The Norwegian research system

The Norwegian research system is often described as being divided into three levels: a research policy level, a research strategy level and a research-performing level.

The research policy level comprises the Storting (Norwegian national assembly), the Government and the ministries. The Research Council of Norway serves as the key institution at the research strategy level, although the universities and colleges also have important functions in strategic research planning. The research-performing level consists of the higher education and independent institute sectors as well as the industrial sector.