# Norwegian Institute for Water Research

> Norwegian research institute

**Wikidata**: [Q11992468](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11992468)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Institute_for_Water_Research)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/norwegian-institute-for-water-research

## Summary
The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (Norsk institutt for vannforskning; short name: NIVA) is a Norwegian research institute and nonprofit foundation focused on water-related science and data. It was founded in 1958, is headquartered in Oslo, and is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment.

## Key Facts
- Inception: 1958-07-01 (founding date).  
- Legal form: stiftelse (foundation).  
- Ownership: Owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment (ownership start time recorded as 1975-01-01).  
- Headquarters: Oslo, Norway; coordinates 59.942167, 10.715917.  
- Employees: 293 (point in time: 2025).  
- Total equity: 159,637,000 NOK (point in time: 2022).  
- Endowment: 40,000,000 NOK (point in time: 2022); additional historical endowment records exist for 2004–2013.  
- Official names and short name: Norsk institutt for vannforskning; Norwegian Institute for Water Research; short name NIVA.  
- Instance of: research institute and nonprofit organization.  
- Registrations & identifiers: ROR 03hrf8236; GRID grid.6407.5; ISNI 0000000404479960; GND 1085974278; VIAF 124386525; Norwegian organisation number 855869942; EU VAT NO: NO855869942MVA; LEI 549300SXHL5WB6CU1430.  
- Website and social handles: https://www.niva.no/ (Norwegian); Twitter: nivaforskning; Instagram: nivaforskning; LinkedIn: niva; YouTube handle: nivaforskning (channel id UC7JeePlp1MGza3uWjuhY92g).

## FAQs
### Q: What is the Norwegian Institute for Water Research?
A: The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) is a Norwegian research institute and registered nonprofit foundation that conducts water-related research and data activities. Its official Norwegian name is Norsk institutt for vannforskning.

### Q: When was NIVA established?
A: NIVA's recorded inception date is 1958-07-01.

### Q: Who owns NIVA?
A: NIVA is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, with the ownership relationship recorded as starting on 1975-01-01.

### Q: How large is NIVA?
A: As of the point in time 2025, NIVA had 293 employees. Its total equity was recorded as 159,637,000 NOK in 2022.

## Why It Matters
NIVA is a long-established national research organization dedicated to water science, data and related services, positioning it as a central institution for water-related research in Norway. Its status as a foundation owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment ties it to national environmental policy and stewardship. NIVA’s registration in biodiversity and data publishing communities (including a biodiversity repository entry and membership of "Biodiversity data publishers from Norway") indicates an institutional role in maintaining and providing research-grade environmental and biodiversity data. Financial scale (noted equity and recorded endowments) and a staff nearing 300 employees signal capacity for sustained research programs, monitoring, and data services. NIVA’s multiple national and international registry identifiers, official channels, and long operational history make it a reliable source for researchers, policy makers, and organizations seeking water and biodiversity data or expertise in Norway.

## Notable For
- Officially founded in 1958 and operating continuously since that inception date.  
- Legal status as a Norwegian foundation (stiftelse) owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment since 1975.  
- Registered biodiversity repository (identifier: NIVA) and member of "Biodiversity data publishers from Norway," indicating formal roles in biodiversity data publishing.  
- Significant institutional scale: 293 employees (2025) and total equity of 159,637,000 NOK (2022).  
- Broad set of national and international identifiers (ROR, GRID, ISNI, GND, VIAF, LEI, Norwegian organisation number, EU VAT), supporting institutional discoverability and collaboration.

## Body

### Overview
- Official name: Norsk institutt for vannforskning / Norwegian Institute for Water Research.  
- Short name: NIVA.  
- Industry/classification: research; instance of research institute and nonprofit organization.  
- Primary country: Norway.  
- Member of: Biodiversity data publishers from Norway.

### Legal & Organizational status
- Legal form: stiftelse (foundation).  
- Owned by: Ministry of Climate and Environment (start_time: 1975-01-01).  
- Norwegian organisation number: 855869942.  
- EU VAT number: NO855869942MVA.  
- Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 549300SXHL5WB6CU1430.

### Inception & History
- Inception (founding date): 1958-07-01.  
- Operates as a foundation and is recorded as a government-owned research entity since the mid-1970s.

### Headquarters & Locations
- Headquarters: Oslo, Norway.  
- Coordinates: latitude 59.942167, longitude 10.715917.  
- Located in: Oslo Municipality.

### Staff & Capacity
- Employees: 293 (point in time: 2025).  
- Total equity: 159,637,000 NOK (point in time: 2022).  
- Endowment entries recorded for multiple years, including 40,000,000 NOK in 2022 and historical amounts for 2004–2013.

### Registrations, Identifiers & Registries
- ROR ID: 03hrf8236.  
- GRID ID: grid.6407.5.  
- ISNI: 0000000404479960.  
- GND ID: 1085974278.  
- VIAF ID: 124386525.  
- HAL structure ID: 127023.  
- Ringgold ID: 6273.  
- KISTI ID: K000213945.  
- Bibsys ID: 2091870.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0138v9kg.  
- Library of Congress authority ID: n84137955.  
- Additional registry entries: opencorporates no/855869942, digitaltmuseum 021168850397, kulturnav ID 68eb8b0e-4a69-48df-b38f-2dc07dc740c7.

### Online Presence & Channels
- Website: https://www.niva.no/ (language qualifier: Norwegian for the main site).  
- Twitter handle: nivaforskning.  
- Instagram: nivaforskning.  
- LinkedIn: niva.  
- YouTube handle: nivaforskning; channel ID: UC7JeePlp1MGza3uWjuhY92g (channel metadata includes start_time 2014-09-23 and recorded points in 2024–2025).

### Data & Biodiversity Roles
- Biodiversity repository id: NIVA (registered in GBIF/related registries).  
- Member of "Biodiversity data publishers from Norway," indicating participation in national biodiversity data publishing efforts.

### References & Source Anchors (selected)
- Ownership and founding records sourced from Norwegian state administration databases and registry entries.  
- Financial and registration details derive from foundation and registry records (point-in-time references recorded alongside each financial entry).  
- Public online channels and website are recorded with referenced timestamps.

## References

1. [Source](https://lottstift.no/stiftelsesregisteret/detaljer/855869942)
2. [Norwegian Centre for Research Data](https://www.nsd.no/polsys/data/en/forvaltning/enhet/52984)
3. GRID Release 2017-01-10
4. Virtual International Authority File
5. [Employees](https://www.niva.no/en/employees)
6. [Source](https://www.niva.no/)
7. GRID Release 2015-12-14
8. GRID Release 2016-12-06
9. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
10. [Global Registry of Scientific Collections](https://www.gbif.org/grscicoll/institution/0a03ced2-3c4d-4ca8-a334-0779ac71df3e)
11. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
12. [Source](https://www.stiftelsesregisteret.no/account/001P4000007jxDZIAY/norsk-institutt-for-vannforskning-sti)
13. HAL
14. YouTube API