Competence centers

In Norway, we have various centers of expertise that specialize in various diseases and/or syndromes. The different centers are listed below.

The children's language centre

The center has speech therapists around the Oslo area. The center is good for children with major complex difficulties when it comes to eating, drooling and spoken language. To get assistance from them, contact one of the speech therapists listed on their website. A doctor's referral or decision from HELFO is needed before they can start working with the child 

You will find the homepage of the centre here.

Frambu

This is the country's largest competence center for rare diagnoses and is located in Siggerud in Nordre Follo municipality. They collect and develop knowledge about little-known and rare diagnoses. They also help to spread relevant information to patients, relatives and professional communities.

Every year they organize courses and camps for people with the diagnosis and their relatives. Frambu is a low-threshold offer, which means that you do not need a referral to make contact.

Current diagnoses for which Frambu is responsible can be found on their website. You will find the homepage of Frambu here.

Glenn

This is a regional center for Autism and is organized under the Hospital in Vestfold. This is a regional competence centre, and is therefore for patients in the south-east health region.

You will find the homepage of the centre here.

Live now

This is a national services for children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, their families and services. 

The core of the service is to strengthen expertise in the field of pediatric palliative care and contribute to the interaction and coordination of services, for the best interests of the child and the family. 

The offer is based on a holistic, interdisciplinary and family-centered approach and is adapted to each individual child and family, in close collaboration with local and regional service providers. Their offer includes, among other things, family stays, weekend gatherings, information and guidance locally, professional seminars and webinars. 

The homepage of the offer can be found here. here. 

National Center for Rare Diseases

The National Center for Rare Diseases consists of 9 different centers of expertise around Norway and is located at Oslo University Hospital. You can visit the Norwegian Health Authority website to find out which of the 9 centers of expertise your rare disease belongs to.here.  

The competence center's homepage can be found here.here. 

National quality competence network for habilitation of children with eating and nutritional difficulties 

You can find the service at Oslo University Hospital. Their aim is to build up and spread information about optimized eating development for children who have eating difficulties. The goal of the service is to ensure the children a good interdisciplinary offer that covers assessment, treatment, guidance and facilitation. The service is for both patients, guardians, healthcare personnel and other professional groups who work with the habilitation of children. 

Your child must be referred by a GP or local hospital. 

You will find the homepage of the competence service here. 

National competence service for solid tumors in children 

The service is located under Oslo University Hospital and has been established to build up knowledge and spread expertise in diagnostics and treatment of solid tumors in children. Solid tumors are tumors that are localized as solid cancers. 

The competence service's homepage can be found here.here. 

National Quality and Competence Network for Pregnancy and Rheumatic Diseases (NKSR) 

The service is located at St Olav's Hospital in Trondheim. The service must contain and disseminate information about the time before, during and after pregnancy when you have rheumatic diseases. Both patients and healthcare professionals can call the service for guidance 

You will find the homepage of the competence service here. 

National Center for Fetal Medicine 

The center is located at St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim and they deal with diagnostics and treatment during pregnancy, where the fetus is sick. Among other things, they provide blood transfusions to the foetus, drainage of fluid accumulations and palliative treatment for foetuses. Pregnant women can be referred to the service, but they can also make direct contact if the pregnant woman wishes. 

The center's homepage can be found here.here. 

Neuromuscular Competence Centre 

The center is located in Tromsø, under UNN and works to ensure that people with hereditary neuromuscular diseases receive an individual, good and comprehensive offer. Referral is sent by a local hospital or GP. 

The center's homepage can be found here.here. 

Norwegian Center for Cystic Fibrosis (NSCF) 

This is a national center located in Oslo for patients with cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). 

The centre's aim is that people with these diagnoses get equal access to a range of services according to their diagnoses, and good health services throughout their lives. 

The NSCF website can be found here.here. 

Center for rare diagnoses 

This is an interdisciplinary, nationwide competence center located under Oslo University Hospital. They offer information, advice and courses on rare diagnoses. These services are aimed at people with a diagnosis, relatives and professionals. This center is a low-threshold service, and you therefore do not need a referral to contact them. 

To see current diagnoses that the center works with, you will find a complete overview on their website 

The website of the Center for Rare Diseases can be found here.here.

Signo competence centre 

Signo's head office is located on Nordstrand in Oslo. The center provides services for people with hearing impairment, the deaf and those with deafblindness on behalf of the public sector. They accept patients from all over the country and are an advisory service, as well as arranging courses and conferences for relevant people. 

The competence center's homepage can be found here.here. 

SSE

The Special Hospital for Epilepsy (SSE) is located in Sandvika and receives patients from all over the country who have epilepsy that is difficult to treat. You need a referral from a GP or local hospital to be considered for a stay at the specialist hospital. 

You can find the homepagehere. 

Statped

Statped is a competence center which is located in Holmestrand, but has the whole country as a workplace. They have specialist pedagogical expertise in many subject areas within communication and various diagnoses. For example, ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, sign language, ASK, cleft lip, jaw, palate, hearing loss and autism. (see full list on their website) 

You can find the homepagehere. 

Sunnah

This is Norway's largest specialist hospital in rehabilitation and physical medicine for people who have undergone complex loss of function after illness and injury and is located in Bjørnemyr municipality. To get a place here, a referral must be sent from, for example, a GP or a local hospital. 

To get a stay at Sunnaas, you must have rehabilitation services in the municipality that do not lead to progress 

You can find the homepagehere. 

This article was updated on 03.11.25