I. Institutional internationalisation and modernisation strategy

Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) considers the participation in the Erasmus+ programme as a key element in realising its internationalisation agenda, which constitutes an inherent part of the current (2016-2020) and future Institutional Development Plan. International activities continue to pervade every level of the University’s operation, being a fundamental element in all three main mission components of higher education institutions, such as 1) education, 2) research, development & innovation, as well as 3) third mission activities.

As the oldest continuously operating, largest and most prestigious university of Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) not only has its traditions but also has forward looking role with its diverse research activities, innovative education portfolio and intensive international presence that makes it possible to possess a stable position in international university rankings with one of the highest rates from the country; and a decisive role in the Central and Eastern European region. Building on this heritage and potential, with the help of the Erasmus+ programme, ELTE intends to enrich and strengthen its international profile and role through:

• On national, regional and European level:
  • sustaining the leading role in top research and education by maintaining high-quality partnerships with best international partners as well as seeking for cooperation with Hungarian universities in mutually beneficial ways;
  • representing the Hungarian higher education and the needs and values of Central European research HEIs with active participation in prestigious networks, alliances and organisations in many cases as the only Hungarian member university (such as the Coimbra Group, the European University Foundation or the LERU CE7 Group);
  • initiating and further developing relations with Hungarian HEIs in the neighbouring countries to preserve Hungarian culture and language;
  • initiating joint degree programmes and different development and innovation projects;
  • building one of the first new European Universities as a member of the CHARM-EU Alliance;
• On global level:
  • further developing and supporting its already existing partnerships with universities and research centres with HEIs outside the EU;
  • deepening successful strategic cooperations within the frames of cooperation and innovation projects;
  • improving its position in different international rankings.

Aligned with the main objectives of the European Education Area, ELTE aims to promote and offer an inclusive, high-quality transnational and intercultural learning environment for all students – including all sensitive groups – as well as academic and non-academic staff with the intensive support of the Erasmus+ scheme. In order to successfully implement this guiding principle, the University intends:

1. to provide all beneficiaries with diverse opportunities for competence development, preparing them with necessary skills for successfully coping with the challenges of the 21st century through:
   • stimulating ELTE students efficiently to participate in mobility programmes;
   • increasing the number of international students, both exchange and degree seekers;
   • facilitating the international involvement and networking of academic staff;
   • encouraging the participation of non-academic staff in mobility activities and cooperation programmes;
   • providing all sensitive groups with more inclusive and accessible mobility opportunities, especially through blended mobility activities.
2. to provide quality services for all beneficiaries involved in international activities through:
   • providing accessible and digitalised support services, including administrative and organisational services to all;
   • promoting multilingualism, therefore offering a great variety of language courses, student and employee services in Hungarian and English;
   • offering guidance services to students and employees;
   • supporting socialisation and civic engagement activities through strong collaboration with external partners, e.g. ESN;
   • promoting environmentally friendly solutions for participating in mobility activities.
3. to strengthen the internationalisation of education and research through:
   • supporting knowledge exchange and dissemination of experiences of former participants in mobility activities and results of cooperation projects;
   • initiating and continuing development and innovation projects, based on inter-institutional cooperations;
   • maintaining existing joint degree programmes and establishing new ones on all three cycles of higher education (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD), greatly supported by the active involvement and collaboration through networks and alliances; strengthening and reaching its full potential of the CHARM-EU European University Alliance with its strategic partners.

II. Implementation plan of the Erasmus+ actions

Within the cooperation framework of Erasmus+ 2021-2027, ELTE would like to seize the opportunity to utilise all activities available in the three key actions in order to support the quality enhancement of its internationalisation processes and activities.

Learning mobility

First and foremost, ELTE is dedicated to support the transnational and intercultural learning of all university citizens, therefore involves the widest possible range of students and staff into its international activities through Key Action 1 (KA1).

KA1 individual mobility is considered to be the main means to achieve the goals of competence development through either cross-border or internationalisation at home activities to both students and staff. Regarding Erasmus+ student mobility, ELTE has a long tradition and established management system, allowing the institution to build its student mobility profile on this heritage. Nevertheless, KA1 is a great incentive to continuously improve the organisation, administration processes and quality services, including intercultural training courses, events with civic engagement focus, language learning and supplementary services. In line with these ambitions, it is a significant priority to make Erasmus+ mobility opportunities more inclusive and accessible to all university citizens, through promoting more flexible mobility formats, such as blended mobility, into which a lot of effort has already been put through KA2 projects (HLiTL).

While student mobility is usually at the forefront of discourses on internationalisation, ELTE considers KA1 staff mobility an equally important phenomenon in order to provide a supporting and stimulating professional environment to the academic and non-academic staff at ELTE. Since staff mobility is the most important multiplier for student mobility, therefore ELTE is dedicated to promoting mobility opportunities for teaching quality enhancement and professional development of academic staff. Also, the meaningful implementation of KA1 supports the internationalisation of education and research through the established scientific cooperations and obtained competence development of the academic staff. Parallelly, the continuous training of the non-academic staff with the help of Erasmus+ staff training is aimed to contribute to the career development of ELTE staff as well as to create an interculturally sensitive working environment at the University. Through joining the Blended Erasmus+ Staff Training (BEST+) initiative, ELTE is committed to intensify its involvement in professional staff weeks, while it also strongly supports initiatives like SUCTI or FESC, related to the professional development of international officers, and is committed to implement their results.

On national, regional and European level, KA1 provides ELTE with the opportunity to establish strong and mutually beneficial inter-institutional cooperations with a great number of universities. Cooperations with partner institutions of the EHEA give ELTE the means to increase both outbound and inbound mobility capacities and the number of offered courses significantly in several scientific areas. Moreover, these KA1 partnerships provide a great forum for initiating more strategic partnerships that might lead to designing cooperation and innovation projects through Key Action 2 (KA2).

On a global level, bilateral cooperations with non-EU institutions through KA1 International Credit Mobility programme is of strategic importance to ELTE, as they provide beneficiaries with diverse learning opportunities through immersion in unique cultures, learning of languages less frequently spoken in the European Union and cooperation with scientific fields that are less represented within the EHEA. Also, these connections open a platform for fruitful exchange of knowledge and best practices on higher levels with strategic regions, especially through providing non-EU institutions with the possibility to be involved in Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree programmes or European University Alliances (KA2) as associated partners. These cooperations can also serve as informal ways of capacity building to the participating institutions.

Cooperation among organisations and institutions

KA2 actions have a constantly growing importance within the internationalisation agenda of ELTE. It is a key priority to ELTE to keep participating and initiating development and innovation projects with its EU and non-EU institutions partners that are aimed at improving certain priorities of the Erasmus+ actions and tools. These projects are linked to recognition (NORM); sustainability (UNI-ECO); non-traditional mobility types, with special regard blended and short-term mobility solutions (HLiTL), as well as quality teaching mobility (TWE+). Other projects concerning the digitalisation of Erasmus+ are currently running (Erasmus+ mobile App 2.0) or under evaluation, but ELTE is committed to constantly analyse the needs and initiatives of the higher education community and get involved or start new cooperation or innovation projects.

A key area of ELTE’s international cooperation is to launch dual, multiple and joint degree programmes through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree action that support increasing the number of international full degree students at ELTE, while providing academics with quality teaching mobility opportunities through KA1. EMJMDs are perceived as ambassadors of excellence and quality in terms of their outstanding scientific content, highly coherent curriculum, innovative mobility solutions and exemplary student services at ELTE. Therefore, they serve as best practices in the context of the development of the CHARM-EU Alliance and its programmes, services and management structures as well.

The development and sustainable implementation of the cooperation in the CHARM-EU European University Alliance is among the top priorities to ELTE. The active participation in CHARM-EU provides ELTE with the opportunity to apply a truly innovative approach in several respects. One of the main goals within the work package “Mobility”, coordinated by ELTE, is to make mobility a norm through introducing mobility to the educational principles of the alliance, and synergistically including them in the programme learning outcomes, therefore mobility becomes an indispensable part of the delivery of CHARM-EU. Moreover, since ELTE is in charge of leading the mobility work package within CHARM-EU, therefore directly piloting, validating and introducing the innovative, inclusive and sustainable outcomes in its general operation is a honorific responsibility and a great opportunity for the University. Furthermore, being also responsible for the work package of “Inclusiveness” in CHARM-EU’s work, ELTE has a unique opportunity of tackling all the relevant aspects of inclusion with regard to their relation to different types of mobility, integrating these into the innovative mobility portfolio of the Alliance.

Support to policy development and cooperation

The professional capacities and resources allow ELTE to participate in initiatives that intend to support system-level changes through policy recommendations, aligned with the aims of Key Action 3 (KA3). The university has a number of intensifying strategic partnerships, as well as experiences in KA2 projects through networks and alliances that provide ELTE with the possibility to already work on policy recommendations. Henceforth, the constructive and systematic work within the CHARM-EU Alliance gives ELTE the opportunity to analyse and give feedback from a unique perspective on respective policies. Stemming from these experiences, ELTE is committed to launch its participation in KA3.

III. Impact

Targets, qualitative and quantitative indicators taken by ELTE are fully aligned with its internationalisation agenda and implementation plan of the Erasmus+ actions. The indicators are as follows:

Mobility targets for student/staff:

• Increasing the number of incoming and outgoing mobility students and staff, aiming at the target of 20% mobile students among graduates.
• Increasing the quality of teaching mobility. TWE+ assessment tool is widely used among teaching mobility participants by 2022.
• More blended student and staff mobility. Blended mobility is present at every Faculty by 2027.

Quality of implementation:

• Easier recognition process by establishing curricula matching databases. Increasing the number of mobility windows in the study programmes by 2022.
• Increasing the number of students and staff choosing environmentally friendly travelling options.
• More students with disadvantaged background or special needs on mobility, extending the target group supported by inclusivity mobility funds.
• Realizing mobility exchange with non-EU strategic partners every academic year, increasing the number of subject fields and mobility participants involved.

Support for participants on mobility:

• Full digitalisation of the Erasmus+ processes by 2025.
• Highly skilled international staff, introducing biannual evaluation schemes using the FESC framework or similar by 2021.

Involvement in projects and programmes:

• Increasing the involvement in cooperation and innovation projects, as well as in policy development projects by 5-7 successful project applications per year through the next Erasmus+ cycle.
• Increasing the number of projects focusing on Erasmus+ priorities and developments.
• Application to 5 EMJMD as a consortium leader or participant during the next Erasmus+ cycle.
• Strengthening of the cooperation among partners within CHARM-EU and fulfilling the indicators undertaken in the proposal application.

Sustainability/long-term impact of projects and programmes:

• Application and use of results and outcomes of ongoing KA2 projects concerning internationalisation of HEIs in the general operation of the institution.
• Supporting the sustainability of the CHARM-EU Alliance through a CHARM-EU Office that ensures a uniform and high-quality service and administrative background.

Erasmus Charter for Higher Education

The ECHE of Eötvös Loránd University can be downloaded here (number: 101014172-ELTE-ECHE LP-2020).