Erasmus & Jean Monnet What s new in EU higher education initiatives Edition 3 December 2008 New Call 2009: Erasmus and Jean Monnet 1 Erasmus University Charter 2 ECTS/DS label award 3 NARICS Network 3 EACEA Call for experts 3 Erasmus Jean Monnet projects selected in 2008 3 Miscellaneous 4 LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME (LLP) Call 2009 NEW CALL 2009 AND DEADLINES The LLP Call for 2009 was published on 20//2008 http://ec.europa.eu/education/llp/doc848_en.htm with the following deadlines for proposal submission for centralised actions managed by the Executive Agency. Centralised Actions Jean MONNET Programme (Key Activity 1) Centres of Excellence, Jean MONNET Chairs, Teaching Modules, Multilateral Research Groups, and Associations of Professors, Information and Research Activities Sectoral Sub-Programmes: ERASMUS, COMENIUS, GRUNDTVIG, Leonardo DA VINCI Transversal Programme: KA1 (Studies and Comparative Research) KA2 (Languages), KA3 (ICT), KA4 (Valorisation) Deadline for submission 13/02/2009 27/02/2009 31/03/2009 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS The application forms for the Jean Monnet Programme (Key Activity 1) are available at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/ajm/2009/application_en.htm and submission in paper form is required. The electronic online submission forms for the sectoral sub-programmes and the transversal programme will be made available in early January 2009 at the following address: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/ajm/2009/application_en.htm INFO DAYS Information days for the centralised actions of the Lifelong Learning Programme Call will take place on 16 January 2009 in Brussels and on 22 January in Warsaw (Poland). Details concerning the registration procedure are already published on the website of the Executive Agency http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/infoday09/infoday_2009_en.htm ERASMUS SUB-ACTIONS Multilateral projects should aim at developing and implementing study programmes (Curriculum Development); developing strategies to modernise a specific aspect of higher education; promoting cooperation between higher education and enterprises or addressing key issues for virtual campuses. Networks consist of higher education institutions and other organisations and represent either a discipline or a crossdisciplinary field with the aim of developing new learning concepts and competencies ( Academic Networks with a 1
minimum of 31 partners from 31 different LLP countries) or addressing a structural or management aspect of higher education with a view to promoting innovative solutions and approaches ( Structural Networks with a minimum of partners from different LLP countries). Accompanying Measures are initiatives which, though not eligible under the other actions of the Erasmus Programme, will clearly contribute to achieving the Erasmus Programme s objectives. ERASMUS FUNDING, DURATION, PARTNERSHIP Erasmus Centralized Actions Maximum EU Grant (7% of total project costs) Maximum project duration Minimum number of partners Multilateral projects: Curriculum Development University/Enterprise cooperation Modernisation of Higher Education Virtual Campuses 300.000 3 years 3 institutions from at least 3 LLP countries Networks: Academic Networks Structural Networks Accompanying Measures 600.000.000 3 years 1 year 31 institutions from 31 different LLP countries institutions from different LLP countries One or several institutions from LLP countries Jean Monnet European Associations, Key Activity 3 Call 2009 Key Activity 3 provides support in the form of operating grants to European associations active at European level in the field of education and training. The new call for proposals was published on 31 October 2008 at the Agency website: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/index_en.htm with a deadline for the submission of proposals of 23 December 2008. ERASMUS UNIVERSITY CHARTER (EUC) Call 2009 State of play The Erasmus University Charter entitles a higher education institution to participate in decentralised Erasmus mobility activities (for which institutions should contact their National Agency), as well as to act as an applicant organisation in Erasmus centralised actions (Multilateral Projects, Networks and Accompanying Measures) managed by the Executive Agency. Three different Erasmus University Charter types exist, depending on the Erasmus activities higher education institutions would like to undertake: The Standard Erasmus University Charter is for institutions that wish to apply for an Erasmus funding for transnational academic mobility activities for students and for staff and /or which wish to act as an applicant institution for Erasmus multilateral projects, networks or accompanying measures; The Extended Erasmus University Charter (Student Placements only) is for institutions that wish to apply only for an Erasmus funding for transnational student placements; The Extended Erasmus University Charter (Standard Charter and Student Placements) is for institutions which wish to apply for activities covered by both the Standard and the Extended University Charter (Student Placements only). In the framework of the 2009 Call (deadline of 28 November 2008), 8 applications were submitted electronically via the online application tool. The evaluation of applications takes place by independent experts and the list of successful applicants will be published in March 2009. For more information please consult the Agency s web-page at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/erasmus 2
European Credit Transfer System / Diploma Supplement Label The application forms for the ECTS and the DS label are available from the National Agencies and the deadline for the submission of applications is 1 January 2009. The evaluation of applications will be done by the National Agencies and complemented by a screening exercise at European level (Executive Agency). It is expected that the results will be available in April 2009. For more information please contact your National Agency. The Agency website at http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/erasmus also provides updated information. PLEASE NOTE: The ECTS and DS labels will be honorary distinctions. Higher Education Institutions which held the ECTS and/or DS labels in the past are invited to apply again, given that these labels will expire in 2009. NARIC Network Results of the 2008 call The NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) network is an initiative of the European Commission and was created in 1984. The network aims at improving academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study in the participating countries of the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP). Since 2007 the Executive Agency has been in charge of implementing the invitation addressed to the NARIC network for the co-funding of specific projects that support their activities. Following the 2008 call 8 projects were selected for a Community co-funding (see http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/naric/call2008_en.htm for further information EACEA - Call for experts The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency has published a call for expressions of interest on http:// eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/procurement/eacea_2007_experts/index_en.htm in order to obtain applications for the establishment of a list of external experts. Experts applications can be submitted at any time until 2013. An eligibility check has been carried out on all applications received as of 17 November 2008 which represent 398 applications for Erasmus activities and 189 for Jean Monnet activities. Other eligibility checks on the new experts applications will be done on a regular basis to maintain an updated database of experts. The Executive Agency will invite eligible independent experts from this new database to provide their assistance in carrying out activities such as the evaluation of the proposals under the LLP call 2009 or the assessment of the progress and final reports of funded projects. ERASMUS JEAN MONNET projects selected in 2008 ERASMUS PROGRAMME A total of 61 new Erasmus projects started their activities on the 1st October 2008: 43 Multilateral projects, Networks and 4 Accompanying measures. The new activity Cooperation between Universities and Enterprises doubled its number of selected projects in 2008. The following table provides an overview of the selection results for 2007 and 2008: 2007 2008 Activity A. Networks received selected 8 received 21 selected B. Multilateral Actions 1. Curriculum development 2. Virtual Campuses 3. Modernisation of Higher Education 4. Cooperation University-Enterprise Sub-total 6 28 23 22 129 22 9 0 72 21 20 28 1 18 43 C. Accompanying Measures 6 9 4 Total 13 64 171 61 41.8% success rate 3.6% success rate 3
The handbook and related documents for projects started in October 2008 will be available at the beginning of 2009. 4. Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence Coordinators Meeting A meeting of the academic coordinators of a selected number of Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence was organised in Brussels in October 2008 with the aim of improving the visibility of the Centres activities and promoting the exchange of good practice and information. A total of 37 coordinators representing Centres from 19 countries took part in the two-day event. The main focus of the meeting was to inform coordinators about the creation of the new interactive Jean Monnet website and to consult them on possible ways of developing this tool with a view to promoting joint activities and increasing the visibility of their Centres activities.. 20th Anniversary of the Jean Monnet Action On 28 June 1989, the Commission adopted the Dondelinger Communication on the Jean Monnet Action launching a specific action concerning teaching activities on European integration studies within universities. The website of the Executive Agency will provide information on the special activities planned for the year 2009 http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/jeanmonnet/index_en.htm Contacts Erasmus University Charter Mr Alain Pol / Mrs Katia de Sousa