Erasmus+ Networking Forum builds German-East African HE links

The Erasmus+ Networking Forum, held on 12-13 September in Nairobi, Kenya, aimed to strengthen partnerships between Germany and East Africa as part of the European Union’s higher education cooperation efforts. This initiative aligns with the growing focus on African-European collaboration in Erasmus+.

Speakers at the event emphasised the importance of the thorough application process for the available funding, signalling the competitiveness of the process. In a subsequent article on 10 October on the forum, published in University World News, the perception might have been created that the uptake of the available funding was lacking.

In response to the article, DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service), which is the National Agency for the Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation in Germany, therefore wants to share more information to emphasise that the demand for funds outstrips the availability thereof.

For the 2021-27 programme period, the EU’s Erasmus+ programme has allocated a budget of €570 million (about US$618.6 million) to Sub-Saharan Africa. As the programme reaches its midpoint, the demand for Erasmus+ funding for cooperation between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe in higher education and vocational education and training has been exceptionally high.

For example, the ‘Capacity Building in Higher Education action’ had a budget of €84 million for cooperation between Sub-Saharan Africa and European universities, under the first three calls (2022-24), yet the European Commission received applications totalling more than €310 million.

There are still three more annual Erasmus+ calls to come, with the next one scheduled for publication at the end of November 2024.

Given the high level of interest in the region, it is expected that the budget earmarked for Sub-Saharan Africa will be fully utilised.

An increase in successful projects

The Networking Forum in Nairobi primarily aimed to spread information about various Erasmus+ opportunities, especially for newcomers to the different programme actions. Additionally, it served as a platform for establishing partnerships between German and East African universities for future projects.

Despite the challenges of the application process and strong competition for funding, as mentioned earlier, the increasing number of successful projects involving East African and German partners demonstrates a solid foundation for future cooperation.

The public Erasmus+ project database can provide inspiration for future applicants.

Student funding opportunities

Student funding opportunities, such as Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters and International Credit Mobility, have also been well-utilised by East African students.

Kenya, in particular, has seen great success: In the three calls 2021-23, 46 Kenyan students were awarded highly competitive Erasmus Mundus scholarships, a number that continues to rise.

Furthermore, mobility projects connecting Kenyan and European universities, selected in 2022 and 2023, are organising over 1,160 staff and student mobilities from Kenya to Europe, and around 600 in the opposite direction.

Regarding Germany, 159 students and 112 staff from the participating East African countries have come to Germany since 2021, while 107 students and 110 staff from Germany have participated in exchanges with Kenya and surrounding countries.

The Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education Action is highly relevant for East African universities.

These joint projects receive funding between €200,000 and €1 million for up to 48 months. Of the 96 proposals submitted with Kenyan participation under 2022, 2023 and 2024 calls, 27 were successful, six of which are coordinated by Kenyan universities.

Additionally, since 2022, two projects involving Kenyan institutions have been selected under the Jean Monnet Actions (specifically the Jean Monnet Networks on Africa-European Union (EU) relations), which promote EU studies and policy debates.

Beyond higher education, technical and vocational education and training organisations have a dedicated action called ‘Capacity Building in Vocational Education and Training’, or CB VET, since 2022 which are also of great interest to African institutions.

To further promote the international scope of Erasmus+ worldwide, the European Commission has established the Erasmus+ National Focal Point Network. This network, which began in the 2021-27 programme period, operates, not only in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Asia and Latin America.

The Erasmus+ National Focal Points, along with organisations like DAAD, play a crucial role in strengthening partnerships between institutions on both continents.

The DAAD Regional Office in Nairobi supports students and researchers with scholarship applications for DAAD programmes and helps East African higher education institutions to expand their international networks to Germany.

Meanwhile, the Erasmus+ National Agency for Higher Education in Bonn is responsible for implementing some Erasmus+ actions in Germany, and for providing guidance and information to German universities on all available actions.

The Networking Forum proved to be an excellent opportunity to bring together key stakeholders and facilitate collaboration between professors and university leaders from East Africa and Germany.

With the next call for applications just around the corner, we eagerly anticipate the exciting new projects that will emerge from the conference.

Beate Körner is head of section: Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Partnerships and Cooperation Projects at the Erasmus+ National Agency Higher Education, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The agency and the DAAD regional office Nairobi contributed to this letter, which was offered as a right to reply in response to an earlier article on the event.