What is it?
U-Multirank is a new user-driven, multidimensional, world ranking of universities and colleges covering many aspects of higher education: research, teaching and learning, international orientation, knowledge transfer and regional. U-Multirank is an independent ranking, with financial support in its initial years from the European Union.
Why is it being done?
The potential of European higher education institutions to fulfil their role in society and to contribute to economic and social development is underexploited. More transparency is needed so that different stakeholders – students, institutions, businesses, policy makers – can deepen their understanding of how higher education institutions are performing. U-Multirank is a key tool for this.
What has been done?
Following a feasibility study, U-Multirank is now being implemented. See more...

What is it?
The European Tertiary Education Register (ETER) is a database of higher education institutions in Europe which presents comparable information under headings such as numbers of staff and students, subject domains covered, research activity and knowledge transfer.
Why is it being done?
Ministers in the European Higher Education Area committed themselves to making higher education systems easier to understand for the public, and especially for students and employers, especially by supporting the improvement of transparency tools to gather empirical evidence. The European Tertiary Education Register (ETER) is a principal tool for this as it will provide a wider range of comparable basic information on higher education institutions. It will be useful also for higher education institutions to compare their profiles with others (to identify research or educational partners, for example, or to spot opportunities for specialisation) and for policy makers who have to manage the higher education system as a whole.
What has been done?
Following a successful feasibility study , the implementation of the Register is now underway. See more...

National agencies for Erasmus+
Full list of Erasmus+ National Agencies
Country list
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Germany
Denmark
Estonia
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
Croatia
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Latvia
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Malta
The Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Sweden
Slovenia
Slovakia
Turkey
United Kingdom
National Agency details
If information below is incorrect or missing please send an email to EAC-NA-COORDINATION . See more...

Education and Culture Executive agency - EACEA
The agency manages European funding opportunities and networks in the fields of education and training, audiovisual, culture, citizenship and youth.
Research Executive Agency - REA
The agency provides support and funding for EU research programmes.
European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT)
EU body promoting excellence in innovation
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training - CEDEFOP
The centre supports development of European Vocational Education and Training policies and contributes to their implementation.
European Training Foundation - ETF
EU agency that helps transition and developing countries to harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems in the context of the EU's external relations policy.
Networks
Information network on education in Europe – EURYDICE
The Eurydice network supports and facilitates European cooperation in the field of lifelong learning.
Centre for research on lifelong learning – CRELL
CRELL brings together researchers to build a comprehensive and coherent evaluation framework for education and training in Europe, to guide policy-makers towards increased effectiveness, efficiency and equity in national systems.
Network of Experts on Social aspects of Education and Training - NESET
NESET is an independent network of researchers working on social aspects of education and training. It supports the Commission in analysing education policies and reforms.
Economics of education networks - EENEE
The network advises and supports the Commission in the analysis of education policies and reforms and of their implications for future policy development at national and European level. See more...

The Erasmus+ Quality Framework consists of a set of documents outlining the rights and responsibilities of individuals and organisations participating in the Erasmus+ programme .
Erasmus Charter for Higher Education
The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) provides the general quality framework for European and international cooperation activities a higher education institution may carry out within Erasmus+. The award of an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education is a pre-requisite for all higher education institutions located in a programme country and willing to participate in learning mobility of individuals and/or cooperation for innovation and good practices under Erasmus+. For higher education institutions located in other countries, the ECHE is not required, and the quality framework will be established through inter-institutional agreements between higher education institutions. The Charter is awarded for the full duration of Erasmus+. A call for proposals for award of ECHE will be held on annual basis. A list of higher education institutions holding an ECHE is available on the EACEA website .
Inter-Institutional Agreements
Inter-institutional agreements can be signed between two or more higher education institutions, so providing for the possibility of mobilities between groupings of institutions.

• For mobility between higher education institutions in Programme Countries, both or all of them must be holders of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education
• For mobility between higher education institutions in Programme and Participating Countries, those institutions established in a Programme Country must be a holder of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, the institution of the Participating Country agree to the principles laid down in the charter text via the inter-institutional agreement

By signing an inter-institutional agreement, the involved institutions agree to cooperate for the exchange of students and / or staff in the context of Erasmus+. They commit themselves to respect the quality requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education in all aspects of the organisation and management of the mobility and agree on a series of quantitative and qualitative issues to ensure mobility of high quality and impact.
Info and contact
Visit the Erasmus+ website for more information. You can also contact your university or college’s registry office for more information. For further enquiries, please contact your National Agency. Inter-institutional agreement 2014-20 between programme countries:

• Word(109 kB)
• Open doc(39 kB)
• PDF(295 kB)
• Frequently asked questions(145 kB)

Learning Agreement
A “Learning Agreement” is setting out the programme of studies/traineeship to be followed and is approved by the student, the sending and the receiving institution/enterprise. The Learning Agreements puts its emphasis on the thorough preparation of the mobility by including all the educational components/learning outcomes for the future recognition as well as the required language competence of the student. All three parties signing the agreement commit themselves complying with all the arrangements agreed, thereby insuring that the student should receive the recognition for the studies/traineeship abroad.
Erasmus+ Student Charter
Each Erasmus+ student will be given an Erasmus+ Student Charter by their sending university or higher education institution after their selection. The Student Charter highlights the rights and obligations of students participating in Erasmus+. It informs Erasmus+ students about what they are entitled to and what is expected of them during their secondment for studies and/or for a traineeship. In particular, the Erasmus+ Student Charter outlines the basic entitlements of the Erasmus+ students, such as free tuition and full recognition of studies or traineeship abroad. The Charter also specifies the main obligations of the Erasmus+ students, providing them with a concise idea of their duties with regard to both their sending and receiving higher education institutions/enterprise. Consult also “Your rights as a mobile student ” (Youth on the Move guide to the rights of mobile students in the European Union)
Info and contact
You can find out more on the Erasmus+ website . You can also contact your university or college’s registry office for details on specific exchanges between institutions. For further enquiries, please contact your National Agency . See more...

What is it?
If Europe wants to be a leader in innovation and enterprise it must improve the dialogue between the education sector and the market-place. Cooperation between businesses and higher education institutions encourages the transfer and sharing of knowledge, helps create long-term partnerships and opportunities and drives innovation. Closer cooperation with the employment sector helps universities develop curricula that are relevant and meet the needs of individuals and society, equipping graduates with the right skills and mind-sets for the labour market. There are many examples of successful co-operation between academia and industry throughout Europe. However, the level of co-operation varies considerably between different countries, universities and academic disciplines.
How does the EU support this?
The University-Business Forum

• An annual forum that brings together higher education institutions, companies, business associations, intermediaries, and public authorities, providing them with a common space at a European level for dialogue, networking, and the exchange of good practice. This event looks not only at the staus quo but also investigates what might be needed in terms of new policy initiatives and programmes.
  The Fifth University-Business Forum (9.29 Mb) took place in June 2013.
• Regular Thematic Forums are also held across Europe in cooperation with Member States to address key themes at national and regional level.
  The most recent thematic forum took place in Warsaw(8.35 Mb) in November 2013.

The Knowledge Alliances
The Knowledge Alliances are structured partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses, working on projects that promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by developing new approaches to teaching and learning. They aim to create new multi-disciplinary curricula to promote transferrable skills and entrepreneurship within education as well as encouraging a more systemic culture of cooperation between the business and academic sector for mutual benefit.
Studies
Studies on the various aspects of University-Business Cooperation are regularly commissioned, looking at a variety of sectors, member states and specific topics. The most recent studies have included the first comprehensive review of the state of university-business cooperation in Europe(3.07 Mb) , and a study on innovation in higher education(5.87 Mb) . Several individual reports on the state of University-Business Cooperation in specifc member states are also now available. Much of this work is the outcomes of discussions that have taken place during the various Forums organised by the Commission and in partnership with institutions in the member states. See more...

Welcome to PLOTEUS (Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space).
PLOTEUS aims to help students, job seekers, workers, parents, guidance counsellors and teachers to find out information about studying in Europe.
On this portal you will find information on learning opportunities and training possibilities available throughout the European Union. The website contains links to web sites of universities and higher education institutions, databases of schools and vocational training and adult education courses. To help making informed choices this portal also contains links to websites where you find everything you need to know when moving to another European country. You will find links to:

What is Europass?
Five documents to make your skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood in Europe:
- Two documents freely accessible, completed by European citizens:

• the Curriculum Vitae helps you present your skills and qualifications effectively and clearly. You can create your CV online using tutorials or download the template, examples and instructions.
• the Language Passport is a self-assessment tool for language skills and qualifications. You can create your Language Passport online using tutorials or download the template, examples and instructions.

- Three documents issued by education and training authorities:

• the Europass Mobility records the knowledge and skills acquired in another European country;
• the Certificate Supplement describes the knowledge and skills acquired by holders of vocational education and training certificates;
• the Diploma Supplement describes the knowledge and skills acquired by holders of higher education degrees.

- A network of National Europass Centres - the first point of contact if you want to learn more about Europass.
Its objective

• to help citizens communicate their skills and qualifications effectively when looking for a job or training;
• to help employers understand the skills and qualifications of the workforce;
• to help education and training authorities define and communicate the content of curricula.

The European Commission's Opening up Education initiative in a nutshell
The main goal of this initiative is to stimulate ways of learning and teaching through ICT and digital content, mainly through the development and availability of OER. Amongst its actions, the most important one is to change the role of digital technologies at school. All the actions within the initiative are put in place with the hope that they help attain the ultimate objective, namely to boost competitiveness and growth at the European level.
Opening up Education calls for EU-level cooperation to push reforms towards the adoption of open learning environments as drivers to enhance digital skills both for pupils and teachers, and in education in general. Another major concern of the European Commission, stated in this initiative and in alignment with the Open Education Europa portal, is to be able to support the deployment and availability of digital technology and content.
This initiative addresses several educational difficulties at the European level. Europe is falling behind in the digital sphere; the great majority of schools are not digitally equipped and their students are not taught by digitally confident teachers, rather teachers who mainly use ICT to prepare their teaching but not as a skill for students to develop in the classroom. In the background, remains the threat of facing a new digital divide between those who have access to innovative, tech-based education and the digitally excluded.
The solution lays in open technologies that grant access to education for everyone and allow:
- students to build knowledge from open and free sources other than their teachers and institutions, and with different methods;
- everyone to engage in learning/study groups, thus creating learning communities beyond their classrooms;
- make personalisation and customisation of education a much easier task;
- teachers to create communities of practice to exchange teaching materials and best practices;
- provide access to a wider range of educational resources across borders and languages.
The actions foreseen in this initiative hope to enable Europe to gain leadership in education, attract new talent, train its citizens with the relevant skills, and as a consequence fuel innovation, productivity and growth.
The Open Education Europa portal: a key player to improve visibility of high-quality European OER
The main goal of the Open Education Europa portal is to grant access to all existing high-quality European OER repositories in different languages in order to make them easily accessible for learners, teachers and researchers. The ultimate aim is to be able to foster the wide use and creation of OER in several languages, for all educational sectors and disciplines, and to help overcome the current fragmentation of European OER use.