400 Indian students awarded EU Funded Scholarships in 2018, 73 flying to Europe this semester
New Delhi, 31 August, 2018: India is overall the largest beneficiary of Erasmus financing for higher education outside of Europe since the opening of the program third countries 30 years ago. 5,700 scholarships have been awarded to the Indian nationals. Among the nearly 400 Indian students going to study in Europe in 2018 under EU-funded scholarships, 73 are flying to Europe this semester under the very competitive Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Programme, a net increase of 15% over last year's results which demonstrates the excellence of Indian students in this worldwide competition process.
On 29 August, some of these students met with H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union to India who congratulated them for their excellent results and wished them the best for their studies in Europe. "Since Erasmus has been made available to countries outside the European Union 30 years ago in the spirit of building bridges and promoting people-to-people contacts, Indian students have consistently been among the top beneficiaries of this scholarship" he remarked, adding that, "Europe is an excellent destination for Indian students: European universities offer top-ranking education and research in a safe and culturally stimulating environment. Being an Erasmus-Student will be an unforgettable, enriching experience - and it will significantly improve the student’s later career chances". The Ambassador further emphasised, “the Erasmus program has become increasingly popular in India. From 2014 to now, close to 330 Indian Higher Education Institutes have become a part of the Erasmus+ programme and there is interest to further expand education collaborations.”
The European-funded Erasmus+ program not only gives scholarships to Indian students but also supports Indian universities in a variety of cooperation programs, where Indian partners take an increasingly active role.
11 new Indian universities are now participating in international consortia delivering integrated courses with joint or multiple degrees to students from all over the world under Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programs. This further contributes to the internationalization of higher education in India and attracting international students to India. Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and IIT Madras are among the partners of the latest Joint Masters programs, which now involve a total of 35 Indian universities. Some of the new courses to be jointly developed include Copernicus Master in Digital Earth, Masters in Tribology of Surfaces and Interfaces, Public Health in Disaster and Research and Innovation in Higher Education and South European Studies.
International Credit Mobility program facilitates exchanges between India and Europe and has now more than 130 Indian universities which have partnered directly with European universities and send students faculty and staff to study, teach and enhance international cooperations.
Under Capacity Building programs for Higher Education, €6.8 million (INR. 55.19 cr) have been committed for the year 2018 for Indian universities, with 10 new projects involving 47 Indian universities. While most of these projects used to be coordinated from Europe, 3 of the last batch are being coordinated by Indian partners: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KITT) in Orissa, Chitkara University in Punjab, and World University of Design (WUD) in Haryana, which means Indian universities are taking more leadership role in such international cooperations set to make pathways in research and shaping the future of higher education in India. Subject matters include topics as varied as curriculum development, enhancing female entrepreneurship or building resilient urban communities. Since the creation of the program, 26 such specialized projects have been launched, benefiting directly 118 Indian universities.
12 professors from eminent Indian universities have received funding to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies under the Jean Monnet activities for teaching European studies. This year, Manipal Academy for Higher Education will launch a Centre of Excellence in European Studies, the first of its kind in India, which will focus on "India-EU Interdisciplinary Studies: Culture, Literature, Education and Society". More Centres of Excellence in European studies are likely to be created in the next years. Furthermore, Chitkara University joins the club of Jean Monnet recipients in India with a module on 'Decoding the European Union', and JNU, which has held various Jean Monnet chairs and modules in the recent past, will add a Jean Monnet network.
As part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which promotes researchers mobility, about 750 Indian researchers have benefitted since 2014. India ranks first in terms of number of beneficiaries among partner countries followed by China and the USA.
Background Information
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degrees (EMJMDs) award full-degree scholarships to Master students from around the world covering tuition, travel and a living allowance. The programmes last from one to two years during which Erasmus Mundus students study in at least two different Programme Countries in Europe. Upon graduation, they are awarded a joint or double degree, or multiple degrees. Total 1400 awardees were selected globally in 2018, with 25% of scholarships going to European students and the other 75% going to students in partner countries. Students from over 120 countries will benefit from the EU-funded scholarships. Europe is an increasingly attractive destination for Indian students.
International Credit Mobility:
Indian universities are very popular partners for European universities to collaborate with. In 2018, International Credit Mobility (ICM) action extends the well-known Erasmus programme to non-EU Partner Countries around the world, funding short-term mobility of students, researchers and staff to and from Europe. Students participate in an overseas study opportunity, as part of this opportunity they study at the host institution for 3-12 months, obtaining 'credits' which are then recognized at the home institution as part of their degree. ICM also funds staff mobility for 5-60 days. This action is decentralized and managed by the network of Erasmus+ National Agencies located in European countries (program countries).
European demand for projects with India is one of the highest in the region, second only to China. So far under 3 calls, India has received 12% of the awarded grant for the whole of Asia so far (EUR 6.5 million), which will fund over 1,700 mobilities (of which over 1,000 are incoming to Europe) between 2015 and 2019. Each year, well over 500 new mobilities between Europe and India are funded, of which approximately two-thirds are incoming to European Programme Countries. So far, roughly two-third of grants are awarded to staff for teaching of training mobility, and one third to students at all cycles.
Capacity Building in Higher Education
Projects on Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE), support the modernization, accessibility and internationalization of higher education in Partner Countries, such as India. These projects aim to encourage cooperation between the EU and Partner Countries and support eligible Countries in addressing challenges in the management and governance of their higher education institutions. This includes improving the quality of higher education, developing new and innovative education programs, modernizing higher education systems through reform policies as well as fostering cooperation across different regions of the world through joint initiatives.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for Post-doc and PhD:
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCAs) offer possibilities for researchers and scientists from any nationality to get inter-disciplinary and inter-sectorial training in an international environment as well as knowledge-sharing. Since the creation of the MSCAs in 1996, more than 65,000 fellows of more than 130 nationalities have received EU funding to enhance their research career in Europe. Of this, 30% are from outside Europe.
Jean Monnet Activities:
Jean Monnet Activities are designed to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies worldwide. The activities also foster the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies. These comprise the study of Europe in its entirety with particular emphasis on the European integration process in both its internal and external aspects. The discipline also covers the role of the EU in a globalized world and in promoting an active European citizenship and dialogue between people and cultures. Networks and projects under Jean Monnet foster cooperation and transfer of knowledge and good practices in this area. The programme also supports policy debate with the academic world and a number of associations in the domain of EU studies.
HORIZON 2020: EU's program for Cooperation on Research an Innovation:
Indian universities, research institutes and scientists are also eligible to participate in the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme 'Horizon 2020'. Participation in 'Horizon 2020' is very complimentary to participation in ERASMUS+ Programme: building upon experience in cooperation with Europe's Higher Education institutions and system, and the capacity acquired through that support, the next level is to seek cooperation in 'Horizon 2020' for collaborative research or for mobility grants.