CIVIS asks for a revision of eligibility criteria of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP) to attract talented students from around the world

CIVIS urges the European Commission to use the Erasmus+ programme interim evaluation to revise and widen the eligibility criteria of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) action to recognise the wide-ranging contribution of skills and expertise and cultural viewpoints from non-EU partners in the design of BIPS and pan-European education, and ease the creation of high-quality programmes capable of attracting talents beyond the borders of the EU.

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) action within the Erasmus+ programme (2021-27) is a new tool for the alliances’ collective experimentation to refine mobility mechanisms and improve their inclusiveness and relevance for the students and teachers alike.

This innovative format provides a framework for high-quality transnational collaborative teaching programmes that include a short-term mobility element. The flexibility of the BIP has been a hit with the Higher Education sector and the student population for the last two years. CIVIS universities alone have successfully prepared and implemented more than 50 BIPs over the past academic year, involving circa 200 academics and 1,500 students from across the Alliance, including those from the UK, Switzerland, and African countries.

However, the criteria underpinning the release of operational support are strictly limited to Erasmus+ member countries. As a result, not only are participants from the UK, Switzerland, and African countries not eligible for financial support, they are not even taken into account to meet the minimum threshold in number of participants.

The full position paper can be found below.