The Academy acts as a national contact body both within the individual scientific disciplines and between these, and represents Norwegian science vis-à-vis international academies and international scientific organizations.

The Academy has a membership in the following organizations:

Academy organizations:

• All European Academies (ALLEA)
• The European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC)
• Union Academique Internationale (UAI)

The International Science Council and its affiliations:

• The International Science Council (ISC)
• International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)
• International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)
• International Mathematical Union (IMU)
• International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)
• International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
• International Union for Quarternary Research (INQUA)
• International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM)
• International Union of Crystalography (IUCr)
• International Union of Radio Science (URSI)
• International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST)
• Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science (DLMPS)
• The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB)

Other organizations:

• Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR)
• International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR)
• Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)
• International Human Rights Network
• Comité International Permanent des Linguistes (CIPL)
• Heidelberg Laureate Forum 
• Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings