Global South
UiO's partnerships in the Global South are based on joint research interests and complementary competencies and resources. They normally include research, education, innovation and outreach to society, often with a focus on capacity development in the South.
Collaboration on research and education
All UiO's faculties are involved in collaborative projects with the Global South:
- In Africa most of the projects are in East Africa and Southern Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
- In Asia UiO has collaborative projects in: Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Palestine and Vietnam.
- Student exchange with African universities (except South Africa) is mainly organized within the NORPART and NORHED projects. See the list of projects for information on which universities are involved.
Democratic and Economic Governance in Malawi
Through the NORHED project Strengthening the Capacity for Democratic and Economic Governance in Malawi (2014-20), the Centre for Development and the Environment at UiO is collaborating with Chancellor College in Malawi to strengthen research, educational and administrative capacity in Malawi through an interrelated set of activities – research on democratic and economic governance, training of Masters and PhD students and strengthening administrative and institutional capacity. The 2 year Masters in Public Management is addressing democratic and economic governance skills and capacity deficits among public servants and civil society organizations in Malawi. The project will be continued in NORHED II (2021-26).
Mapping health challenges through health informatics
One of the most successful partnerships between UiO and partners in the Global South, is the Health Information Systems Programme (HISP). This is an interdisciplinary cooperation between health sciences and informatics in a number of countries in the South. Their open source software, DHIS 2, is considered an international standard, and potentially cover more than 1.3 billion people.
Promotion of Human Rights
The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) has extensive cooperation in the Global South. In addition to research cooperation, they also have international programmes with the aim of promoting the development, the understanding and the application of international human rights standards in Indonesia, Vietnam and China. In addition, the NCHR is working on the freedom of religion or belief through the Oslo Coalition.
Capacity building in medicine in Myanmar
Myanmar is moving rapidly towards democracy, and the government has instituted several reforms. This means more attention to education, including medical research training and research dissemination at university level. The MY-NORTH project aims to improve capacity and quality in basic medical sciences and public health in Myanmar. MY-NORTH is a cooperation programme with several universities in Myanmar and funded by the NORHED programme. The project will be continued in NORHED II (2021-26).
Collaboration in Higher Education in Mental Health between Nepal and Norway
The Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART) funds several projects at UiO with the aim to strengthening international cooperation and quality of higher education through the exchange of students and researchers. At the Institute of Clinical Medicine, the COMENTH-project is working on developing joint courses and research initiatives with implications for clinical and research practices in Norway and Nepal.