Mobility of individuals in the field of higher education (Key Action 1)

Mobility of individuals in the field of higher education (Key Action 1) is sponsored by European Commission (Erasmus+). This action supports learning mobility opportunities for students and staff in higher education to study, train, teach, or gain work experience abroad. It aims to enhance the quality and internationalization of higher education institutions.

Mobility projects for higher education students and staff - Erasmus+ Mobility projects for higher education students and staff This higher education mobility action supports physical and blended mobility of higher education students in any study field and cycle (short cycle, bachelor, master and doctoral levels).

Students can either study abroad at a partner higher education institution or carry out a traineeship in an enterprise, a research institute, a laboratory, an organisation or any other relevant workplace abroad. Students can also combine a study period abroad with a traineeship, further enhancing the learning outcomes and development of transversal skills.

While long term physical mobility is strongly encouraged, this action recognises the need to offer more flexible physical mobility duration to ensure the Programme is accessible to students from all backgrounds, circumstances and study fields.

This action also supports higher education teaching and administrative staff to take part in professional development activities abroad as well as staff from the world of work to teach and train students or staff at higher education institutions. These activities may consist of teaching as well as training periods (such as job shadowing, observation periods, training courses).

Furthermore, this action supports blended intensive programmes, allowing for groups of higher education institutions to jointly develop blended mobility curricula and activities for students as well as academic and administrative staff. The objective of this action is to contribute to establishing a European Education Area with a global outreach and to strengthen the link between education and research.

The action aims to foster employability, social inclusion, civic engagement, innovation and environmental sustainability in Europe and beyond by enabling students from all study fields and at all study cycles to have the opportunity to study or train abroad as part of their studies.

The objectives of the action are to: expose students to different views, knowledge, teaching and research methods as well as work practices in their study field in the European and international context develop their transversal skills such as communication skills, language skills, critical thinking, problem solving, inter-cultural skills and research skills develop their forward looking skills, such as digital and green skills, that will enable them to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow facilitate personal development such as the ability to adapt to new situations and self-confidence The objective is also to enable any staff, including staff from enterprises, to teach or train abroad as part of their professional development to: experience new teaching environments acquire new innovative pedagogical and curriculum design skills as well as digital skills connect with their peers abroad to develop common activities to achieve the programme’s objectives exchange good practices and enhance cooperation between higher education institutions better prepare students for the world of work In addition, the objective is to foster the development of transnational and transdisciplinary curricula as well as innovative ways of learning and teaching, including online collaboration, research-based learning and challenge-based approaches with the objective of tackling societal challenges.

How to access Erasmus+ higher education mobility opportunities? The applicant organisation must be established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Erasmus+ programme and have a higher education accreditation. It may either apply as an individual higher education institution, requiring an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE), or on behalf of a mobility consortium, requiring a consortium accreditation.

Individual organisation accreditation – the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education Higher education institutions (HEIs) must have been awarded the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) before applying for a mobility project to their Erasmus+ National Agency.

By signing the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, higher education institutions commit to provide all the necessary support to mobile participants, including linguistic preparation. Mobile participants can use the Erasmus+ Online Language Support (OLS) to improve their foreign language competences before and/or during mobility.

Among other ECHE principles, the participating HEI must carry out mobility for the purpose of studying and teaching only within the framework of prior agreements between institutions and select prospective participants and award mobility grants in a fair, transparent, coherent and documented way, in line with the provisions of its grant agreement with the National Agency.

It should ensure such fair and transparent procedures throughout all stages of mobility and in the process of responding to queries/complaints from participants. It must ensure that no fees are charged in the case of credit mobility, to incoming mobile students for tuition, registration, examinations or access to laboratory and library facilities.

After the mobility, the institution also must ensure that it automatically and fully recognises the outcomes from the learning period abroad. The ECHE is complemented by the ECHE guidelines , a document which supports higher education institutions in implementing the ECHE principles. Higher education institutions must duly respect the ECHE and its supporting guidelines while implementing all actions that require this accreditation.

For this purpose, an ECHE Self Assessment is made available to support higher education institutions to assess how they are performing in implementing the ECHE principles and which areas could be strengthened, as well as offering suggestions on how to further improve. Although higher education institutions in third countries not associated to the Programme are not eligible to sign the ECHE , they must respect the ECHE principles.

Therefore aspects such as fair and transparent selection of participants, recognition of learning outcomes and all the necessary support offered to mobile participants have to be made explicit in the inter-institutional agreement for international mobility.

Group accreditation - Erasmus accreditation for higher education mobility consortia In addition to individual HEIs, groups of HEIs may also apply for funding of a higher education mobility project. Such a group is called a mobility consortium. The mobility consortium needs to have an Erasmus accreditation for higher education mobility consortia.

The coordinator of the mobility consortium applies on behalf of a mobility consortium for the Erasmus accreditation for higher education mobility consortia and for an Erasmus+ grant. This accreditation is awarded by the same National Agency that assesses the request for funding for a higher education mobility project. The requests for accreditation and for grants for mobility projects can be made during the same call.

However, the grant for mobility projects will be awarded only to those groups of HEIs and organisations that are successful at the end of the accreditation process.

To obtain a consortium accreditation, the following criteria must be met: Eligible participating organisations A mobility consortium in higher education can be composed of the following participating organisations: higher education institutions holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education; any public or private organisation active in the labour market or in the fields of education, training and youth.

Each participating organisation must be established in the same EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme. Mobility consortia cannot be established in third countries not associated to the programme. All member organisations of the mobility consortium must be identified at the time of applying for the consortium accreditation.

Any eligible participating organisation can act as coordinator and apply on behalf of all the organisations involved in the consortium. Number of participating organisations A mobility consortium must comprise a minimum of three eligible participating organisations, including two HEIs. Duration of the consortium accreditation The whole programming period.

After the award of the accreditation, substantial changes to the composition of the mobility consortium require a new application for accreditation. To the National Agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established. Applicants must submit their accreditation application by 19 February at 12:00:00 (midday Brussels time) for projects starting as of 1 June of the same year or later years .

Please see part C of this Guide for details on how to apply. Submitted applications will be assessed by assigning points out of a total of 100, based on the below criteria and scores.

To be considered for award, applications must pass the following thresholds: at least 60 out of the total 100 points, and at least half of the minimum score points in each of the four award criteria below Relevance of the consortium - (maximum score 30 points) The relevance of the proposal to: the objectives of the action the needs and objectives of the organisations participating in the consortium and of the individual participants The extent to which the proposal is relevant for the respect and promotion of shared EU values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as fighting any sort of discrimination The extent to which the proposal is suitable for: producing high-quality learning outcomes for participants reinforcing the capacities and international scope of the organisations participating in the consortium bringing added value at EU level through results that would not be attained by activities carried out by each individual HEI Quality of the consortium composition and the cooperation arrangements - (maximum score 20 points) the consortium involves an appropriate composition of sending higher education institutions with, where relevant, complementary participating organisations from other socio-economic sectors with the necessary profile, experience and expertise to successfully deliver all aspects of the project the consortium coordinator has previous experience in managing a consortium or a similar project type the distribution of roles, responsibilities and tasks/resources is well defined and demonstrates the commitment and active contribution of all participating organisations tasks/resources are pooled and shared the responsibilities are clear for contractual and financial management issues the consortium involves newcomers and less experienced organisations to the action Quality of the consortium activity design and implementation - (maximum score 20 points) the clarity, completeness and quality of all the phases of a mobility project (preparation, implementation of mobility activities, and follow-up) the quality of the practical arrangements, management and support modalities (e.g. finding receiving organisations, matchmaking, information, linguistic and intercultural support, monitoring) the quality of cooperation, coordination and communication between the participating organisations, as well as with other relevant stakeholders where relevant, the quality of arrangements for the recognition and validation of participants' learning outcomes, as well as the consistent use of European transparency and recognition tools if applicable, the appropriateness of measures for selecting participants in the mobility activities and for promoting persons with fewer opportunities to participate in mobility activities Impact and dissemination - (maximum score 30 points) the quality of measures for evaluating the outcomes of the activities led by the consortium the potential impact of the project: on participants and participating organisations during and after the project lifetime outside the organisations and individuals directly participating in the project, at institutional, local, regional, national and/or international levels the appropriateness and quality of measures aimed at disseminating the outcomes of the activities led by the consortium within and outside the participating organisations and partners The applicant organisation applies for the mobility project grant, signs and implements the grant agreement and does the reporting.

Participating organisations involved in the mobility project assume the following roles and tasks: Sending organisation: in charge of selecting students/staff and sending them abroad. These responsabilities also include grant payments (for those participants in EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme), preparation, monitoring and automatic recognition related to the mobility period.

Receiving organisation: in charge of receiving students/staff from abroad and offering them a study/traineeship programme or a programme of training activities, or benefiting from a teaching activity. These responsibilities also include grant payments (to those participants coming from third countries not associated to the Programme).

Intermediary organisation: this is an organisation active in the labour market or in the fields of education, training and youth work in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme. It may be a member in a mobility consortium, but is not a sending organisation.

Its role may be to share and facilitate the administrative procedures of the sending higher education institutions and to better match student profiles with the needs of enterprises in case of traineeships and to jointly prepare participants.

The sending and receiving organisations, together with the students/staff, must have agreed on the activities to be undertaken by the students - in a 'learning agreement' - or by staff members - in a 'mobility agreement' - prior to the start of the mobility period. These agreements define the content for the mobility period abroad, and specify the formal recognition provisions of each party.

The rights and obligations are set out in the grant agreement signed between the beneficiary and the participant. When the activity is between two higher education institutions (student mobility for studies including blended mobility, and staff mobility for teaching), an 'inter-institutional agreement' must be in place between the sending and the receiving institutions before the exchanges can start.

When designing a mobility project, the following horizontal dimensions have to be strengthened. Inclusion and diversity in higher education mobility In order to make access to student and staff mobility as easy as possible, in line with the principles of the ECHE, HEIs must ensure equal and equitable access and opportunities to current and prospective participants from all backgrounds.

This means including participants with fewer opportunities, such as participants with physical, mental and health related conditions, students with children, students who work or are professional athletes and students from all study fields underrepresented in mobility.

Defining internal selection procedures that take into account equity and inclusion and assess applicants' merit and motivation holistically is essential in respecting this principle. Furthermore, HEIs are encouraged to establish built-in mobility opportunities, such as mobility windows within their curricula to help facilitate the participation of students from all study fields.

In this regard, blended mobility can help offer additional opportunities that may be more suitable for some individuals or student groups. In this context, having in place inclusion officers within the higher education institutions helps address inclusion and diversity.

Inclusion officers can for example help raise awareness, define strategies for communication and outreach, ensure adequate support throughout mobility in cooperation with relevant colleagues and help facilitate cooperation between relevant staff within the institution with expertise in the field of inclusion and diversity.

Environmental sustainability and green practices in higher education mobility In line with the principles of the ECHE, HEIs must promote environmentally friendly practices in all activities related to the Programme.

This means promoting the use of sustainable means of transport for mobility, taking active steps when organising events, conferences and meetings related to Erasmus+ mobility in a more environmentally friendly manner, and replacing paper-based administrative processes with digital processes (in line with the standards and timeline of the European Student Card Initiative).

HEIs should also raise awareness amongst all participants about various measures they can take while abroad to reduce the carbon and environmental footprints of their mobility activities and monitor progress towards achieving more sustainable student and staff mobility activities.

Digitalisation and digital education and skills in higher education mobility In line with the principles of the ECHE, HEIs should implement digital management of student mobility in line with the technical standards of the European Student Card Initiative .

This means that HEIs participating in the programme must connect to the Erasmus Without Paper Network in order to exchange mobility data, and should connect to the European Student Card Router to integrate the European Student Card features in their student cards (physical or digital) .

HEIs can use their organisational support funds for the implementation of digital mobility management and the integration of the European Student Card features in their student cards. The institutions should promote blended mobility, the combination of a physical mobility with a virtual component, within their institution to offer more flexible mobility formats and further enhance the learning outcomes and impact of physical mobility.

HEIs must ensure the quality of blended mobility activities and formal recognition for participation in blended mobility, including the virtual component.

The institutions should also raise awareness among their students and staff about opportunities within the programme to acquire and further develop relevant digital skills in all study fields, including Digital Opportunity Traineeships for students and recent graduates to further develop or acquire digital skills .

Teaching and administrative staff can also benefit from digital skills training to acquire relevant digital skills for making use of digital technologies in courses and for digitalising administration Participation and civic engagement The programme aims to help the participants discover the benefits of active citizenship and participation in democratic life.

Supported mobility activities should reinforce participatory skills in different spheres of civic society, as well as development of social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and media literacy.

Wherever possible, projects should offer opportunities for participation in democratic life, social and civic engagement through formal or non-formal learning activities, as well as fostering practices of co-creation and co-design of learning activities.

Participation in mobilities should also improve participants’ understanding of the European Union and the common European values, including respect for democratic principles, human dignity, unity and diversity, intercultural dialogue, as well as European social, cultural and historical heritage. Description of the activities Student mobility can be carried out in any study field and cycle (short cycle/bachelor/master/doctoral).

To ensure high-quality mobility activities with maximum impact on the students, the mobility activity must be compatible with the student’s degree-related learning and personal development needs. Students may carry out the activities described below: A study period abroad at a partner higher education institution. The study period abroad must be part of the student's study programme to complete a degree at any study cycle.

A study period abroad may include a traineeship period as well. Such a combination creates synergies between the academic and professional experience abroad. In terms of workload, in countries belonging to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) an academic year of full-time study is normally made up of educational components totalling 60 ECTS credits (or equivalent units in countries outside the EHEA).

It is recommended that for mobility periods shorter than a full academic year, the educational components included in the learning agreement are to be adjusted proportionally. A traineeship (work placement, internship) abroad in an enterprise, a research institute, a laboratory, an organisation or any other relevant workplace. Traineeships abroad are supported during studies at any study cycle and for recent graduates.

This also includes teaching assistantships for student teachers and research assistantships for students and doctoral candidates in any relevant research facility. To further enhance the synergies with Horizon Europe, these mobilities can also take place in the context of Horizon Europe funded research projects, in full respect of the principle of no double EU funding of activities.

Wherever possible, the traineeships are to be an integrated part of the student's study programme. In terms of workload, in principle the participants must work full time, based on their receiving organisation’s working time.

In the case of doctoral mobility , to better meet the diverse learning and training needs of doctoral candidates and to ensure equal opportunities with those that have the status of higher education staff, doctoral candidates and recent graduates (‘post-docs’) can undertake short-term or long-term physical study or traineeship mobility periods abroad. Adding a virtual component to the physical mobility is encouraged.

Any study period or traineeship abroad of any duration, including doctoral mobility, may be carried out as a blended mobility . Blended mobility is a combination of physical mobility with a virtual component facilitating a collaborative online learning exchange and teamwork.

For example, the virtual component can bring learners together online from different countries and study fields to follow online courses or work collectively and simultaneously on assignments that are recognised as part of their studies.

Any student can also undertake blended mobility by participating in a blended intensive programme according to the specific eligibility criteria for blended intensive programmes, described in this Guide. Staff mobility can be carried out by any type of higher education staff or by invited staff from outside the HEIs.

To ensure high-quality mobility activities with maximum impact, the mobility activity must be related to the staff’s professional development and to address their learning and personal development needs. Staff may carry out any of the activities described below: A teaching period abroad at a partner higher education institution.

The teaching period abroad enables any teaching staff at a higher education institution or staff from enterprises to teach at a partner higher education institution abroad. Staff mobility for teaching can be in any study field. A training period abroad at a partner higher education institution, enterprise or any other relevant workplace.

The training period abroad enables any staff at a HEI to take part in a training activity abroad that is relevant to their day-to-day work at the HEI. It may take the form of training events (excluding conferences) or job shadowing and observation periods. A staff mobility period abroad can combine teaching and training activities.

Any teaching or training period abroad may be carried out as a blended mobility . Blended intensive programmes These are short, intensive programmes that use innovative ways of learning and teaching, including the use of online cooperation.

The programmes may include challenge-based learning where transnational and transdisciplinary teams work together to tackle challenges for example those linked to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals or other societal challenges identified by regions, cities, or companies. The intensive programme should have added value compared to existing courses or trainings offered by the participating HEIs and can be multiannual.

By enabling new and more flexible mobility formats that combine physical mobility with a virtual part, blended intensive programmes aim at reaching all types of students from all backgrounds, study fields and cycles. Groups of higher education institutions will have the opportunity to organise short blended intensive programmes of learning, teaching and training for students and staff.

During these blended intensive programmes, groups of students and/or staff as learners will undertake a short-term physical mobility abroad combined with a compulsory virtual component facilitating collaborative online learning exchange and teamwork.

The virtual component must bring the learners together online to work collectively and simultaneously on specific assignments that are integrated in the blended intensive programme and count towards the overall learning outcomes. In addition, blended intensive programmes can be open to student and staff from HEIs, including local students and local staff.

Blended intensive programmes build capacity for developing and implementing innovative teaching and learning practices in the participating HEIs. International mobility involving third countries not associated to the Programme The primary focus of the higher education mobility action is to support mobility activities among EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme – the European dimension.

In addition, the action supports the international dimension through two strands of mobility activities involving third countries not associated to the Programme across the whole world. One strand supports mobility to all third countries not associated to the Programme, with the exception of Belarus and Russia, and is funded by EU internal policy funds.

Another strand supports mobility to and from third countries not associated to the Programme, with the exception of mobility to Belarus and Russia and staff mobility from Belarus and Russia.

This strand is funded by EU external action instruments The two strands of international mobility pursue different, yet complementary objectives, reflecting the policy priorities of the respective funding sources: International outgoing mobility supported by internal policy funds The priority focus is on the development of forward-looking and other relevant skills of students and staff from HEIs located in the EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme.

International mobility activities to any non-associated country are financed from the grant awarded to mobility projects. Grant beneficiaries may use up to 20% of the last awarded project grant for outgoing mobility to non-associated countries all over the world.

These opportunities are intended to encourage an organisation in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme to develop outgoing mobility activities with several third countries not associated to the Programme, and are expected to cover the widest possible geographic scope.

International outgoing and incoming mobility supported by external policy funds This action follows the EU's external policy priorities; and as such, a number of targets and rules for cooperation are set with the twelve eligible regions (1-12), which are detailed hereafter in the section "additional information for mobility projects supported by external policy funds”.

International mobility activities described in this action, unless stated otherwise, are applicable to both strands. What are the eligibility criteria for a mobility project? The eligibility criteria determine the conditions for participating in this call for proposals.

The following section indicates as well the eligible activities that can be funded, the duration of a project, where and when to apply to a mobility project.

Eligibility criteria of mobility projects In order to be eligible for an Erasmus+ grant an applicant must comply with the following criteria: Higher education institutions (HEIs) may implement one or more of the following eligible activities: Student mobility for studies Student mobility for traineeships Staff mobility for teaching Staff mobility for training Blended intensive programmes (not for mobility projects supported by external policy funds) Eligible mobility activity flows: For mobility projects supported by internal policy funds: from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme to any country in the world (EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme and third countries not associated to the Programme from Regions 1 to 3 and 5 to 14) For mobility projects supported by external policy funds: between EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme and third countries not associated to the Programme (excluding Regions 13 and 14) Nota Bene : Student and staff mobilities to Belarus and Russia and staff mobilities from Belarus and Russia are not eligible.

Organisations with the following accreditation may apply for a grant: For an application as an individual HEI: higher education institutions established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme and awarded with an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

For an application as a mobility consortium: coordinating organisations established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme and coordinating a consortium awarded with an Erasmus accreditation for higher education mobility consortia.

Organisations that do not hold a consortium accreditation can apply for this accreditation on behalf of a mobility consortium during the same call as when applying for a mobility project grant or a previous call. All the involved higher education institutions from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme must hold an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

These organisations will be eligible for a mobility project only if their application for the consortium accreditation is successful. Higher education students and staff cannot apply directly for a grant; the selection criteria for participation in the mobility activities and in blended intensive programmes are defined by the higher education institution in which they study or are employed.

For participation in activities: any EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme any third country not associated to the Programme (for possible conditions in mobility projects supported by external policy funds please see the section “Additional information for mobility projects supported by external policy funds” of this action and “Eligible countries” in Part A) Number of participating organisations The number of organisations in the application form is one in the case of an application as an individual HEI or, in the case of an application by a mobility consortium, the applicant and the mobility consortium members.

During the implementation of the mobility project, a minimum of two organisations (at least one sending and at least one receiving organisation) must be involved. For mobility projects supported by external policy funds, minimum one organisation from a non-associated third country must be involved.

For blended intensive programmes in mobility projects supported by internal policy funds: in addition to the applicant (applicant HEI or a HEI in an applicant mobility consortium), at least two HEIs from two other EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme have to be involved in the organisation of the blended intensive programme during implementation.

Mobility projects supported by internal policy funds: 26 months Mobility projects supported by external policy funds: 24 or 36 months To the National Agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established.

Applicants have to submit their grant application by 19 February at 12:00:00 (midday Brussels time) both for projects funded with internal policy funds starting on 1 June of the same year and for projects funded with external actions instruments starting on 1 August of the same year. Please see part C of this Guide for details on how to apply.

Other minimum requirements A HEI may apply for grants to its National Agency via two different channels: directly as an individual HEI, via a national mobility consortium of which it is a coordinator/member. A HEI can apply only once per selection round for a mobility project as individual HEI and/or as the coordinating HEI of a given consortium.

However, a HEI may be part of or coordinate several different mobility consortia applying at the same time. Both channels (individual application and consortium application) may be used simultaneously. However, the HEI remains responsible of preventing double funding of a participant when the two channels are used in the same academic year.

The mobility project should implement the European Student Card Initiative (including Erasmus Without Paper and the European Student Card) to facilitate the online management of the mobility cycle and other more environmentally friendly and inclusive approaches in line with the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) and the ECHE guidelines.

In addition to the eligibility criteria indicated above, applicants will be assessed against the eligibility criteria indicated in the following sections and also against the exclusion, selection and award criteria . For more information on exclusion criteria, please consult Part C of this Guide . Eligibility criteria for student mobility Please see eligible activities under Eligibility of Mobility Projects.

Eligible participating organisations Student