Deadline: 10-May-21
The Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia in cooperation with The Education and Youth Board publishes the call for applications of the EEA/Norway Cooperation Programme in Higher Education to fund higher education cooperation projects, as well as learning mobilities.
This call is for the EEA/Norway Baltic Research Programme’s part for the Cooperation Programme in Higher Education funded from the grants of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
The aim of the programme is to promote higher education cooperation between Estonia and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Goals
- Cooperation projects strengthen the long-term cooperation between higher education institutions, promote the internationalization of higher education institutions, improve the quality of studies and enable students and teaching staff to supplement their professional knowledge and skills in an international environment.
- Learning mobility projects that give employees of higher education institutions and partner institutions an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills in an international team.
Funding Information
- Cooperation projects in higher education: The financing of cooperation projects is based on unit costs. Projects duration can be between 12-24 months in length and receive financing between the sums of 10 000 and 150 000 EUR. The maximum grant rate is 100% of the eligible costs.
- Learning Mobility Projects: The support for one mobility project is from 500 euros up to 150,000 euros. The maximum grant rate is 100% of the eligible costs.
Cooperation projects also support international learning mobility needed to achieve the project objectives. Study mobility is supported in relation to the following potential joint activities:
- Short-term study mobility of students. Support for study mobility of students, during which a person stays in a partner higher education institution for 5-30 days (travel days are not included). The aim of study mobility may be participation in a training course, study module, having a consultation, working at the library, laboratory, etc.
- Intensive courses.
- An intensive course is a short-term intensive learning period that brings together the students and professors at partner universities and the invited experts to:
- provide a unique learning environment for professors and students that cannot be created in a single separate university;
- address multidisciplinary topics in an international environment and to open up new perspectives for the participants;
- exchange opinions on the contents, methods, and approaches in studies;
- test innovative study methods that may become a part of modules or curricula being developed.
- Intensive courses lasting 5-30 days are supported (travel days not included). Learning mobility of professors (including invited experts) participating in intensive courses may last 1-30 days.
- Students and professors of higher education institutions participating in the project and academic and non-academic, project-related employees of other partner institutions are free to participate.
- Intensive teaching and learning must take place during the course.
- An intensive course is a short-term intensive learning period that brings together the students and professors at partner universities and the invited experts to:
- Joint courses for employees.
- Supports short-term training related to the project topic and aimed at employees at partner higher education institutions, with a duration of 3-30 days (travel time not included).
- Training courses may be held as seminars or workshops.
- For maximum impact, employees of all partner higher education institutions must participate in joint training courses.
- At least one joint activity must be carried out under a cooperation project (intensive course, seminar, workshop, training course, etc.).
- All actions must take place in the countries of partner institutions participating in the project.
- Supports short-term training related to the project topic and aimed at employees at partner higher education institutions, with a duration of 3-30 days (travel time not included).
- Transnational project meetings.
- Work-related meetings which are needed to bring the project to fruition.
- Meetings of up to 4 days are supported.
- A maximum of 4 transnational project meetings are supported within one project
- Work-related meetings which are needed to bring the project to fruition.
Supported types of learning Mobility
The programme enables two types of study mobility:
- Mobility of academics (in both directions) and staff of other partner institutions (to Estonia) to teach in higher education institutions, mobility of higher education institutions’ staff to training taking place in a donor country (outside Estonia).
- Employees participating in mobility must have a contractual employment relationship with the institution involved in the project (including a contract of employment, contract for services, or an authorisation agreement).
Duration of the Project
- The cooperation project can last 12-24 months.
- The end of the programme period of eligibility of expenditures in the projects is 30 April 2024.
Eligible Activities
- Cooperation projects in higher education: The objective of the cooperation projects is to contribute to the development of curricula and teaching methods (intellectual output), also create possibilities for mobility windows or contribute to the integration of higher education and the world of work. Another objective is to exchange positive experiences with teaching methods and enable short-term study mobility for students. The projects must involve a minimum of two higher education institutions: one from Estonia and the other from a donor country.
- Learning Mobility Projects: This activity supports the professional development of employees at partner higher education institutions in line with the strategic goals of internationalization of higher education institutions, the increase of professional and teaching competence of employees, their innovation and ability to improve the quality of teaching and promote cooperation between Estonian and donor country higher education institutions. Learning mobility projects also increase participants’ awareness of other cultures and support the emergence of international networks.
Eligibility Criteria
- Cooperation projects in higher education
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- Cooperation projects can be submitted in all fields of higher education.
- At least two higher education institution (regardless of the ownership) must participate in a cooperation project – one from Estonia and the other from a donor country. In case three or more countries wish to participate in the project, the main partner in each country must always be a higher education institution. Higher education institution of each donor country may include other partners in the project, for instance, enterprises or other institutions or organizations interested in the topic. Partner institutions can only be included from countries in which the primary partner is a higher education institution.
- Only Estonian higher education institutions may submit applications as coordinators.
- Learning Mobility Projects
- Only Estonian higher education institutions (regardless of the ownership) may submit applications as coordinators. Institutions (higher education institutions or enterprises) from donor countries can participate as partners.
For more information, visit https://eeagrants.org/currently-available-funding/ee-research-call-for-applications—higher-education-2021