Who are we?
We are Nuffic: the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education. From primary and secondary education to vocational and higher education, research and adult education.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission, we work with our partners at home and abroad to help build a peaceful and prosperous society for everyone. We have been doing this for 70 years, and remain committed to this in the future.
Our ambition
Our ambition is for all pupils and students to have the opportunity to acquire international competencies, whether at home or abroad. This will prepare them for the society and labour market of the future and ensure that they are ready to tackle the global challenges of our time.

After all, international problems require international solutions. Economic, political or social tensions do not stop at national borders. The changes that the world is experiencing as a result not only of globalisation, but also of digitalisation, require significant changes to education.

Get to know us
Nuffic factsheet (109.88 kB) (English, pdf)

Nuffic factsheet (110.40 kB) (Dutch, pdf)
Our strategy for 2020-2025
In the context of rapidly changing national and international circumstances, we help schools and education institutions shape internationalisation and international cooperation. Our focus for these 5 years is outlined below.

Linking pin
We bridge the gap between our clients on the one hand and the education sector and knowledge institutions at home and abroad on the other. We support schools and education institutions in their internationalisation activities, forming connections between them and across national borders.

The cohesion between education sectors is also essential. This is because the schoolchildren of today are the hairdressers, managers and doctors of the future. We increase this coherence by bringing education sectors together through our activities, our knowledge and our networks. These connections reinforce international cooperation, international exchange and the development of international competencies.

Implementation and policy
We are an organisation that implements large-scale grant programmes such as the Orange Knowledge Programme and Erasmus+. As a knowledge organisation, we are able to contribute to internationalisation policies thanks to our practical experience. Among other things, we do this by offering insight into international mobility and education systems.

Wide reach
We are a flexible, customer-oriented organisation with a wide reach, covering everything from primary to higher education in the Netherlands, Europe and worldwide. We are ready to take on new assignments and seize opportunities to expand our portfolio.

In the coming years, our focus in the various sectors will be on the following aspects:
Primary and secondary education:
We will contribute to the development of competences like language skills or an international outlook. To this end, we will support networks and platforms such as bilingual education and eTwinning.

We will develop a specific product offering for secondary education, practical training and special education. This will expand our scope both geographically and in terms of the number of schools.

Vocational education and training (VET):
We will help schools expand their internationalisation activities, improve the quality of those activities and embed internationalisation in their policies.

We will do so by introducing a tool kit for teacher mobility, sharing knowledge and encouraging schools to learn from each other. In this regard, we will not limit our efforts to level 4 vocational education.

In 2025, at least 10% of vocational students will enjoy an experience abroad thanks to our support. We will also support more VET colleges in their ambition to forge international partnerships.

Higher education:
We will promote the full scope of the Dutch higher education system abroad. Among other things, higher professional education will benefit through thematic living labs, which will unite institutions, the business sector and the public sector.

In addition, we will issue advice on the recognition of diplomas from abroad and provide insight into facts and figures. We will also contribute to the formulation of a strategy to attract talent from abroad to the Dutch labour market, focusing on academic talent in particular.

In 2025, a greater and more diverse group of students will move abroad for a study or internship. In addition, we will support more research universities and universities of applied sciences in taking part in global capacity development projects.

Sector-wide:
Our all-encompassing educational approach also includes lifelong development. For people who are already active in the labour market, the development of international competences will become increasingly important. By 2025, we will have made a clear contribution on the basis of an inventory of wishes and needs.
Partnerships
We will strengthen our existing partnerships with schools, institutions, civil-society organisations and public-sector bodies and forge new ones. This will increase the chance of everyone benefiting from international cooperation.

Agility
Nuffic is the sum of its people. To achieve our ambitions, we must continue to develop as an organisation. To this end, we will develop an HR philosophy with a focus on talent and inclusivity. We will also make our organisation more agile to ensure our continuing ability to meet the needs of our partners and clients.

Among other things, this agility will involve a continuous reassessment of this strategy, for example whenever a new coalition agreement is concluded or in circumstances such as the coronavirus pandemic, during which we need to adapt our services to ongoing developments.

A means
Internationalisation is a means, not an end. We believe it is important to embed internationalisation and international cooperation in the broader objectives of the education sector, civil society organisations and the public sector. That is how we can ensure that internationalisation will have an impact and help tackle the main challenges of our time.
Social impact
Our ambition fits seamlessly with the core idea of the United Nations' 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development: Leaving no one behind. Based on this idea, we work together with our partners, networks and activities on the major challenges of our time. We are convinced that internationalisation of education can make an important contribution to this.

We do this by developing our knowledge and experience in this field, translating it into our work and sharing it with our partners. In doing so, we focus on themes related to internationalisation, such as: sustainability, diversity and inclusion and equality in partnerships.