MARINTEK is a company in SINTEF, the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia. SINTEF was created in 1950, and create value through knowledge generation, research and innovation, and develop technological solutions that are brought into practical use. SINTEF is a broadly based, multidisciplinary research concern that possesses international top-level expertise in technology, medicine and the social sciences, and the aim is to become the most renowned contract research institution in Europe.
SINTEF is an independent, non-commercial organisation. The profits of contract research projects are invested in new research, scientific equipment and competence development. In the course of the past five years, SINTEF have invested approx. 65 million € (NOK 500 million) of its funds in laboratories and scientific equipment.
Key figures
SINTEF employs 2100 staff from 70 different countries, of which 1500 are located in Trondheim and 420 in Oslo. We have offices in Bergen, Stavanger and Ålesund, in addition to offices in Houston, Texas (USA), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and a laboratory in Hirtshals (Denmark). SINTEF's head office is in Trondheim. The total turnover in 2010 was 360 million € (NOK 2.8 billion), more than 90% of which was won in open competition for contracts for industry and the public sector and project grants from the Research Council of Norway. Every year SINTEF perform more than 7.000 research projects for some 2.000 clients. Basic grants from the Research Council make up around 7% of the turnover. SINTEF also acts as an incubator for new industrial companies. In 2010, we were involved in the commercialisation of eight different SINTEF technologies, through licensing agreements and the establishment of new companies.
Partners in cooperation
SINTEF operates in a close partnership with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, and collaborates with the University of Oslo, The Aalesund University College and other leading institutions. NTNU personnel work on SINTEF projects, while many SINTEF staff teach at NTNU. For MARINTEK, the main academic partner is NTNU Department of Marine Technology, which is located together with MARINTEK at The Marine Technology Centre at Tyholt in Trondheim. Our collaboration involves the extensive joint use of laboratories and equipment. We also collaborate with other leading research organisations in Norway and abroad.
International activity
SINTEF has clients in about 60 different countries. In 2010, 16 percent of our turnover was derived from international contracts. About 40 % of SINTEF international turnover comes from EU research programmes, in which SINTEF is a leading participant. European Union projects are given high priority, because it is important to participate in multinational knowledge-generation efforts, and such projects give access to international networks. The ambition for SINTEF is to grow in the international Research & Development market, and for this reason, SINTEF invest in certain areas: oil and gas, energy and the environment, materials technology, maritime and biomarine technology, ICT, building research and medical technology.
Organisation
The SINTEF Group is structured into a number of research divisions, defined in terms of value chains and industrial market clusters.
