The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press, Cultural Relations and Information Department has been given responsibility for the presentation of Norwegian arts and culture abroad, including exchange projects with developing countries. Norwegian Foreign Service missions play a key role in establishing and administering cultural cooperation with Norway.

The Ministry has also delegated responsibility for funding cultural projects abroad to other public institutions and professional organisations, including the Office for Contemporary Art Norway, NORLA - Norwegian Literature Abroad, Fiction and Non-fiction, the Dance and Theatre Forum, the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Music Information Centre and Rikskonsertene.

The Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD), a directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is also involved in international cultural projects and provides assistance for culture, media and information activities.

Exchange between Norwegian and foreign schools and universities has been one of the most common form of cultural exchange throughout modern history. Many Norwegian students, researchers, lecturers and specialists travel around the world for shorter and longer stays. For further information, contact the applicable faculty about exchange opportunities. See the section on Sectoral overview .

In most cases, artists will usually be invited to participate in projects abroad by a curator/institution/organisation from another country. However, artists and curators wishing to take a pro-active approach to travel abroad are advised to do the following:

1) Research the country of interest, using the cultural profiles produced by Visiting Arts. The British Council also has useful links.

2) Contact the applicable Norwegian sector specific support organisation for advice on their funding schemes and professional contacts in the country of interest. Many organisations provide funding for research trips for artists and curators to build their own network and find an exhibition space, studio or venue. (See the list below.)

3) Create a dialogue with the country’s embassy in Norway and the Norwegian embassy in the other country for further collaboration and possible funding. For more information please see the listings in the KEY CONTACTS.

4) Produce a professional presentation about themselves or their project.

Here are some organisations that might be useful to to contact:

Rikskonsertene (National Touring Institute)