Editorial

Dear Readers,

Erasmus+ celebrated its 35^th anniversary in 2022. For over three decades, the European Union’s education and mobility programme has enabled young people to broaden their horizons and experience Europe. Thirteen million people have already benefited from this opportunity, one million from German universities. 

One step towards improved access

This anniversary offered us the perfect opportunity to expand our communication activities by introducing an online version of the DAADeuroletter. From now on, we will present key topics from the printed magazines online and regularly update these with current developments in the digital DAADeuroletter. These articles will be supplemented by audio and video sequences as well as interactive features, offering visitors to the website a broad spectrum of additional information. When the next issue is published, these articles will be included in an archive organised by subject so that specific information can be easily retrieved and shared with others. We can also update articles if conditions change. 

«Inclusion and Diversity» − an Erasmus+ priority

Erasmus+ for all! This is also the objective of «Inclusion and Diversity», one of the four cross-sectional priorities of the seven-year programme phase, which has been running since 2021. In preparation for this, we already focused on this subject in DAADeuroletter 69 and explored objectives, opportunities and ways to expand social participation, so that even more young people can benefit from what often turns out to be a life-defining experience.

In the DAADeuroletter 74 and in this first online edition, which is based on the printed magazine, we address inclusion and diversity once again. With the launch of the new programme phase, we are able to put into practice plans to increase social participation in and through the programme, not least of all in funding. We report on these developments by showcasing examples from universities.

Expanding and strengthening support

The NA DAAD has a long track record of supporting students and university staff with disabilities by covering costs actually incurred during periods abroad. The group of eligible applicants has now been expanded to include people with chronic illnesses and those wishing to spend time abroad with children. We have also increased funding to €15,000 per semester for students or per mobility for university staff for additional costs actually incurred during a period abroad or preparatory trip.

More importantly, our goal is to make periods abroad possible for students for whom Erasmus+ has previously been difficult to access because of socioeconomic factors and thus win their support for Europe. This is why we have raised general scholarship rates by approximately €150 in each of the three groups of countries and expanded the previous target groups eligible for monthly top-up amounts of €250 – students with disabilities or chronic illnesses as well as students who go abroad with children.

A comprehensive approach

These beneficiaries are first-generation academics and students who work to finance their studies. We are casting a deliberately wide net so as to honour our promise: «Erasmus for all». Listen to our guest commentary on this subject from Katja Urbatsch of ArbeiterKind e. V. These measures have been made possible by the aforementioned increase in the Erasmus+ budget and by funds from the European Social Fund Plus acquired jointly with the BMBF for this purpose. 

Financial support is important. But reaching out to target groups and adapting general conditions are no less important. In this issue, we also report on activities in Key Actions 2 and 3 to promote social participation. 

I hope you enjoy reading these stimulating contributions! 

Stephan Geifes
Director of the National Agency for Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation at the DAAD