NTNU SAMFUNNSFORSKNING AS

Their core work

NTNU Samfunnsforskning is the applied social research arm affiliated with NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. They specialize in understanding how people and communities respond to risk, energy transitions, and societal challenges — bringing social science methods (behavioural experiments, community engagement, risk communication) into technically-driven EU projects. Their core value is bridging the gap between engineering solutions and real-world human behaviour, ensuring that technologies and policies actually work when they meet society. They contribute social impact assessment, citizen engagement design, and resilience analysis to multi-disciplinary consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2016) was surprisingly technical: coordinating a space life-support project (TIME SCALE) dealing with plant growth in fractional gravity, alongside early energy societal research (ECHOES). From 2019 onward, they shifted decisively toward applied social science — community resilience, behavioural interventions, risk communication, and energy citizenship. The trajectory is clear: from niche technical coordination to becoming a go-to partner for the human and societal dimensions of energy and safety projects.

They are consolidating around citizen engagement, behavioural science, and societal resilience — expect them to pursue Horizon Europe calls on just energy transitions and community-driven climate adaptation.

How they like to work

Predominantly a consortium partner (4 of 6 projects), with one coordinator role and one third-party contribution. With 82 unique partners across 23 countries, they connect broadly rather than deeply — a sign of flexibility and demand for their social science expertise across different technical domains. They fit well into large, multidisciplinary consortia where they fill the "human dimension" gap that engineering-heavy teams often lack.

They have collaborated with 82 unique partners across 23 countries, giving them a wide European network despite being a relatively small research centre. Their partnerships span energy, transport, security, and space sectors, reflecting demand for their social science lens across diverse technical fields.

What sets them apart

Their differentiator is applying rigorous social science methods — RCTs, community resilience frameworks, behavioural interventions — inside technically-driven EU projects. Most social research partners offer qualitative analysis; NTNU Samfunnsforskning brings quantitative behavioural science and structured citizen engagement design. For any consortium that needs to demonstrate real societal impact (increasingly required by Horizon Europe), they are a credible, experienced partner from a trusted Norwegian institution.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TIME SCALE
  Their only coordinator role and largest grant (EUR 774K) — an unusual space biology project on modular life support systems, showing early technical breadth before their social science pivot.
• ENCHANT
  Demonstrates their most rigorous methodological contribution: large-scale randomized controlled trials applied to energy behaviour change — a rare capability in EU project consortia.
• DIALOGUES
  Their most recent project, focused on energy citizenship and co-creation through citizen action labs — signals their current strategic direction toward participatory energy transitions.