SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Erasmus Mundus Action 2 – Strand 1 – Partnership programme     
 (formerly called Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window, EMECW)

Full information about the programme, including the Calls for proposals.

• In addition to the successful Erasmus Mundus Programme – a flagship programme introduced by the European Commission (EC) in 2004, aimed at promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education system and third country cooperation and institutional partnerships (more information) – the EC in 2007 introduced an additional mobility scheme titled Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window (EMECW). The new programme was designed to foster co-operation between higher education institutions and the exchange of students, researchers and academic staff from EU Member States and targeted so-called Third-countries. The idea was that the EMECW programme should further complement current and previous EU schemes such as Tempus, ALFA, AsiaLink, Alban, Edulink, Erasmus, and the general Erasmus Mundus, by providing funds for the organisation and implementation of a mobility flow of students and researchers – from undergraduate to post-doctorate level – and academic staff between Europe and all parts of the World.

From 2009, the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window programme was re-named.
Since the, it is called Erasmus Mundus Action 2 – Strand 1 – Partnership programme.

South Asian geographical lots since 2008

EMECW was launched by the Europe Aid cooperation Office and managed and implemented by EU’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) in Brussels. A first Call for Applications for projects was given in 2006. Nine projects were selected in this round to implement the mobility of around 1.800 students starting in the academic year 2007-2008 in specified regions (in Asia limited to Central Asia).
In December 2007, a second call for proposals (EACEA/34/07) regarding mobility activities starting in the academic year 2008–2009 was presented. The geographical coverage was now enlarged also to other regions of the world, including India and countries in South, Central and South-East Asia (but not China). The main applicant for the EMECW programme should be a university from within the European Union. The mobility flow should start from the academic year 2008-09, and be fully running before 1 April 2009. Deadline for submission of applications was Friday 15 February 2008.
The scheme could run for three years, but a reapplication has to be made also by successful applicants every year.
A separate lot – nr 15 – was designed to promote academic collaboration between EU and India. It should involve 20 partner universities in Europe and India, and have a flow of 400 fully funded students/researchers/academic staff. Two other lots specifically involving South Asian countries were also designed. The Third-countries in lot 12 should be Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan plus another optional country (that could be India or Sri Lanka). Lot 13 should include Bangladesh and Maldives plus Cambodia, Myanmar and an optional country (that similarly could be India or Sri Lanka).
See the final announcement on the results.

Swedish universities coordinate both 2008 South Asia lots

On Friday 13 June 2008, EACEA decided about the three South Asia related lots:
– Lot 12: A consortium comprising of 16 universities, eight in Europe and eight in South Asia – out of which 4 are in India, and 1 each in Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – was given the responsibility for the lot. Mälardalen University (Mälardalens högskola) in Västerås, Sweden coordinates the programme. Prof. Sasikumar Punnekat at the School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Mälardalen University, is the project coordinator. Uppsala University is another Swedish member of the selected consortium. The lot was allowed to change its geographical focus, excluding Afghanistan and Bhutan that should have been included according to the guidelines. The programme was given the name EURECA (European Research and Collaboration Project with Asia), and it should have a mobility flow of 320 fully funded students, researchers and academic staff. The South Asian universities within the consortium are Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in Coimbatore; Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala (IIITM-K) in Thiruvananthapuram; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur; XLRI School of Business & Human Resources in Jamshedpur; Institute of Engineering at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal; Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan; and University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. More information at the EURECA web page.
– Lot 13: No partnerships were selected by EACEA due to the insufficient quality of the project proposals submitted.
– Lot 15: A consortium consisting of 12 universities in Europe and 8 universities in India was selected for funding by EACEA, a consortium coordinated by Lund University, Sweden. The programme got a mobility flow of 400 fully funded students, researchers and academic staff, 75 p.c. from India to Europe, and 25 p.c. from EU to India. Through EMECW 15, successful applicants (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral students and academic staff) will be awarded a scholarship which will cover travel, insurance, possible tuition, living expenses and housing, for a period from one to 34 months, depending on the type of position applied for. Dr. Sidsel Hansson is the project coordinator.
More information on the web page.
The formal decision to launch the EMECW lot 15 was delayed by four months because of a disagreement regarding a Financing Agreement between the European Commission and the Government of India. The matter was finally cleared only at the ninth EU-India Summit held in Marseilles, France on Monday 29 September 2008. The agreement was included in the revised EU-India Joint Action Plan (JAP) that was agreed upon during the Summit. Read the full JAP declaration.
SASNET was instrumental from the beginning in facilitating the successful application for the EMECW lot 15 mobility programme. The application was planned for and written by Anna Lindberg and Lars Eklund at SASNET, and it was based on the extensive network among European and Indian universities developed by SASNET. A majority of the Indian consortium universities, and their Vice Chancellors, had in fact been visited by Anna and Lars during the November 2007 SASNET contact journey to North, West and South-West India, just before the announcement for the Erasmus Mundus programme was issued in December 2007. Read the report from the 2007 SASNET contact journey.
Besides the coordinating institution – Lund University, the European members of the consortium are • Karolinska Institutet Medical University (KI) in Stockholm; • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; • Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC) in Paris, France; • Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany; • Politecnico di Milano, Italy; University of Vilnius, Lithuania; • University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; • International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in Enschede, Netherlands; • Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway; and • University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain. The Indian consortium members are • University of Delhi; • Jadavpur University, Kolkata; • University of Pune; • University of Kerala; • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur; • Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai; • Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in Loni, Maharashtra; and • Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat.
Additionally, four associate partners (two in Europe and two in India) are connected to the consortium: • Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief (SOIR) based in Lund, Sweden; • ALBOAN Foundation, Madrid, Spain; • Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST) in Kozhikode, Kerala; and • Sampark Journal of Global Understanding in Kolkata. The role of these institutions will be to suggest candidates for the mobility programme from so-called vulnerable groups (target group 3).

The India lot coordinated by Lund University was again selected in 2009 for a new period, but the India lot now was renamed as Lot 13. Furthermore, it was divided into four separate programmes out of which Lund University coordinates one. More information about this below.

Two additional Asian Regional programmes in 2008

During the Fall 2008, proposals were invited by European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency for another similar mobility programme focusing on Asia (EACEA 21/08). The new External Cooperation Window Asian Region programme was specifically targeted to promote cooperation between higher education institutions and the exchange of students, researchers and academic staff from EU member states with countries in the so-called Asia Regional window (including all nations of South Asia). The mobility flow is however only one-way, from Asia to Europe, not vice versa.
Any proposal for this programme should include universities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, Nepal and Pakistan, but universities in a number of optional countries may also be included. India, Maldives and Sri Lanka were optional countries in South Asia (the other Asian countries being China, Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines and Thailand). Just like the other programmes mentioned above, the scheme for this programme could run for three years. In this case all individual mobility must start at the latest by 1 September 2009.
On 16 December 2008, the Agency announced the award decisions. Read the Call for proposals and the final results for the Asian Region programme.
Two programmes, both involving South Asian partner universities, were given the responsibility:
– Asia Regional programme 1: A consortium consisting of 5 universities in Europe and 6 universities in Asia – including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan – was selected for funding by EACEA. The consortium is coordinated by University of Bradford, UK. The programme has a mobility flow of 344 fully funded students, researchers and academic staff. The South Asian universities within the consortium are: – Bangladesh United International University; – Bhutan College of Science and Technology; – Kantipur Engineering College in Nepal; and – Mohammed Ali Jinnah University in Pakistan. The remaining Asian partners are universities in China and Thailand. Dr. Alamgir Hossain, Bradford University is the project coordinator.
The consortium/programme is built upon a previous European Commission funded collaborative project named eLINK. This project aims (i) to develop new and enhance existing co-operative teaching and research links and (ii) to establish a sustainable virtual learning platform to continue collaborative activities. eLINK will also form a collaborative framework for human resource development through the training and upgrading of the skills of the junior faculty staff, undergraduate students, postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers in ICT, engineering, technology, business and management. Focus is put on mobility of students/researchers/academics/administrators within three thematic areas: – Engineering and Technology, – Business and Management, and – Education and Teachers training. More information on the eLINK web page.
– Asia Regional programme 2: A consortium consisting of 9 universities in Europe and 8 universities in Asia – including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan – was selected for funding by EACEA. The consortium, named EMMA (Erasmus Mundus Mobility with Asia) is coordinated by the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis in southern France. The programme has a mobility flow of 246 fully funded students, researchers and academic staff. The South Asian universities within the consortium are: – Dhaka University, – Ahsanullah University of Sciences and Technology, – BRAC University, all three in Bangladesh; Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India; and NED University of Engineering and Technology in Pakistan. The remaining Asian partners are universities in Cambodia and Philippines. Prof. Marc Diener at University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis is the project coordinator. More information on the EMMA programme’s web page.

Erasmus Mundus programme 2009–2013

On 16 December 2008, the European Parliament decided upon the so-called Erasmus Mundus 2009–2013 Action Programme. It continues and extends the scope of the activities already launched during the first phase (2004–2008) and includes the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window scheme, which was launched in 2006 as a complement to the original programme.
The main new features included in this second phase are:

• Support to joint doctoral programmes and award of three years fellowships for doctoral candidates
• Award of full scholarships/fellowships to European students and doctoral candidates, in addition to those already awarded to Third Country nationals
• Full participation of Third Country HEIs in consortia implementing joint programmes at masters or doctoral level
• Inclusion of the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window scheme as Action 2 of the new programme
• Increased focus on Quality Assurance, Erasmus Mundus students/doctors employability prospects and joint programmes sustainability

Erasmus Mundus 2009–2013 is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education that aims to enhance the quality of European higher education and to promote dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through cooperation with third countries. The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Agency Executive Agency (EACEA) continues to be responsible for the management of all actions of Erasmus Mundus 2009–2013, under the supervision of Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC of the European Commission) and EuropeAid – Co-operation Office (DG AIDCO of the European Commission). The programme now involves 32 European countries and 131 non-EU countries

2009 Call for Proposals

A Third Call for Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window programme Proposals (EACEA/35/08) regarding mobility activities starting in the academic year 2009–2010 was presented in December 2008. The deadline for the submission of proposals was 13 March 2009. The geographical window lots got changed names. Four lots, no. 11–14, are now dedicated to Asia (with China being included as Lot 14), out of which Lot 13 is entirely for collaboration with India, and Lot 11 should include collaboration with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Full information in the Guidelines for Applications.
For each of the South Asia lots, 11 and 13, EACEA was supposed to select four proposals. It means that each selected programme probably will have a budget roughly around EUR 5 million per year.
Academic quality based criteria is supposed to rule the evaluation and final selection of proposals, in a competitive system. All candidates are subject to the same regulation on the basis of the principles of transparency and equal treatment of applicants.

In the event of submitted proposals presenting the same high quality standards requested, priority was supposed to be given to the partnerships selected in 2008 and which have signed a Partnership Agreements with the Agency. They were also subject to the following conditions: 1) that all contractual and reporting obligations are fulfilled by the partnership; 2) that their past performance is considered in line with the principles and expectations of the programme.

Six India/South Asia programmes selected in 2009

Full information on the partnerships projects selected in June 2009

On 17 June 2009, the decisions on Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window (EMECW) programme proposals regarding mobility activities between Europe and India/South Asia starting in the academic year 2009–2010 were anounced. The decisions were taken on behalf of the European Commission (EC) by its Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) in Brussels.
This year, two geographical window lots are dedicated to South Asia. Lot 13 focuses entirely on collaboration with India, whereas Lot 11 includes collaboration also with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Four university consortia have been selected to run programmes under the India lot 13, and two consortia have been selected under the South Asia lot 11. Each selected programme will have a budget of roughly around EUR 5 million per year to spend on mobility for students, teachers, researchers, and academic staff in both directions between Europe and India/South Asia.
The selected programmes are the following:

– Lot 11 (South Asia), programme 1: Consortium entitled ”Erasmus Mundus Mobility for Life” formed by 8 universities in Europe, and 11 universitites in Asia (Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Asian University for Women, and Chittagong University, Bangladesh; Royal University of Bhutan; Institute of Engineering at Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Mehran University of Engineering & Technology in Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan; Kabul University, Afghanistan; University of Calcutta, and Sinhgad Institute of Technology in Lona, Maharashtra, India; Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia; and Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand). The programme is coordinated by Aalborg University, Denmark. Prof. Ramjee Prasad (photo), Dept. of Communication Technology, Aalborg University, is the main coordinator. Mobility flow: 179 individuals. More information about the programme.
The application window was open from November 15, 2009 to December 31, 2009. More information on the consortium web site, http://www.erasmus.mobilityforlife.aau.dk/

– Lot 11 (South Asia), programme 2: Consortium formed by 11 universities in Europe, and 9 universitites in Asia (Kabul University, Afghanistan; Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, and University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Royal University of Bhutan; Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, India; Airlangga University, Indonesia; Tribhuvan University, Nepal; International Islamic University, Islamabad, and Hajvery University, Lahore, Pakistan). The programme is coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. The coordinator is Mr Filip Callewaert. Mobility flow: 240 individuals. More information about the programme.
Applications for BA/MA students, Postdoc researchers and Academic staff were open from 1 November 2009. PhD applications starting from 12 November. More information on the consortium web site, http://www.lot11.emecw.com/

– Lot 13 (India), programme 1: Consortium formed by 9 universities in Europe, and 8 universities in India (Amrita University, Coimbatore; Anna University, Chennai; IIT Delhi; Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata; Jadavpur University, Kolkata; Kakatiya University, Warangal; University of Pune; and Centre of Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad). The programme is coordinated by Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Mobility flow: 200 individuals. Nordic partner universities in the consortium: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm; and Helsinki University of Technology, Finland. The coordinator is Bianca Buttiglione at Politecnico di Torino. More information about the programme.
The call for application for the 2009/10 Academic Year was open till 6 December 2009. More information on the consortium web site, http://www.india4eu.eu/

– Lot 13 (India), programme 2: Consortium formed by 12 universities in Europe, and 8 universities in India (University of Delhi; Jadavpur University, Kolkata; University of Pune; University of Kerala; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur; Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai; Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Loni, Maharashtra; Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat).
The programme is coordinated by Lund University, Sweden. Dr. Sidsel Hansson, Division of International Relations, Lund University, is the main coordinator. Mobility flow: 183 individuals. Other Nordic partner universities in the consortium: Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim. More information about the programme.
A new Call for Mobility applications has been issued. This second round will award 183 scholarships for all mobility groups starting in 2010 (with start dates between April 1 and September 1, 2010). The Call closed on 15 November 2009.
More information on the consortium web site.

– Lot 13 (India), programme 3: Consortium entitled ”EURINDIA” formed by 10 universities in Europe, and 9 universities in India (Anna University, Chennai; Anurag Narayan College, Gaya; Patna University; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee; National Law school of India University, Bangalore; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU); University of Kalyani, West Bengal; University of Pune).
The programme is coordinated by Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. Ms. Alphonsa Lourdudoss at the International Office, KTH, is the main coordinator. Mobility flow: 201 individuals.
More information about the programme.
The EURINDIA programme held its first Consortium Meeting at KTH in Stockholm 21–23 September 2009. Representatives from the European and Indian partner universities met to discuss practical details around the launch of the mobility programme.
The scholarships are intended for undergraduate, master's and doctorate students, as well as post-doc researchers and academic staff. The application deadline was 29 November 2009. More information on the EURINDIA consortium web page

– Lot 13 (India), programme 4: Consortium entitled ”WILLPower, Window India Learning Link Power” formed by 10 universities in Europe, and 7 universities in India (Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore; Anna University, Chennai; University of Delhi; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur; Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Rajasthan). The programme is coordinated by Ecole Centrale Nantes, France. Mobility flow: 210 individuals.The Co-ordinator is Yvon Riou at Ecole Centrale Nantes. More information about the programme (as a pdf-file).
The call for application was opened on October 5, 2009, and was closed on November 20, 2009. The mobility started by February 2010, in the beginning of the second half of the European academic year. More information on the WILLPower consortium web page: http://www.willpower.fr/

The consortium coordinated by Lund University was also selected the previous year along with three other India/South Asia related EMECW mobility programmes. The Lund University programme was then entitled Lot 15, and included a much wider mobility scheme between Europe and India than the new Lot 13 lots. The partnership programme that was selected in 2008 is currently running at full speed. The mobility of approximately 340 individuals consisists of a flow by 75 % from India to Europe, and 25 % from Europe to India. More information on the Lot 15 project web site.
The same applies more or less to the three selected South Asia partnership programmes described above, even though the partnership programme coordinated by Mälardalen University, Sweden (see above), did not receive continued funding for its application for continued funding from 2009 onwards.

Asia Regional lots 2010

During the spring 2010, applications were invited for a new round of the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Partnership programme. Just like previous years regarding the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window programme, the programme is aimed at fostering structured cooperation between European and Third Country higher education institutions through the promotion of mobility at all level of studies for students (undergraduates and masters), doctoral candidates, researchers, academic and administrative staff.
In the 2010 Call for Proposals (29/09), only one lot (No. 11) was devoted to South Asia. Any proposal should include universities in at least three of the following group A countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; and at least two of the following group B countries: Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand, China, and North Korea.
Five projects have been selected for Lot 11. Each partnership project will have a mobility flow of 100 individuals, and a budget of Euro 2.475 m. It differs from the previous EMECW programmes in being a strictly one-way mobility programme, from Asia to Europe. The programme is again managed by EC’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The planned duration of a project cannot exceed 48 months. Full information in the Guidelines.
(Please note that another lot, No. 12 is devoted to East Asia, but this lot, in which five projects has been selected, also gives the possibility to include Sri Lanka, India and/or Maldives as group B countries)

Deadline for submission of applications was 30 April 2010, and on Friday 9 July, EACEA decided upon the 2010 Erasmus Mundus Action 2 – Strand 1 – Partnership programmes.

Five European-Asian university consortiums were selected for the Asia Regional lot No 11, and another five for the Asia Regional lot No 12, as follows:

Successful Lot 11 projects (focusing on South Asia) – coordinating European university:
– University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
– Karl August University, Göttingen, Germany
– University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France
– Lund University, Sweden – more information
– University of Rome Sapienza, Italy

Successful Lot 12 projects (focusing on South-East Asia, but with South Asian partner universities) – coordinating European university:
– University of Science and Technology 2, Montpellier, France

More information about the 2010 Asia Regional Erasmus Mundus Action 2 programme lots