About INLAND

INLAND (2026–2034) is a research centre for innovative solutions for sustainable land use and nature management. The centre brings together researchers, public authorities, businesses and organisations to develop knowledge and solutions that can be applied in practical management and decision-making.

Our land resources must meet a wide range of needs. Land is required for food production, forestry, reindeer husbandry, renewable energy, outdoor recreation and business development, among other purposes. At the same time, we must safeguard biodiversity, ecosystems and vital natural resources, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This creates challenging trade-offs between competing interests at both local and national levels.

INLAND aims to support more integrated decision-making by addressing nature, climate and society as interconnected challenges. The centre focuses particularly on three key themes:

  • Climate and environment
  • Forestry, agriculture and reindeer husbandry
  • Renewable energy and the energy transition

 

INLAND’s ambition is to become a nationally leading and internationally recognised centre for interdisciplinary research on sustainable land use and nature management. The centre will develop knowledge, tools and solutions that enable public and private stakeholders to make better-informed decisions in support of a sustainable transition.

Cross-sector collaboration

INLAND brings together expertise from a wide range of disciplines, including natural sciences, social sciences, law, spatial planning, economics, data science and technology. The centre will also strengthen the links between research and practice, ensuring that knowledge is translated into solutions that can support real-world decision-making and management.

Research is developed in collaboration with stakeholders involved in land use and nature management at municipal, regional and national levels, as well as in the private sector and civil society organisations. Regional user cases and living laboratories, so-called living labsLiving Labs, will be used to explore specific challenges and to develop and test solutions together with the stakeholders involved.

Seks personer står foran bygninger
INLAND is led by NIBIO and NMBU, with the University of Oslo and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute as its Norwegian research partners. Pictured here at the funding award ceremony held at Campus Ås in March 2026 are (from left): Katrine Broch Hauge (UiO), Centre Director Gunnhild Søgaard (NIBIO), Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Mari Sundli Tveit (The Research Council of Norway), Lars H. Gulbrandsen (FNI) and Deputy Centre Director Øystein Aas (NMBU). Photo: Ragnar Våga Pedersen.

Leadership and funding

INLAND is jointly led by NIBIO and NMBU. The Centre Director is Gunnhild Søgaard (NIBIO), and the Deputy Centre Director is Øystein Aas (NMBU). The Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute are Norwegian research partners, while Umeå University and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) participate as international research partners.
 
INLAND is one of four national research centres funded by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres for Sustainable Land Use and Nature Management initiative under the Collaborative and Knowledge-building Project funding scheme.