Knowledge cooperation

The international investment will contribute to joint international solutions, while also strengthening our own knowledge and skills development. The Ministry of Education and Research is working in a targeted manner to raise awareness of Norway as a knowledge country and an attractive partner. Norway cooperates on education research within the EU/EEA, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the OECD, and UNESCO - as well as with individual countries. 

Cooperation with individual countries

Bilateral cooperation provides Norwegian knowledge entities access to leading professional environments across the world. Nordic and European cooperation is at the forefront of this. In addition, eight countries outside of the EU hold the status of priority cooperative partner for Norway in the field of knowledge: USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 

Norway has entered into government agreements with most of these countries concerning strengthened cooperation in higher education and/or research. In certain countries, special envoys have also been established to facilitate increased cooperation and contacts at both institutional and governmental levels. 

Nordic cooperation

The Nordic countries are close to one another in terms of geography, culture, and politics. The Nordic Council of Ministers is the official liaison body of the Nordic governments. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, as well as the self-governing areas of Greenland, Åland, and the Faroe Islands all cooperate via this forum. The Nordic Council of Ministers is, despite its name, multiple councils of ministers. The education and research ministers in the Nordic region make up the Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research (MR-U). 

The Nordic Council of Ministers for Education and Research has overall responsibility for cooperation on education and research, IT policy, and the coordination of Nordic language cooperation. 

Nordic cooperation on education and research should:

• make it easy to study and research in neighbouring Nordic countries
• create and develop a Nordic community in the education and research sector
• make the Nordic region stronger as a region of knowledge and innovation
• help to promote Nordic values
• increase the proportion of Nordic citizens who understand Scandinavian languages

Read more about Nordic cooperation

• The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council  
• Nordic portal for schools  
• Nordplus - the Nordic Council of Ministers' largest education programme 
• NordForsk funds Nordic research partnerships, carries out analyses, and provides advice on Nordic research policy.
• Top-level Research Initiative - a major Nordic venture for climate, energy and the environmen

EU partnership

The EU/EEA area is a large and growing area of work for the Ministry of Education and Research. Through implementation and monitoring of EU law (directives, regulations and decisions), participation in programmes and a wide range of other activities, this work helps to increase the quality of Norwegian education and research, as well as providing increased international mobility and vital expertise to Norwegian working life. 

Norway participates fully in the European programme for education, youth and sport (Erasmus+) and the EU's framework programme for research and innovation (Horizon 2020). Participation in the programmes are supported in Norway by, respectively, the technological development. The programmes are managed in Norway by, respectively, the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education, the Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway.

Read more about research and innovation cooperation with the EU.

• The Research Council of Norway
• Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education
• The Norwegian Mission to the EU
• Directorate General for Education and Culture
• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation