Erasmus Mundus calls for 2010 launched

European FlagThe Eramsus Mudus call for 2010 has been launched by the European Commission. The call provides support to projects that enhance the quality of European higher education and that promote best practice and cooperation between academic institutions in the EU and internationally.

Erasmus Mundus is composed of three different actions:

Action 1 – Joint Programmes offers funding for joint MA and PhD courses.

Erasmus Mundus Master Courses aim to support top-quality programmes at postgraduate level that contribute to increasing the profile and effectiveness of the European higher education sector. A successful university consortium will receive funding for five consecutive annual intakes of their MA programme. The financial contribution from the Commission, including scholarships, will be around €3.5 million.

Erasmus Mundus PhD Courses focus, in particular, on offering early-stage researchers the opportunity to improve their research skills, join established research teams and enhance their career prospects. The primary objective for selected PhD courses is to contribute to the development of post doctoral studies in Europe and to reduce the gaps between fields of study, academia and society. The funding available is the same as that offered for MAs of around €3.5 million per course.

Action 2 Erasmus Mundus Partnerships promotes more informal cooperation with non-EU countries.

It aims to promote cooperation between HEIs in Europe and specific geographical “regions” of the world with the objective of implementing bilateral exchanges of students and university staff between Europe and these regions. This action has two different strands:

  • Partnerships with developing and emerging countries;
  • Partnerships with industrialised countries.

Action 3 – Promotion of European Higher Education

Action 3 provides support to transnational initiatives, studies, projects, events and other activities that aim to enhance the accessibility, profile and visibility of European Higher Education in the world. Action 3 projects should contribute to:

Promotion and awareness raising of the European higher education sector as well as the relevant cooperation programmes and funding schemes;

  • Dissemination of the Programme’s results and examples of good practice;
  • Exploitation and mainstreaming of these results at an institutional and individual level.

An Information Day will be held in Brussels on 22 January. The deadline for applications for all three actions is 30 April 2010.

For further information on the call and for details of how to apply please see the Europa website:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/external-relation-programmes/doc72_en.htm