Applying for teacher and researcher exchange

Where can I go on Erasmus+ teacher exchange in Europe?

• Starting from the academic year 2022-2023, the International Exchange Services and Education cooperation unit of the University of Helsinki, staffexchange@helsinki.fi, will sign new Erasmus+ teacher exchange agreements with universities in Erasmus+ programme countries when there’s an outgoing or incoming applicant who has received a preliminary approval from the applicant’s academic contact person at the receiving institution. Erasmus+ programme countries include EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia.
   
• The International Exchange Services and Education cooperation unit, staffexchange@helsinki.fi, will sign a new teacher exchange agreement for your visit, if needed. This means that you no longer have to choose your Erasmus+ teacher exchange destination from a list. All universities located in an Erasmus+ programme country (EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia) are possible teacher exchange destinations.

Before exchange

• You can start planning your exchange by contacting colleagues in your own field who teach at a university which you are interested in.
• The teacher exchange must include at least 4 hours of teaching per week if the visit also includes development of pedagogical skills, or at least 8 hours per week if the visit only includes teaching. Teaching can include, for example, lectures, teaching a small group, thesis guidance or training given to host university staff members. Development of pedagogical skills can include discussion about teaching methods and giving peer feedback.
• Criteria for teacher exchange
• When you have made preliminary plans about the visit, please contact the International Exchange Services and Education cooperation unit, staffexchange@helsinki.fi about 3 months before your visit or earlier, so that the teacher exchange agreement is valid before your exchange begins.
• Discuss and agree on the exchange with your supervisor before submitting the application. The exchange can be included in your annual work plan, if you start preparing well in advance.
• When you have your supervisor's and host institution's permission for your exchange, fill in an application in the Mobility Online application system at least two months before the exchange. You can find the detailed application form instructions in a pdf file, which you can get from staffexchange@helsinki.fi upon request.
• Your Mobility Online application answers will be used in the Mobility Agreement for Teaching document for your exchange. Mobility Agreement for Teaching is a compulsory attachment, which is required by the European Commission. Please sign the Mobility Agreement yourself and send it to host university for the contact person's signature. Once you get it back, the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation unit will sign it on behalf of the University of Helsinki.
• When you have sent the signed Mobility Agreement to the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation unit, International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation will decide on the Erasmus+ travel grant. You will receive a request to approve the terms and conditions of your exchange and the amount of the travel grant.
• When you have approved the terms and conditions as required in the Erasmus+ programme, please submit a travel request and allocate it to the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation wbs using the code in the travel grant decision. In the travel request, estimate the overall costs of the journey (including the costs of travel, accommodation, other costs, per diem). If the estimated cost of your trip exceeds the maximum allowance granted in the travel grant decision, please submit your travel request normally and include all the obligatory costs in the same travel request using the same wbs code. The decision regarding the costs which exceed the Erasmus grant will be made based on your travel request.
• Once International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation has approved your travel request, you can make binding travel arrangements in accordance with the accepted travel funding, the University of Helsinki’s travel instructions and Erasmus+ rules and regulations.

During exchange

• You will receive a Letter of Confirmation with the e-mail containing the decision on your travel grant. Print the Letter of Confirmation and take it with you when you leave for your exchange. Ask your contact person at the receiving university to sign your Letter of Confirmation at the end of the exchange period.

After exchange

• Return the signed Letter of Confirmation to the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation unit.
• Submit a travel expense report and allocate it to the wbs code of the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation within two months of returning from the trip, preferably as soon as possible. Your travel expense report will be compared with your travel request, which includes the estimated costs. International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation will not cover expenses that exceed the maximum sum of the travel grant.
•  After the exchange, give feedback on the teacher exchange by filling in the European Commission's EU Survey feedback form which you will receive by e-mail. Your feedback will be seen by the European Commission, the Erasmus+ National Agency in Finland and the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation. Answering the feedback survey is a prerequisite for accepting your travel expense report.
• Don’t forget to record your exchange trip in the Research Portal of the University of Helsinki.
• We hope that you can make the most of your exchange experience in different contexts. Your own unit is interested in hearing about your experiences. The International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation unit is also interested in your exchange experiences and will be glad to invite exchange participants to share their exchange experiences at various events.

University of Helsinki has been granted funding for Erasmus+ ICM teacher exchanges in certain partner universities outside of Europe.

There is funding for Erasmus+ ICM teacher exchanges to the following destinations. You have to apply for the Erasmus+ ICM exchanges no later than three months before the exchange but preferably as soon as possible:

-Egypt: American University of Cairo: 2 teacher exchanges lasting 5 working days each, academic year 2023-2024 or 2024-2025
-Morocco: Université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah: 3 teacher exchanges lasting 5 working days each, academic year 2023-2024 or 2024-2025
-Jordania: Hashemite University: 1 teacher exchanges lasting 5 working days, academic year 2023-2024 or 2024-2025
-Vietnam: Vietnam National University of Forestry: 2 teacher exchanges lasting max. 12 days each, academic year 2023-2024, 2024-2025 or 2025-2026. Note! Only for teachers of forest sciences.
-Kenya: Strathmore University: 1 teacher exchange lasting max. 12 days, academic year 2023-2024, 2024-2025 or 2025-2026
-Kanada: Queen's University: 1 teacher exchange lasting max. 12 days, academic year 2023-2024, 2024-2025 or 2025-2026

Funding for Erasmus+ ICM teacher exchanges is granted in order of arrival of the applications.

If you wish to go on an exchange to one of the listed universities make sure to first contact staffexchange@helsinki.fi. See application instructions above from Erasmus+ teacher exchange application instructions for destinations in Europe. 
 

Also see criteria for teacher exchanges here.

The application process is for the most part similar to destinations within Europe, but Erasmus+ ICM teaching exchange agreements are not made on a need-basis, but are always based on the Erasmus+ ICM funding granted to the University of Helsinki.

Background information: University of Helsinki applies for Erasmus+ ICM funding from the Finnish National Agency for Education once a year through a university-wide application. Study programmes have to opportunity to suggest new partner universities for this application. Instructions found here.