The Finnish Organic Research Institute

History

One of FORI’s mother organization, University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute has over 20 years experience in the development and research of organic food and farming. In a 2010 report, a Finnish Country Brand Delegation appointed by Alexander Stubb and led by Jorma Ollila gave the University of Helsinki and MTT Agrifood Research Finland the task of establishing the Finnish Organic Research Institute, in order to develop the Finnish organic food and production chain based on scientific research and education. The University of Helsinki and MTT Agrifood Research Finland duly established the Finnish Organic Research Institute in late 2012 and the Institute began its work at the beginning of 2013.

The administrative structure of the Institute is a managed expert network consisting of some 130 researchers from the University of Helsinki and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The network is managed by the coordination unit of the Institute, which is located in Mikkeli, Finland.

Founding organizations

Founding organizations of the Finnish Organic Research Institute are University of Helsinki and the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

Partner organizations in Europe

Finnish Organic Research Institute collaborates i.e. with the following organic research institutes in the Europe:

• NORSØK – Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (Norway)
• Centrum för ekologisk produktion och konsumtion (EPOK) – Svenska Lantbruksuniversitet (Sweden)
• ICROFS – International Centre for Research in Organic Food System (Denmark)
• FiBL – Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France)
• ISOFAR – International Society of Organic Agriculture Research
• INRAE – French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (France)