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Erasmus+ worldwide is of major strategic importance for international exchange – Part 1

Video series with statements on 10 years KA171 funding line
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Text: Marco Stenzel

Erasmus+ Beyond Borders: In 2025, the “Erasmus+ Mobility with Partner Countries” funding line will celebrate its tenth anniversary (see our article 10 years of Erasmus+ worldwide – learning and teaching together). This funding line, known internationally as "International Credit Mobility" (ICM), enables worldwide mobility for students and university staff. This has helped Erasmus+ to evolve into a global success story. 

Since 2015, this funding line has empowered German higher education institutions to initiate and expand targeted cooperation with partner institutions and exchange programmes, including those in countries outside the traditional Erasmus+ programme area. Through these strategic partnerships, students, doctoral candidates and university staff can gain experience at higher education institutions on other continents while based in Germany. Conversely, people from almost every country worldwide can come to Germany to further their academic and personal development. 

A central pillar of internationalisation

Originally conceived as an extension of the Erasmus+ programme, worldwide funding has now evolved into a central pillar of the strategic internationalisation efforts of German higher education institutions. It represents a sustained commitment to expanding global education networks. Many institutions are deliberately strengthening and diversifying their academic partnerships, particularly with regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Southern Mediterranean and the Western Balkans. Over the past ten years, these efforts have supported more than 32,000 funded mobility periods worldwide.

Statements underline its significant importance

The significant role played by International Credit Mobility for German higher education institutions is highlighted in the statements below, which were collected from Erasmus+ coordinators in autumn 2025 to mark the anniversary. 

This first part of the series provides an insight into how worldwide funding through Erasmus+ contributes to the strategic internationalisation of higher education institutions. In the subsequent parts, representatives from the institutions will further emphasise the benefits and successes of the funding line. 

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One of the University of Kassel's strategic internationalisation objectives is to strengthen research and teaching cooperation with countries in the Global South. In this context, KA171 funding plays a crucial role, as it is one of the few funding options available to these regions.
Dr Randolf Oberschmidt – Section for Internationalisation and International Cooperation, University of Kassel

Additional insights from members of higher education institutions

“Freie Universität Berlin makes targeted use of Erasmus+ KA171 strategically to further develop its global partnerships. The funding facilitates individual mobility and promotes institutional exchange, knowledge transfer and capacity building. In the International Office, our approach is based on a regional coordination model: regional contact points collaborate with academic departments and partners to identify funding needs and potential applications. This creates a link between structural internationalisation and academic profile development. KA171 therefore plays a key role in implementing our international strategy, particularly with regard to establishing sustainable relations with the Global South, where academic links have often been insufficient to initiate long-term partnerships in the past. 

A central element of our KA171 programme is promoting mobility for all status groups, including students. Although outgoing mobility under KA171 can currently only be funded in specific countries, we use the available funds effectively to enable additional study periods outside Europe. These funded places complement our well-established worldwide direct student exchange programme and contribute to diversifying our mobility portfolio further. KA171 also often opens doors: cooperation within the programme often leads to long-term direct exchange agreements with these partners."

Stefanie Ritter – Coordinator for Mobility of Individuals with Partner Countries (KA171), International Office, Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin)

We see the international dimension of Erasmus+ as a catalyst for institutional development: as a catalyst for institutional development. New partnerships often emerge from the interplay between research interests, degree programmes and mobility cooperation. Through Erasmus+, these partnerships develop into long-term dynamics that benefit everyone involved.
Stefanie Ritter, Freie Universität Berlin

“At Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, internationalisation is an instrument for developing our profile and an integrated institutional process that seeks to motivate all members of the institution to play an active role. 

The extension of the Erasmus+ programme to include funding lines KA107 and KA171 has created opportunities to promote global cooperation and implement mobility programmes outside the traditional Erasmus+ area. Integrating non-EU countries into the Erasmus+ programme has noticeably increased both incoming and outgoing mobility. This reciprocity strengthens existing partnerships and establishes new ones. For students, teaching staff and other employees at higher education institutions in specific partner countries, self-financing an exchange would not be feasible, so KA171 funding is invaluable.”

Kerstin Gallenstein – Coordinator for Mobility of Individuals (KA131), Coordinator for Mobility of Individuals with Partner Countries (KA171), International Affairs, Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG)

The KA171 funding line plays a key strategic role in international exchange. It enables us to effectively achieve the overarching objectives of HSWT, which include embedding sustainability in society and the economy, at an international level.
Dr Eric Veulliet – President of Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT)

“The Erasmus+ KA171 funding line is a major part of our university's internationalisation strategy. Since its introduction, many existing partnerships in the field of applied green life sciences have been strengthened, and new partnerships have been established in countries in the Global South. At the same time, the measures contribute substantially to the implementation of HSWT’s internationalisation strategy by, for example, creating new study programmes for exchange students, increasing incoming mobility, strengthening our culture of welcome, expanding international structures and enhancing international visibility.” 

Michaela Ring – Coordinator for Mobility of Individuals (KA131), Coordinator for Mobility of Individuals with Partner Countries (KA171), International Office, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT)

Intensive staff exchanges provide partner institutions with valuable impetus for institutional development.
Michaela Ring, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences
international office internationalization strategy staff mobility student mobility cooperations among higher education institutions International Mobility involving third countries not associated to the Programme (KA171) Mobility of Individuals (KA 131) higher education institution

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