Enhancing the quality of education through international cooperation
Do you want to develop your institution and improve the quality of your educational programmes? Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships can help you achieve this. By collaborating with international organisations from the fields of education, business and civil society, you can try out new approaches, share best practice and expand your international network.
What is an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership (KA220)?
A Cooperation Partnership brings together institutions from at least three Erasmus+ programme countries. Projects run for between 12 and 36 months and are eligible for funding of up to 400,000 euros per project. The aim is to facilitate genuine transnational cooperation, develop innovative educational projects, exchange best practices and tackle the challenges facing the education sector together. Furthermore, institutions from countries not associated with Erasmus+ – such as Switzerland at present – may also participate. However, these institutions do not receive Erasmus+ grants and cannot act as lead coordinators. In addition, for the 2021–2027 period, the use of Erasmus+ funds for activities in associated partner countries has been significantly restricted.
The «Recipes for internationalisation» project is an example of a Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership involving Swiss participation. In collaboration with its partners, the Haute École spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO) has, amongst other things, produced a handbook on the internationalisation of study programmes. Modelled on a cookbook, it contains 25 detailed recipes explaining how internationalisation can enhance the quality of teaching, promote innovation and educate students to become global citizens capable of solving global problems. These recipes, structured along the lines of a cookery recipe, tackle the challenges of transnational cooperation in higher education: inflexible study programmes, language barriers, limited resources and logistical obstacles. Furthermore, the project team has also developed an evaluation grid enabling programme directors to evaluate the level of internationalisation within their study programmes.
Activities of the Recipes project
- Preparation of a state-of-the-art review identifying internationalisation practices within the study programmes of the higher education institutions participating in the project
- Design and publication of a recipe book on internationalisation
- Design, development and testing of the tool for evaluation of the internationalisation of study programmes
- Development of training materials based on needs identified in the field
Organisation of events to disseminate the results, including a closing conference
The Cooperation Partnership Recipes emerged from the European Universities alliance UNITA. However, not all projects stem from an existing structure. Finding partner institutions takes time, explains Céline Minder, project coordinator at HES-SO and head of the Recipes project.
I would recommend starting to look for partners within the networks where the institution is already established and reaching out to the people who will be leading projects within their institutions. Projects very often come about through informal discussions.
Collaboration with several European partners fosters intercultural skills and is an enrichment for every institution. According to Céline Minder, however, this collaboration also requires adaptability, flexibility and resilience, as organisational, structural and intercultural challenges may arise. It is therefore essential to take the time, right from the start of the project, to clearly define and set out each partner’s expectations in order to avoid any subsequent frustration. It is also important to arrange face-to-face meetings to strengthen interpersonal relationships and build mutual trust.
Project overview
Title: UNITA Recipes for internationalisation
Period: 2023–2026
Institutions (UNITA Alliance): University of Savoie-Mont-Blanc – France (coordination) // Public University of Navarre – Spain // Polytechnic Institute of Guarda – Italy // Transilvania University of Brașov – Romania // University of Brescia – Italy // University of Beira Interior – Portugal // University of Zaragoza – Spain // University of Turin – Italy // University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour – France // West University of Timișoara – Romania // Yuriy Fedkovych National University of Chernivtsi – Ukraine // Haute École spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO) – Switzerland // ARACIS – Romania
Erasmus+ priorities addressed:
• inclusion and diversity
• digital transformation
• specific priority for higher education: promotion of interconnected university systems
Cooperation partnerships: open to all sectors of education
Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships is not restricted to higher education institutions alone. The fields of school education, vocational education and training, adult education and youth work may also apply for funding. Projects must provide genuine added value and have an impact in the relevant educational field that could not be achieved by a single institution or through collaboration at national level. Projects under the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships format are selected in each Erasmus+ country through a national Call for Proposals. Each country participating in the Erasmus+ programme has its own budget for this purpose. Should Switzerland become associated with the Erasmus+ programme, Swiss institutions will be able to participate as full partners, coordinate Cooperation Partnerships themselves, or collaborate within a project as partners without a coordinating role, on an equal footing with other institutions. This paves the way for a broader and simplified form of cooperation with European educational institutions, businesses and other organisations.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this type of collaboration to any institution wishing to strengthen its international relations, particularly in Europe, develop new teaching formats and achieve internationalisation of its institution. It is a very enriching experience, both professionally and personally.
According to Céline Minder, the current role of Swiss institutions is not always understood within the European context. «It can sometimes be frustrating to be an associated partner, as the work carried out is not always fully recognised.» However, this is not the case with the Recipes project, which has made it an extremely positive and valuable experience for the HES-SO. Indeed, Cooperation Partnerships help one to take a step back from one’s own practices and to show greater tolerance towards other approaches. On a personal level too, Céline Minder has learnt a great deal, particularly in terms of project management in an intercultural context.
The Federal Council is aiming for Switzerland to join the Erasmus+ programme from 2027 onwards.
