The faculty encourages you to have an international focus. International experience will be crucial for future job opportunities as a researcher, as well as for ensuring external project funding. Overseas stays will also give you valuable experience and the opportunity to establish contacts and build networks.
You should discuss with your supervisor when to plan for a stay abroad.
The most common types of overseas stays for researchers in medicine and health sciences are:
- as a guest researcher (short stays: 2 weeks to 3 months, longer stays: 3-12 months)
- visit external supervisor
- conference participation
- course or seminar participation
The University of Oslo participates in international research collaboration through bilateral agreements, EU and cooperation agreements. The research groups at the Faculty of Medicine collaborate with a number of national and international organizations.
Funding support for research abroad
- UNIFOR - various funds and endowments
- Fulbright Programme - USA
- EURAXESS - practical information for mobile researchers
- NordForsk
- The Research Council of Norway - PhD candidates employed on projects funded by the Research Council can apply for overseas research grants
Exchange agreements
Exchange agreements with other universities are organized for longer stays. These agreements can usually be used both for research trips and courses abroad, and often provide practical and economic advantages compared with ordinary guest researchers’ stays.
See overview of exchange agreements for PhD candidates (in Norwegian).
Erasmus +
All PhD candidates can go on a student exchange with Erasmus (in Norwegian) and get scholarships on an equal footing with students. The minimum period for such stays is 3 months and presupposes that the faculty or institute you are affiliated has signed an exchange agreement for PhD candidates with the educational institution abroad.
See list of Erasmus agreements for PhD candidates (in Norwegian).
If you are employed as a doctoral research fellow at the University you can also apply for Erasmus funding in order to teach at another university, or for training or taking courses.
Application procedures for exchange may be different for PhD candidates than for students at undergraduate level. You should therefore get in touch with the administration of the PhD programme well in advance if you are thinking of using an exchange agreement.
Joint supervision agreements - Cotutelle agreements
Joint supervision of a doctoral thesis should take place within the framework of a separate agreement signed by the cooperating institutions, and should include a framework agreement and an individual agreement.
The affiliation with the institutions will as a general rule appear on the thesis and diploma supplement after the degree is awarded. Such agreements are prepared in cooperation with the faculty.
Contact the administration of the PhD programme to inquire about the possibilities of entering into a joint supervision agreement.
Guidelines and templates for entering into joint supervision (UiO) (in Norwegian)