International educational programmes Atlantis
General information
The origin of the EU-U.S. cooperation in education and training dates from the 1990 Transatlantic Declaration on EU-U.S. Relations. Following a two-year exploratory phase, two Cooperation Agreements between the European Community and the United States signed in 1995 and 2000 enabled a total of 107 transatlantic consortia to be funded, involving 726 European and United States institutions of higher education and vocational education adn training. More than 4000 U.S. and EU students were involved with these consortia projects and have participated in the study abroad programs.
The third agreements became effective in 2006 for programme support until 2013. The agreement moves the EU-U.S. programme in a new direction. The programme pursues the more ambitious aim of implementing joint or dual transatlantic undergraduate degrees within a smaller consortium.
Atlantis Actions
The 2009 ATLANTIS Call for Proposals covers the following actions:
- Transatlantic Degree Consortia Projects
This Action provides support for consortia of EU and U.S. higher education institutions to implement dual/double or joint degree programmes. Transatlantic Degree consortia projects may apply for three types of funding: i) flat rates/fixed amounts for administering the project to consortia institutions, ii) transatlantic mobility grants to EU and U.S. students and iii) transatlantic mobility grants to EU and U.S. faculty. The overall amount of funding on the EU side for a 4-year Transatlantic Degree consortia Project cannot exceed a maximum of EUR 408,000/EUR 428,000 (depending on the number of partners of the consortium).
- Excellence Mobility Projects
This Action provides funding for international curriculum development projects that involve short term transatlantic mobility not directly related to the award of a joint or dual/double degree. Consortia applying for such kind of project must be able to demonstrate a proven track record in transatlantic cooperation and exchanges including those funded under preceding EU-U.S. agreements. Support includes mobility stipends for students and faculty and flat rates/fixed amounts for the consortia institutions. The overall amount of funding on the EU side for a 4-year Excellence Mobility Project cannot exceed a maximum of EUR 180,000.
- Policy Oriented Measures
This Action provides support to multilateral EU-US projects and activities designed to enhance collaboration in the higher education and vocational training field. The EU side of the consortia implementing policy-oriented measures may apply for a funding of up to 75% of the project cost incurred by the EU side, up to a maximum of 70,000 EUR, for projects with a maximum duration of two years.
New call: call 2009
For EU institutions, the budget available amounts to approximately EUR 4.5 million. The largest portion of this will be devoted to Transatlantic Degree Projects. For U.S. institutions comparable funding will be provided. U.S. new and continuing awards are made pending annual congressional appropriations.
The European Commission will provide funding for the direct use of the EU partners, and the U.S. Department of Education (FIPSE) will provide funding for the direct use of the United States partner(s). It is anticipated that six to eight Transatlantic Degree projects, three to five Excellence in Mobility and three to five Policy-Oriented Measures projects will be funded in 2009.
The closing date for submitting proposals is 23 March 2009.
More information can be found on the website of the European Commission.