Staff Mobility

Staff mobility can be carried out by any type of higher education staff or by invited staff from outside the HEIs. To ensure high-quality mobility activities with maximum impact, the mobility activity must be related to the staff’s professional development and address their learning and personal development needs.

Staff may carry out any of the activities described below:

Staff Mobility for Teaching

A teaching period abroad takes place at a partner higher education institution. The teaching period abroad enables any teaching staff at a higher education institution or staff from enterprises to teach at a partner higher education institution abroad.

The sending organisation must be a HEI from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme awarded with an ECHE, or a HEI from a third country not associated to the Programme recognised by competent authorities that has signed inter-institutional agreements with their partners from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme. For example, such an organisation can be:

• a public or private, a small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises);
• a public body at the local, regional or national level;
• a social partner or other representative of working life, including chambers of commerce, craft/professional associations and trade unions;
• a research institute;
• a foundation;
• a school/institute/educational centre (at any level, from pre-school to upper secondary education, and including vocational education and adult education);
• a non-profit organisation, association, NGO;
• a body providing career guidance, professional counselling and information services.

The receiving organisation must be a HEI from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme awarded with an ECHE or a HEI from a third country not associated to the Programme recognised by competent authorities and having signed an inter-institutional agreement with the partner from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme, before the mobility takes place. 

 Staff Mobility for Training

A training period abroad takes place at a partner higher education institution, enterprise, or any other relevant workplace. The training period abroad enables any staff at a HEI to take part in a training activity abroad that is relevant to their day-to-day work at the HEI. It may take the form of training events (excluding conferences) or job shadowing and observation periods. 

The sending organisation must be a HEI from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme awarded with an ECHE, or a HEI from a third country not associated to the Programme recognised by competent authorities that has signed inter-institutional agreements with their partners from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme, before the mobility takes place.

The receiving organisation must be: 

• A HEI from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme awarded with an ECHE, or a HEI from a third country not associated to the Programme recognised by competent authorities that has signed inter-institutional agreements with their partners from an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme before the mobility takes place, or 
• any public or private organisation from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme (or from third countries not associated to the Programme, if the mobility project is funded with internal policy funds) active in the labour market or in the fields of education, training, youth, research and innovation.

Duration of the Staff Mobility Activity

The duration of mobility among EU Member States and countries associated to the Programme must be from 2 to 60 days of physical mobility, excluding travel time. In the case of invited staff from enterprises, the minimum duration is 1 day of physical mobility.

 In case of mobility involving third countries not associated to the Programme, the duration must be from 5 to 60 days, excluding travel time. The same applies for invited staff from enterprises. 

In all cases, the minimum number of days must be consecutive. 

The physical mobility period may be interrupted. The interruption period does not count towards the duration of the mobility activity.

A teaching activity has to comprise a minimum of 8 hours of teaching per week (or any other period of stay shorter than a week). If the mobility lasts longer than one week, the minimum number of teaching hours for an incomplete week should be proportional to the duration of that week. The following exceptions apply: 

• There is no minimum number of teaching hours for invited staff from enterprises.

• If the teaching activity is combined with a training activity during a single period abroad, the minimum number of hours of teaching per week (or any other period of stay shorter than a week) is reduced to 4 hours. 

Application Documents for Staff Mobilities

• Foreign language test result
• An invitation letter from the host university/institution clearly stating the subject of the courses to be taught/the content of the training and the dates
• All supporting documents used for scoring as specified in the relevant announcement