Responsibility in initiating international cooperation

In many cases, assessing various considerations doesn’t yield clear-cut answers, as it often involves balancing trade-offs between different priorities. Staff and students involved in international cooperation must be aware of such issues.

Quality, relevance and reciprocity

International knowledge cooperation is resource-intensive, both in terms of financial costs and human resources, including staff time. To ensure that such cooperation is sustainable, delivers desired outcomes and can be maintained over time, academic environments should carefully evaluate the potential academic benefits of international partnerships.​​​​

• Quality: Will the international cooperation improve the quality of education/research/innovation at UiA?  
• Relevance: Does the international cooperation align with the plans and strategies of UiA, the faculty and the academic environment? 
• Reciprocity: Does the international cooperation involve areas where UiA and its partners have shared interests and can mutually complement and strengthen one another? This is important for maintaining a balanced and equitable relationship, which is crucial for effective, fair and sustainable cooperation.   

Academic freedom

The Act relating to Universities and University Colleges mandates that institutions should promote and safeguard academic freedom and ensure transparency regarding the outcomes of research and development. Rights include, among other things, the freedom to choose research topics, methods and publication methods, along with independent academic responsibility for teaching content within institutionally established frameworks. Duties involve respecting scientific and ethical principles. Academic freedom is also clearly enshrined in UiA’s 2025–2028 strategy, which states: "We stand up for the independence and freedom of expression of universities and academics and uphold the ethical commitments that strengthen academia's credibility and position in society. Academic values underpin our relationships with our partners."

Academic staff and academic environments at UiA should therefore consider the following before entering into international knowledge cooperation:

• Is the understanding of the framework conditions for academic freedom in the partner's home country adequate?
• Could limitations on academic freedom from the partner's side affect the cooperation?
• Should the framework conditions for academic freedom be explicitly included in the cooperation agreement?
• Be aware that financial or other types of constraints could influence academic freedom.
• Ensure transparency regarding financial or other types of constraints that might steer the research.
• At the start of international collaborative projects, the project group should discuss how best to safeguard academic freedom within each partner's context.

Research ethics and integrity

Authorities in other countries – within Europe, but especially outside it – may have different views on researchers' rights and responsibilities when it comes to developing ideas, methods and theories for their research projects.

As a researcher or project manager in an international project, you should ensure that you:

• clarify fundamental research ethics issues at the outset of projects.
• have a clear understanding of specific research integrity aspects that are important to be aware of when collaborating with countries outside the EU.
• are well acquainted with research ethics regulations under Norwegian law that may become relevant.

To ensure compliance with research ethics standards at the start of a project, it is recommended to:

• assess research ethics issues in advance of international cooperation. There may be varying perceptions and different laws in different countries.
• assess whether everyone who performs or participates in the research is well acquainted with recognised research ethics norms.
• assess implications related to health, environment and safety in society, among employees and others associated with or affected by the research.
• assess potential harm and risks that may arise from the research.

Useful resource: The Montreal Statement

The Montreal Statement from 2013 is specifically designed with international research collaborations in mind. 

The statement lists 20 principles to guide successful and trustworthy research collaborations "that cross national, institutional, disciplinary and sector boundaries".

• Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations

See also UiA's pages on research ethics

Matters requiring special attention

In research collaborations with countries outside the EU, there are some special matters related to research ethics and privacy that warrant attention.

• Transfer of data containing personal data or physical/human biological material
  In order to comply with the standards of confidentiality and quality in research, data containing personal data or transfers of material must not be carried out before the necessary permits have been obtained.
• Risks for participants and personnel in conducting the research
  It's essential to assess whether conducting the research might pose risks to participants, as well as to the researchers and other personnel involved. Documented risk assessments should be prepared before the project begins.

See also UiA's pages on data protection in research

Security considerations

International cooperation may impose special requirements for the protection of sensitive and strategically important information. UiA holds information that can be exploited and misused by foreign actors. This includes personal data or sensitive research that could be utilised for state surveillance and the suppression of vulnerable groups, research findings with commercial value, and knowledge of strategic importance for developing military technology.

Such information can be obtained through illegal activities such as espionage and cyberattacks, and within the framework of ordinary international educational and research cooperation.

It is therefore important to recognise what may constitute sensitive and strategic information in international collaborations and ensure that such information is protected in accordance with applicable rules and guidelines for information security, privacy and export control. Employees must also be aware of the risk of espionage in the higher education sector through foreign intelligence, such as through cyber operations and the recruitment of sources at Norwegian higher education institutions.

Take a nano-learning course on national threats and security (sikresiden.no)

What constitutes relevant security considerations in international cooperation often varies between academic environments. HK-dir's survey on how different academic fields are affected by an increasingly tense geopolitical climate (12/2024, in Norwegian) indicates that in technological and natural sciences disciplines, security is primarily regarded as a matter of institutional and national security, with particular reference to export control. In the humanities and social sciences, security is more frequently seen as a matter of personal safety for researchers, students and partners, due to politically sensitive topics.

Export control

Export control will only be relevant for a small number of faculties and departments. Read more on the export control pages.

Data protection

Data protection relates to the right to privacy and control over one's personal information. In 2018, the Norwegian Parliament enacted a new Personal Data Act, implementing the EU's regulation on information privacy (GDPR) in Norway. Everyone managing personal data on behalf of UiA must adhere to the established procedures. You can find information and resources on this topic on the data protection in research page.

When collaborating with countries outside the EU and EEA, it is important to ensure compliance with the rules for transferring personal data to these countries. Further information can be found on the Data Protection Authority's website and you can reach out to data protection contacts at UiA via the data protection in research page.