The Student Mobility Summit “EWP Back to the Future” concluded its inaugural edition at the University of Barcelona (UB) with aplomb.
From January 30th to February 1st, 2024, the Summit, organised under the aegis of the UB-EUF University Internationalisation Hub, welcomed approximately 200 experts and professionals in Higher Education, digitalisation, and Erasmus+ from across Europe with the intention not only to present insights and analysis on the digitalisation of Erasmus+ but also to engage directly with the community and discuss its needs and expectations.
Prof. Raúl Ramos, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Policy at the University of Barcelona, highlighted that
“the Summit represents a unique opportunity to exchange good practices in the field of digitalisation of processes related to the mobility of students” – a point also reiterated by Rector Prof. Joan Guàrdia Olmos at the opening of the Summit.
Moreover, Prof. Raúl Ramos noted that
“working in the EUF network and with the leading universities in the European Union in this area should allow us to facilitate the work of our international mobility offices, as well as improve the service we provide to our incoming and outgoing students“.
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, the Head of Unit Higher Education, DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), European Commission also welcomed the participants and shared the latest updates and priorities from the DG EAC policy team. She encouraged the Summit participants to reflect on the current Erasmus+ processes and how to simplify them further. The community and IROs play a critical role in such an exercise since they are the key reasons why the Erasmus+ initiative is a success.
Participants during one of the Training sessions of the Student Mobility Summit
The Summit´s format comprised plenary sessions and panel discussions as well as hands-on hackathons where further improvements to Erasmus+ programme processes were discussed in detail. In addition, a key feature of the event was the inclusion of the first EWP training sessions, offering several “Tracks” tailored to diverse needs of the community. These 6-hour training sessions provided an in-depth exploration of EWP from international mobility management elements like Learning Agreements, Inter-Institutional Agreements, Nominations, and Transcript of Records, to strategy and planning aspects of digital transition, and other key initiatives shaping the digitalisation landscape.
To facilitate further discussion about the outcomes of the Summit and the overall betterment of student mobility under Erasmus+, the insightful discussions, exchange of ideas, and analysis of various pathways shared by the Summit participants will be integral to the forthcoming white paper, scheduled for publication in the weeks ahead.
To relive the key moments of the event through pictures, please head to our Facebook album.
If you are interested in attending future editions of the Student Mobility Summit, please consider following the European University Foundation on LinkedIn, X or Facebook.