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Universitetet i Oslo

UiO

The University of Oslo was founded in 1811 as the first in Norway.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Multiannual Financial Framework: Erasmus Programme 2021-2027

9 Oct 2018

UiO is grateful for the opportunity to give feedback on the Erasmus Programme 2021-2027, and welcomes the increased focus on inclusiveness, as well as the emphasis on equipping young people with the skills and competencies needed in the present and future knowledge economy. At the same time we believe it is important to further realize the potential of increased mobility of students and staff in higher education, and thereby building on the key success of the programme. UiO also welcomes the focus on simplification and reducing bureaucracy. UiO’s internal mobility consultations with staff and students indicate that the administrative burden remains one of the main obstacles to mobility. We commend the ongoing digitization work through Erasmus Without Paper also included in the Paris Communiqué signed by the Ministers of higher education in May this year. UiO welcomes the focus on enhancing the learning of languages. Although online solutions for language learning are valuable as a supplement, our experience is that intensive language courses at host institutions in combination with online solutions, is the preferred option. UiO would like to see a stronger focus on Social Sciences and Humanities and interdisciplinarity. These are areas that are essential for understanding the human and societal context of rapid technological development and for finding solutions to the global challenges we face. UiO also welcomes the goal of reinforcing the mobility of staff, with its potential to create synergies with research collaboration, and hence with Horizon Europe. To make this action more attractive, efforts should be made to introduce more flexibility and increase the level of individual financial support. For a high cost country like Norway the current level of financial support is insufficient, especially for incoming staff. UiO welcomes the aim of maintaining the basic structure and architecture of the programme. At the same time, the planned streamlining and refocusing of some of the actions and sub-actions (especially in KA2) are to be commended. The IP in the former LLP was a valuable addition to more regular student mobility, enabling short-term mobility within joint courses. Reintroducing them as distinct sub-actions would increase their leverage and visibility and make it more attractive for universities to apply. While the UiO welcomes the goal of doubling the budget of the programme and of tripling the number of participants, we would also like to stress the importance of budgetary increases leading not only to increased volumes of participation, but also to higher individual grants for mobility activities, institutional and administrative support, and not least cooperation projects. We believe this will increase the quality of the activities and make the programme more attractive. We note with some concern that the budgetary share of higher education in the proposal is lower (28.8% of the total budget) than the share of higher education in the current Erasmus+ (33.3%). UiO would also like to stress the importance of the Jean Monnet networks, which are not mentioned in the programme proposal. We recommend that funding towards this initiative be maintained and even increased, not in the least to reach the goal of strengthening European identity and participation in democratic processes. As a research-intensive university, UiO fully supports the focus on creating more synergies between the new Erasmus programme and the future Horizon Europe. From the point of view of programme management, clarification needs to be made as to where the responsibility for taking concrete action to facilitate and realize synergies between the two programmes should lie. UiO supports the European Universities initiative. We believe this in-depth cooperation between a number of institutions can serve as a vehicle for achieving the key goals of the programme proposal and to the development of the European Higher Education Area.
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Meeting with Jean-Philippe Gammel (Cabinet of Commissioner Tibor Navracsics)

5 Oct 2017 · Higher education