Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (; NUPI) is a Norwegian research institution based in Oslo, Norway. It was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 1959. History. The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 1959 in order to promote a better understanding of international issues in Norway. NUPI has sought to achieve this by undertaking a wide range of research activities and by disseminating information on international issues. Among the Norwegian institutes that do international affairs research, NUPI has a leading position on matters of direct relevance to Norwegian  foreign policy and economic relations. Although it was previously entirely funded over the state budget (later supplemented by a sizable share of outside project funding), NUPI's independence from Norwegian foreign policy is secured by its subordination to the Ministry of Education rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (distinguishing it from its counterparts in Sweden and many other countries). The institute as such has never taken a policy stance on current issues, but has left this to the professional judgment of its individual researchers. Nevertheless, in the Norwegian political debate and in the wider Norwegian research community of international  affairs, NUPI has tended to be perceived as close to the government's views, whether the government has been Labour or Conservative, center-left or center-right. Several of its directors have been prominent Labour politicians, notably John Sanness, Johan Jørgen Holst and Jan Egeland. Three of its other researchers, Anders C. Sjaastad, John Kristen Skogan and Janne Haaland Matlary, have been members of Conservative / center-right or centrist governments. Organisation. Ulf Sverdrup has served as director since 2012. The institute employs research professors (corresponding to full professors), senior researchers (corresponding to associate professors), researchers (corresponding to assistant professors), and  non-academic staff. The institute is organised into five research groups (January 2022): Directors. The position was originally a permanent appointment. In 1996 it was changed to a once-renewable 6-year appointment.