Erasmus+ aims to support educational, professional and personal development, contributing to sustainable growth, quality jobs and social cohesion, fostering innovation and strengthening European identity and active citizenship.

Key Action 1 - Learning mobility of individuals
Key Action 2 - Cooperation between organizations and institutions
Key Action 3 - Support for policy development and policy cooperation.

Erasmus+ has a budget of around 28 billion euros. 70% of the budget is dedicated to promoting mobility opportunities for all in the spirit of lifelong learning. More than ten million people will benefit from EU funding by 2027. The seven-year program aims to better equip European citizens with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed in an increasingly mobile, multicultural and digital society undergoing dynamic change. Spending time in another country to study, learn and work should become the norm, as should speaking two languages in addition to one's native language. 
For information on the Erasmus+ program, visit the European Commission website:

http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_en.htm

The funding will be used primarily to increase mobility within Europe, but to a lesser extent with other parts of the world. Around two million students are expected to benefit from Erasmus+ by 2027, including over a quarter of a million from Germany. Students in all study cycles up to and including the doctorate who wish to complete a partial study or internship abroad will be included.
To increase the qualitative impact of its actions and ensure equal opportunities, the program will better and more strongly target people of different age groups and from diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds. In particular, it will better reach people with fewer opportunities, including people with disabilities and migrants, as well as European Union citizens living in remote areas or facing socio-economic difficulties. In doing so, the program will also encourage participants, especially young people, to engage and learn to participate in civil society, raising awareness of the common values of the European Union.

Students can be supported for up to 12 months each in the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral programs. To increase the financial incentive for stays abroad, the monthly mobility allowance for students will also be increased, especially for host countries with higher living costs. Internships abroad will continue to be possible after graduation. Finally, Erasmus+ offers students who wish to complete an entire master's degree in Europe the opportunity to take out a low-interest loan to do so. Erasmus Mundus joint master's degree programs will have new features to encourage the participation of higher education institutions in partner countries and create unique opportunities for student mobility within and outside Europe.

Erasmus+ also contributes to the further internationalization of higher education institutions with support for short-term lectureships and training visits for education and administrative staff respectively. Furthermore, universities can invite business staff from abroad for teaching visits and now also participate in multilateral Strategic Partnerships with other European partners (also from the non-academic sector) and jointly develop innovative projects (e.g. in the field of curriculum development or on cross-educational topics). For cooperation with business, Erasmus+ offers funding in the new Knowledge Alliances. HEIs that want to engage in capacity building in third countries can do so in the program's international higher education partnerships.

Funding for most mobility activities and the Strategic Partnerships is awarded by the National Agencies in the 33 program countries (28 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, FYR Macedonia, Norway, Turkey). In Germany, this task is performed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): www.eu.daad.de.

Under the umbrella of the EU education program Erasmus+, the following mobility measures are funded:

1. study abroad for students (SMS)
2. internship abroad for students (SMP)
3. teacher mobility (STA
4. staff mobility (STT).

• Inclusion and diversity: The program aims to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity and fairness in all program actions. At the heart of these goals are the organizations and people with fewer opportunities themselves, and it is against this backdrop that the program will provide them with mechanisms and resources. Organizations should design their projects and activities with an inclusive approach, making them accessible to a wide range of participants.
• Digital transformation: the COVID-19 crisis has shown the importance of digital literacy for the digital transformation that Europe needs. In particular, it has highlighted the increased need to harness the potential of digital technologies for education and learning and to develop digital literacy for all. In line with the strategic priorities of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) 2, the program aims to support these efforts to engage learners, educators, youth workers, young people and organizations on the path to digital transformation.
• Environment and climate change mitigation: Environment and climate change mitigation are key priorities for the EU today and in the future. The Communication on the European Green Deal3 is the new growth strategy for Europe, recognizing the key role that schools, training institutions and universities play in engaging students, parents and the whole population in the changes needed for a successful transition to climate neutrality by 2050.
• Participation in Democratic Life: The program addresses citizens' limited participation in their democratic processes and their lack of knowledge about the European Union, and aims to help them overcome difficulties when they want to actively engage and participate in their community or in the political and social life of the Union. Improving citizens' knowledge of the European Union from an early age is critical to the future of the Union. In addition to formal education, non-formal learning can also improve citizens' understanding of the European Union and foster their sense of belonging.

European Policy Statement  of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society on the application for the

ERASMUS+ Charter for Higher Education 2021 - 2027

With its internationalization strategy, HWG LU faces the challenges of the globalized world of education and work, in which social and political conditions are continuously changing, and is aware of the responsibility of its mission to provide young people with a cosmopolitan orientation and to prepare them adequately for the international job market. Internationalization is both a profile-building tool for the university and an integrative institutional process that involves all university members and motivates them to actively participate.  HWG LU stands for an internationalization that combines regional identity and anchoring with the empowerment of students to accompany Europeanization and globalization processes in a reflective and appreciative manner. 

As an educational institution open to development, HWG LU will face challenges such as the expansion of the European Union, demographic developments and all requirements influencing the education market.

Diversity through internationalization includes a diverse range of opportunities:

Priority is given to attracting motivated and qualified students and their professional, social and intercultural  competence development to ensure that transfer services are promoted, that they can process complex information adequately and resource-efficiently, and that they are qualified to meet the challenges.of the digitized world of work without  losing sight of their social mission. Learning and communication skills as well as resilience are the hotspots of the future.

Opening up study options for students outside the traditional university access profiles and creating more innovative degree programs, including dual, part-time or distance learning programs, expands the student target groups,   

In  longstanding  close cooperation with regional and supra-regional companies and institutions, the content of many - especially dual - degree programs was designed and implemented according to their needs, close to practice, so in many degree programs one or more practical phases, which can also be completed in program or partner countries, are integrated. The close cooperation between university and companies/institutions avoids "skills mismatch". The success and thus  the employability of the graduates of these degree programs encourages the expansion of the concepts with partner universities within the ERASMUS network of the HWG LU, including the growing regional and national business network.

The student population of HWG LU (currently approx. 4600 students) reflects very clearly the population structure in the Rhine-Neckar region with approx. 30% citizens with a migration background. The range of courses offered at HWG LU, including economics, social and health sciences, undergraduate, dual, part-time and distance learning courses at BA, BSc, MA and MBA level, takes this situation into account with a cross-curriculum obligation or recommendation for mobility. The recruitment of excellent young scientists for the further development of education and research, the initiation of sustainable transfer projects together with European and international university and company partners complements the development-oriented strategy of HWG LU and promotes its international visibility.  
This spectrum of opportunities is closely linked to the changes and growth of the Erasmus program for more than 30 years. The program has been and continues to be a motivator, catalyst and multiplier for the multiple mobility options of an internationally oriented university. HWG LU owes its current state of development to Erasmus.  
In 2020, HWG LU cooperates with 152 partner universities worldwide, 75 of them in program countries and 4 in European partner countries. With 6 cooperation partners, which still originate from the old Erasmus partner network of the early 90s, successful mobilities are realized until today.
Due to the current situation, we are forced to think about the extent to which, when and with which destinations within and outside of Europe these strategies can be realized in the near future. Far-reaching digitization measures were implemented at very short notice in order to maintain regular lecture operations for all students. Despite the far-reaching challenges, this triggered invaluable and forward-looking learning processes for everyone involved that will remain relevant far beyond the crisis situation.  Despite these often positive experiences, real mobilities must not be allowed to collapse in the long term. Despite all the development potential of international-global cooperation, the significance of intra-European cooperation must be strengthened and repositioned again and again in accordance with its scope. This repetitive positioning process is only possible through the close interlocking with Erasmus, through mutual appreciation within the cooperations and through reliable and balanced mobilities.    
 

Mobillities are at the heart  of Erasmus and have been instrumental in shaping the coalescence of the enlarging European Union over the past 30 years, with mobile youth in particular helping to break down remaining mental barriers. At HWG LU, there continues to be a clear focus on student mobility, but also on faculty mobility and especially on staff mobility.

Participation in KA 103 allows for mobilities with program countries, KA 107 with selected partner countries, closely related in content to the content taught at HWG LU and the resulting research topics. 

8 out of 21 Bachelor's programs require an integrated semester abroad. Degree programs with a clear European focus with a focus on Central, Eastern and  Southern Europe open up mobilities for students across the EU and beyond to the countries of the Western Balkans, Russia and Ukraine. The number of degree programs, which on the one hand teach country-specific regional competencies and on the other hand include a  clearly defined European reference, reflects the strategy of the HWG LU of local connection and European networking. In this context, the interpretation of the European idea of the HWG LU implies the European Union as the core of the overall geographical area of Europe. The goal is to have created an integrated mobility window for study visits and internships in at least 15 bachelor degree programs by the end of the upcoming program generation, with a special emphasis on the   health degree programs, the social work degree program, and the dual degree programs. The existing double degrees at both bachelor's and master's level are to be expanded to include additional cooperation partners in program countries,  but also specifically in partner countries.                                                                                              Teaching mobility between cooperation partners creates the basis for Europe-wide and cross-border options for curricula development, provides a platform for results achieved and the impetus for new application-oriented research projects. Thereby both the mobile teachers and the students at the respective university location benefit from the chance to experience an additional professional perspective, also through guest lecturers at the university of origin as " internationalization at home". Teacher mobilities are indispensable motivators for student mobilities.  

The number of staff mobilities at HWG LU is gratifyingly high and is to be expanded even further. Staff mobilities are a personnel development tool that contributes to a great extent to imparting intercultural competencies that ensure better cooperation and understanding in everyday university life and strengthen the university's "international spirit".           

HWG LU is an application partner in the project "Sustainable Horizons" of the University of Algarve, Portugal. This interdisciplinary project with different  cooperation universities in 7 European countries takes up the highly topical issue of sustainability.

HWG LU is also a partner in the capacity building project coordinated by the International University Sarajevo on the topic of "Digitalization in didactic concepts", a topic that is as topical as it is forward-looking.

Both the content of the projects and the regional orientation reflect the core statements of HWG LU's internationalization strategy:  

• Professional, social and intercultural  competence development of students,
• Further development of education and research through cooperation,            
• Initiation and promotion of sustainable international transfer projects,
• Responsible assurance of the employability of all graduates, regardless of their individual starting conditions, 
• Intensification of the European and international visibility of the university.

Based on the long-standing and positively consequential  experiences with Erasmus as an internationalization instrument and mobility engine, combined with the far-reaching changes due to the implementation of the Bologna Process, both structurally and in terms of the strengthened European connection and the annual  significant growth in mobility figures,  the HWG LU will orient itself in the upcoming program period to three pillars of action within the three key actions. In a Europe of knowledge, internal and external quality assurance, guided by criteria elaborated across Europe, is of immense importance- For implementation and effective project collaboration, a well thought-out management concept is essential, including both administrative and scientific implementation. At HWG LU, responsibilities for the individual steps of project implementation are anchored in the International Affairs department as well as in all departments/degree programs with clear management structures.
 
KA 103 and KA 107: Individual mobilities  
Currently at the time of application, about 120 mobilities are realized at HWG LU in the academic year within the framework of Erasmus, 90 of which are student mobilities in SMS and SMP,  30 in STT and STA, with the share of staff mobility clearly predominating. Currently, the subject fit of the existing partnerships is being reviewed again in order to identify clear options to intensify the collaborations, to realize more mobilities in both directions as well as  to create additional opportunities for European double degrees for the mobile students, especially also with the cooperation partners in the partner countries. At the same time, the networks will be expanded to include non-university cooperation partners such as companies, NGOs and institutions in order to create comprehensive destinations for student internships in all degree programs. In addition, the study programs for incoming students are being expanded through integration into double degrees, English-language courses, German courses accompanying studies and internship options in order to ensure the balance of cooperation. The mobility figures within the Erasmus Higher Education Area should  at least double by the end of the program generation, implying the steady growth of the total number of students at HWG LU: Planned timeframe is as follows, by 2022  Completion  of the identification process of partnerships additionally available for double degrees, curriculum development, exchange of digital teaching units or  applied research and transfer projects. Expansion of the already existing "Focus Europe" program for incoming students. by 2023  All undergraduate Bachelor's and Master's degree programs offer integrated mobility windows for study and internship stays as well as significant proportions of English-language courses for incoming students.   by 2025 bilateral  or network-immanent teaching mobility in all degree programs to supplement the teaching offered with Europe-relevant topics such as digitization, sustainability and inclusion, also through with external partners. Realization of planned double degrees; doubling of staff mobility  by 2027  Doubling of mobilities within the framework of cooperation partnerships in  Erasmus program - and partner countries, achievement of specified goals.          

KA 2 European Universities
The Sustainable Horizons project unites 7young innovative oriented universities in smaller locations in the geographical regions from Southern Europe (Faro-Portugal, Huelva- Spain) to Central Europe (Timisoara- Romania, Zlin- Czech Republic, Ludwigshafen- Germany, Tuscia- Italy) to Northern Europe (Lahti -Finland). All partners are smaller universities (4000 - 11 000 students) and are characterized by transfer projects and joint knowledge discovery on relevant environmental issues and socio-economic therms and their impact on regional structures.
The name of the alliance reflects the global challenge  to create a European campus of sustainability and innovation, embedded in a blue-green oriented economy and society.  The Alliance stands for a significant contribution in the context of research and applied sciences to European education.

Objectives:
Creation of innovative European Higher Education degrees focused on sustainability, based on the expertise of the partners, with the knowledge contribution of each university to relevant topics and  research fields - Blue Sustainability, Interculturality, Green Sustainability, Circular Economy, Sustainability in Business and Health Management, Adaptation and Channeling Global Change.
Promoting an inter-university campus where students from 4 European regions (N, W,S, O) can benefit from being able to exchange into 7 different languages (6+ English; multilingualism)
Security of a multi-faceted spectrum of learning outcomes and results recognized by 7 Member States of the European Union.
Promotion of European values through commitment to carry the weight of diversity of European countries and regions internally and externally.                    
Incorporate transversal knowledge and capacities related to new IT expertise, e.g. Artificial Intelligence Contributing to the fight against Climate change at European and global level.                                                                                  

KA 2 Capacity Building Project
In the capacity building project  TITLE Technology Innovation in Teaching and Learning under the auspices of the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina, HWG LU is a partner on the topics: Technology innovation in student-centered teaching and learning environment and its quality assurance.
In the initial phase, international benchmarking methods will be identified as well as specific segments on teaching and learning strategies and practices. The first outcome will be the evaluation of teaching competencies, the integration of new technologies and digital media in teaching processes, for the continuous development of pedagogical and didactical techniques. Students will be actively involved in the project, and the long-term impact of the use of digital media on teachers and students will be monitored and analyzed, with a special focus on students with disabilities, in their role as producers and consumers of knowledge resources.

Both projects are limited in duration.  

Any higher education institution wishing to participate and/or apply to the EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport 2021 - 2027 (hereinafter referred to as "the Programme") must have a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

The ECHE has been awarded by the European Commission. It proves that a higher education institution meets all the requirements for successful participation in the Erasmus+ program.

ECHE 2021 - 2027

Information about a semester abroad within the Eramsmus+ program can be found HERE.

Information about the possibilities to do an internship abroad through Erasmus+ can be found HERE.

Abroad for teaching purposes

Erasmus+ supports visiting lectureships at European partner universities that have a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE). Visiting lecturers should strengthen the European dimension of the host university through their stay, complement its teaching offer and impart their expertise to students who do not want to or cannot study abroad.

If possible, the development of joint study programs between the partner universities should play a role, as should the exchange of teaching content and methods.
Staff from foreign companies and organizations can also be invited to German universities for teaching purposes.

Staff mobility must take place in a program country that is not the country of the sending university (except for incoming mobility, see below) and not the main country of residence of the person concerned.

For teaching purposes, higher education staff from a German higher education institution with ECHE may be sponsored to a receiving higher education institution with ECHE(outgoing mobility), as well as staff from another institution located in another program country(incoming mobility) that is active in the labor market or in the fields of education, training, or youth may be sponsored to a German higher education institution with ECHE for teaching purposes.

Teaching stays within Europe last between two days and two months (excluding travel time); the teaching load is at least eight hours per stay or per week or part thereof.

The following persons are eligible for funding:

Professors and lecturers with a contractual relationship to the university
Lecturers without an endowment
Lecturers with contracts for work
Emeritus professors and retired lecturers
Research assistants
Company personnel

The financial support of Erasmus+ mobility measures for teaching purposes or for further education and training is based on the different costs of living in the target countries ("program countries"). Uniform daily rates apply for funding by German universities.

In the project year 2020/21, the following fixed daily rates apply for Germany for four country groups up to the 14th day of the stay; from the 15th to the 60th day of the stay, the funding amounts to 70% of the named daily rates:

These daily rates are supplemented by travel costs depending on the actual distances between the origin and destination of the mobility, which are determined uniformly throughout Europe using a calculation tool.

The following amounts are reimbursed per stay and depending on the distance:

The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society usually supports stays of between 2 days and  1 week.

checklist through the Erasmus jungle

mobility agreement

certificate of stay

University staff abroad

Erasmus+ enables further education and training measures for higher education staff in program countries to expand internationalization.

For training purposes, higher education staff from a German higher education institution with ECHE may be sponsored to a host higher education institution with ECHE or another institution established in another program country that is active in the labor market or in the fields of education, training or youth.

The stays abroad last a minimum of two days and a maximum of two months.

Erasmus+ STT can support higher education staff from all sectors: (examples)
General & Technical Administration
Library
Departments
Faculties
Finance
International Office
Public Relations
Student Counseling
Technology & Transfer
Continuing Education

Continuing Education Formats (examples)
Job shadowing
Job shadowing
Study visits
Participation in workshops and seminars
Participation in language courses
Participation in International Weeks - link to the database

Advantages of an Erasmus+ stay
Stay on the basis of a coordinated program
Professional exchange and new perspectives
Strengthening of own competences such as language, intercultural competence, communication
Expansion and deepening of networks

The financial support of Erasmus+ mobility measures for teaching purposes or for further education and training is based on the different costs of living in the target countries ("program countries"). Uniform daily rates apply for funding by German universities.

In the project year 2020/21, the following fixed daily rates apply for Germany for four country groups up to the 14th day of the stay; from the 15th to the 60th day of the stay, the funding amounts to 70% of the named daily rates:

These daily rates are supplemented by travel costs depending on the actual distances between the origin and destination of the mobility, which are determined uniformly throughout Europe using a calculation tool.

The following amounts are reimbursed per stay and depending on the distance:

The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society usually supports stays of between 2 days and one week.

checklist through the Erasmus jungle

mobility agreement

certificate of stay

Funding can be applied for through Erasmus+ for the following partner countries and universities:

Funding rates SMS - Student mobility (exchange semesters)

The financial support for Erasmus+ stays in partner countries has been set by the European Commission at European level:

To these monthly rates are added travel costs depending on real distances between origin and destination of mobility. Distances are calculated using the Commission's calculation tool.

Funding rates ST - Lecturer and Staff Mobility
For Germany, the following fixed daily rates apply up to the 14th day of the stay; from the 15th to the 60th day of the stay, the funding amounts to 70 % of the above-mentioned daily rates:

To these daily rates are added travel costs depending on real distances between origin and destination of the mobility. The distances are determined using the Commission's calculation tool.

"This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."

For further information and advice on Erasmus+ mobility measures, please contact the German Academic Exchange Service National Agency for EU University Cooperation (Kennedyallee 50, 53115 Bonn). 

Phone: +49(0)800 2014 020
Fax: +49(0)228/882-555
E-mail: erasmus@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 daad.de
Homepage: www.eu.daad.de

Welcome! Please find all information on your exchange semester at LUBS HERE.