The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) has for years been involved in Nordic cooperation with its sister institutes in the other Nordic countries. The Finnish Chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) in 2016 initiated a formal exchange programme between the Nordic institutes of international affairs.
The Nordic Exchange Programme is funded by a special Chairmanship budget with the aim to increase the visibility of Nordic cooperation. The main aim is to increase foreign policy discussion in the Nordics and to enhance research contacts between the Institutes. The project has been administered by FIIA and its Steering Group is composed of all the Nordic institutes’ directors. The biannual call for applications has resulted in nearly 30 research exchanges, most of which have lasted between 1-3 months. Thematically, the exchanges have mainly focused on foreign and security policy issues in the Nordic region, including Russia- and Asia-related research.