Erasmus+ is the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport for the period 2014-2020.
Erasmus+ aims at promoting, among others:
- The creation of possibilities to study, to be trained, to acquire working experience abroad;
- Completion of studies abroad in short periods or attendance of full cycles of study;
- Provision of loans for students from national banks or crediting agencies with payment time after graduation;
- Support of people with special needs from marginalized strata and those with few possibilities;
- Cooperation among higher education institutions of the EU and outside it in order to develop new teaching approaches harmonization of programmes, continuous qualification of staffs, etc.
- Cooperation among education stakeholders and those of the business world by bringing new possibilities for higher education institutions, students and their staffs in order to facilitate knowledge transfer, adaptation to labour market needs, etc.
- Development of digital education and use of Information and Communication Technologies.
Erasmus+ brings under the same umbrella the (i) Lifelong Learning Programme (Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius, Jean Monnet and Grundtvig) (ii) the Youth in Action programme (iii) five international cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink, the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries) and (iv) the new sport action.
The seven year programme has a budget of € 14.7 billion; a 40% increase compared to previous spending levels, reflecting the EU’s commitment to investing in these areas.
ERASMUS+ will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad. About 2 million students, 500.000 young people and volunteers, 650.000 trainees, who will carry out professional practices, 800.000 academic and teaching staff and about 125.000 participating institutions and organizations are expected to benefit from Erasmus+.
ERASMUS+ will support transnational partnerships among Education, Training, and Youth institutions and organisations to foster cooperation and bridge the worlds of Education and work in order to tackle the skills gaps we are facing in Europe.
It will also support national efforts to modernise Education, Training, and Youth systems. In the field of Sport, there will be support for grassroots projects and cross-border challenges such as combating match-fixing, doping, violence and racism.
The actions of the Erasmus + programme are divided into decentralized and centralized actions. The decentralized actions are managed in each programme country by National Agencies that are appointed by their national authorities. The centralized actions are managed at a European level by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) located in Brussels.
The International dimention of Erasmus+ opens cooperation between Programme Countries and Partner Countries.
Programme Countries: 28 EU Memeber States; Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Partner Countries*: Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia; Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine; Southern Mediterranean countries – Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia; Russian Federation; Central Asia: Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; Latin America; South Africa; ACP Countries; Industrialized Countries.
See all countries in Erasmus+ Programme
ERASMUS+ Programme Web-site: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_en.htm
Details on calls at the web-site of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) responsible for management of the Programme: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus_en