Erasmus Mundus Information Day 20 January 2011. Erasmus Mundus Information Day 20 January 2011 2 ERASMUS MUNDUS PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION

Erasmus Mundus Information Day

20 January 2011

Erasmus Mundus Information Day 20 January 2011

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ERASMUS MUNDUS

PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION


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ERASMUS MUNDUS

• Flagship Programme

• Key Words– High Quality– Excellence– Innovation– Integrated Mobility


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THE PROJECT

• Your idea or A partner’s?

• If a partner’s:– Are you confident that it fits with your goals?

• If your idea:– Who else has validated it?


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PARTNERS?• How many?• Do you know them?• Are you equally confident with all of them?• Do they all have relevant experience?• Do they all have high reputation – national and

international?• Do the partners really complement one another?• What role(s) will each partner have?• Which individuals will undertake the work?


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• Do your regulations allow award of joint or double degrees?

• Do your partners’ regulations allow award of joint or double degrees?

• What is the time table for the validation of new programmes?


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MANAGEMENT• Ensure that your university and your department are fully

on board

• Prepare a business plan early

• Everyone needs to understand the resource / financial implications

• Everyone needs to understand that high quality international joint programmes are complex, require considerable, intensive work and ongoing commitment


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MANAGEMENT• Early partnership agreement essential – recognition and

governance issues need to be addressed early

• Agree who will be the project ‘manager’ – establish a plan with milestones and deliverables

• Plan a series of meetings with partners leading up to the submission of the application

• Establish a standard agenda for meeting – insist on timely production of all papers – this means that drafting responsibilities must be clear

• Involve an experienced administrator from each institution all the time – they should help with drafting some sections

• Keep senior management well briefed


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• Are you sure:– That your proposal is innovative / unique?– That mobility will be integral and add value?

• Treat all parts of the application seriously – there are no routine throw away sections – which is why at initial drafting stage it can be helpful to share the work

• Remember that the assessors may not be from your discipline – so communicate your ideas

• If possible ask someone outside the consortium to read A late draft


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Joint Masters Courses

• A1 academic quality – course content (30%)

– Remember assessors first impressions are critical – this section must persuade them


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A1 –

• Needs analysis

• Added-value compared with existing masters

• Structure – content – added value of mobility


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Masters Courses

• Learning outcomes and employability

• Consortium composition and expertise of key staff

• Interaction with professional, socio-economic / scientific / cultural sectors – make early contact and be able to show that support is ‘real’


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A2 Course Integration (25%)

• Is the curriculum genuinely joint, integrated, fully recognised in all partners?

• Joint student application selection and admission

• Joint examination and assessment – use of ects – joint diploma supplement

• Explain student participation costs - fees


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A3 Course Management Visibility And Sustainability Measures (20%)

• Role of partners – cooperation mechanisms! – Governance

• Partner institutions’ financial contribution

• Financial management – development and sustainability

• Course promotion


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A4 Student Services And Facilities (15%)

• Information and student support• Student agreement – model • Services• Language policy• Student networking


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A5 Quality Assurance And Evaluation (10%)

• Internal evaluation

• External quality assurance


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Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Programmes• Good starting points:

– Qaa code of practice – section 1 postgraduate research programmes

– Uk research councils – joint statement of the skills training requirements for research students

– Esrc postgraduate training and development guidelines 2009

Nb: doctoral candidates are expected to be employed


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B1 Academic And Research Quality (25%)

This is your chance to get the key messages to the assessors – win their attention and support

• Needs analysis• Added value compared with existing programmes – you

need to research and demonstrate• Programme originality, innovation, scientific quality• Training – transferable skills• Collaboration with the employment sector – future

careers• Outcomes – innovative, educational, scientific,

technological – skills and competences


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B2 Partnership Experience And Composition (25%)

• Relevance of consortium – expertise of key academic and research staff

• Complementarity and diversity of consortium members

• Track record in networking and cooperation• Role of professional / non-academic / economic/

scientific / cultural sector participants – must be real and demonstrable


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B3 European Integration And Functioning Of The Programme (20%)

• Structured – integrated organisation exploiting current good practice in doctoral / graduate / research schools or co-tutelle arrangements / recognition – use of ects?

• Relevance – organisation of mobility• Common standards for application / selection /

admission / review of doctoral candidates• Participation costs – fees!• Quality of joint supervision and monitoring• Degrees awarded


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B4 Provision For Emjd Candidates And Fellowship Holders (15%)

• Promotion strategy• Student support and services• Language policy• Doctoral ‘employment’ contracts• Career advice• Doctoral candidate agreement


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B5 Programme Management And Quality Assurance (15%)

• Organisation and cooperation within the consortium

• Development and sustainability plan• Complementary funding• Internal evaluation and external quality

assessment


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ERASMUS MUNDUS IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE

ONLY APPLICATIONS WHICH ADDRESS ALL FACETS OF THE APPLICATION EFFECTIVELY WILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SUCCESS

Documents

Erasmus Mundus Information Day 20 January 2011. Erasmus Mundus Information Day 20 January 2011 2 ERASMUS MUNDUS PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION