Introduction – The world in the pandemic era

The spring of 2020 has made it abundantly clear just how much we depend on each other and just how interwoven the world is. International collaboration and cross-border dialogue are essential to address the major global challenges the world is facing. Global challenges require global solutions.

The pandemic has resulted in massive challenges for the whole of society, around the world. Within higher education, students, teachers and researchers all had to stay at home. The institutions quickly managed to switch to fully digital operation, and the students had to adapt to studying from home.

When international borders started closing in spring 2020, the vast majority of the students who were studying abroad returned home. Degree students abroad were also heavily impacted by the pandemic. It quickly became clear that most institutions would unfortunately have to cancel their student exchanges planned for the autumn 2020 semester. In addition, solutions had to be found for all students who had already been affected by disrupted stays abroad in the spring semester.

Against this backdrop, the Government realised that it was not appropriate to present this white paper as planned in spring 2020, when thousands of Norwegian students were having to return home from abroad. The pandemic is still ongoing, and only a few higher education institutions are offering international exchanges this autumn. We have nevertheless decided to publish this white paper now. The reasoning behind this decision is that the ambitions presented in this white paper are long-term and central to the Government’s policies. At the same time, the pandemic has demonstrated that there is a great need for international collaboration and thus also international experience.

The Government assumes that higher education will return to a normal situation as soon as it is safe to do so. In terms of international student mobility, the goal is not only to get back to the way things were before, but to surpass it – we need to achieve both better and more international cooperation. In the future, far more students must go abroad to study, and this is especially important now that the numbers are low. The analysis, ambitions and measures proposed in this white paper are long-term and must be able to stand the test of time. Under the ongoing pandemic, the content of this white paper may seem less relevant and workable, but it is nevertheless a clear expression of the Government’s long-term policies in this area. Depending on the development of the pandemic and access to vaccines, it may take longer for the ambitions in this white paper to be realised.

We need graduates from Norwegian higher education institutions who have international experience and international competence, because this kind of knowledge and intercultural understanding are essential for Norway’s future and our ability to resolve the challenges the world is facing. This is so important that we need to start thinking about this now and adopt a long-term mindset, even as we struggle with the current global crisis that overshadows everything else. With this white paper, we are laying the foundation for the work to realise the Government’s ambitions for international student mobility in higher education when things one day return to normal. After all, there is a world of opportunities out there!