Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)

Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)

The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills was established on 1 July 2021, under the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. The directorate is a result of the merger of the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku), Skills Norway, and Universell, as well as parts of Unit and the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD). The directorate will also be taking over selected tasks for the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT).

The directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research within the higher education and higher vocational education sectors, and is responsible for implementing the national skills policy. We advise the Ministry, we implement national policies, and we coordinate incentive schemes and management instruments.

The directorate shall contribute to enhance the quality of education and skills, strengthen international collaboration, and be a driver for the digital restructuring of Norwegian universities and university colleges. We strive to enhance knowledge and skills in the population, make lifelong high-quality education, learning and career guidance accessible to all, and to improve the match between demand and supply of skills to the labour market.