Swedish Defence Research Agency
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Defence Research Agency (Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI) is a Swedish
government agency
for defence
research
that reports to the Ministry of Defence
. It has its headquarters in Kista
, Stockholm
and other locations in Grindsjön
south of Stockholm, Linköping
and Umeå
. The activities of FOI include research
, development of technology
and analysis
, primarily for military defence, but also for civil emergency, security and other civilian applications.
In 2007, FOI employed around 1,000 people.
FFA had been created in 1940 in Bromma, Stockholm as a governmental research institute for the Swedish aviation industry, large parts of which were devoted to military aircraft.
FOA had been created in 1945 from three existing organisations:
Soon after FOA was created in 1945, the organisation was tasked to investigate the novel invention of nuclear weapons for the Swedish armed forces. This included both protection activities, and investigations and preparations for a possible Swedish nuclear weapon program
. In the 1950s and 1960s, this constituted a considerable part of FOA's activities. After Sweden signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
in 1968, the remaining nuclear development activities were dismantled, and only protection research remained in the nuclear area.
Initially, all FOA's divisions were located in the Stockholm region, but in the 1970s, some parts were relocated to Karlstad
, Linköping and Umeå.
In the early 2000s, activities at FOI have been scaled back as a cost-saving measure. When FOI was created in 2001 from FOA and FFA, the number of employees stood at around 1,300, but in 2007, this had been reduced to around 1,000.
In 2005, several of FOI's activities in the Stockholm region were moved to a common location in Kista.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
government agency
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
for defence
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
that reports to the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Sweden)
The Ministry of Defence is a Swedish government ministry responsible for the national defence policy.The Ministry of Defence has existed in its present form since 1920...
. It has its headquarters in Kista
Kista
Kista is a district of Stockholm Municipality in Sweden. Located northwest of central Stockholm, Kista is divided by the Stockholm Metro blue line into a western part which is primarily a working class and middle class residential area, and an eastern part occupied by commercial ventures, mostly...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and other locations in Grindsjön
Grindsjön
Grindsjön is a lake of Södermanland, Sweden....
south of Stockholm, Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
and Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
. The activities of FOI include research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, development of technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and analysis
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
, primarily for military defence, but also for civil emergency, security and other civilian applications.
In 2007, FOI employed around 1,000 people.
History
FOI was created in 2001 by combining the Swedish Defence Research Establishment (Försvarets forskningsanstalt, FOA) with the Swedish Institute for Aeronautic Research (Flygtekniska försöksanstalten, FFA).FFA had been created in 1940 in Bromma, Stockholm as a governmental research institute for the Swedish aviation industry, large parts of which were devoted to military aircraft.
FOA had been created in 1945 from three existing organisations:
- The Defence Chemical Establishment (Försvarsväsendets kemiska anstalt, FKA), a government agency created in 1937 and located in Ursvik, Sundbyberg MunicipalitySundbyberg MunicipalitySundbyberg Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, just north of the capital Stockholm. Sundbyberg is wholly within the Stockholm urban area and has a 100% urban population....
. FKA had predecessors in chemical warfareChemical warfareChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
and chemical warfare protection activities conducted at Lund universityLund UniversityLund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
from 1926 and Uppsala universityUppsala UniversityUppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
from 1928. - The Institute of Military Physics (Militärfysiska institutet, MFI), a collaboration organisation between the Swedish universities' physics departments started in 1941 as an initiative to put modern physical knowledge at the disposal of Sweden's defence during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - A part of the government agency Swedish Board of Inventions (Statens uppfinnarnämnd, SUN). In 1942, SUN had started a unit concerned with radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
experiments, in an effort to combine all Swedish radar-related research in one organisation.
Soon after FOA was created in 1945, the organisation was tasked to investigate the novel invention of nuclear weapons for the Swedish armed forces. This included both protection activities, and investigations and preparations for a possible Swedish nuclear weapon program
Swedish nuclear weapon program
During the 20th century Sweden had programs for both Nuclear and Chemical weapons. During the first decades of the Cold War a nuclear weapon program was active...
. In the 1950s and 1960s, this constituted a considerable part of FOA's activities. After Sweden signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
in 1968, the remaining nuclear development activities were dismantled, and only protection research remained in the nuclear area.
Initially, all FOA's divisions were located in the Stockholm region, but in the 1970s, some parts were relocated to Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, Linköping and Umeå.
In the early 2000s, activities at FOI have been scaled back as a cost-saving measure. When FOI was created in 2001 from FOA and FFA, the number of employees stood at around 1,300, but in 2007, this had been reduced to around 1,000.
In 2005, several of FOI's activities in the Stockholm region were moved to a common location in Kista.