History

As the name indicates, NIFU STEP resulted from the recent merger of two social science research institutes. On 1 May 2004, the histories of the Norwegian Institute for Studies of Research and Education (NIFU) and Studies in Technology, innovation, and Economic Policy (STEP) were brought together to promote synergies between the complementary expertise of the two parent environments.

NIFU's history dates back to the mid-1950s, initially as a division within the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities which was established in 1949. As a result of many years' activity in this field the institute gained significant expertise in questions relating to research and higher education, both nationally and internationally, conducting surveys and research in most branches of the field. During the course of these years the institute established itself as a primary source of statistics and is trusted with the national responsibility for collecting R&D statistics. In 1961 it officially became a Research Division of what at that time was the Norwegian Research Council for the Sciences and Humanities. After the division was reorganised in 1969, it became the Institute for Studies in Research and Education before being transformed into the NIFU foundation in 1996. The Institute has been a key actor in delivering statistics, studies and research in the areas of research and higher education.

STEP was conceived in 1991. The (former) Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research originally formed this research group within the Norwegian Computing Centre. From there, STEP went on in 1994 to become an independent foundation. The institute has been a pioneer in the area of systemic and evolutionary innovation research both nationally and internationally. STEP has taken part in - and coordinated - several relevant projects under the EU Framework Programmes, under the aegis of the OECD and through the Nordic Innovation Centre. The institute has a broad experience in Norwegian and European innovation policy history and development, innovation statistics and indicators and regional cluster studies, and has taken part in a large number of studies of the Norwegian innovation system and in evaluations of Norwegian innovation policy organisations and measures.