1st edition of International Relations Day with new elements in the programmes

The annual event in the field of higher education, which usually marks the launch of the next call for projects, provides an opportunity to share ideas and strengthen partnerships between Swiss higher education institutions and Movetia. In 2021, due to the health crisis, the concept of this meeting had to be rethought to be held online while, as far as possible, retaining the interactions between the different higher education institutions players.

Following the opening remarks from Olivier Tschopp, Director of Movetia, and Amanda Crameri, Head of the Higher Education Division, on such hot topics as Brexit, the question of the potential Swiss involvement in the Erasmus+ programme, the Movetia strategy to strengthen its exchange, mobility and cooperation activities after the COVID-19 crisis and the annual Movetia activities plan for the HEI, participants could choose their discussion forums according to the different programmes proposed by the higher education sector, i.e. the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), the National Teacher Exchange Programme and international cooperation activities.

From 1 June 2021, several new elements will be introduced with regard to student mobility. The main ones are presented below:

• Global mobility: the geographic zone will be extended, with the possibility of student mobility outside Europe. Since it was created, the SEMP has only allowed students to visit or travel from a member state of the Erasmus+ programme. This extension is designed to promote the development of international mobility in partnership with institutions from around the world.
• Green Travel Top-Up: students who opt for a means of transport for their return journey generating lower CO2 emissions than the plane can benefit from a flat-rate financial incentive of CHF 100.
• Increase in the monthly grant: students who go to study in Europe will henceforth receive a monthly grant of CHF 380, corresponding to a total of CHF 1,900 per semester.

From 2021, additional subsidies will be available to the National Teacher Exchange Programme, thereby broadening the range of possible exchange activities within the framework of teacher training. A language visit during training should therefore no longer be an exception to the rule for future teachers. The foreign language and sociocultural experiences acquired are essential with regard to the quality of teacher training. Henceforth, in addition to the current foreign language placements, student exchange semesters and partnership projects with universities of teacher education will also be encouraged.

The Erasmus+ cooperation formats will also be developed for the new generation 2021-27. The conditions for Swiss institutions participating in the partnerships, cooperation activities and initiatives falling within the framework of Erasmus+ are, unfortunately, still unclear at the present time. They are expected to be clarified within a few weeks.

With regard to the Movetia international programme, the next call for projects will most probably issued in the autumn for 2022, on condition that the appropriate budget is available.

See the presentation

The Higher Education team is looking forward to being able to organise the 2nd edition of the International Relations Day “in person”!