Møreforsking was established in 1980 and had already then a close relationship with the Univeristy Colleges in Møre and Romsdal. The research institutes has reinforced and strengthened each other. The expertise is developed alongside the private sector in the region and the needs of the public sector. Møreforsking has established itself as the second largest regional social science institute in Norway, with strong grounding in applied contract research related to oil, gas, maritime and marine, as well as social changes in the region such as labor migration, integration, expertise, clusters and services. Møreforsking has also established itself as a strong national and international participant in the areas of transport economics. Today we create history together with world leading clusters and research groups.
From the beginning, Møreforsking’s strategy has been to be both a regional and a national research actor. The aim was to become competitive nationally with regard to research expertise and quality, and at the same time meet expectations when it comes to regional relevance.
Møreforsking was established after the need for a regional contract research institute for research was highlighted in a "Perspective Analysis of Sunnmøre" in the 1970s. The decision on the establishment of the "Research Foundation for Møre og Romsdal" was made in the County Council in June 1979, the Board had its first meeting on 13th of March 1980. The name became "Møreforsking" and Bjrln Stave was the first CEO full time from April, 1981.
The scientific basis for the establishment of Møreforsking lay at the University Colleges in Volda and Molde, both of which were participating from the start. Ålesund joined from 1983. The main subject of the establishment was to strengthen research at colleges and to be a liaison with users of research. Scarce funding was channeled to, and used in the county, and Møreforsking became an important tool for regional development.
Since day 1, Møreforsking have had from the strategy to be both a regional and a national research organization. The goal was to be nationally competitive in terms of research expertise and quality, while meeting the expectations of regional relevance.
Møreforsking was until 2008 organized as a foundation. From 1986, activity in Molde and Volda was organized in separate research centers, while in 1990, Møreforsking into separate branches in Volda, Molde and Ålesund. Møreforsking Molde AS was established as a separate company in 2002, and Møreforsking was then organized in a group model.
In 2004, a reorganization was initiated, which ended with the activities of the Foundation Møreforsking from 2008 were transferred to the limited company Møreforsking AS. The three University Colleges were the direct owners of this research business. Foundation Møreforsking was also continued as a minority shareholder (10%) in Møreforsking. The business and the way this is run, has not changed, even though corporate form has changed. The reorganization was finally approved by the Foundation Authority on 23rd of January 2008.