About Fafo

Fafo was founded by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) in 1982 and was reorganised as a foundation in 1993 with contributions from LO, Orkla ASA, Umoe AS, Elkem ASA, Coop Norge, Sparebank1 Gruppen, Fagforbundet, and Telenor AS.

Fafo develops and disseminates knowledge about changes in living and working conditions, societal participation, democracy and development in a range of social and economic settings. Our ambition is to contribute to processes of social and economic development based on rigorous ethical and scientific standards.

Fafo supplies decision makers and organisations, nationally as well as internationally, with critical and action-oriented research on working life and social policy. Our origins lie in the Norwegian trade union movement and Fafo today engages with policy makers in government, business, trade unions and international organisations in Norway, Europe and beyond.

We are organised in two institutes: the Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research and the Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies. Anchored in a tradition of empirical research, we have developed special expertise in the collection and analysis of quantitative data which we combine with qualitative research approaches.

Fafo cooperates with a broad range of academic networks and works in close contact and dialogue with clients and end-users of our research and we attaché great importance to creating meeting places and disseminating knowledge emanating from our projects. We conduct commissioned research for a wide range of actors, combined with publicly financed scientific research. We conduct research for social partner organisations, companies, public agencies, NGOs, international organisations and funds, as well as the Research Council of Norway, the EU, and international research programmes.

By January 2008 Fafo has 87 employees. In 2007 we were engaged in approximately 250 projects with a total turnover of 90,9 million NOK. In 2007, our basic grant from the Research Council of Norway amounted to 7.865 million NOK.

Organisation and management

Fafo Advisory Committee and Board of Directors
Fafo management