Europe
UiO aims to further the development of the quality of its research and educational activities through collaboration with leading European universities. UiO is an active participant in the EU programmes for research, innovation, and education as well as in other programmes, and in European university networks.
Erasmus programme
The Erasmus programme is UiOs most important instrument for student and staff mobility and educational cooperation.
Cooperation across borders in all Erasmus Key Actions is of great value to UiO. Over the last programme period (2014-2020) the university has steadily increased its commitment to solving common European challenges as coordinator or partner in Erasmus+ cooperation projects and Erasmus Mundus joint degrees.
Jean Monnet Networks
UiO has strong research and teaching environments in the field of European Union studies. The ARENA Centre for European studies is an active participant in Erasmus funded Jean Monnet networks, such as the "Post-Truth Politics"-network funded in 2020, aiming at addressing the possible impact of "fake news", disinformation and "post-truth politics" on the legitimation and delegitimation of European integration.
Enabling student mobility through digitalisation
UiO supports the aims of the EUs digitalisation roadmap for higher education through the European Student Card Initiative - a suite of digital initiatives for streamlining student mobility administration in the Erasmus Programme.
UiO will implement this through a process of further integration of the European Student Card Initiative with UiO’s student administration system, as well as the development of a joint implementation with UiO’s partners in the European Universities project Circle U.
Circle U. European University
Together with other research-intensive, comprehensive European universities, UiO has applied for Erasmus funding in the 2020 call to form a European University under the name Circle U.
Through its transformational activities, Circle U. aims to play an important part in developing the future of the European Education Area. By 2025, students, staff and partners from civil society, businesses and the public sector will be working together to develop solutions and competencies needed for keeping Europe and our planet healthy, peaceful, democratic and prosperous.
Circle U. aims to create a seamlessly integrated transnational campus. We will develop research-integrated and challenge-based learning activities and a common scientific agenda. We will integrate student and staff mobility, co-creation with external stakeholders and challenge-based learning in the development of inclusive, high-quality transnational programmes of study. Underpinning it all will be pioneering efforts to integrate our infrastructures, IT-systems and regulations to include all of our more than 333,000 students and 50000 staff in a truly European university.
Horizon 2020
UiO has participated in the EU Framework Programmes since 1991, and has been extensively involved in several hundred EU-funded projects. Both the involvement and income have increased steadily throughout the period. UiO's participation has been most significant within the thematically free areas; especially those within the European Research Council (ERC), and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
UiO hosts around half of all ERC grants in Norway, and the projects are within a broad range of scientific disciplines. UiO wants to contribute to innovative, interdisciplinary research and to resolving the global challenges of today, and has ambitions of increased involvement with projects within the thematic areas of Horizon 2020.
Read more about EU funding and the UiO
EEA Grants and Norway Grants
Researchers and students at UiO participate in bilateral research and study cooperation through EEA Grants and Norway Grants. Since 2012 the UiO has been a partner in several hundred of these projects, which are coordinated by beneficiary country institutions. The largest area in terms of funding are bilateral research projects, while the biggest number of projects have been within scholarship programmes providing grants for exchanges and educational cooperation between the UiO and its partners. The UiO also participates in other programme areas such as public health, environment, gender equality, and cultural heritage.
UiO is active in the current EEA/Norway Grants funding period, which will fund projects until 2024.
The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
Along with 19 other research-intensive universities from across Europe, UiO is a member of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, a European university network dedicated to enhancing the voice of academic institutions, their researchers and students. Founded in 2016 and with a Secretariat in Brussels, The Guild is committed to the pursuit of academic excellence and freedom as well as the creation of new knowledge for the benefit of society. The Guild has established itself as a strong voice on the European arena, engaging with European policy-makers in Brussels on research, innovation and education.
Apart from influencing policy, The Guild aims to contribute to setting the agenda in the public debate in the sector, most recently by developing and highlighting new types of collaboration with African universities. In addition, inter-university cooperation within the network contributes to capacity building, mutual learning and policy proposals.
Bilateral agreements
Exchange agreements with universities in Europe (in Norwegian)