SIU, the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education, will soon enter a 3 year institutional cooperation contract with the South Caucasus and Central Asia. After a successful pilot period in 2006, in which several Norwegian institutions were funded to form partnerships with institutions in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway will invest in a long-term cooperation programme.

The goal is to develop institutional cooperation between a limited number of institutions for higher education in South Caucasus and Central Asia and corresponding institutions in Norway. The prioritised areas are oil-related technical studies, Norwegian/Scandinavian studies and economy and tourism. The following countries have been singled out: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. More Norwegian universities will be invited to participate and apply for funding in the upcoming year