The CHARM-EU Mobility Network becomes a reality

On 14 December 2022 during the Alliance’s Annual Conference in Barcelona, the leaders of the eight CHARM-EU partner universities announced that they have signed a multilateral agreement to boost mobility between their institutions. The Erasmus+ agreement was inspired by the successful Student Exchange Network already in place within the Coimbra Group, a network association of 41 long-established European universities in which 7 CHARM-EU partners are members.

The new agreement means that the founding universities of the Alliance (the University of Barcelona (coordinator), Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, the University of Montpellier, Trinity College Dublin, and University of Utrecht) as well as its new partners (Åbo Akademi University, the University of Würzburg and the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences) commit to work together to promote student mobility between their institutions on the basis of the quality requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education in all aspects related to the organisation and management of the mobility (and in particular the recognition of the credits awarded to students by the partner institution). In addition to student mobility, the CHARM-EU Mobility Network includes different types of mobility such as physical, hybrid, short-term mobility and BIPs. It also provides a legal framework for the implementation of staff and doctoral mobilities. All these aspects will be driven by the common values of the program: Inclusion and Diversity, Digital Transformation, Environment and Climate Change and Participation in democratic life.

The inter-institutional multilateral agreement means that Alliance partners can avoid the preparation of separate bilateral contracts within their fields of education. Based on the agreement, CHARM-EU partners will increase the mobility of graduate and post-graduate students, including Doctoral candidates as well as academic and non-academic staff involved in several types of mobility including physical, blended and virtual exchanges. CHARM-EU is committed to ensure that at least 50% of its students benefit from the mobility activities listed above by the end of the next project period.

Under the new agreement, students and staff of CHARM-EU partner institutions will be able to apply to participate in part-time Erasmus programmes and mobilities at one of the CHARM-EU partners starting from the 2023/2024 academic year.