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Higher education student and staff mobility project
Start date: Jun 1, 2014, End date: May 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The University of Franche-Comté (UFC) is multidisciplinary and numbers 22.000 students, 2.600 of which are international students. The opening up at international level of the UFC is favoured by its numerous exchange-programmes. At European level, the cooperation is structured by Erasmus since its creation: approximately 200 agreements offer numerous possibilities for mobility to students and staff alike. To optimize the success of these activities, the UFC has defined ambitious objectives: In terms of mobility, the UFC aims to increase the number of participants. It organizes promotional campaigns among students and staff to encourage this mobility. The action "higher education mobility between countries participating in the programme" concerns each year more than 230 students involved in outgoing mobility for studies (approximately 80-85% of these students are enrolled in the first cycle, 13 to 18% in the second cycle and 2% in the shorter cycle) or in course or internship mobility (about 15% of the participating students are enrolled in the first cycle, 50% in the second cycle and 35ù in the shorter cycle) and roughly 30 staff are involved in outgoing teacher mobility in the form of training or partnerships. Correspondingly, entry mobility involves approximately 150 students and roughly 15 members of staff from partner establishments. The UFC is committed to ensuring a "successful" mobility for all participants, that is to say a mobility which is prepared, validated, recognized and valued. The outgoing exchange students, for example have the possibility of carrying out a preparation for mobility at the Centre de Linguistique Appliquée (CLA) [Centre for Applied Linguistics], a component of the UFC. As for the incoming students, they have the possibility of following a one-week training-course to improve their level in French prior to their disciplinary training. Furthermore, the Direction of International Relations and of Francophonia (DRIF) of the UFC is equipped to receive, inform and accompany the participants. It is seconded in this by its administrative relays for "international relations" and by a hundred or so Erasmus+ teacher-coordinators to guide the participants before, during and after their mobility. The UFC ensures also that existing partnerships are strengthened and that new cooperations are developed, particularly towards English-speaking countries or those offering English language training-courses, as demand for mobility to these countries is growing. Finally, equality of opportunity is a priority for the UFC, which endeavours to give to all the opportunity to undertake a mobility abroad. The UFC makes available financial aid from the EU and the State from the beginning of the mobility and plays a bridging role for the Franche-Comté Region which awards grants to the most disadvantaged students. The achievement of these objectives has allowed all the actors to benefit from the advantages of the Erasmus+ programme, which has an impact as much at local level on the participants, the UFC or again its partners, as at national level. Indeed, the added value of a mobility, valued by the diploma supplement (endorsed by the EU) delivered to all the UFC students, considerably increases their employability. Likewise the students can form networks abroad which favour their professional insertion. The UFC staff, for their part enhance their professional career path, exchange good practices and improve their language proficiency thanks to the programme. In terms of the establishment, the inclusion in the course of studies of a placement abroad has become widespread with Erasmus+ and has helped to enhance the course-catalogue and to strengthen the image of the UFC on the international front. The "higher education mobility" action has given rise to new collaborations in the area of research by creating connections between the different European programmes and has produced a leverage effect for the development of the European cooperation of the UFC. The university submitted 4 Erasmus+ projects in 2015 (2 joint masters, 1 strategic partnership and 1 sports- event project). The UFC is likewise associated in 4 projects submitted by partner establishments (2 strategic partnerships, 1 knowledge alliance and 1 capacity building). In terms of local partners, the programme has brought together all the actors of the international front for a common and complementary action. The Franche-Comté Region, for example, finances grants for outgoing students, the City of Besançon organizes a specific reception for international students, the CROUS (Regional Student Welfare Organization) provides accommodation for all the incoming students, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) integrates the incoming students and offers them sponsoring… At national level, the UFC and the other French institutions holding an Erasmus+ charter contribute to the harmonization of diplomas and that of the Bologna process at European level.
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