The EU's Erasmus+ program channels billions of euros in funding for education, youth and sport. The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education lays the legal groundwork for European academic institutions to participate in Erasmus, opening up access to financial help for the program’s various forms of mobility and projects. It also establishes the quality framework for cooperative activities, and has a validity of seven years.
The new generation of the program, called Erasmus+, continues the existing funding lines (mobility, cooperation projects and political support), but also includes greater focus on digital integration, inclusivity and environment. This includes for example digitization of the program and mobility management, funding for groups of students underserved by the program and heightened attention to ecological aspects of the program. The funding options for students, up to and including doctoral students, to spend time abroad have been expanded.
The Rector of the University of Bonn, Dr. Michael Hoch, notes: “In the coming seven years, the Erasmus program will continue to set an important basis for international exchange, first and foremost for our students, but also for our instructors and staff. I am especially pleased how the program has been redeveloped to feature greater sustainability, digitization and diversity. These topics represent an important part of our own future strategy as an internationally networked University of Excellence.”
Of particular strategic importance for the University of Bonn is the funding of “European Higher Education Institutions” (Excellence Partnerships). The university has already taken its first steps down this path, through its participation in NeurotechEU, a European university. Cooperation with the global south will also be strategically expanded with the help of the funding line for “Mobility with Partner Countries.”
At present, the University of Bonn receives roughly 1.5 million euros annually through its Erasmus activities. Because the EU’s Erasmus budget in the area of university education has been raised by three billion euros to roughly eight billion euros, it is expected that more funding will flow in the coming years, expressed in areas such as slightly higher funding levels for students and higher funding sums for specific target groups.
The University of Bonn has been a successful participant in the Erasmus program since the centralized EU education program was founded in 1987. As the largest exchange and cooperation program at the University of Bonn, its various funding lines have long been a driving force for better internationalization at all levels.
Contact:
Susanne Gittel-Avehounkpan
Erasmus Higher Education Coordinator
Email: s.gittel@uni-bonn.de