Here are the most Frequently Asked Questions and related answers concerning both the programme Erasmus Mundus ECW (extracts from the programme guidelines and documentation) and the project Bridging the Gap.
Programme
- Who is in charge for the management of the ECW programme?
- Is External Cooperation Windows part of the recently launched Erasmus Mundus II (2009-2013)?
- What are the roles of the institutions participating in the Partnership?
- What is an associate?
Mobility
- What is an individual mobility flow?
- Are inter-European or inter-Third-countries mobility flows allowed?
- How many types of individual mobility flows are targeted?
- When is the individual mobility flow to start?
- Who can benefit from an individual mobility grant?
- How long does a mobility flow last?
- What will it be financed?
- How do I know which Target group I belong to? What is a target group and how many target groups exist?
- Who selects students and academic staff for mobility flows?
- When will I be informed if I will get accepted or not?
- May I apply for other courses than those listed?
- Can I apply for an Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window scholarship if I already obtained a scholarship? Can students receive scholarships from other EU programmes?
- Can I update my application?
- Can I send my documents in another language than English?
- I haven't got a valid passport. What can I do?
- Who pays the allocated amounts to students and academic staff and how?
- Can incoming students be charged tuition fees?
- To whom is the term "academic staff" referred?
- Is there any kind of academic recognition at the end of an individual student mobility flow?
Exchanges
- What do the terms Diploma, Certificate, Registration proof, Degree, Course record and Research topic mean exactly?
- Do I need to make an initial registration to the host university?
- Where can I find more information on your program and scholarships?
- What is meant by sending / uploading certificates / degrees / language tests? Why do I need to provide these?
- Can I apply to more than one university?
- Do I need to upload my High school diploma when applying for an MSc or higher level?
- Can I send my documents in another language than English (e.g. Arabic, etc.)?
- Do I have to send the documents by regular mail?
- Can I send scanned documents only or do I also have to send them by regular mail?
- Are students and academic staff covered by an insurance scheme?
- Can students or academic staff benefit from more than 1 mobility flow?
Programme
Who is in charge for the management of the ECW programme?
The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency ("the Agency") is the body that, acting under powers delegated by the Commission of the European Communities, is in charge of the management of the programme .
Is External Cooperation Windows part of the recently launched Erasmus Mundus II (2009-2013)?
External Cooperation Windows is integrated as Action II "Partnerships" under the new Erasmus Mundus II programme always aiming at promoting institutional cooperation and mobility activities.
What are the roles of the institutions participating in the Partnership?
The ECW partnerships are constituted of: an applicant/coordinator, partners and associates. The applicant and its partners must draw up an agreement defining the technical and financial rights and obligations of each member of the Partnership. The institution that submits the application on behalf of the Partnership will act as the coordinator (and unique interlocutor of the Agency for the contractual implementation of the project). All institutions participating in the Partnership must have an active and clearly-defined role within the Partnership and, for higher education institutions, be in the position to send and host students and academic staff.
An "associate" is any other type of organisation or institution from the eligible countries that plays an active role in the action but is not a direct beneficiary of the project and the community grant. Associates do not have to sign the "partnership agreement". NGO, regional institutions of higher educations, enterprises and chambers of industry and commerce can be an example of associates. Their role will be to facilitate and contribute to the implementation of the individual mobility for instance by identifying and/or, preparing Third-countries mobility candidates, by assisting incoming students of staff members in their host country(ies), by identifying and providing placement facilities to incoming students, etc.
top ↑
Mobility
What is an individual mobility flow?
Each mobility scheme is composed by individual mobility flows whose minimum number, types and conditions are indicated in specific sections of the Call for Proposals.
Are inter-European or inter-Third-countries mobility flows allowed?
No. Individual mobility flows of Europeans between European institutions or Third-Country nationals between Third-Country institutions involved in the partnership are not covered by this scheme. Please note though that if, for the purpose of the organisation of the individual mobility, meetings have to be organised requiring travel within Europe and/or the Third-Countries concerned have to be organised, the costs incurred can be covered by the part of the grant allocated for such a purpose.
How many types of individual mobility flows are targeted?
There are 5 types of individual mobility:
- Undergraduates
- Masters
- Doctorates
- Post-doctorate fellowships
- Academic staff
These types of mobility are targeted depending on the specific geographical window concerned.
When is the individual mobility flow to start?
Each mobility is organized on the basis of the deadlines of the hosting university. Nevertheless, each mobility covered by the project for the academic year 2009/2010 must begin by the 1st September 2010 at the latest. No mobility flow can start beyond this deadline. Further mobility for subsequent academic years can be planned in new proposals.
Who can benefit from an individual mobility grant?
European students and academic staff registered in one of the European universities member of the Partnership.
Nationals of the third-countries concerned by the geographical lot.
How long does a mobility flow last?
The duration of the mobility depends on the type of mobility and the target group. You can find a detailed table in Available scholarships and in the Guidelines of the Call for Proposals. One academic year is in principle equal to 10 months, taking into account 2 months break. One semester equals usually 6 months.
The financial contribution will contribute to cover the different activities necessary to attain the objectives of the action. The Grants will be calculated on the basis of:
- A lump sum for each participating institution to cover costs deriving from the organisation of the individual mobility flows
- Unit costs amounts for travel, fees, subsistence and insurance costs of students and academic staff participating in the individual mobility flows
In accordance with the principles applicable to lump sums and unit costs, these have been calculated as maximum amounts allocated to the project in order to cover only part of the real costs of the activities they correspond to. As a result, any expenditure incurred by the partnership beyond these unit costs/lump sums may not be covered by Community grant.
How do I know which Target group I belong to? What is a target group and how many target groups exist?
A target group is a group of students/academic staff having the same characteristics regarding the institution/country of origin and/or personal situation. There are 3 target groups:
- Target group 1: individuals registered in one of the universities member of the Partnership
- Target group 2: nationals of the third-countries concerned by the geographical lot and currently not registered in one of these countries partner universities.
- Target group 3: nationals of the third-countries concerned by the geographical lot who are in particularly vulnerable situations (refugees, asylum seekers, indigenous population etc).
Who selects students and academic staff for mobility flows?
The project partners and boards are responsible for the organisation, selection and the implementation of the individuals' mobility. Each Partner is responsible for promotion, information and preselection in the geographical area/Country of competence and establishes the mechanisms for the preselection of students and academic staff. The project call and criteria are published on the website, although further information sessions, promotional material and events can be independently organised by the partners to attract potential candidates.
The availability of mobility opportunities and criteria has to be widely visible and the information easily accessible for all the targeted groups of potential candidates, at partner institutions (target group I) and non-partner institutions (target group II and III) in order to comply with the rules of transparency and equal treatment. Potential candidates for a scholarship (students and academic staff) can apply on line. Applications will be directly preselected by the involved partners (sending and hosting institution). All the applications gathered in a database are equally available to all the partners for the finalisation of the selection process.
The Coordination in Trento is responsible to communicate and publish the list of candidates jointly selected by the partners and the list of reserve candidates who will participate to the mobility scheme in case of withdrawals.
When will I be informed if I will get accepted or not?
You will be informed per e-mail within two months after the application deadline
May I apply for other courses than those listed?
You may only apply for courses or programs listed at this website as "available fields of studies" even if you may find other courses or programs by browsing the respective University website you are interested in.
Can I apply for an Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window scholarship if I already obtained a scholarship? Can students receive scholarships from other EU programmes?
No, you can only apply for one Erasmus Mundus scholarship at the same time or within the same project.
Yes, you may delete your uploaded documents and change your application up until the application deadline.
Can I send my documents in another language than English?
All official documents such as diplomas/transcripts of records/certificates etc., should have their official English translation attached. This is not requestd for passports.
I haven't got a valid passport. What can I do?
If you can't get a passport before the deadline, we ask you to upload a copy of your ID Card a copy of your birth certificate. This is sufficient for your initial application. Once you get selected, we will ask you to send us your passport details.
Who pays the allocated amounts to students and academic staff and how?
Depending on signed agreements either Partners or the Coordinator are responsible for paying the grants to the students and academic staff.
Partners are free to establish their own payment modalities provided they respect the full amount to be paid out and that the payments are performed on a regular basis, preferable on a monthly basis.
Can incoming students be charged tuition fees?
No tuition fees can be charged by the Hosting partner to the incoming students. Exchange students will cover enrolment/tuition fees at the home university.
In case of mobility lasting 10 moths or more tuition fees rates will be paid directly to the Partners as part of the mobility grant, in accordance with the rules defined in the programme Guidelines.
Small fees to cover library costs, laboratory consumables, etc. could be charged to participants on an equal basis as to local students.
To whom is the term "academic staff" referred?
Academic staff comprises teaching staff or researchers from the partner universities. It will also include university administrators (rectors, personnel in charge of cooperation offices, etc). All these categories are eligible candidates for outgoing mobility. They will have to be invited by the host institution member of the Partnership in order to perform training, teaching and/or research activities.
Is there any kind of academic recognition at the end of an individual student mobility flow?
At the end of a mobility period covering only part of a curriculum – lasting from one quarter to one academic year or more - the students must be provided by their host institution with a transcript of records specifying the marks and credits obtained for each of the courses attended. This transcript must be used by the home institution for recognizing the study period abroad as part of the general curriculum required for obtaining the final degree. In addition, a Diploma supplement could be issued at the end of the studies identifying the courses followed and the marks obtained during the student's study period abroad.
Exchanges
What do the terms Diploma, Certificate, Registration proof, Degree, Course record and Research topic mean exactly?
- Diploma: proof of graduation from university (certified)
- Certificate: High School diploma, any sort of short course you followed, for instance an English language course (TOEFL or IELTS)
- Degree: your university degree, for instance BSc, MSc, PhD. Course record: a list of your grades and results of your studies.
- Proof of Registration: proof from your university that you are currently enrolled or employed by this university
- Study/Research programme: depending on your degree; a description of the area of your interest or the title of your thesis.
Do I need to make an initial registration to the host university?
No. If you get nominated, you will receive information from the host university how to proceed with the course/programme application.
Where can I find more information on your program and scholarships?
All information on the project is available on this website while details on the hosting university are available at the partners pages and website.
What is meant by sending / uploading certificates / degrees / language tests? Why do I need to provide these?
Uploading documents means you have to scan your documents and send them to us through the Internet. This documentation is necessary to prove that you are eligible and have the specific requirements needed. Before applying make sure that all your documents are in order. An incomplete application will not be considered in the selection process.
Note: It is important to submit your language proficiency test (some universities have higher requirements than others). Please, see the website of the university you are applying to.
Can I apply to more than one university?
Yes you should, depending on your language skills, you should at least apply to two universities.
Do I need to upload my High school diploma when applying for an MSc or higher level?
No. All needed documents will be requested by the embassy/hosting institution when you will enrol.
Can I send my documents in another language than English (e.g. Arabic, etc.)?
All official documents such as diploma’s/course records/certificates, etc., must have a certified English translation, with exception for passports.
Do I have to send the documents by regular mail?
No documents are requested before the hosting university contacts you and specifically asks the documents. The university inform you about forms, addresses and procedures to be followed. – Please contact your home university If you experience problems with scanning /uploading documents.
Can I send scanned documents only or do I also have to send them by regular mail?
If the scanned documents are clear (try it out when printing them), and text/logo/stamps are readable then scanned copies are sufficient, when in doubt you can send contact your home university. Please note: all certificates/degrees have to be certified by stamps of the university and if asked to, you must present the originals for verification at the host university.
Are students and academic staff covered by an insurance scheme?
Yes, a complementary health and accident insurance is funded by the Programme. The coverage details are trasmitted upon arrival at the hosting university.
The University of Trento as partnership coordinator is responsible of insurance coverage and policy.
Can students or academic staff benefit from more than 1 mobility flow?
No, only 1 mobility flow is allowed.
Is eligible for academic staff mobility an academic staff member holding a diploma study degree, but not a doctoral or Ph.D. degree?
Yes, academic staff could also include this staff member. The documentation to apply on line will include at least:
- CV to be uploaded and related documentation, if any In a single pdf.
- The second part of the paper application form () including work programme abroad and invitation letter is also to be uploaded as a single pdf in Other.
In case, academic staff are not excluded from the post-doctoral grants, if they have the requirements, but the minimum mobility lenght is 6 months.
What is the project and mobility lifespan ?
Will the cycle for 2010, 2012 and 2013 be at the same time this year, meaning the closing date will always be at the end of November and on-line applications can be done all year round ?
The programme lasts 3 years because we have some 34 months grant although the mobility is just one shot in 2010 having last possible departures by August 30, 2010: every beneficiary needs to be at the hosting institution by September 1 at the very latest.