Information for potential partners

Erasmus+ programme set up by the European Commission supports international mobility of students and academic staff for enhancing quality of higher education, international cooperation, individual and institutional development and capacity building as well as promoting positive values.

Since 2015 Erasmus+ has opened worldwide providing opportunities for cooperation between programme and partner countries (International Credit Mobility, also called KA171).

Under Action 1 the following forms of international mobility between programme and partner can be realised:

· Students: a period of study (3 – 12 months) or a practical placement abroad (2 – 12 months)
· Academic teachers: teaching stays (min. 5 days), during which a short teaching cycle of min. 8 hours is provided
· university staff: training stays for enhancing professional skills and competencies in focus of Erasmus+ programme.

Before the mobility activities take place, a university in a programme country and a university in a partner countries sign a bilateral Erasmus+ agreement (IIA) – signing it is fundamental since the partner university will be bound to observe fundamental principles of Erasmus+ academic mobility including among others:

· full recognition of learning outcomes that its students will gain abroad,
· recognition of staff mobility results and their use for institutional development and reform
· transparent and non-discriminating procedures for selecting mobile participants and recognising the results of mobility
· building structures and services ensuring high quality of mobility activities.

Please bear in mind that Erasmus+ mobility activities should go in line with your institutional strategy of development and internationalisation. If there is no such a document, persuade the university authorities to formulate one.

A university in a programme country applies for funding in a given call year – this means that if the application is accepted, this university pays the Erasmus+ grant to students and staf incoming under the project and is responsible for submitting both the application, signing the financial agreement with its Erasmus+ National Agency and resulting reports. However, the partner university takes an active role, makes sure that all the obligations resulting from the bilteral agreement are fulfilled and provides all the necessary information and documents.

The application for funding includes Quality Questions, the same set for a given partner country, on basis of which the proposed funding for the cooperation with this country is evaluated, please refer them to your institution:

Quality of project design and cooperation arrangement (how the responsibilities, roles and tasks will be deivided, arrangements and measures for different phases of the mobility projects including selection of participants, the support provided to participants before, during and after the mobility period; measures to ensure full recognition for all participants; specific measures concerning participants with fewer opportunities)
Relevance of the strategy (how the project is related to your (formal) internationalisation strategy)
Impact and dissemination (detailed impact of the mobility project on participants, your institution and external stakeholders at local, regional and national level; measures to disseminate the results of the mobility project at the level of your institution and beyond)

The information provided should be as detailed and specific as possible, the quality of information has and impact on evaluation. The better the evaluation, the better chances of funding - and demand is usually huge.

Joining an Erasmus+ project is a central level decision and programme activities mean a lot of administrative work therefore it is highly recommended that a university appoints a central administrative unit (e.g. International Relations Office) responsible for implementing / monitoring mobility activities.

Remember: Quick and efficient communication is the key to success!

Universities interested in the ICM cooperation with the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin will be asked to do the following:

Contact one of our faculties to discuss and negotiate student and academic teachers mobility in a given study field / discipline specified by your side Faculty Coordinators at WPUT - contact details	Any time
Sign a letter of intent (legal representative, i.e. Rector or an officially appoointed /authorised person) according to a template provided by WPUT’s International Mobility Office	Any time, by end of October for the next academic year
Fill in a questionnaire and provide input for the Quality Questions (WPUT’s International Mobility Office guides you through the proces).	Usually November-December, by the end of December for the next academic year
Sign a bilateral agreement with WPUT	by the end of January for the next academic year