Capacity Building in Higher Education: great success for Finnish higher education institutions on the 2019 application round

Programmes Higher education Erasmus+ for higher education Erasmus+ yhteiset Internationalisation

The European Commission awarded funding to a total 163 of Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects of which nine are coordinated by Finnish higher education institutions.

Photo: Unsplash

In addition to the nine CBHE projects coordinated by Finland, Finnish higher education institutions act as partners in eight funded projects. On the Finnish scale, this is a successful result as the number of coordinated projects from Finland is the highest one of the whole Erasmus+ programme period which started in 2014.

The European Commission received a total of 833 applications. 145 Million euros were granted for total 163 selected projects. Compared to two previous application rounds, slightly more projects were funded and the success rate was 19.57 %. There were 82 applications submitted with Finnish participation and the success rate of these applications was slightly higher than the overall success rate, being 20,7%.

Partners from various countries outside Europe

The variety of EU-external partner countries taking part in CBHE projects is vast. Among the applications, a total of 127 different partner countries were listed. The most sought out regions were Southern Mediterranean Area and Asia with the largest budget shares.

The Finnish higher education institutions acting as project coordinators are Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (2 projects), Tampere University of Applied Sciences (2 projects), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Häme University of Applied Sciences, Aalto University, University of Jyväskylä, and University of Turku.

Some examples of the themes of the projects coordinated by Finland are: fighting hybrid threats in Ukraine (University of Jyväskylä), teaching entrepreneurship in food and agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa (Häme University of Applied Sciences); and equitable access to higher education for students with disabilities in Nepal (Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences). In projects where Finland acts as a partner, the topics include for instance: developing health care education in Iran (University of Tampere), and strengthening the working life relevance of higher education in Western Balkans (University of Vaasa).

Congratulations to all selected projects!

The next possibility to apply for CBHE projects is in the autumn 2019 when the 2020 application round opens. The Finnish National Agency for Education will provide guidance for applicants.

What are Capacity Building in Higher Education projects?

Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects in the field of higher education support the modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of higher education in EU-external Partner Countries. The aim of Capacity Building projects is to improve the administration of Partner Countries' higher education, develop leadership and innovation capabilities, promote internationalisation and modernise education systems. In Capacity Building projects, Finnish higher education institutions can support the development of higher education in Partner Countries through cooperation and exchanging expertise and good practices. The funding for an individual project ranges from 500 000 € to 1 million €.

Text: Anna-Maria Strengell and Sini Piippo