In October 2001, the Norwegian Government adopted a Strategy Document entitled "Strong Bonds across the Atlantic" to strengthen co-operation in a variety of areas between Norway and the US. Higher education and research were listed among central priorities in the Strategy where it is stated that "Greater emphasis should be given to exchange agreements between institutions to encourage more American students and teachers to come to Norwegian educational institutions." To effectively enable the promotion of its Strategy, the Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. launched a survey to obtain some additional information, as well as advice and suggestions from a selected group of institutions of higher learning in the USA, Norway, as well as Canada, probing why existing agreements are successful or not as successful as originally anticipated. While this is not meant to be an exhaustive scientific survey, it is a hands-on reality check reporting feedback regarding partnerships with varying degrees of success.