The Austrian universities are increasingly orienting their strategies and objectives towards European and international developments and benchmarks and have also laid this down in performance agreements they have concluded with the Federal Government. Their internationalisation and mobility strategies comprise the following main points, among others:

• ensuring a “mobility window” in the curricula (cf. chapter 13.5),
• transparent recognition practices,
• measures to facilitate quality in mobility and
• increasing the number of outgoing and incoming students and teachers.

To support the internationalisation activities of tertiary institutions, international offices have been set up at every university/universities of applied sciences location. These offices administer mobility programmes and promote cooperation ventures in the higher education sector. Moreover, the Centre for International Cooperation and Mobility (ICM) was established in 2009 within the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD). The ICM is in charge of international cooperation and mobility programmes. The areas of grants and scholarships as well as international cooperation include the grant and scholarship programmes funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). In addition to individual mobility (incoming and outgoing), bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects are also supported.

The OeAD also hosts the National Agency Erasmus+ Education, which is responsible for implementing the Erasmus+ Education programme. With this programme, students can complete a study course or a work placement abroad while teaching staff can teach or receive in-service training abroad. In-service training periods for general higher education staff are also supported. In addition, projects are promoted which contribute to the internationalisation and intensification of cooperation between higher education establishments. Each year more than 6,000 Austrian students and around 1,300 teachers and other higher education establishment members use the offers of Erasmus+.

BMBWF (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research), in cooperation with the Bologna Service Point at OeAD-GmbH, offers Austrian higher education establishments with the Erasmus+ project “Pro.Mo.Austria+ // Promoting Mobility. Fostering EHEA Commitments in Austria” (Key Action 3 - Erasmus+ “Support to the implementation of EHEA reforms 2016-18”- Call for proposals EACEA 49/2015) a wide range of advice, training and information. This is in line with the goals and priorities of the European Higher Education Area. This initiative is taking place for the second time; previously the Austrian higher education establishments were offered a series of very well received events and measures as part of Pro.Mo.Austria 2014-16. The project supports the implementation of the “Higher education mobility strategy of BMWFW to promote transnational mobility at Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences and private HEIs”. With this strategy, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) vows to promote academic mobility and underlines its willingness to create corresponding framework conditions.

Student smobility

In order to achieve the Austrian goal as specified in the higher education mobility strategy of ensuring that at least 30-35% of graduates (the European goal of 20% has already been achieved in Austria) have completed a period abroad relevant to their studies by 2025, Austria has many measures and initiatives to support and promote the mobility of students: the range of these activities extends from participation in the Erasmus+ funding options onto bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects and special doctoral fellowships.

Erasmus+ – mobility stays funded by the EU

As part of the Erasmus+ programme, students have the opportunity to become mobile several times, with stays of up to twelve months per study cycle (bachelor, master, PhD) possible. The periods abroad can be spent in a European programme country or – now since the introduction of the ERASMUS+ programme – in a partner country worldwide (international higher education mobility).

Student Mobility for Studies (SMS)

The minimum duration of Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Studies is three months. Both the home and the host institution must have concluded a bilateral agreement with each other; higher education establishments in European programme countries also need an Erasmus Higher Education Charter.

Student Mobility for Traineeships (SMT)

Students and also graduates can complete a traineeship in the European programme countries (worldwide traineeships are currently not possible). This can be in companies, training and research establishments or other organisations. Traineeships have to last at least two months and must be full-time. It is also possible to complete a traineeship several times per study and also several times per study cycle if the formal criteria are fulfilled.

Online Linguistic Support (OLS)

Online Linguistic Support aims to help participants of Erasmus+ mobility projects obtain language skills. Participants in long-term mobility activities of Key Action 1 use OLS to assess their knowledge of the foreign languages which they use for studying, working or for voluntary activities abroad.

Mobility as part of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees: Full-time scholarships are offered for excellent students – not only from Europe but also from the whole world – who have successfully applied for one of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees selected beforehand by the European Commission.

Bilateral and multilateral cooperation in education and research – non-European mobility programmes (national funds)

As well as cooperation ventures at EU level, support is also provided for cooperation with other geographic, economic and cultural areas: this includes Central and Eastern Europe (especially the neighbouring countries) with special focuses on Southeast Europe, the Asian region (mainly Southeast Asia, China and Mongolia), the United States and Latin America. The Centre for International Cooperation & Mobility (ICM) also deals with outgoing scholarship programmes on behalf of and with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). More information can be obtained on the ministry’s website and on the website of the ÖAD.

Cooperation with Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe

• The joint work and research areas of Austrian universities with Central and Eastern European universities are very diverse and have been supported financially for many years by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF).
• The bilateral action programmes with Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are awarding scholarships to teachers and students but also to highly qualified researchers in the post-doc sector. In addition, the initiatives provide support for joint projects in the university sector, with the focus on individual funding. All three initiatives have been evaluated successfully and prolonged several times.
• In the so-called summer lectures, the focus is on communicative language acquisition. These summer lectures are bilateral language courses where Austrian students below the age of 35 years are taught in the language of the host country and, at the same time, students of the host country are taught German.
• CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) covers 16 member countries within this region. Undergraduates, graduates and scholars can apply for CEEPUS scholarships, the duration of the grant is between one and ten months.

Cooperation with Southeast Asia, Central Asia and China

• The ASEA-UNINET (Asean-European Academic University Network) is the hub for contacts of BMWFW with the countries in Southeast Asia. This network has therefore also been commissioned to cooperate with the Centre for International Cooperation and Mobility (ICM) to administer the Ernst Mach-ASEA-UNINET scholarships, which are funded by BMWFW and enable students from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, for example, to come to Austria.
• The Eurasia-Pacific Uninet (EPU) was established in 2000 with the objective of creating an educational network for Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences and other educational institutions in Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. For several years summer schools have been organised in China and Austria to facilitate cooperation between higher education teachers and establish contacts between students in the areas of business and economics, law, languages and culture. Besides the support of projects between the partner institutions, the network is also in charge of administrating the Ernst Mach Grants – Eurasia Pacific Uninet (the former technology grants). The EPU administrative office is located at OeAD-GmbH.

Cooperation ventures with the United States

• The Austrian Fulbright Program (Austrian American Educational Commission) is funded primarily by direct contributions from the governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Austria and provides grants for Austrian graduates and scholars to study, teach or pursue research in the U.S. Stays of U.S. students and teachers as well as scholars at Austrian universities complement the bilateral cooperation venture. Every year the Commission administers between 70 and 80 grants.

Promotion of young talent with postgraduate scholarships of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

• Marietta Blau grants target doctoral students with excellent qualifications from all specialist areas who can spend six to twelve months of their studies abroad. As a complementary measure, BMWFW has also awarded specific postgraduate grants for study projects at selected institutions or in clearly defined specialist areas. More information can be obtained here.

Academic staff mobility

Qualified experiences abroad are increasingly recognised and promoted as a positive and desirable step in the professional career of teachers and researchers. Qualification agreements have been concluded with academic staff at a number of universities and provide for a compulsory longer stay at a foreign research establishment. In addition, the universities also promote the mobility of their staff by providing additional financial support (e.g. in the form of mobility grants, mobility allowances, travel cost allowances, etc.). Staff mobility at universities can either be institutionalised through programmes or individually organised.

Erasmus+ – mobility stays funded by the EU

Staff Mobility for Teaching (STA)

Erasmus+ enables higher education teachers to receive grants for periods spent teaching at a partner higher education establishment. In addition, higher education establishments can invite employees from foreign companies to their institution and also fund this stay from the Erasmus+ budget. The stay has to be for at least two days and may be a maximum of two months; at least eight hours of teaching are required.

Staff Mobility for Training (STT)

Teachers and also higher education establishment staff can complete in-service training in another EU country with support from Erasmus+. The minimum duration of the stays is two days, with a maximum duration of two months.

Further European Initiatives

• The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers are a set of general principles and requirements which specify the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers as well as of employers and/or funders of researchers. Individual researchers are therefore given the same rights and obligations wherever they may work throughout the European Union.
• The Europe-wide initiative EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion has been launched in particular to address the needs of mobile researchers. Its services include EURAXESS Jobs (a Europe-wide job database) and EURAXESS Service (a personalised assistance and advice network for researchers). In addition, the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers have been integrated into this initiative (EURAXESS Rights). EURAXESS Austria forms part of the Europe-wide initiative and comprises measures to promote the mobility and career development of researchers.

Austrian Database for Scholarships and Research Grants

The Austrian Database for Scholarships and Research Grants provides comprehensive information about scholarships and research grants in Austria. This database contains more than 1,000 different types of support, which can be systematically searched according to areas of specialisation, target countries, and levels of academic qualification. The websites of OeAD and EURAXESS Austria contain information related to international mobility, such as scholarships, cooperation projects, publications, etc.