Exchanges and cooperation activities in the field of education touch the entire world

Some 95 projects drawn from different levels or sectors of education were submitted to Movetia in 2020. That is thirty more than in 2019. This impressive success confirms the interest shown in this new programme, launched in 2018, and in international cooperation beyond the borders of Europe. The budget available meant that only 22 of these projects could be accepted. Of these, 13 relate to universities, 4 to vocational training institutions, 2 to the general education sector, 2 to adult training organisations and 1 to the youth sector.

Encouraging mobility and cooperation, both within Europe and beyond its borders, for educational purposes is a fundamental element of the Confederation’s education policy. The mandate assigned to Movetia by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) with a view to implementing this pilot programme aims to expand the geographic horizon beyond Europe and to test new mobility ideas or cooperation models. The projects must demonstrate value added for the institutions themselves as well as for the Swiss education system.

The projects submitted in 2020 are once again innovative and provide the Swiss education system with real value added. The focal points developed within the projects accepted include key elements of the current socio-economic and educational context. We sense a distinct need to explore other forms of mobility or cooperation and even to invent new forms of exchange which are also more environmentally friendly.

Launched in 2018, the pilot programme has generated more than 260 applications, of which 57 have been able to be supported within the available budget. The projects selected have strengthened the cooperation and partnerships of Swiss educational institutions in almost 66 countries around the world. Thirty projects related to universities, 11 to vocational training institutions, 9 to the school education sector, 4 to the youth sector and 3 to the adult education sector.

This call for projects was the last one within the framework of the pilot programme. In view of the success of the approach and the political willingness to widen the scope of cooperation and mobility outside Europe, a new process, largely inspired by the current framework and also involving a call for projects, will be launched in spring 2021.