Rules for implementing long-term student and doctoral student study mobilities in the Erasmus+ KA171 programme

Formal eligibility criteria

1. The students eligible to apply for a study period in the third country not associated with the Programme are third-cycle/PhD students of the Doctoral School that are officially registered at the University of Szczecin and have been selected for mobility.
2. A selected candidate should have completed at least one semester of their third-cycle/doctoral studies before the mobility starts.
3. A mobility for studies is organised in the 2023-1-PL01-KA171-HED-000121878 project in the following HEIs:
   – Albania: European University of Tirana, Barleti University;
   – China: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Ningbo University, China University of Geosciences;
   – Canada: Concordia University of Edmonton;
   – Georgia: Grigol Robakidze University, Caucasus University, Shota Rustaveli State University;
   – Montenegro: University of Montenegro.

4. A mobility for studies is organised only on the ground of an interinstitutional agreement that includes a student mobility for studies in a discipline that a doctoral student is educated in.
5. A study period at the partner HEI lasts one semester and takes place until 15 July 2026.
6. The mobility participants should have recognition of their study period abroad as equivalent to the period of studies at the University of Szczecin guaranteed.  To do so, a grading scale established by the HEIs participating in the 2023-1-PL01-KA171-HED-0000121878 project is applied.
7. A study mobility within the Erasmus+ programme can be organized several times in the entire period of study, with the maximum total duration of the study period and/or traineeship being 12 months at each level of study (1st, 2nd, or 3rd cycle), and in case of a student of a uniform master’s degree programme – 24 months. In each case, the period when a student/doctoral student stayed as a scholarship holder in the LLP-Erasmus or Erasmus+ (with or without a scholarship) will be deducted from the maximum total duration.
8. A mobility is organized according to the rules set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/programme-guide_en ) and guidelines of Polish National Agency for Erasmus+
   II. Financial aspects
9. Mobility participants receive individual financial support in the amount of 700 EUR per month and an additional grant to cover travel expenses calculated upon a distance using a calculator provided by the European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/tools/distance_en.htm
   

   Distance	Amount	Green travel
   10 – 99 km:	23 EUR	x
   100 – 499 km:	180 EUR	210 EUR
   500 -1999 km	275 EUR	320 EUR
   2000 – 2999 km:	360 EUR	410 EUR
   3000 – 3999 km	530 EUR	610 EUR
   4000 – 7999 km	820 EUR	x
   8000 km and above	1500 EUR	x

10. Students who opt for a green travel will receive up to 4 days of additional individual support to cover travel days for a return trip, if relevant.
11. Sustainable means of transport (green travel) is defined as the travel that uses low-emissions means of transport for the main part of the travel, such as bus, train or car-pooling.
12. Top-up amount to individual support and/or travel support for green travel is granted on a basis of student’s statement in the application form. In order to verify the statement, a student is required to show proof of the green travel ( e.g., bus ticket, confirmation from car-pooling application, etc.). The rules of settlement of green travel are regulated separately.
13. A co-financing period is stated in the grant agreement, the minimum lenght of co-financing stay is 60 days, and maximum lenght is 150 days. In the case of incomplete months, the financial support from Erasmus+ EU funds is calculated by multiplying the number of days in the incomplete month with 1/30 of the unit cost per month.
14. A grant received by the participant is meant to be a co-financing that equalizes the difference of costs of living between sending and receiving country. A grant does not cover all costs incurred due to the participant’s stay abroad.
    III. Qualification
15. The primary criterium of the qualification is justifying mobility in the context of the candidate’s doctoral dissertation and research. Moreover, in relation to the working/lecture language, an applicant should document their foreign language competences at least at B2 level.
16.  An additional 0,5 point can be awarded to the applicants for extraordinary achievements, extracurricular activities for the university, etc. The international exchange coordinator in charge of the qualification assigns an additional 0,5 point on the ranking list to the applicants on a basis of the documents attached to the application.
17. In order to verify language competences, the holders of language certificates confirming language skills at at least B2 level according to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) should attach it to their application. The graduates of foreign philology study programmes are not required to produce such certificate, if it is a language of lectures at the receiving HEI.
18. Language competences at the required level, as well as acceptance and assignment of a tutor, are prerequisites for qualifying for a study mobility. Whereas a ranking criterion that determines granting of the scholarship is the substantive evaluation of the application content.
19. In case of insufficient funds for granting scholarships to all applicants, priority over students/doctoral students from the country in which the host university is located is given to students/doctoral students who do not come from that country.
20. A mobility of a student/doctoral student who comes from a country in which the receiving HEI is located should maintain its international focus and a lanagugae of the mobility should be different from a mother tongue of the student/doctoral student.
21. The first qualification for a study mobility taking place in the first semester of the 2024/25 lasts from 01 March to 02 April 2024. Information about the deadlines and rules of application should be published and available to all potential applicants.
22. If all funds are not used in the first qualification, the coordinators for international exchange open next calls for application until the funds are exhausted on the following dates: from 07 October to 17 November 2024 (a second semester of 2024/25), from 01 March to 06 April 2025 (a first semester of 2025/26), from 05 May to 05 June 2025 (a first semester of 2025/26) and from 13 October to 16 November 2025 (a second semester of 2025/26).
23. Applicants file their online application form in English with the required documents attached.
24. A qualification committee at the Doctoral School decides on the positive qualification of the applicant. A ranking list from the qualification commitee meeting is sent to the International Relations Office no later than 7 working days after the call for application is closed.
25. An applicant can appeal to the Director of the Doctoral School the decision of the committee within 5 working days from the decision being published. A decision of the Director of the Doctoral School can be appealed within 5 days since the second decision was received to the Vi-ce Rector responsible for the international relations. A decision of the vice-rector responsible for the international relations is final and binding.
26. A candidate who received a positive decision from the qualification committee but does not have a certificate confirming his language competences can participate in the level test according to the rules established by the International Relations Department.
27. The International Relations Department within 14 days since the qualification ended sends application documents to the receiving HEIs.
28. The receiving HEIs verify sent applications within 14 days and assign scientific supervisors to the number of candidates within a limit set out in the project budget.
    IV. Erasmus+ grant agreement
29. An applicant becomes a participant of the Erasmus+ programme when signing the grant agreement. The grant agreement is a basis for the grant payment. A scholarship rate, the total amount of the co-financing, bank account details where scholarship should be paid, period of the mobility (period of co-financing) and obligations of the signing parties. The grant agreement is signed by the student/doctoral student and a legal representative of the University of Szczecin.
30. The grant agreement is signed, provided that a student/doctoral student presents the following documents:
    • Learning Agreement for Studies signed by a relevant coordinator for international exchange;
    • Consent for a mobility issued by the Director of the Doctoral School and a supervisor;
    • Proof of required insurance.
31.  Students/doctoral students registered at several study programmes should settle their absence in advance, for example Dean’s leave, individual organisation of studies.
    V. Changes to Learning Agreement during the mobility
32. In case if the Learning Agreement cannot be fulfilled as approved before the mobility for reasons beyond the control of the student/doctoral student, it is allowed to make amendments such as changing, deleting and adding new subjects.
33. Changes introduced are subject to the approval of the home Doctoral School within 1 month since classes at the partner HEI started. The changes are approved by signing „during the mobility” part of the Learning Agreement. Lack of approval or lack of request of approval and passing subjects not listed in LA may be construed as failure to meet the terms of the grant agreement and may result in return of the scholarship and lack of recognition of the unapproved subjects.
34. To make changes to the LA, the participant should fill in the ‘during mobility’ part of the LA, sign and get confirmation from the relevant coordinator at the partner HEI, upload the document to the online application system to receive approval from the coordinator at the University of Szczecin. The coordinator approves the changes by signing the document and uploading it to the online application system as well.
    VI. Settlement of the scholarship
35. Within two weeks of the end of the scholarship period, the participant must provide the following documents:
    – Original ‘Before the mobility’ part of Learning Agreement signed by both the sending and receiving institutions;
    – Original part of the ‘During mobility’ of the Learning Agreement signed by the both sending and receiving institutions, if relevant;
    – Original ‘Section to be completed after mobility’ part of the Learning Agreement signed by the receiving institution.
36. A student/doctoral student is obliged to fill in the on-line participant report.
37. A student/doctoral student is also obliged to contact the coordinator and settle/credit their stay abroad at the University of Szczecin.
38. The recognition of the period of stay abroad of the student / doctoral student as equivalent to their stay in their home institution is carried out in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of Studies/Doctoral Studies. The coordinator for international exchange fills Table E of „Section to be completed after the mobility” in and sends original of it to the International Relations Department.

Original documents available
at the International Relations Dept. by request.