International networks and collaboration
INN actively participates in international networks. This enhances the quality of our research activities, stimulates academic development, and makes us increasingly visible in the international academic landscape.
Current affiliations
INN's internationalisation strategy provides clear objectives for how our participation in international networks should contribute to increased quality, relevance, and recognition. We are intensifying our international collaboration, particularly towards long-term partnerships that drive quality, stimulate academic development, and strengthen the interplay between research, education, and innovation.
Much of our international cooperation takes place at the faculty level. Staff members at our faculties participate in over 200 international networks in total. This includes institutional collaboration, participation in relevant international networks and organisations, international research and education cooperation, as well as staff and student mobility.
Here is a general overview of the international networks INN is affiliated with at the institutional level:
Oslo Region European Office (ORE)
The office's goal is to help connect the Oslo region more closely with Europe and create new opportunities for innovation, regional development, and value creation for its members through European cooperation. For INN, membership will help strengthen our application work to the EU in general, and Horizon Europe in particular. We receive continuous and up-to-date information about developments in the EU, and we can more easily identify collaboration opportunities both within the EU and with other members in our own region.
EMERGE
Since 2019, INN has been working with European partner institutions in the EMERGE network. The network aims to achieve the status of a European University (EUI) and applied for this status most recently in the winter of 2024. Even without EUI status, the alliance works purposefully together to build deeper institutional cooperation through applications to calls under Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.
European Association for International Education (EAIE)
Since 1989, EAIE has been a European hub for expertise, networks, and resources in the internationalisation of higher education, and now has more than 3,000 members from 94 countries. Representatives from INN’s advisory team responsible for internationalisation participate in the annual conference, which attracts 5,000 participants. Many of INN’s 220 partner institutions are represented at this event. EAIE is an important network in Europe, comparable to NAFSA in the USA and APAIE in Asia.
European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA)
EARMA is a European network for research administrators. INN participates in the annual EARMA conference for networking and capacity building.
European University Association (EUA)
EUA has around 850 members in 47 countries and is the largest association of research universities in Europe. EUA is an important source of information and a platform for the development of higher education. INN participates in the annual conference and in the sub-programmes Council for Doctoral Education (CDE) and European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF). Membership in EUA provides contact and collaboration opportunities with other institutions, which is used for participation in development work in thematic groups, as well as involvement in conferences and conference contributions.
Global Action Program (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development
INN is part of UNESCO’s Global Action Program (GAP) for Education for Sustainable Development and UNESCO Partner Network 3 on Teacher Education.
International Association of Film and Television Schools (CILECT)
The network aims to develop and promote high standards in education, research, and training within film, TV, and related media. This is achieved through the establishment and organisation of global and regional forums for the exchange of experiences and knowledge, at both artistic, pedagogical, methodological, and managerial levels. Both DNF and AMEK participate actively in the network on behalf of INN.
International Association of Universities (IAU)
This membership is particularly important for strengthening the focus on internationalisation related to higher education for sustainable development (HESD). The Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development (CCL) at the Faculty of Education and Pedagogy (LUP) is particularly strongly engaged in this network.
International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)
ICDE is the leading global membership organisation for open electronic education, including e-learning, and works closely with universities, governments, and commercial actors around the world. Members collaborate and network for quality-assured learning and education in a digitalised era. ICDE works with UNESCO, currently on the implementation of the new global education goal: inclusive quality education and lifelong learning for all.
Founded in Canada in 1938, ICDE is now headquartered in Oslo. ICDE has members from over 60 countries, representing all sectors of education: universities and higher education institutions, adult education, networks, and organisations.
Nordic Academy of Management (NFF)
The purpose of the Nordic Academy of Management (Nordiska Företagsekonomiska Föreningen) is to promote research, education, and practice in management across the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
International Center at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS)
The aim of the network is academic collaboration, exchange of researchers, cooperation in research projects, securing funding for joint projects, as well as collaboration in international tenders for projects of mutual interest.
Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD)
SANORD is a network of over 50 institutions from the Nordic countries and Southern Africa. The network aims to strengthen research and education cooperation between partners. INN has been a member of the network since 2013, and several of INN's strategic partners are part of the network, such as the University of Namibia, the University of Zambia, and Karlstad University. Participation in the network has led to research collaboration, student exchange, externally funded projects, development of study offerings, and the admission of master’s and PhD students at INN. SANORD's working group in teacher education (SIG) is led by INN.
Shrinking Societies
This is a Nordic research network focused on the study of shrinking societies. The network brings together leading researchers in the field of what shrinking societies face in the Nordic countries. The network aims to contribute empirical, well-founded research, as well as critical and constructive theoretical perspectives, that can enhance society’s ability for transformation, resilience, and adaptation in shrinking societies.
Students at Risk (StAR)
Students at Risk is administered by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, and was initiated by Norwegian student organisations with participation from several universities and higher education institutions. The scheme aims to provide foreign student activists who are denied the opportunity to complete their education in their home countries with a chance to finish their studies in Norway.
The COST Targeted NetworkThe Voice of Research (BESTPRAC)
BESTPRAC is a network for research administrators working in administration, finance, and legal services, focusing on external funding for research, particularly from the EU. The aim is to offer courses, provide meeting platforms for experience exchange (best practice), knowledge sharing, and knowledge transfer. INN participates in relevant workshops and courses.
Transatlantic relations in times of uncertainty (TransAt)
"Understanding the drivers and mechanisms of EU-US relations" was a three-year research project (2019-2021). INN leads the project. National partners include the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS). The international partner is KU Leuven. Additionally, the network includes researchers from Northeastern (USA), Warwick (UK), Wrocław (Poland), and Roskilde (Denmark).
UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Lifestyles
INN was awarded the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Lifestyles for the first time in 2015, becoming the first UNESCO Chair-holder in Norway. The UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Lifestyles aims to promote an integrated system for research, training, information, and documentation for sustainable lifestyles. INN, through the Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development, coordinates the work of the UNESCO Chair-holder and its associated international partner network. The international partner network for Education for Sustainable Lifestyles consists of 33 institutional partners around the world. Since then, INN's UNESCO Chair has been renewed for two four-year terms, now extending until 2027.
10-Year Framework of Programs for Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP)
INN, through the Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development, is an institutional partner in the international 10-year framework program for sustainable consumption and production. INN has been a member of the multi-stakeholder advisory committee (MAC) for the Sustainable Lifestyles and Education (SLE) program since 2014. In addition, INN serves as the coordinator for the education component of the SLE program, as well as the implementation of the SLE action plan. This work is part of the institution's contribution to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.