18 th IDP Australian International Education Conference - October 2004

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1 18 TH IDP Australian International Education Conference International Education: The path to cultural understanding and development 5 th 8 th October, 2004, Sydney Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia Paper: Author: Stream: Session: Date/Time: Erasmus Mundus and the World: Prospects and Problems at Institutional Level Lars Fransson Policy & Strategy The New Face of EU: Impact on the International Education Industry Friday, 8 October, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Page 1 of 9

2 18 th IDP Australian International Education Conference 5-8 October 2004, Sydney Australia Paper Title: Erasmus Mundus and the World: Prospects and Problems at Institutional Level Presenter: Lars Fransson Abstract This paper gives an introduction to the new European Union Erasmus Mundus Program recently launched for the period Erasmus Mundus is designed to position Europe as a competitive actor to recruit students worldwide to so-called Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses to be approved by the European Commission. In this context, it also gives European universities the opportunity to team up with top universities outside of the EU in so-called partnerships. Among other things, the program offers generous scholarships to students and teachers/researchers from countries and universities in non-eu countries as well as more modest grants to EU citizens going in the other direction once a partnership with one or more non-eu institutions has been established. Following the program presentation, an overview is made mainly from the institutional level on prospects and benefits as well as problems connected with Erasmus Mundus both from a political perspective and from the perspective of participating institutions. The tension between these two aspects, to be found in several EU programs, are commented on. Practical approaches to partnerships by non-eu institutions are also dealt with. Paper THE ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAM Introduction The Erasmus Mundus program is a global co-operation and mobility program in higher education operated by the European Commission. It aims to contribute to improved quality in European higher education. It is also designed to promote the European Union as a centre of excellence around the world and thus make European higher education more competitive worldwide. The main component of the program, the so-called Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses, are selected European high-quality courses supported by the European Commission also intended to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of European higher education in non-eu, so-called third countries. The program encourages stronger international links and therefore provides EU-funded scholarships to enable highly qualified graduates and scholars from non-eu countries to participate in these Masters Courses, as well as scholarships for EU nationals for study in third countries. The program includes a component whereby third country institutions can be linked to the program in so-called partnerships in order to develop more structured co-operation between EU and third-country institutions thus promoting greater EU student mobility to third countries as part of their European study programs. As in all EU programs, the so-called "European added value" should be a feature of all these courses. In addition, the Erasmus Mundus program states that it will serve the purpose of preparing its European as well as non-european participants for life and work in a global, knowledge-based society. The target groups of the program are: Higher education institutions Students having obtained a first degree awarded by a higher education institution Scholars and professionals for instructional and/or research purposes Other staff involved in higher education Specifically, the program is open to: the 25 EU Member States the EES/EFTA 1 countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) 1 European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association, respectively. Page 2 of 9

3 the candidate countries for accession to the EU (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey) all the other countries of the world ( third countries ) Overview of program components 18 th IDP Australian International Education Conference - October 2004 In EU jargon components of programs are usually called actions. Erasmus Mundus comprises four actions: Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (action 1): The establishment of these courses are reserved to the 25 EU countries, the EEA/EFTA countries as well as the accession countries mentioned above. Scholarships (action 2) are restricted to students and scholars from third countries. Partnerships (action 3) can be established between Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and third-country higher education institutions. Action 3 scholarships for the outgoing mobility to third countries are awarded to EU and EEA/EFTA graduate students and scholars participating in Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. Enhancing EU attractiveness (action 4) activities are open to higher education institutions and other bodies involved in higher education anywhere in the world. Erasmus Mundus is planned to support around 100 Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses of outstanding academic quality. During a five-year period, it will provide grants for some 5,000 graduate students from third countries to follow these Masters Courses, and for more than 4,000 EU graduate students involved in these courses to study in third countries. The program will also offer teaching or research scholarships in Europe for over 1,000 incoming third-country academics and for a similar number of outgoing EU scholars. In addition, Erasmus Mundus will support about 100 partnerships between Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and higher education institutions in third countries. The duration of the program is five years ( ) with a funding of EUR 230 million for the whole period. The program is implemented by the European Commission as of the academic year 2004/2005 via annual calls for proposals. Applications are submitted to the Commission. Students and scholars, however, must apply directly to the selected Erasmus Mundus Masters Consortium offering the course in question. Application deadlines vary from course to course. As of 2005 a separate Executive Agency is expected to be set up to run the program. Description of Program Actions Action 1 - Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses constitute the central component on which Erasmus Mundus is based. The European Commission will support top-quality Masters Courses of between one and two years duration ( ECTS credits) offered by a group of higher education institutions (called the consortium ). A consortium consists of a minimum of three higher education institutions coming from three different Member States or EEA-EFTA states. In cases where the consortium includes higher education institutions from an EEA-EFTA state, at least two of the participating institutions must be located in EU Member States. Masters Courses must exist at the time of application, i.e. they must be ready to run in the academic year the consortia are applying for. Apart from the participation of European graduate students, the Masters Courses will be open to the participation of thirdcountry graduate students and scholars, involve mobility between the institutions of the consortium and will lead to the award of a recognised double, multiple or joint degree. Neither undergraduate nor doctoral studies, but only studies leading to a master degree are eligible for Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses will be selected for a five-year period. The Commission will conclude a fiveyear framework partnership agreement with each selected Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium represented by the co-ordinator of the consortium. An annual flat-rate amount of EUR 15,000 will be granted for a five-year period up until 2009 to each selected Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium. This amount is calculated as a flatrate amount of EUR 5,000 to each partner of the minimum size consortium and is the same regardless of any additional consortium members. It is envisaged that courses approved in later years will receive the same funding for a full five-year period as well, i.e. beyond the present program period. All fields of study are covered by the program. Based on the experience gained during the first years of the program, the Commission reserves the right to adopt annual priority areas during the last years of the program in order to ensure a balanced representation of different fields of study over the duration of the program. Applying consortia must be able to offer an integrated study program of high quality. An integrated study program must demonstrate that it meets the following requirements. These can be expected to be monitored strictly by the Commission. Joint criteria for admission and examination must be in place. This means that students must be able to apply to Page 3 of 9

4 a single course with common standards for admission, a common application procedure and a joint student selection process in accordance with national legislations. Examinations passed at one institution of the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium must be recognised fully by the other institutions of the consortium. Genuine course integration must also be in place. This will ensure the delivery of a jointly developed curriculum or full recognition by the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium of courses which are developed and delivered separately, but make up a common standard Masters Course. A mobility arrangement must also be included. Participating students must carry out a period of study in at least two of the three participating institutions. The sequence of study periods spent in the various hosting institutions and the various possible mobility combinations must be known at the time of application for the Masters Course and made known to potential students in advance. In cases where the consortium includes institutions from EEA-EFTA states, at least one of the hosting institutions must be located in a Member State. In a minimum consortium of three partners (A, B, C), mobility combinations would normally be A+B, A+C, B+C and A+B+C. The length of the study period in each of the participating institutions is not prescribed. However, the Erasmus Mundus Masters Course must, in principle, foresee that at least 30% of the ECTS credits be acquired in each hosting institution. All three higher education institutions involved in the minimum consortium must be in the position to be a hosting institution, i.e. to offer in principle at least 30% of the credits necessary for completion of the course. Of course, Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses will also be open to European students. However, consortia have to reserve a specific number of study places for third-country students and commit themselves to fully participate in the Erasmus Mundus scholarship scheme. Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia should publicise the Erasmus Mundus Masters Course worldwide and create an application system for admission and scholarships. The Commission will also publish the list of selected Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses on the Commission s website. Each Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium must establish transparent application and admission conditions as well as transparent selection procedures for third-country students/scholars in accordance with national legislations. Study periods must provide students with the opportunity to use at least two European languages spoken in the Member States where the institutions participating in the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses are located. However, the use of at least two languages does not imply the use of two different languages of instruction. Also, there is no obligation that the institutions use the national language as the language of instruction. It can be expected that English will be the dominant language of instruction in these courses. Finally, Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia must be able to welcome and host third-country students and scholars by providing highquality hosting facilities and services. Action 2 - Scholarships The Commission will grant scholarships to highly qualified third country graduate students to follow an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course. Similarly, third country scholars will be offered scholarships to carry out teaching and and scholarly work in the institutions participating in the course. Students and scholars must apply to Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia. If they are accepted to participate in the Masters Courses, Erasmus Mundus consortia apply to the Commission for scholarships on behalf of these applicants by proposing a list of recommended grantees, including a reserve list. In 2005, an Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium must reserve 19 places for third-country students and 4 places for third-country scholars who will be granted a scholarship for the academic year 2005/2006. In subsequent years for which an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course has been selected consortia must reserve a minimum of 20 places for third-country students and 4 to 5 places for third-country scholars every year. While respecting high academic standards, in order to ensure a geographical balance between third-country students/scholars, Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia must fulfil the following basic criteria when selecting third-country students/scholars: no more than 25% of the selected third-country students should come from the same country. Each selected third-country scholar should come from a different country; no more than 10% of the selected third-country students should come from the same institution (20% where a Partnership has been established). The grants for a one-year student is calculated as EUR 1,600 per month for 10 months and an additional grant for travel, possible tuition fees and other expenses of EUR 5,000. The grant for a period of three months for a scholar is calculated as EUR 4,000 per month and an additional travel grant of EUR 1,000. This amounts to a yearly total of EUR 21,000 per student and EUR 13,000 per scholar (for a three-month Page 4 of 9

5 period). The grant agreement for a two-year Erasmus Mundus Masters Course will be double the amount. As for courses lasting more than one but less than two years, students will receive EUR 1,600 for each additional month of study following their first year in the course. As from the 16th month of study onwards, the fixed amount of EUR 5,000 can be paid in full for the second year. On the other hand, students not having succeeded in completing the course within its prescribed duration will not receive an additional grant for catching-up. Scholarships are intended for full-time studies. As for the monthly scholarship, one amount will apply to all participating countries regardless of actual living costs and origin of grantees. As for scholars, Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia will be allowed to increase the grant payment for scholars and or decrease the duration of their stay, if deemed necessary. The grant is assumed to cover all costs related to the study period in the consortium program such as travel expenses, tuition fees (if applicable), relocation costs, teaching material, etc. Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia are free to charge students according to their national legislation and according to the agreement reached within each consortium. In normal cases, the Commission will allocate an equal number of grants to each Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium: at least 20 student grants and 4 to 5 scholar grants for each year as of the academic year 2006/07. Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia must plan how grants will be allocated within the consortia taking into account the mobility requirements of the course as well as an appropriate balance in the distribution of students within the course. However, consortia will have some flexibility for readjustments. Students are free to use their remaining grants as they wish. Third-country graduate students and scholars are invited to apply for a scholarship to a selected Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium by the deadline decided by the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium. Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia must send their selection proposals including reserve lists to the Commission by 31 March 2005 for 2005/06 and by February 28 for subsequent years. Action 3 - Partnerships Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia are invited to establish a so-called Partnership with at least one thirdcountry higher education institution. Partnerships will allow EU participants in the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (both graduate students and scholars), to spend a short period of time at the third-country partner universities as part of their Masters Course. The Partnership will start with the academic year 2005/2006. However, partnerships are not obligatory components in the program. Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia should design their applications for Erasmus Mundus Partnerships while considering the following rules: Partnerships must provide a framework for European outgoing mobility for graduate students and scholars who participate in the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. Mobility grants serve the purpose of spending a short period of time at the third country partner university/ies as part of the Masters Course. Every year, a minimum of 5 students per EU institution involved in an Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium and 3 scholars per Masters consortium should be sent out. Recognition of study periods at the host institution (i.e. non-european institution) must be guaranteed by the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia. Partnership activities may also include teaching assignments at a partner institution, teachers exchanges, development and dissemination of new methodologies in higher education, development of cooperation schemes with third-country higher education institutions, etc. Erasmus Mundus Masters Consortia will receive the following grant amount for Partnerships: The grants are the same regardless of nationality and the economic situation of the applicant. A flat-rate amount of EUR 5,000 will be granted for each participating third-country institution. If the Partnership involves more than three thirdcountry institutions, the annual amount will still be a maximum of EUR 15,000. The annual flat rate assigned to Erasmus Mundus Master Courses for their Partnerships thus ranges from EUR 5,000 (one participating thirdcountry institution) to EUR 15,000 (three or more participating third-country institution). In case of two-year or three-year Partnerships, the annual flat-rate amount is also paid in year two and three. The annual fixed amount for European outgoing mobility is calculated on the basis that a minimum of 5 students per EU institution involved in a Masters Course and a minimum of 3 scholars per Masters Course will be sent out every year. A consortium of three higher education institutions should therefore send out a minimum of 15 students and 3 scholars per year. The average mobility cost of an outgoing Partnership student amounts to EUR 3,100 (three monthly grants of EUR 700 plus EUR 1,000 for travel), of an outgoing Partnership scholar to EUR 13,000 (three monthly grant payments of EUR 4,000 plus EUR 1,000 for travel). Partnerships under can only be established by Erasmus Mundus Masters Consortia offering Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. The first partnerships will start in the academic year 2005/2006 and are therefore included in the present call for proposals. Proposals must include a description of the proposed Partnership as well as the Page 5 of 9

6 number of students and scholars proposed for the outgoing mobility. The co-ordinating institution of the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium submits the application on behalf of the whole consortium. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 31 March Action 4 Enhancing attractiveness In addition to its primary functions Erasmus Mundus will also support projects aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of and the interest in European higher education. It will support activities that improve the profile, the visibility and the accessibility of European higher education as well as issues crucial to the internationalisation of higher education, such as the mutual recognition of qualifications with third countries. Application, Selection and Award Procedures The current second call for proposals relates to the academic year 2005/2006 and covers Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses, scholarships and partnerships. The deadlines under this call for proposals are 31 October 2004 for Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and 31 March 2005 for scholarships and partnerships. Further calls for proposals covering the following academic years will be published annually starting in March The selection of Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses will be a competitive process based on the assessment of the quality of content and of co-operation of the proposed Masters Courses. High-level international academic experts covering the disciplines in question and with experience in European co-operation projects will assess the proposals. Similarly, the selection of Partnerships will be a competitive process based on the assessment of the quality of co-operation and of content of the proposed Partnerships as assessed by international academic experts as above. As regards the quality of co-operation within Consortia and Partnerships (if applicable), issues like the following will taken into consideration: How sound are the co-operation mechanisms established within the Masters consortium (and the partnership, if applicable) (degree of institutionalisation, regular meetings, clearly defined and active role of all partners, established feed-back system, etc.)? How adequately are content-related and administrative aspects of the Masters Course staffed and funded? To which extent is the Masters Course and the study period truly integrated and fully recognised? How adequately structured is the Masters Course and how adequate are the mechanisms for the mobility of students and scholars between hosting institutions? How developed are mechanisms to reach out to potentially interested third-country students/scholars? How adequate are the provisions to deliver the scholarship scheme, in particular, the common standards for joint application, selection and admission procedures and the distribution of scholarships among institutions? How developed are services provided to host third-country students/scholars? How consistent and transparent are the mechanisms for the selection of out-going EU students and scholars? How developed are services to EU students at third-country partner institutions? Does the Partnership foresee the exchanges of teachers, trainers, administrators, and other relevant specialists, possibly supporting the project s curriculum development? How well are the linguistic aspects of mobility developed? Are the learning outcomes and the acquired competencies at the third-country institution of high quality? Is the Partnership linked to research activities in the field? The selection of third-country students/scholars to Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia will also be a competitive process based on the academic performance and credentials of the applicants. Each Erasmus Mundus consortium will select high-quality students and scholars only and find an appropriate way of checking the academic quality of applicants (for students e.g.: study records, exam results, letters of recommendation, crosschecking with home universities; for scholars e.g.: publication records, research activities, etc.). In the first selection round in September 2004 there were 128 applications for Action 1 and 2 (Courses and Scholarships) and 57 for Action 4 (Enhancing Attractiveness). From these 14 applications were selected for Actions 1 and 2 with an additional 5 for a preparatory year. Only 7 Action 4 proposals were approved. 92 universities in 17 EU countries are represented across a wide variety of disciplines in most major faculties. 140 students from 70 different third countries on all continents as well as 42 scholars from 25 third countries will receive Erasmus Mundus scholarships in 2004/05. Timetable The following includes only the deadlines for the main components of the program. A more detailed timetable is Page 6 of 9

7 available on the Commission website. As mentioned, there is a stricter timetable for the academic year 2005/06 than for the following years with an application deadline for an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course by 31 October, 2004, followed by an assessment period. The Commission selection decision is expected in January 2005 followed by information to applicants on selection results. Individuals can then submit applications for 2005/2006 scholarships to Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia by deadlines fixed by each consortium. Following consortium assessment of applicants, consortia must submit their recommendations of grantees to the Commission by 31 March The same deadline, 31 March 2005, applies to proposals for Erasmus Mundus Partnerships to start in 2005/2006. Decisions by the Commission will be expected in May-June 2005 followed by the award of contracts to Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia starting in July For 2006/07 the application deadline for Courses and Partnerships is May 31, The same date is also valid for Action 4 applications both for 2005/06 and for 2006/07. Starting in 2006/07, and in subsequent years, the following repetitive timetable applies: In the period November 2005-January 2006, with a deadline fixed by each Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium, individuals submit applications for 2006/2007 scholarships to Erasmus Mundus Masters consortia. Consortia submit their recommendations to the Commission by February 28. The Commission plans to make its selection decision in April-May 2006 after having monitored the progress of the applicant consortium. VIEWS AND COMMENTS FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL The Erasmus Mundus program provides an EU-wide attempt to increase European competitiveness on the higher education market. It also responds to the challenges of globalisation faced by European higher education today, in particular the need to adapt education systems to the demands of the knowledge society, to enhance the attractiveness and visibility of European higher education worldwide and to stimulate the process of convergence of degree structures across Europe. These are themes central to the Bologna process and to national reforms in higher education in EU Member States. The program has also been well received by the European higher education community. The EU states that the main reason for establishing the Erasmus Mundus Program is to improve the quality of higher education in Europe. This reason is a more formal one to justify the program internally in the EU; the other reason is to put Europe on the education world map to compete with other education providers on the world market and especially for the most talented students. In this respect also Erasmus Muindus is a more politically motivated program, although larger, in line with several minor programs like EU-USA, EU-Japan, EU- Canada, EU-Australia, EU-New Zealand, ALFA, Asia-Link, and others intended primarily to put the European Union in the minds of non-europeans. From national horizons there is still a serious problem among European countries in that joint degrees cannot legally be awarded in some countries. The legal status for offering 1-year (60 ECTS) or 1,5-year (90 ECTS) masters programs is also a problem in some countries, where, for instance, two-year masters programs is the general rule. Initially, interested parties must often spend long hours to try to find out what rules actually apply. The current Bologna process is hoped to change this situation within a year or two, and considerable progress is being made. There are a number of problems with Erasmus Mundus as seen from an institutional perspective. First, the limited size of the program will result in, like in most other EU programs, a low success rate. Also, since politogeographical considerations and a desire for a spread across disciplines will be considered it will be hard to make predictions beforehand on the chances of success. This may result in frustration and application fatigue among many. The motivation behind the Erasmus Mundus program is that it should be highly competitive with the best similar programs worldwide and attract the best minds to Europe not only for study but also in many cases for future careers in Europe. Thus, it is viewed by many as a European answer to the prestigious US Fulbright program. However, the highly selective character of the program, a "program for the few", poses a potential danger that it may result in an exclusive group of consortia that may, at worst, provoke lack of commitment on a broad European scale for the program. A second issue valid for all EU educational programs is that their raison d etre is the fact that more than one EU country must be included in order to make the program a legitimate EU program; otherwise it is national and outside of EU jurisdiction. This fact often complicates the program structures and makes them more cumbersome than educationally motivated. The comparison with the US Fulbright Program shows that it may be Page 7 of 9

8 more attractive to decide to study in one country only rather than, as in the Erasmus Mundus case, make a commitment to stay in at least two countries, and perhaps also having to be exposed to more than one foreign language. It remains to be seen whether this two-country study condition will be an attractive one or be perceived as a deterrent to potential applicants. The setting up of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses is another complication in that the intensive and close cooperation required demands significant work on the part of the consortium members with the risk that one of the partners may drop out or become a sleeping partner thus jeopardizing the whole consortium. In addition, contrary to most other EU programs, in Erasmus Mundus there are no funds available for the planning and development of the joint course. These costs must be fully borne by the consortium partners, which restricts the opportunities for joining especially in some countries, for instance in eastern Europe. Some applicant universities have not even realized this fact. Experience from the Erasmus program shows that a number of universities, especially in some European countries, are less reliable partners and often have difficulty in delivering on the commitments made. This situation is often exacerbated by lack of faculty and staff continuity. Another tension built into the program is the very high level of grants especially to third country students which may lead to such students having a financial status far above that of other course participants and, in some cases, for instance in East European countries, even above the economic standard of the professors teaching the course. Contrary to the common EU practice of requiring extremely detailed budgets and its exertion of strict control over all expenditures, in Erasmus Mundus the grants, especially to the third country students, are the same irrespective of whether tuition fees are paid or not, giving great leeway to the grantees to spend their money "as they wish", as the rules proclaim. It should also be noted that European students studying in an Erasmus Mundus course in Europe receives no grant at all (unless there is also an Erasmus exchange agreement between the consortium universities, in which case a modest grant can be awarded, but only for one year according to current rules). In addition, it may be felt as an injustice that European students going to a third country receive a substantially lower grant than the incoming students. Cooperation in joint courses is often problematical in that some countries, for instance in Scandinavia, do not charge tuition fees, whereas universities in other countries charge various levels of fees. In many cases students may therefore choose to select universities with no or low fees as their host institutions. Students will probably also find it unfair that some students in the same overall EU program will be charged high tuition fees whereas others do not pay any fees at all. The fee difference may be in the range of EUR 7,000 per year. Different starting and finishing dates of the academic year and of semesters at universities across Europe have been a longstanding problem and still create a serious obstacle for planning where and when to take courses generally and in particular in joint programs. This remains to be viewed as one of the major weaknesses in Europe today, and one which seems to be neglected by every official actor, including the Bologna process. There is also a fear in some quarters that the mobility of third countries students from all over the world admitted to a masters program hosted by universities in different European countries may create problems to the individual student when applying for study permit to the various European countries. Apprehensions have been voiced as to the shortcomings of legislation and bureaucracy in some European countries to handle the Erasmus Mundus students applications for study permits in a quick and flexible manner. Delays in getting study permits may result in students not being able to arrive in time for their course. However, awareness of problems of this character has improved recently and it is hoped that this category of obstacles will not cause serious harm to the image of the program. How can a non-european university join Erasmus Mundus? The answer to this question is at least two-fold. A third country institution can be invited by an Erasmus Mundus consortium to join a partnership. The other way is for such an institution to actively try to advocate the establishment of a partnership and become a member of it. There are no regulations about this, but an interested institution can always approach a consortium /partner/ to investigate the possibility of joining in a partnership arrangement. Long-standing cooperative projects, exchanges, etc., as well as personal links are probably a good start in such endeavours. As mentioned, a third country institution cannot apply to the European Commission for a partnership, but such an application must be made by the Erasmus Mundus consortium and approved by the Commission. One unclear issue is the requirement of the third country institution to be a "top university". No one has tried to define what this means. Before the Commision makes a decision on a Partnership, experts will look into the matter. However, it can probably be assumed that an application by a consortium to include a third country partner will be approved unless the partner is considered nationally as a relatively weak institution. The first selection round including partnerships will probably provide some guidance as to what constitutes a top universiy in the opinion of the Commission, especially in cases where applications might have been rejected due to the Page 8 of 9

9 inadequacy of a third country institution. Decisions in the first round involving partnerships will, as mentioned above, take place in July Further Information on the Erasmus Mundus Program Further details on the program are available: from the Commission website for Erasmus Mundus at the Europa server at: by writing to EAC-Erasmus-Mundus@cec.eu.int. Acknowledgement: Most of the factual text above has been adapted from official Commission sources and from the Guidelines to the Erasmus Mundus Program. Page 9 of 9