Swiss measures to co-finance Erasmus+

Karin Christen

Head of programme Erasmus

Swiss National Agency for LLP and YiA

ACA Policy Seminar – What's new in Brussels?

3 February 2015

Content

Short presentation of the ch Foundation

A brief history…

The Swiss interim solution for Erasmus+

Outlook

Questions

ch Foundation – who we are

The ch Foundation for federal co-operation is a Swiss inter-cantonal

organisation that…

… was founded in 1967

… has members from all 26 cantons

… promotes communication and understanding between Switzerland's

different linguistic communities and cultures as well as inter-cantonal

cooperation

… is committed to the concept of federalism

• Since 1976 (youth) exchange, later whole-class and individual pupil

ex-changes between the French, German, Italian and Romansh-

speaking regions of Switzerland as well as for extra-European

teacher exchanges.

• In 2010 mandate by the State Secretariat for Education, Research

and Innovation (SERI) to implement the programmes Lifelong

Learning and Youth in Action as the Swiss National Agency

• In 2014 mandate to become the National Agency for Erasmus+…

ch Foundation – what we do

ch Foundation – where we are

Headquarter in Solothurn, a small town about 30 km from Berne

A brief history of Erasmus in Switzerland

How it all began, ended and re-began…

1992/1993 Switzerland participates in Erasmus for the first time

1992 A narrow majority of 50.3% of the Swiss population

against Switzerland’s accession to the European

Economic Area, as a consequence no renewal of the

agreement on Swiss participation in European education

programmes

1996-2010 Indirect participation in European education programmes

2011-2013 Conclusion of bilateral agreement between EU and

Switzerland on full Swiss participation in the Programme

for Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action

Time to vote

…and ended again (to be continued)

9 February ‘14 A narrow majority of 50.3% of the Swiss population in

favour of the Swiss people’s party’s initiative against

mass immigration

17 February ‘14 EU-Swiss negotiations on Switzerland’s participation in

Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 suspended

26 February ‘14 European Commission informs Switzerland about loss

of status as programme country of Erasmus+

April ‘14 Swiss government approves interim solution for

Erasmus+ for 2014

September ‘14 Government decides to extend interim solution until 2016

Facts and Figures – statistics from 2012/13

Student mobility Studies Traineeships

Outbound student mobility 2’718 272

Most popular destination Germany, France,

Spain, UK, Sweden

Germany, France,

UK, Italy, Spain

Inbound student mobility 2’722 1’573

Most frequent countries of

origin

Germany, France,

Spain, Sweden

Germany, Italy,

France, Denmark/UK

Most popular Swiss HEI

with Incoming students

ETH Lausanne

University of Geneva

ETH Zurich

Inbound student mobility 2012/13

589

351 328 239

179 163 134 103 87 82 75 67 56 54 52 29 24 22 19 18 13 13 10 6

6 3

605

255

53

122

22 65

78 78 22 20 15 30 44

60 24 16 20 9 7 13 6 2 4 2

1 0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

DE FR ES IT SE UK AT NL FI BEFR BENL CZ PT PL DK HU GR LU IE SI LT RO LV BG SK EE BEDE

Mobility for studies

Mobility for traineeships

The Swiss interim solution for Erasmus+

Not the end…

…but no longer Erasmus+

Swiss-European Mobility Programme SEMP

Interim solution for Erasmus+: key elements

priority to mobility (outbound and inbound)

based on the principle that Switzerland still wishes to rejoin Erasmus+

as a full associate country

funding covered by the budget originally earmarked for Switzerland’s

programme contributions to the EU Commission as an associate

country in Erasmus+ (CHF 22.7 m)

ch Foundation mandated to implement the interim solution

Key action 1: What does the Swiss programme support?

Student and Staff mobility with Erasmus+ programme countries

International mobility

Joint Master degrees

Master student loan guarantee

Student and staff mobility: important things to know

Student mobility for studies and Staff mobility for teaching:

Based on inter-institutional agreements (Swiss-European Mobility programme)

Incoming Student mobility for traineeships:

- not possible after diploma

- only eligible for funding if

- either student from partner university

- or traineeship at a Swiss HEI

- decision on funding: Swiss HEI according to their criteria, available funds

etc.

Incoming Staff mobility for training:

- only at a Swiss HEI

- decision on funding: Swiss HEI

Monthly grant amounts for student mobility

Outgoing students to Student mobility

studies

Student mobility

traineeships

all Erasmus+ countries CHF 300 CHF 420

Incoming students from Student mobility

studies

Student mobility

traineeships

AT, DK, FI, FR, IE, IT, LI, NO,

SE, UK CHF 360 CHF 420

BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL,

ES, HR, HU, IS, LT, LU, LV, MK,

MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, TR CHF 420 CHF 420

Grant amounts for staff mobility

Outgoing and Incoming Staff mobility

teaching assignment and training

from/to 1st to14th day 15th to 60th day

all Erasmus+ countries CHF 170 CHF 80

Travel costs: max. CHF 600

Key action 2: What does the Swiss programme support?

Strategic Partnerships ()

Knowledge Alliances ()

Capacity building

“Associated participation” within the framework of the Swiss

interim solution for Erasmus+

• Funding for Swiss institutions’ participation in Strategic

Partnerships/Knowledge Alliances selected for funding by the

coordinator’s NA/the EACEA

• Application to the ch Foundation (same deadlines as Erasmus+)

(annexes to be submitted once available: copy of the official

application, copy of the Grant Award Notification, written approval of

the coordinator)

• Swiss institutions participating in a Strategic Partnership should , Swiss

institutions participating in a Knowledge Alliance must be mentioned in

the official Erasmus+ application

Participation as official partner within the Erasmus+ programme

Open to institutions from all Erasmus+ partner countries

but participating organisations from a partner country…

…cannot be coordinators.

…do not count towards the minimum number of participating institutions.

…must bring an essential added value to the project.

The tricky “added value clause”

“If applicable the extent to which the involvement of a participating

organisation of a Partner Country brings an essential added value to the

project (if this condition is not fulfilled, the project will not be

considered for selection)” Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2015

→ tasks and activities of the Swiss institution well defined and described

in the application

→ integration of the Swiss partner within the project

Aspects in favour of Swiss partners:

→ geographical, linguistic and cultural proximity to Erasmus+ countries

→ quality of Swiss Higher education

Outlook

… the EU will keep on insisting on Switzerland’s compliance with the

Free Movement of Persons for resumption of negotiations on the full

participation of Switzerland in Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+.

… the Swiss Government will try to negotiate about what is – according

to the EU – not negotiable: the Free Movement of Persons.

… the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

will work out a proposition on how to continue with mobility activities

beyond 2016.

In the near “foreseeable” future…

Appeal for an open European higher education area by the rectors’

conference and the Swiss student union: Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020

www.not-without-switzerland.org

“We hereby express our commitment to an open European and

international higher education area, and emphasise our will to

continue to foster and promote international exchange at our higher

education institutions. International education and research

programmes as well as inter-university projects must remain an

uncontested part of the entire European and international higher

education area, to which Switzerland belongs.”

Not without Switzerland!

Dornacherstrasse 28A

PO Box 246

CH-4501 Solothurn

Tel.+41 32 346 18 18

Fax +41 32 346 18 02

Supported by the Swiss Confederation.

info@ch-go.ch

www.ch-go.ch

www.chfoundation.ch

www.ch-go.ch/abo

www.facebook.com/go.chstiftung

Thank you.