German higher education institutions are starting into the new EU Erasmus programme with a financial success: around 103 million euros for mobility of students and higher education staff were recently approved for the coming just under two years. The national Erasmus agency shared this good news with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) today. 

‘The high amount approved highlights that German higher education institutions continue to be very interested in the Erasmus programme, and it can be attributed to the corresponding large numbers of applicants from Germany. This clearly shows once more that the Erasmus programme is a central tool for strategic internationalisation of higher education. The programme also proved successful during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to its flexible options for arranging stays abroad,’ said DAAD President Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee in Bonn. The budget that has just been approved enables higher education institutions to fund study visits, internships and personal mobility across Europe and to a certain extent also worldwide.

‘In line with the international opening of the Erasmus programme, students in the new programme generation can visit almost any country in the world. This includes the United Kingdom, even though the country left the Erasmus programme in the context of Brexit. We are delighted to see that this option is met with a high level of interest from the German higher education institutions, even in its first year,’ said Dr Stephan Geifes, Director of the National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation at the DAAD (NA DAAD).

Erasmus programme 2021–2027
The new Erasmus programme uses specific funding goals to focus on equal opportunities, inclusion, diversity and fairness across all areas of mobility. Through the additional focus areas ‘digital transformation’ and ‘sustainability’ and by promoting involvement in democratic processes, Erasmus+ is also designed to make a vital contribution to encouraging solidarity in Europe and to reaching the EU’s climate targets. In the future, students will therefore be able to perform short Erasmus stays and to benefit from so-called blended-mobility: stays abroad that are a combination of digital and physical elements. Financial incentives are also provided for using climate-friendly means of transportation for inbound and outbound travel.

33 programme countries are taking part in the new Erasmus programme: the 27 EU Member States, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. Post Brexit, the United Kingdom is no longer participating as a programme country, but it will continue to be listed as a partner country in the programme line for non-EU countries. Funding for foreign mobility with the United Kingdom under the previous 2014–2020 Erasmus programme is available until May 2023.

Background
Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. It follows the motto ‘Enriching lives, opening minds’ to promote Europe-wide cooperation in all areas of education. Various programme lines give German higher education institutions the option of funding international exchange of their students and staff, establishing cooperation and partnership programmes and exploiting a wide-ranging institutional exchange between higher education institutions in Europe and worldwide. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) acts as the national authority for higher education for Erasmus in Germany. As one of four national agencies, DAAD assumes responsibility for implementing the Erasmus programme in the field of higher education.