Erasmus+ ICM

Current offer (academic year 2024/2025)

• Kosovo
  • AAB College
  • University of Prishtina, Hasan Prishtina
• Albania
  • University of Tirana
• Bosna and Hercegovina
  • University of Banja Luka
• Armenia
  • Yerevan State University
• Israel
  • Ben Gurion University of the Negev
  • Reichman University
  • The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • College of Law and Business
• Palestine
  • Al-Quds University
• Lebanon
  • Lebanese American University
• Ethiopia
  • Wolaita Sodo University
• Kenya
  • Kenyatta University

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Participation Conditions

• Within Erasmus+ ICM there are two types of placement: teaching and training
  • Teaching placement involves giving lectures and other teaching activity at the receiving university. It is expected of the teacher that at the receiving university they will engage in teaching activities (lectures, consultations for PhD students, workshops, …) for students with a length of a minimum of 8 hours for 5 working days.
  • Training placement has as its main aim the sharing of experience between both institutions (workshops, shadowing, etc.). For the training placement the employee can apply both as the trainer and the trainee. The training can be focused on any kind of administrative activity on which both universities agree but must at the same time be in accordance with the job description of the employee at MU. This may involve a placement at the partner university, i.e. observing an experienced employee (job-shadowing), practical/expert training, study visit, workshop or seminar. It is expected that there will be a content of at least 8 hours for 5 working days. It is not possible to pay for participation at a conference from an Erasmus+ ICM grant.
• The length of each placement is 5 days (according to tables), in which the travel is not included in the length of the placement, but is financially supported (i.e. a grant can be awarded for the day of travel immediately preceding the first day of the programme and for the day of travel following the last day of the programme).
• MU staff with an employment contract can participate in the project, including also staff on a DPP or a DPČ (Agreement to Perform a Job – a short-term employment contract) (depending on the priorities of the given faculty/economic centre).
• All activities are reflected in the so-called Mobility Agreement for Teaching/Training (which you can download pre-filled in your online application), which the employee completes before the start of the mobility.
• Staff with special needs can ask for a special grant. The application is submitted before the start of the summer and winter semesters and approved by the Steering Committee for the Erasmus+ programme.

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Financial Conditions

• The administrative and grant agenda linked to the Erasmus+ ICM programme is led by the CZS. The disbursement of financial means (advances, allowances and billing) is carried out by the economic department of the relevant faculty, which then has the amount refunded by the CZS. The CZS is responsible for the accuracy of management and for adherence to qualification conditions, conditions of agreements and processing of reports.

Placement expenses 

• Employees going on placement get a grant for placement expenses in the amount of up to 180 EUR/day (for placements taking place in the academic year 2018/2019 the grant is 160 EUR/day). This amount is the maximum possible limit; nonetheless the grant is paid on the basis of actual costs associated with the given mobility and on the basis of the submitted documents and receipts in the travel order.
• The placement expenses include for example accommodation, allowances, pocket money, local transport, travel insurance, visas, or possibly cancellation fees.
• The financial support is intended to cover part of the accommodation costs that relate to the teaching/training placement at the partner institution abroad. Financial support is provided only for the days on which the teacher carries out teaching activities or on days on which a foreign training placement for MU employees takes place. Specific dates for teaching/training days must be agreed in advance with the foreign party in the document Mobility Agreement for Teaching/Training (which you can download pre-filled in your online application).
• On the basis of this number the CZS calculates the grant for the placement expenses. The amount confirmed by the CZS (confirmation will be sent to the economic department of the relevant faculty and the participant in the mobility by e-mail before departure) represents the maximum possible amount of the grant intended to cover placement expenses which will be paid from the Erasmus+ programme.

Travel expenses

• Travel costs are usually paid in full amount separately. It is necessary to use cost-efficient means of transportation.
• Within the placement expenses are also calculated a contribution to travel, graduated according to the distance between the home institution and the placement location abroad (to an amount according to the true distance, for further information see EU Distance Calculator).

• Travel expenses can include all costs and all means of transport used from the point of departure to the destination and back. For the organization of transport, it is possible to use the possibility of arranging air tickets through the online CZS application in the section “Transportation”, which can be accessed after submitting the mobility data.
• Please always keep all boarding passes, receipts for accommodation, etc. and attach them to the billing for the business trips. You can find further information in the section After Return.
• In well justified and approved cases in advance when the travel arrangements cannot be obtained within the given financial limit, CZS may co-finance such travel. It is, however, absolutely necessary to consult this fact with a responsible person at CZS.

Outgoing mobilities are governed by Erasmus+ program rules and internal rules of Masaryk University originating form Czech Labour Code. These rules can be found in MU Directive No. 13/2017 – Travel Allowances. The amounts of allowance and other information can be found here.

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Application

The application can only be submitted electronically through a special interface in IS OIS (programme “Erasmus+ ICM”). The mobility must be completed by 30 June 2025.

The application is made up of the following documents:

• Application form: see online application.
• CV (in English language)
• Motivation letter: in the case of communication with your hosts in English submit the letter in English; in the case of communication in another language submit the letter in Czech or in English. Submit a separate letter to each university that you are applying to. The motivation letter should tackle following points:
  • You mention correct name, position and specific department or field where you would like to carry out your teaching or training activities (a proof it is not a generic motivation letter)
  • You mention what are your reasons (academic, professional and personal), why are you interested in mobility in the given country/region and at the given university
  • You mention what are your academic aims and objectives for your stay and you specify the topics and activities which you will cover during your stay
  • If possible, you mention additional extracurricular activities (project, research, personal) which underline your motivation to this specific mobility
• Teaching/training plan: presenting the overall programme and aims, anticipated results of the training or the teaching visit, plus a detailed programme which must accord with the job description of the MU employee.
  • Such plan does not have to use the official Erasmus+ template (so called Mobility Agreement) but it may help for better structure of the information.
• Letter of pre-acceptance from mentor/supervisor from the host university, which confirms interest in the planned visit or training (a print-off of the e-mail is enough).
• Documentation of knowledge of the language in which the activity will take place (a certificate is an advantage but not essential).
  • The language proficiency should be at least B2 level of CEFR.
  • Except internationally recognized certificates, you may use also other documents, but they may be according to their relevance awarded by lower points in evaluation
  • Other possible documents: native speaker (statement or proof of citizenship), Degree in English language, previous participation on long-term study/work placement abroad, confirmation from employer, Language Proficiency Report (Documents section), certificate of language course completion or other confirmation. If no other option available, you may use a reasoned statement of language proficiency.

Among the evaluation criteria in the application are:

• Motivation (max. 40 points)
• Benefit and compatibility (max. 30 points)
• Language skills (max. 20 points)
• Previous experience – first mobility (max. 10 points)

The application is evaluated at Masaryk University and approved by the receiving institution. The Selection Committee then chooses from the applicants with the highest point scores. In some cases, the selection may also consider supplementary criteria (balancing representation of men and women, participants with special needs, etc.).

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Before Departure

Information regarding the insurance and COVID-19 is available here.

Mobility Agreement for Teaching/Training

• Before departure the employee agrees individually their teaching/training programme with the foreign partner (trainer).
• The agreed dates should be sent to the responsible person at MU after nomination.
• Once the programme is specified it is necessary to confirm it in a Mobility Agreement for Teaching/Training (which you can download pre-filled in your online application).
• The document must be uploaded into the electronic application by the employee.
• Explanations:
  • Planned period of the activity: write the start and end of training without days when you will only be travelling (usually 5 days).
  • Duration (number of days) – excluding travel days: number of days when activities will take place without days travelling there and back (usually 5 days).
  • Commitment of the three parties: The Mobility Agreement must always be approved with three signatures (send to CZS after getting all the signatures, the CZS does not sign anything!):
    • Signature of the employee going on the Erasmus+ ICM programme.
    • Signature of the Erasmus+ ICM departmental coordinator at the department or their immediate superior. In the case that the academic going on placement is the Erasmus+ ICM departmental coordinator, the document is to be signed by their immediate superior.
    • Signature of the coordinator or contact person for the employee at the receiving institution.
• The planned mobility must be announced to the CZS no later than three weeks before departure.

Grant Agreement

• Before departure the employee signs the Grant Agreement, the form for which is sent by the CZS coordinator by internal post. The employee sends one signed copy back to the CZS coordinator.
• Without the signed Grant Agreement by all parties and confirmed grant by CZS (e-mail confirmation of travel costs) it is not possible to travel and CZS will not reimburse such mobility to the faculty.

Travel order

• After successful nomination the employee should first deal with the travel order at their workplace together with the economic department of the relevant faculty. They can then pick up an advance at the foreign currency cash-desk at the MU Rectorate.

Insurance

• The employee is obliged to have sufficient travel insurance for their placement destination and the conditions of the given country. When buying tickets, we recommend taking out cancellation insurance (e.g. for health reasons).
• As part of the travel order each employee of Masaryk University gets travel insurance (the parameters of which you can find in the Documents section). Once you fill in the travel order in INET, it will be possible to print off a card with information.
  • Current statement (as of 5 August 2020) of the Allianz insurance company on the travel insurance of outgoing MU employees: “Travel insurance, in general, will always work for necessary and urgent care, and subsequently the insured person is always transported back to the Czech Republic where care is already covered by statutory insurance. This means if someone is diagnosed with COVID abroad, the first aid will be provided abroad, but as soon as possible they will have to return to the Czech Republic and continue treatment there (or stay abroad without the right to reimbursement of treatment from insurance). It continues to apply that the insurance does not cover such cases where the insured person travels to places where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic has not recommended travelling or if they do not respect the government's calls to return to the Czech Republic and remains abroad."

Visa

• It is the responsibility of the employee to find the conditions regarding visa requirements for the given country and to apply for a visa if needed for this type of mobility. The employee is to obtain a Letter of Nomination from the home institution and if needed other supporting documents from the receiving university that are required for the visa application.

Transport

• The employee can use the opportunity of arranging air transport by the CZS in the online application. After entering the mobility data it is possible in the section Transportation to enter the required preferences and travel agency into the online application to get an offer of air tickets. The offer can be accepted (the air tickets will be bought and uploaded as a PDF document into the application, from where they can be downloaded) or rejected with justification. A further suggestion will then be added to the application.

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While Abroad

• During the placement the employee is to keep to the previously approved programme of training/teaching plan and the number of days. It is a duty of the participant to secure a confirmation of completion of the training/teaching (Confirmation of Teaching/Training, which is available in your online application). The dates confirmed in the document should conform to the dates of travel including spent travelling and correspond to the employee’s air tickets.
• The employee must collect and keep all the necessary receipts, invoices and other related documents for a later billing of the travel order or for explaining the unusual and non-standard course of the trip abroad, if necessary.

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After Return

• Within 10 days you must send by internal post the original Confirmation of Teaching/Training (which you can find in your online application) to the CZS coordinator. Upload to the online application the relevant documents (boarding passes from the journey).
• Within 10 days charge the travel order, i.e. print the guide and submit receipts for accommodation, tickets, air tickets, boarding passes, etc. Give these to the economic department in your workplace. These costs are then reimbursed by the CZS with the help of internal invoices from the economic department of the relevant faculty.
• Within 30 days complete the EU Mobility Survey electronically in the European Commission’s “Mobility Tool”. The MU employee will be sent a link and asked to complete it by e-mail.

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Offers of Training in Partner Schools

Find more information here.

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FAQ

What is the difference between a placement via Erasmus+ ICM and teaching and training placements via European Erasmus?

The differences lie in the administration and also in the length of the placements. The administration differs for example in the fact that the Mobility Agreement, motivational letter and CV a assembled with the application, and that it is necessary to organise the visa before departure. The minimum number of days spent at the foreign university is five.

The selection process is announced typically twice a year, and in the second round there is a smaller number of universities. If more people apply to some universities the best candidate is chosen according to the criteria which you can find in the section Application. 

Is it possible to go to a university that is not in the list?

No, mobility in the Erasmus+ ICM programme is bound to inter-institutional agreements between sending and receiving institutions, which means that foreign placements are only possible at universities given in the Current Call.

Is it possible to interrupt a business trip?

Yes, in justified cases it is possible to interrupt a business trip. Such cases are mostly dealt with individually with the responsible person at the CZS.

I do not have proof of my language level. What can I do in such a situation?

As proof of language level it is also possible to submit a different document (e.g. confirmation from a superior, and language exam, a grade transcript showing course graduation, etc.). With respect to the selection process at the receiving university it is necessary to have such confirmation in English.

Approximately how long does the process of selecting the appropriate candidate take?

Given the structure of the selection process in which there is an evaluation by both institutions (sending and receiving), it can even take several weeks. The employee will be informed of the decision by e-mail.

Can a teacher from MU also go on a training placement?

Yes, training placements are intended for both academic and non-academic MU staff.

Is it possible to change the dates of departure and return, or to change the dates of the placement by several weeks/months?

Yes, the dates of the placement can be changed according to the availability of the employee or the receiving institution. It is always necessary to agree the change and get it approved by the contact person and to inform the responsible person at the CZS of the change. Nonetheless, the changes must in all cases respect the academic year for which the employee had their mobility approved.

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