International credit mobility of the "Erasmus+" program. Ca Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Art. 1 Purpose of the call and general regulations

This call regulates the application procedure for student and staff mobility in the framework of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project between Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy and Yerevan State University.

Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport covering the period 2021-2027. It offers a wide range of opportunities for students and staff to study and train abroad and obtain credits which are then recognised by the sending institution.

The present Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project between Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Yerevan State University lasts 36 months, from August 1st, 2023 to July 31, 2026.

Art. 2 Mobility types and available places 

Under this call for applications the following places are available for prospective candidates from the Yerevan State University:

1. STAFF FOR TEACHING (academic staff). (WARNING: minimum 8 teaching hours per week, which may include lectures, seminars, workshops, tutoring): x places

The present call for applications provides mobility grants for 2024-2025 academic year. 

Art. 3 Admission requirements 

3.1 In order to apply prospective candidates must be employed at Yerevan State University at the moment of application and for the whole duration of the mobility.

In addition

• Undergraduate students must carry out their mobility from the second year of their studies. 

Undergraduate students wishing to apply for Master’s courses must undertake to enroll in a Master’s programme before the beginning of the mobility;

• Master students wishing to apply for PhD courses must undertake to enroll in a PhD programme before the beginning of the mobility;

3.2 Language proficiency 

Applicants are required to be proficient in English at level C1 and/or Italian (or others) at level C1 of the CEFR (specify according to the Inter-Institutional Agreement) respectively, and to provide certifications or self-certifications of the required level.

3.3 In/compatibility

• The same student may participate in Erasmus+ mobility periods totaling up to 12 months maximum per each cycle of study (Bachelor or equivalent, Master or equivalent, Doctoral level), independently from the number and type of mobility activities. Previous Erasmus+ and Erasmus Mundus experiences must be taken into account for calculation purposes;

• Selected beneficiaries will not be allowed to benefit from any other grant provided by the European Commission for teaching for the same period;
• Beneficiaries must carry out their mobility activities in a country different from the country where they have their accommodation during their studies (for students) or from the country of residence (for staff);

• Candidates with a double nationality must specify the nationality under which they submit their scholarship application. 

3.4 Ineligibility 

• If, at any stage in the application procedure, it is established that the information provided by the applicant has been knowingly falsified, the candidate will be disqualified from the selection process.

• Students who receive an Erasmus+ grant will fully or partially reimburse the EU grant if they do not comply with the terms of the grant agreement and/or if they fail to complete and submit the final online report, unless they are prevented from completing their planned activities aborad due to a case of force majeure. 

Art. 4 Activities 

Mobility for studies: 

Erasmus+ grants for study are awarded for full time study activities, including thesis preparation, at first, second and third study cycles. The studies in which the beneficiaries are enrolled must be leading to a recognized degree or another recognized tertiary level qualification. 

Mobility for teaching and training:

Erasmus+ grants for teaching are awarded to HEI teaching staff for a period of teaching in a partner host university. Teaching assignments can come in various forms and take place as seminars, lectures and tutoring. Actual teaching in this context should require the teacher to be physically present with the students. Although email tutoring or any other forms of distance learning as well as preparation are highly encouraged, they do not count in the minimum number of 8 compulsory hours of teaching per week.

Erasmus+ grants for training support the professional development of HEI teaching and non-teaching staff in the form of training events abroad (excluding conferences) and job shadowing/observation periods/training at a partner institution. 

Art. 5 Grants

5.1 Grantees will receive a grant as a contribution to their costs for travel and individual support during their mobility. 

They are specified in the table below:

Only if applicable – to be checked at art. 2 of our inter-Institutional Agreement - The 2021-2027 Erasmus+ Programme “seeks to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity and fairness across all its actions. Organisations and the participants with fewer opportunities themselves are at the heart of these objectives and with these in mind, the programme puts mechanisms and resources at their disposal.” (Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2022, page 7).

The basic amount of the Erasmus+ scholarship is €850 per month, which is guaranteed to all selected students.

Students with fewer opportunities receive a top-up to the individual support of their Erasmus+ grant with an amount of additional €250 per month. 

Partner University identifies students with fewer opportunities through to be completed according to partner University internal rules.

5.2 Erasmus+ selected students will continue to pay fees to their sending university but will benefit from tuition waiver from their host university. 

5.3 The mobility period must be carried out continuously and it must not be split into different periods. 

5.4 Selected candidates accepting the scholarship will sign a scholarship contract listing their duties and responsibilities. They will be required to comply with the local admission requirements and registration procedures at the Host University.

5.5 Special needs support

Extra financial support may be available for beneficiaries with special needs. A person with special needs is a potential participant whose individual physical, mental or health-related situation is such that his/her participation in the project would not be possible without extra financial support. The contribution will be awarded to beneficiaries with special needs upon request by the Coordinating institution and approval from the Erasmus+ Italian National Agency.

Art. 6 Admission procedure

6.1 Application 

• Prospective applicants should submit their application form and required documents (6.2) via e-mail to the address: mnatsakanyan@ysu.am from 28 June, 2024 to 10 July 2024. Any application received after the deadline will not be accepted;

• A confirmation e-mail will be sent after the application has successfully been submitted;

• The official language of the application is English and/or Italian. At the time of application diplomas, transcripts and other official documents may be submitted in original language but they must be accompanied by an English translation. At this stage non-certified translations are accepted. In case applicants are selected they may have to provide certified translations of all relevant documents.

6.2 Required Documentation

1. Staff candidates must provide the following documents:

• Application form duly filled in and signed;

• Copy of a valid ID card or passport;

• Copy of a proof of employment at the Yerevan State University (ex. certificate issued by the Home University stating he/she is Academic/Administrative staff employed at the University);

• Mobility Programme signed by the applicant and by the E+ Administrative Coordinator and Academic Coordinator;

• Letter of interest signed by the prospective academic supervisor or Head of Department (for academic staff) at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice stating the availability and willingness to collaborate with the applicant. In order to get this, applicants MUST contact in due time international.cooperation@unive.it (providing a CV and a work plan);   

• Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages) in English including extracurricular activities (courses, seminars, conferences, published researches etc.) and professional experience related to the fields of knowledge of the courses;

Art. 7 Selection process

7.1 The Selection process includes the following steps:

1. Eligibility check by the partner university;

2. Evaluation process by the partner university Selection Committee;

Yerevan State University will review the submitted applications and evaluate the technical components (eligibility requirements, full documentation, completeness and authenticity of documents attached) to identify the eligible candidates.

Only valid and eligible applications will be evaluated and ranked by the partner university Selection Committee, according with the following criteria, which have been jointly agreed by the partner university and the coordinating university: 

7.2 In the framework of Erasmus+ regulations the first criterion for selecting students must be academic merit, but with equivalent academic level, preference should be assigned to students from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

7.3 The final selection decision will also consider cross-cutting evaluation criteria such as gender balance, equal opportunities and participation of disadvantaged groups (disabled students, economically disadvantaged students) providing a more equal and fair selection process.

7.4 The Partner University may decide to invite the candidates whose average score is above the threshold for an interview, either face-to-face or via Skype.

7.5 At the end of the selection procedure the Partner university Selection Committee will draft a ranking list of qualified candidates. A reserve list will also be defined and will include the names of eligible candidates whom may be awarded a grant in case of withdrawal/drop-out of selected students or if additional funding is available. 

7.6 All applicants will be informed by e-mail of the selection results as soon as the evaluation procedure has been concluded. The final list will be also published on the partner University website for transparency reasons. 

7.7 Selected candidates will receive a scholarship offer and are required to accept or reject it in written within 5 days. (no later than 7 days). For every selected candidate not accepting the grant within the deadline, the partner University will nominate a candidate from the reserve list.

7.8 Appeal Procedure

• Rejected applicants who feel that a mistake has been made in the process or that their application has not been fairly evaluated can file a complaint to YSU IRO not later than 2 working days, explaining their reasons.

• Complaints from applicants who have failed to satisfy all of the eligibility criteria (e.g. who have not produced the required documentation, or have applied for a scholarship but do not meet the requirements, etc.), or have failed to satisfy them within the established timeframes, will not be taken into consideration.

• The appeal procedure can only come into play if a candidate feels that the Selection Committee has not handled his/her own application in line with the principles and procedures described in the call. In other words, the appeal cannot concern the decision itself, but only an alleged error made in the process.

Art. 8 Data protection

Information relating to individuals (personal data) is collected and used in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on "the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data".