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Preparing a successful Erasmus Mundus application. Aleh Cherp , IIIEE at Lund University & Central European University, Budapest Coordinator of MESPOM Erasmus Mundus Masters Course in Environmental Sciences, Policy & Management. Background to MESPOM.
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Preparing a successful Erasmus Mundus application Aleh Cherp, IIIEE at Lund University & Central European University, Budapest Coordinator of MESPOM Erasmus Mundus Masters Course inEnvironmental Sciences, Policy & Management
Background to MESPOM • Proposal prepared in the fall 2004, course started in 2005; • A 2 years Masters course • Partners: • Lund University, Sweden • Central European University, Hungary • University of Manchester, UK • University of the Aegean, Greece • Builds on 3 established Masters’ courses … a wonderful experience
Benefits of Erasmus Mundus • Combining disciplinary excellence with general coordination framework • Complementarity of competences • An arena to explore global/local interplay • An arena to debate different perspectives and find balance between controversies • Mutual “validation”
Ingredients of a successful proposal • Ensuring the right pre-conditions • Committed partners • Good concept • Resources for proposal writing • Writing a winning proposal • Clearly convey key issues • Get the paperwork right • Invest in outstanding presentation
Pre-condition 1: partners • Min three from 3 EU/EEA countries; rarely more than 5 • Strongly motivated to participate: • Money? Prestige? Quality of students? • Willing to work together on both academic and administrative matters; • Experienced in delivering Masters courses to international students;
Pre-condition 2: good concept • Overall organization of the course: duration, mobility scheme and academic content • Integration with existing programs at each partner institution • Type of degree awarded • Double degree is a minimum requirement, the pressure is for joint degrees; • General financial arrangements
Sharpening EM focus: • EMMCs selection is "open to Masters Courses operating in all fields of study", however specific disciplines have been earmarked as priority • Architecture, urban and regional planning • Art and design • Business studies, management sciences • Languages and philological sciences • Law • Mathematics and info-society • Medical sciences • Requirement : ‘as long as they can meet a the very high quality level requested from selected EMMCs’
MESPOM mobility scheme 1st & 2nd terms 3rd term 4th term (thesis) Lund Lund CEU CEU Aegean Manchester Manchester
Possible mobility scheme First period Second period Third period Inst 1 Institution 2 Inst 1 Inst 2 Institution 3 Inst 3 Institution 4 Inst 2 Inst 4
Pre-condition 3: resources for proposal preparation • A dedicated lead writer (future coordinator)? • For MESPOM: 150 hours over 6 weeks, incl. 110 hours in 2 weeks before the deadline; • “Support team” • For MESPOM: 4-5 actively involved colleagues • Effective collaboration • About 200 e-mail letters, incl. 150 in 10 days before the deadline • Internal Website dedicated for proposal preparation
Partners + concept + project preparation resources = Memorandum of Understanding
Proposal writing: key issues • Check expert evaluation manual and award criteria! • Stress: • Originality, high quality • European excellence • High level of course integration, common identity • Experience with and facilities for international students • Academic arrangements in line with ECTS/Bologna • Joint management arrangements
MESPOM proposal messages • The environment: European excellence • Perspectives from: Britain, Scandinavia, Central Europe and Mediterranean • Complementary competences and experience in international courses • Globally relevant learning outcomes • Interdisciplinarity
Getting the paperwork right • Securing formal university approvals may be very cumbersome and time-consuming • But they can often be enticed with Erasmus Mundus benefits • Positive views of the “National Structures” (e.g. Högskolverket)are very important especially concerning the final degree awards
Presentation • The main text should be very succinct and very well written (it pays off to re-write many times) • Be prepared to include links to a relatively large Annex (ca 30 attachments on 160 pages in case of MESPOM) • Colour printing, proper binding, and good graphic materials always enhance the proposal