Erasmus+ Staff Mobility

A short guest lectureship at one of our European partner universities? Or would you like to broaden your horizons as a member of the university administration or participate in an International Week in your area of expertise? The Erasmus+ program gives you the opportunity to realize such a project in one of the participating countries.

The aim is to get to know the work in a university administration or institution of another European university, to establish contacts and to exchange experiences.

Within the framework of a staff mobility, stays of 2 to 60 days can be funded for teaching activities or further education and training purposes at host institutions abroad.

Teaching Mobility

As a lecturer, your stay will strengthen the international dimension of the partner university, complement its teaching offer and impart your expertise to students who cannot or do not wish to study abroad. This will include the development of joint study programs between the two universities and the exchange of teaching content and teaching methods. In addition, your mobility abroad makes you an important multiplier for oTH Köln students.

The common goal should be to encourage students to spend an academic or pre-professional period abroad.

Training Mobility

Mobilities for further education and training purposes are aimed at the entire staff of TH Köln: Executive Board, university departments, central institutions and faculties. It offers the possibility of a training stay at a partner university, in a company or at another relevant workplace abroad. The training and further education should have relevance for the daily work at TH Köln. Possible mobility formats in this context are for example:

• Job shadowing
• Participation in workshops/ seminars/ trainings
• Participation in an International Staff Week
• Participation in exams
• Support/ supervision of students
• Monitoring of Erasmus+ projects

A combination of teaching, training and continuing education projects is possible as well. Research projects and conference participation are not eligible for funding.

Grants are awarded to cover travel and subsistence expenses. You will be reimbursed for the mobility costs as part of the travel expense report for business trips up to the maximum funding amount via ESS. The maximum funding amount is calculated based on Erasmus+ lump sums.

Travel grants

Travel costs are calculated depending on the distance between the origin and destination of the mobility using the EU online calculator. Slightly increased travel grants are awarded for "green travel":

Cost of Stay

Cost of stay are budgeted depending on the destination country.

(participants with chronic illnesses, disabilities and/or accompanying children)

In order to achieve equal opportunities within the Erasmus+ program, it is possible to apply for additional financial support for university employees with fewer opportunities for their costs incurred during their stay abroad via a separate “real cost application” to the NA DAAD.

The following persons are considered participants with “fewer opportunities”:

• Participants with a degree of disability of 20 or more
• or a proven disability, due to which there is an additional financial need
• or a chronic illness (physical or mental).

As well as

• Participants who take their child/children with them throughout their stay abroad.

It is possible to apply for reimbursement of additional costs incurred abroad due to disabilities (e.g. accompanying persons, medical care, travel costs and increased accommodation costs) or bringing children along (travel, care and accommodation costs) up to 15,000 euros per staff mobility.

The real cost application is jointly prepared together with the participant and then submitted to the NA DAAD by the Erasmus+ university coordinator. The official application must be submitted by post to the NA DAAD no later than two months before the start of the mobility.

Please contact us, if you expect additional costs abroad and meet one of the above criteria. The International Scholar Services will advise you on this matter.

The stay abroad must be at least two days and can be a maximum of 60 days - due to the scarcity of funding, usually only stays of up to 14 days can be funded. A stay of one week is recommended.

Please also note that appropriate language skills are required for a successful stay abroad. Furthermore, there should be a basic willingness to receive a return visit.

Additional requirements for teaching mobility

In the case of a teaching mobility, the stay must comprise at least eight teaching units per week. In the case of a combination of teaching, further education and training, the proportion of required teaching units is reduced to four per week.

Furthermore, in the case of mobility for teaching purposes, a cooperation agreement between the TH Köln and the host university must already exist or be concluded for this purpose.

If the host institution has not yet been determined at the time of application or the acceptance has not yet been received, you can still apply by indicating your preferred country / host institution. This applies in particular to employees who do not have any international contacts.

Applications can be submitted for a maximum of two mobilities per semester. In this case, please indicate which mobility should be given priority in the selection process

Provided that sufficient funding is available, all mobility applications will be funded.

According to the guidelines of the EU Commission, only 20% of the total available funding within a funding year can be spent on mobilities to Erasmus+ partner countries.

If more applications are received than funding is available for mobilities to program or partner countries, the selection will be made according to the following criteria:

• Employees who are undertaking international mobility for the first time will be given priority in the selection process.
• The number of funded mobility activities is limited to one stay per employee and funding year.
• Limitation of the funding period to a maximum of two weeks.

You will be informed about the selection decisions by e-mail no later than eight weeks after the application deadline.

Once you have been selected, we will clarify whether all the essential details (commitment of the host institution, duration, dates, means of transport) of the stay have already been determined. If there are any uncertainties or questions, we will be happy to clarify them in a consultation.

As soon as all key data of your mobility have been determined, two agreements will be concluded with you:

• The "Grant Agreement" represents the funding agreement between you and TH Köln. It forms the contractual and financial basis of the stay abroad and contains, among other things, the duration of the funding period, the reporting obligations of the grantees as well as the intended financial Erasmus+ funding and the method of reimbursement of your mobility costs.
• The "Mobility Agreement" forms the mobility agreement between your host institution, TH Köln and you. It should specify the period, the objectives, the contents as well as the expected results of the stay. This document is signed by all three parties before the start of the mobility.

In addition, you will receive the following two documents:

• The "Letter of Confirmation" - a confirmation about the completed stay abroad, which the host institution has to sign at the end of the mobility.
• The funding approval serves as internal proof for your travel expense report in ESS-MSS.

We wish you a successful and enjoyable stay abroad and look forward to hearing about your experiences.