Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research to be launched 1 July 2015

Norway is to establish a national Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NBIO) merging the tasks and staffs of the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk), the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute, and the Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute.

The organisation will be Norway’s largest interdisciplinary research institute in the agricultural and environmental sphere, and one of the country’s largest research institutes.

“The Norwegian agriculture and food sector needs effective resource centres and research groups to be able to develop competitive products and services and safeguard other societal needs. The name of the new institute stresses the government’s high ambitions for its activities and the key role it will play in developing the bioeconomy in the green sector,” said Minister of Agriculture and Food Sylvi Listhaug.

The institute will begin with an annual turnover of roughly NOK 680 million. The new institute is a public administrative body with special powers of authority.

“It is my hope that the institute’s name will provide a good starting point for building a common identity and culture across the three existing institutes,” Listhaug said. “At the same time I wish to commend the employees, who have been working very hard to realise a viable, cutting-edge institute from 1 July.”

Einar Steensnæs, chair of NIBIO’s provisional board said, “The bioeconomy encompasses central administrative and research tasks relating to agriculture, food and the environment. The bioeconomy is also an important part of the framework for clarifying the global conditions needed for a sustainable future. The provisional board is therefore seeking to shape NIBIO not only as the leading national institute for the bioeconomy, but also as an international leader in selected scientific areas.”

“It is an inspiring and challenging job for the provisional board to lay a foundation that enables NIBIO to achieve the ambitious scientific goals that have been set.”

NBIO will be headed by Alvhild Hedstein, who will be joining from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, where she is Director General of the Department of Environment.