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Great value from your membership

It makes sense to join Forskerforbundet if you are a knowledge worker. As a member, not only do you have a union that is there for you whenever you need it. You also gain access to a range of benefits that our members value highly, such as low mortgage rates and favourable insurance schemes.

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11.08.2025

This fall’s easiest choice? We’re paying!

Now is an extra good time to join Forskerforbundet. All new working members get free membership for the rest of the year!

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We interviewed three of our more than 26,000 members, who work in very different fields and who each highlight different advantages of being a member of Forskerforbundet.

Big savings on your mortgage

Martin Strand works as a senior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI).

Martin Strand works as a senior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). He studied cryptology at NTNU and has been working at FFI since 2018, but his appreciation of the importance of being unionised goes back much further.

“I grew up with the Forskerforbundet periodical, Forskerforum, lying around at home, so joining as a doctoral candidate felt like the natural thing to do. It’s great to belong to an organisation that covers the full range of knowledge workers, and is not limited to specific academic disciplines.”

As a member of Forskerforbundet you receive access to a number of benefits – including one of the market’s best mortgage deals through Nordea. Whether you are a first-time buyer, looking to refinance your mortgage or simply want better terms than you have today, membership can make a real difference to your finances. Martin has experienced this first hand.

“We have saved quite a lot of money by moving our mortgage, and that’s definitely where I’ve noticed the biggest impact of being a member,” says Martin.

As a member of Forskerforbundet you can benefit from one of Norway’s best banking deals with Nordea, including one of the market’s lowest mortgage rates – both now and over time.

For example:
According to Nordea’s calculations, a customer with a membership agreement and a mortgage of NOK 4 million would save more than NOK 13,000 a year compared with a regular customer (repayment over 25 years). In today’s interest market, banks’ rates can change from month to month or week to week, but the agreement still ensures that your terms will remain the best on the market over time.

In addition to his role as a senior researcher, Martin is also the main union representative for Forskerforbundet’s local branch at FFI. When he received the job offer at FFI seven years ago, he himself made use of the expertise of the then main union representative for Forskerforbundet.

“Before I started the job, I phoned the main union representative and asked whether the offer looked right. She reassured me that FFI had good procedures in place, and we still do – largely thanks to the good working relationship between the union and the employer.”

Help with salary negotiations

Hannah Kristine Bjørke Lunde, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Bergen

For Hannah Kristine Bjørke Lunde, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Bergen, the right salary level and the ability to influence her own pay are important reasons to be a member of Forskerforbundet.

“First and foremost comes the reassurance of having stable employment. But as a member I am also automatically included in the annual national salary negotiations. Having skilled employee representatives on your side in that situation is one of the major advantages of membership.”

As a member of Forskerforbundet our employee representatives can help you with salary demands, negotiations and working conditions, putting you in a stronger position during salary negotiations.

It pays to be unionised – even in high-paid professions. For instance, research from the Institute for Social Research has shown that the average salary for unionised professors is seven per cent higher than their non-unionised colleagues. This was reported by Forskerforum (Norwegian only). The same study finds that professors who leave their union miss out on more than ten percent in salary growth over an eight-year period.

When Hannah joined Forskerforbundet she already had experience from another union. But as a doctoral candidate at the University of Oslo she saw the strength in being part of an academic community that includes everyone from students to professors.

“I attended some useful courses – including one on stress management. For me, a good selection of relevant courses and webinars remains a major membership benefit, and the newsletters give me insight into what Forskerforbundet is working on politically,” says Hannah.

Market-leading insurance

Ragnhild Torvanger Solberg, senior adviser at Arts and Culture Norway

Ragnhild Torvanger Solberg is a senior adviser at Arts ans Culture Norway, with a PhD in Musicology from the University of Agder and a master’s degree in the same subject from the University of Oslo. Like Martin and Hannah, she joined Forskerforbundet when she was a doctoral candidate.

“In that position you don’t necessarily enjoy the most favourable pay and working conditions, so it is valuable to have an organisation behind you. For me, Forskerforbundet was the union I most clearly identified with.”

She highlights a strong professional and solidary community across workplaces and sectors, good support from local union representatives for development and genuine salary growth as some of the most important aspects of her membership.

In addition, members can benefit from some of the market’s best insurance schemes, including home contents insurance, travel insurance and life insurance, with good cover and low costs.

“Personally, I have policies through Forskerforbundet, and I am very satisfied.”

As a member of Forskerforbundet you get insurance at some of the market’s best prices through our own insurance office. Our price comparisons show that our member prices in many cases are well below half the market price for equivalent insurance (average of four providers).

Most people have home contents insurance and travel insurance. But perhaps the most important thing is to insure ourselves and our loved ones. It is very sensible to have both life insurance and critical illness cover.

Many find these policies expensive, and they usually require a health declaration. When you become a member of Forskerforbundet, you also get a basic insurance package that includes both life insurance and critical illness insurance – with no health assessment required.

For instance, figures from Forskerforbundet’s insurance office show that a 35-year-old member would save as much as 68 per cent compared with the market price for the four policies mentioned above [1] through Forskerforbundet’s group insurance schemes for members. A 55-year-old member would save even more, as much as 69 per cent.

Forskerforbundet has also negotiated very favourable prices on non-life insurance. As a member of Forskerforbundet you get a 20 per cent discount on all non-life insurance policies.

[1] Home insurance, travel insurance, life insurance and critical illness insurance. Insurance terms vary according to age, place of residence, health and similar factors. Contact Forskerforbundet's insurance office to find out more about the insurance terms we can offer you.

More than just financial benefits

Although membership in Forskerforbundet provides many tangible financial benefits, there are also a number of other good reasons to become a member – from professional and social community to political influence and the opportunity to receive legal assistance.

In addition, the majority of your union dues are tax-deductible.

Martin Strand at FFI points to something else he thinks sets Forskerforbundet apart.

“I am very happy to be a member of a union that fights for more than just pay. Freedom of expression, the climate for debate, academic freedom and intellectual property rights are also important issues for researchers and academics. As a member of Forskerforbundet, you receive help with these things as well, and they are good at working on these issues at a systematic level,” he concludes.

As a member of Forskerforbundet you also get discounts on online training, electric vehicles and legal services – to name just a few. 

See all membership benefits

As a member, you increase our impact. At the same time, membership in Forskerforbundet gives you a number of other advantages.

See all our membership benefits