Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research

Research, innovation, and entrepreneurship is vital for developing the Norwegian and international society. Sikt seeks to be a stable and reliable provider of products and services for this sector.

Through cooperation with our users and customers, we provide a shared infrastructure for Education and Research that ensures excellent user experiences in compliance with our general goals for digitisation, data sharing and open research.

About Sikt

Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research was established on 1 January 2022 through a merger between

  • NSD (Norwegian Centre for Research Data AS),
  • Uninett AS, and
  • Unit – the Directorate for ICT and Joint Services in Higher Education & Research.

The organisation is a public administrative body under the Ministry of Education and Research. Our mission is to help Education and Research achieve its goals by providing shared, value-adding services you can trust.

Sikt has approximately 400 employees across its head office in Trondheim and additional offices in Bergen and Oslo.

Goals for Sikt's work:

The Ministry of Education and Research defines the following goals:

  • Education and Research has good access to infrastructure and shared services   of high quality.
  • Facilitate sharing of data within the knowledge sector to increase knowledge development, innovation and value creation.
  • Good information security and data protection within the knowledge sector.

Social responsibility and roles

Sikt’s social responsibility

• Sikt shall help companies and users in Education and Research achieve their goals
• Sikt shall develop, administrate, and operate shared digital solutions and infrastructure
• Sikt shall contribute to the secure digitisation of Education and Research while facilitating innovation

Sharing data, knowledge and resources

In Norway we have a well established culture for sharing that can be kept and cultivated within a safe framework by technological progress, in close cooperation with key operators.

Safe datasharing between institutions saves resources and enusures the best possible services to all involved: pupils, students, researchers, teachers, and other emplyees.

Sikt's roles

Provider of shared services

Sikt shall:

  • be a preferred provider and partner by delivering good, cost-efficient digital services.
  • provide a complete and coherent digital foundation for Education and Research and shall contribute to cooperation across sectors and national borders.
  • provide services that strengthen Education and Research in terms of information security, data protection, and data processing.
  • provide information security and data protection services as part of the HK-dir (Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills) risk management plan for higher Education. These services are defined in a risk management plan that is approved annually by the ministry in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Research’s governing model for information security and privacy.
  • identify and understand user needs, push for shared solutions, and contribute to the realisation of strategies and action plans.