Research and Innovation Department

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, 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 Nuclear Cleanup

  The section is responsible for coordinating budgetary work within the department´s portfolio, agency management and ownership, as well as tasks related to the administration of grants and state aid. The section is also responsible for the management of Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) and cleanup of the Institute for Energy Technology’s (IFE) operation of nuclear reactors.

• Section for Research and Innovation Policy

  The section is responsible for developing policy related to innovation and industrial R&D, including technological development and R&D´s contribution to reaching our climate and environmental goals. The section also has responsibility for bilateral and multilateral international cooperation in industrial R&D and innovation in the Nordic region, as well as with the EU, OECD and certain prioritized countries. Also within its portfolio are policy issues related to research and technology organizations (RTOs), skills and education.

• 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, the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic, in addition to the Ministry's marine programs in the Research Council of Norway and the construction of The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre in Trondheim. 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 Space Activities

  The section is responsible for coordinating the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries’ responsibility for space activities. This responsibility includes coordinating work on civil space security and the governance of the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA). Furthermore, the section is responsible for managing the state's ownership in Andøya Space AS. The section is also responsible for international space cooperation through the European Space Agency (ESA), the EU and the UN, as well as the upcoming Norwegian Space Law and space security.

• 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. This includes the responsibility for the ministry's management of and grants to Innovation Norway, the Research Council of Norway, Investinor, Siva, Design and Architecture Norway and Innovative Procurement Program. The section is also responsible for instruments that increase access to capital through InvestEU, the development of entrepreneurship and startup policy and research commercialization . The section is further responsible for IPR policy and the government´s management of the Norwegian Industrial Property Office and the Norwegian Board of Appeal for Industrial Property Rights.