Research and Innovation Department

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries

The Research and Innovation Department is responsible for developing and implementing Norway´s innovation and industrial research policy, as well as policy regarding activities related to outer space. Responsible cabinet ministers for its portfolio are both the Minister of Trade and Industry and the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy.

Tasks include the management of grants to the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway, SIVA, Investinor, Design and Architecture Norway, Norwegian Industrial Property Office, The Norwegian Board of Appeal for Industrial Property Rights, Norwegian Space Agency, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, The Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic, The Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Institute for Energy Technology and the Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning. In addition, the Department is responsible for following up international cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally in the EU, EEA/EFTA, ESA, OECD and UN.

The department consists of the following sections

  • Section for Budget, Management and Capital instruments

    This section coordinates the department's portfolio related to the state budget, management of agencies and state ownership in several companies. It also deals with instruments that increase access to capital for businesses, tasks related to the management of grants, state aid as well as following up large investment projects.

  • Section for Research and Innovation Policy

    This section is responsible for policy development related to innovation and industrial R&D. It facilitates international R&I cooperation bilaterally with prioritized countries, as well as in the OECD and EU. The section is further responsible for IPR policy and the government´s management responsibility for the Norwegian Industrial Property Office and the Norwegian Board of Appeal for Industrial Property Rights.

  • Section for Marine Research

    This section is responsible for marine research policy. This includes responsibility for the Institute of Marine Research, Norwegian Seafood Research Fund, Nofima AS, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic, in addition to the Ministry's marine programs in the Research Council of Norway. The Section also follows up ocean-related issues in EU´s Horizon Europe as well as issues concerning fisheries and aquaculture in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

  • Section for Infrastructure

    This section is responsible for space policy, cleanup related to the Institute for Energy Technology´s nuclear reactor and for the Ocean Space Centre project. It is also responsible for the Norwegian Space Agency and Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning, as well as for government ownership of Andøya Space AS and Space Norway AS. The section further responsible for cooperation regarding space in ESA, EU and UN.

  • Section for Research and Innovation Instruments

    This section is responsible for managing and developing comprehensive and efficient government measures for the starting up, R&I and growth in companies. It is responsible for the ministry's management of and grants to Innovation Norway, the Research Council of Norway, Siva, Design and Architecture Norway and Innovative Procurement Program. The section is also responsible for developing policy related to entrepreneurship and commercialization through research.