The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) is an administrative agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (UFD), with its own Board of Directors.
SIU was established as of January 1, 2004 based on the Centre for International University Cooperation, created in 1991 by the Norwegian Council of Universities (UHR).
SIU is a knowledge and service organisation with the mission of promoting and facilitating cooperation, standardisation, mobility, and the overcoming of cultural barriers to communication and exchange within the realm of higher education on an international level. The Centre is charged with the important task of coordinating national measures according to official Norwegian policy within the field of internationalisation.
The Centre is Norway’s official agency for international programmes and measures related to higher education. It is commissioned by several national and international public organisations to administer programmes within all levels of education.
Two of the programmes administered by SIU, the NUFU Programme and the NORAD Fellowship Programme, are targeted at cooperation with countries in the South. Below are short abstracts of the two programmes:
- NUFU Programme: The Norwegian Council for Higher Education’s Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU). NUFU is a Norwegian programme of academic research and educational co-operation based on equal partnerships between institutions in Norway and in the South. The objective of the NUFU programme is to promote mutually beneficial co-operation based on priorities by the institutions in the South. Universities, university colleges and research institutions in Norway co-operate with corresponding institutions in the South, primarily in Africa south of Sahara, as well as in South East Asia, Central America and the Middle East. Co-operation in the fields of research and education provides a vital contribution to political diversity and the democratisation of the South. The co-operation also gives Norwegian research access to experience and materials that both enhance and challenge academic perspectives and provide favorable conditions for the development of new perspectives. Co-operation activities eligible for support are: joint research; training of researchers for Master’s and Ph.D. degrees; development of new graduate programmes; training of technical and administrative staff. Fields of research: Agricultural and Fisheries Sciences; · Health/Medical Sciences; Mathematics and Natural Sciences; Humanities; Social Sciences; Technology. Further information: www.siu.no/nufu
- NORAD Fellowship Programme: The NORAD Fellowship Programme provides scholarships for students from the South to study Master’s and Diploma programmes in Norway. The NORAD Fellowship Programme is based on a vision that good educational opportunities at Norwegian universities and university colleges can contribute to increased competance in the South. Most of the courses in the programme are held in Norway and run over a period of two years. All courses are considered to hold a high academic standard. The courses are part of the regular international programme of the institutions, and are offered in most academic fields. The courses are open to students from both Norway and the international community. Curricula and all lectures are given in English. In principle, fieldwork is performed in the student’s country or region. This ensures the relevance of doing the theoretical part of the degree in Norway. The NORAD Fellowship programme also includes courses given outside Norway. Courses are offered in South Africa, Mozambique and Nepal. Further information: www.siu.no/norad