BIP, BIP, Hooray – An EU Acronym Worth Getting Familiar With
While most of us know what the Erasmus scheme entails, not many of us have heard of the slightly mysterious-sounding “BIP.” BIP stands for Blended Intensive Programme and could in a nutshell be described as a sort of Erasmus taster format. It consists of a hybrid course that combines weekly online classes over a period of several months with a concluding, minimum five-day physical mobility for students at European universities that are part of the CIVIS network[1]. The specificities vary depending on the BIP in question, but most are open to either Bachelor and Master or Master and PhD students, the selected group will be roughly of seminar size, around thirty students, and classes held in English language.
A wide variety of subjects is covered but topics focus on impact and speak to the five ‘CIVIS challenges’, which are health, cities, territories and mobility, climate, environment and energy, digital and technological transformations and societies, culture and heritage. While some classes do specify the need for background knowledge on certain topics in their selection criteria, others do not, and there is an overall interdisciplinary outlook on how issues are taught and discussed. All programmes involve not only students from a variety of universities and (national) academic traditions but also staff from at least three of the CIVIS partner institutions. This diversity creates a very distinct European learning experience that differs from a classic Erasmus semester abroad. Whereas the latter immerses the student in a specific national academic environment with a unique opportunity to develop cultural and linguistic competencies, the former creates more of a European intellectual mélange of different academic traditions that fosters broad-based skills of intercultural academic exchange.
As for more practical takeaways, application periods vary but take place several months prior to the respective starting date, which broadly corresponds to university terms i.e. January/February, May/June or September/October. If you find something that interests you, do check with your department at your home institution before applying. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, you need your department’s approval in order to be able to receive the associated credits which range from 3 to 6 ECTS and reflect attendance as well as submitted coursework. Secondly, securing departmental approval will enable you to benefit from the generous funding that BIPs offer through their formal association with Erasmus+. Once you have obtained said internal approval, the application process is fairly swift, involving a short statement of motivation, previous experience and expectations to ensure a good fit of selected candidates.
In sum, Erasmus semesters abroad and BIPs are not mutually exclusive[2] and each offer different perks and learning experiences. Where a classic Erasmus exchange necessarily involves relocation, a BIP enables exploration while allowing the student in question to continue their scheduled academic curriculum at their home institution. Given the longer exchange and larger amount of funding distributed, the paperwork and application process for a classic Erasmus exchange is significantly more extensive than for a BIP. While a BIP is maybe more of a cousin than the younger sibling of the classic Erasmus scheme due to its distinct approach, it thus can constitute an interesting alternative and/or stepping stone to a longer mobility period. If reading this has piqued your interest, do check out the CIVIS website for further practical information as well as a full list of available classes.
About the author
Anna Zech is a Marie Skłodowska Curie Doctoral Fellow at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Université Libre de Bruxelles within the Horizon Europe GEM-Diamond project. Under the joint supervision of Antoine Vauchez (Paris 1) and Amandine Crespy (ULB), her doctoral project examines the processes and effects of epistemic struggles over the interpretation of monetary policy in the Eurozone.
She spent an Erasmus year abroad at the Università di Bologna in 2015-16, has participated in a BIP on Science Communication with a mobility period at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 2023, and will join in a BIP on the Pluralism of Economic Ideas with a mobility period at Sapienza Università di Roma in 2025.
[1] Namely the Université libre de Bruxelles, Aix Marseille Université, the University of Bucharest, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Sapienza Università di Roma, Stockholm University, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, the University of Glasgow, Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg and the Université de Lausanne. Some other universities are starting to offer BIPs outside of the CIVIS alliance, but this is still rare.
[2] Even if you cannot receive both types of funding simultaneously.
Photo credit: © Anna Zech