Institute activities are financed with the aid of subscriptions from industry, income from contract assignments and state research funding. The companies operating in this field are mainly producing fish and seafood products with extended shelf-life, refrigerated and pasteurised foods, and canned fish and meat products. Large parts of the industry are geared to the export market and international trading. This international presence heavily influences the mode of working and nature of the tasks facing the Institute, where production efficiency, product development, quality systems, and compliance with legislation and regulatory codes are principal concerns. The Institute enjoys close and fruitful relations with the supplier industry.
Suppliers are important sources of policy, resources and competence in the industry as a whole.
The special nature of the Norwegian fish processing industry means that parts of it have been dependent on purpose-designed machinery and technology. Many machinery designs and prototypes have left the Institute workshop for a productive life in industry. Innovative design has brought production efficiencies and provided a steady force for change and modernisation of production lines. Factory plans are developed for the fish processing and canning industry and for factory ships. The Institute has a well equipped pilot production plant, a sensory research panel of trained assessors, and a packaging testing and trials laboratory.