NACE 72.100
Margins and profitability in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
68 Norwegian companies in this industry. The median operating margin was 2.3 %, meaning what was left of revenue once every cost had been paid.
40 % of the companies in this industry posted a negative operating result that year.
In kroner
Revenue and operating profit
| Median company | Top third | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | NOK 81,983,500 | NOK 111,819,055 |
| Operating profit | NOK 2,036,299 | NOK 7,791,620 |
| Revenue per employee | NOK 1,962,760 | NOK 2,369,186 |
Revenue per employee is calculated on the 63 of 68 companies that report an employee count, as the median of the ratio within each company.
Median, not mean. A mean would be pulled up by the largest companies in the industry, and would say little about a typical one.
The distribution
What companies in the industry earned
One tenth of companies fell below -32.1 %, and one tenth above 17.7 %. That is the real spread in the industry, not an average.
Top against weakest third
- Top third
- 10.9 %
- Weakest third
- -19.3 %
- Spread
- 30 percentage points
- Equity ratio
- 48.5 %median of 68
Size
Profitability by size
| Revenue | Companies | Median operating margin |
|---|---|---|
| 20 to 100 m | 28 | 0.3 % |
| over 100 m | 31 | 3.1 % |
Companies are split into revenue bands, with the median margin in each. Bands with fewer than ten companies are omitted, because the median becomes too unstable to show.
Geography
Where the companies are based
| Oslo | 18 | |
| Trondheim | 8 | |
| Bergen | 5 | |
| Tiller | 3 | |
| Tromsø | 3 | |
| Moss | 2 |
The six postal towns with the most companies in this industry, by registered business address.
Public contracts
Who in the industry wins public contracts
26 of 68 companies in the industry have won at least one public contract since 2022, that is 38.2 %.
Those that win have median revenue of NOK 129.7m, against NOK 76.8m for those that do not. That is 1.7× as much. It describes who wins, not evidence that contracts make companies large; large companies also find it easier to bid.
Who puts them out to tender
The 121 contracts we find come most often from these buyers.
| Miljødirektoratet | 48 | |
| Statens vegvesen | 14 | |
| NTNU | 6 | |
| Statsforvalterens fellestjenester | 5 | |
| Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat (NVE) | 4 |
Contracts come from Doffin and TED. Our collection is not complete, and TED covers only contracts above the EEA threshold, so the figures are a floor and not a full count. We say what we find, not what exists.
Questions and answers
Common questions about research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
- What is a normal operating margin in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering?
- The median operating margin was 2.3 %, meaning what was left of revenue once every cost had been paid. Half of the 68 companies in the sample were above it, and half below.
- What separates the best from the weakest in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering?
- The top third had an operating margin of 10.9 %, against -19.3 % for the weakest. The spread is 30 percentage points, within the same industry, the same country and the same year.
- How many companies are there in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering in Norway?
- We hold filed accounts for 68 Norwegian companies on this industry code with at least one million kroner in revenue. The real number is higher, since dormant and very small companies are excluded.
- How much revenue does a company in Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering generate per employee?
- The median company in Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering turns over NOK 2m per employee. The figure is calculated on the 63 of 68 companies that report an employee count.
- How many are loss-making in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering?
- 40 % of the companies in the sample posted a negative operating result.
- How large is a typical company in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering?
- Median revenue is NOK 82m. Half of the companies fall between NOK 39.8m and NOK 200.3m.
- How much do public contracts matter in research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering?
- 26 of 68 companies, that is 38.2 %, have won at least one public contract since 2022. They have median revenue of NOK 129.7m, against NOK 76.8m for the rest.
Next
Related industries