The Nansen Center

The Nansen Center is a Norwegian environmental institute, organised as an independent foundation. Our core activity is research and development directed at physical and biological conditions in our near sea areas, in the Arctic, and globally. In our research work, we use data from direct measurements and from satellites, and advanced models and methods to understand and forecast changes in the marine environment and climate.

About us

We conduct research on ocean, sea-ice, and atmospheric conditions in the North Atlantic and in the Arctic, study connections with global climate change, and aim to deliver ground-breaking results in climate and environmental research.

The Nansen Center’s vision is to be a pioneer in environmental and climate research. We have extensive national and international research collaborations and have also initiated the establishment of five international Nansen centers to promote international competence development and knowledge exchange. Through our activities, business, the public sector, and other interested parties will get access to relevant and freely available research services of a high international quality. We further contribute to researcher training through guidance and courses, guest researcher exchange, and through the employment of doctoral fellows and young researchers.

The center is project-financed via national and international research councils, space organisations and agencies, the European Commission, and private research funds, and it receives basic funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment.

The Nansen Center was established in Bergen, Norway, in 1986 and is now employing around 70 people from more than 20 different countries.

Our strategy

We have developed a business strategy covering the period from 2023 to 2028. The strategy lines out the initiatives we believe are best suited to fulfil our social mission and to achieve our goals.

You cand find our strategy document here.

Annual reports

In our annual reports, you can read about activities that have taken place during the past year, and highlights of our research.

You can find our annual reports here.