus Ås— supports governmental bodies, public authorities, and industry by delivering research, analyses and reports, data, calculations, and decision-making tools. All this is carried out with a focus on value creation and sustainability—the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a key driver of many of NIBIO’s professional activities.

Abstract

NIBIO – the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research - develops knowledge on what the Norwegian bioeconomy actually is. NIBIO has a strong focus on sustainability, value creation and the primary industries’ knowledge requirements. At the same time, the environment, resource base and climate are core areas in our work. This gives us a unique combination of expertise, with which we can integrate questions of production with environmental challenges, and where economic and social dimensions are included. Basic knowledge of biology and biological processes linked to advanced technology provides us with opportunities for new understanding, new solutions and increased value creation. It is important for NIBIO that our knowledge is of use for industry, the administration, decision makers and other research institutions. NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research was established July 1 2015 as a merger between the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, the Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute and Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute. In this brochure we present a taste of the projects we have worked on in NIBO’s first year, examples that show the institute’s breadth and potential.