Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) is a digital transformation process involving thousands of Higher Education Institutions, dozens of thousands of staff members and several hundred thousand students every year. It requires planning and clarity from all parties involved in order to achieve the expected results. We published an article on October 16th, 2024, containing an overview of the state of play of EWP, and we are hereby updating it to reflect the most recent developments.
The EWP Consortium welcomes the announcement of the European Commission regarding the continued availability and support of EWP, which builds on several months of fruitful exchanges between the EUF leadership and the European Commission. Accordingly, the EWP Consortium fully expects the current digital infrastructure to remain available at least until the end of the current programming period. As highlighted by the EWP technical community, a clear focus on consolidating the existing technical solutions is a prerequisite for successfully completing the digital transition of the Erasmus+ programme.
About the digital transformation of EWP
Developed by higher education institutions and for higher education institutions, EWP aims to make the administration of student mobility more efficient and sustainable. By replacing paper-based procedures with secure digital flows, EWP works towards reducing administrative burden and increasing accuracy and speed. Higher Education Institutions will benefit from streamlined operations and strategic oversight of mobility data. Staff will gradually be able to implement simpler, faster and more consistent workflows. Students enjoy a more transparent and user-friendly mobility experience. EWP is not just about digitalisation, it is about a paradigm shift that will enable higher education institutions to be more flexible and strategically responsive to changing mobility needs.
A success story in the making
The fact that the most recent EC report shows very positive progress towards the usage of digital Learning Agreements, reinforces the notion that continuity and stability are of paramount importance and form the most promising elements in achieving success; in fact, at the time of writing this article, the majority of programme countries have reached the threshold of more than 75% of digital Learning Agreements, demonstrating unequivocally the fitness for purpose of EWP. Considering that such remarkable progress was achieved in spite of the uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the current digital ecosystem, we can now move even faster towards the 95% digital Learning Agreement target.
Looking ahead: business continuity and long-term planning
The continued availability of EWP digital infrastructures ensures that the transition towards fully digitalised workflows for student mobility will continue by providing clear perspectives to numerous involved colleagues. This development puts us on a path to accelerate efforts to conclude the digital transition of the programme until 2028 – including with regards to key processes which have been pending for some time and that cause fragmentation in the day-to-day work of International Relation Officers. Moreover, continuity also avoids the allocation of significant financial means at EU, national, and institutional level to the development of an entirely new digital infrastructure. This is important in times of increasingly pressing calls to support higher and more inclusive levels of student mobility in Europe.
To build on these achievements, it is crucial to pursue a cost-effective, long-term strategy that continues to be co-created with Higher Education Institutions, aligning with their needs and realities. The involvement of the higher education community is vital for ensuring the system remains responsive, effective, and widely adopted.
We are looking forward to sharing more updates at the first edition of the EWP Convention, which in 2025 will be hosted by the University of Warsaw. In the meantime, members of the higher education community are invited to contribute to the ongoing consultation on the future of the initiative. We look forward to share more important and positive updates in the months ahead.
Cover photo by Google DeepMind from Pexels