EU Australia/New Zealand - Culture 2000 - Culture Prize - Leonardo da Vinci
Supplementary Measures - Erasmus Mundus - eLearning
LifeIII - Framework 6 - Mediterranean countries - Digicult
Preparatory Visits - Tempus - Looking for partners - EC News

Higher Education Cooperation between the EU and Australia and New Zealand

EU-Australia and EU-New Zealand Pilot Cooperation Programme in Higher Education have the objective of setting up institutional cooperation at post-graduate level (Masters), focusing on international curriculum development and student mobility. This will be achieved through the development of higher education institution consortia between the EU and Australia, and between the EU and New Zealand. The Consortia will develop a joint study programme that will allow students to do part of their studies abroad.

The projects are examples of concrete cooperation activities with Australia and New Zealand and will be funded jointly with the partner countries with an amount of up to 300,000 euro on each side.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 16 June 2004. For guidelines and application forms, please consult the following websites:
for Australia - for New Zealand
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CULTURE 2000 (Directorate General Education and Culture)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/index_en.html
Culture 2000 is the European Union's funding programme specifically aimed at arts and culture. The programme aims to contribute to the promotion of a cultural area common to the European peoples. In this context, it supports co-operation between creative artists, cultural operators, private and public promoters, the activities of the cultural networks, and other partners as well as the cultural institutions of the Member States and of the other participant States in order to attain the following objectives:

• promote cultural dialogue and of mutual knowledge of the culture and history of the European peoples;
  
• promote creativity and the transnational dissemination of culture and the movement of artists, creators and other cultural operators and professionals and their works, with a strong emphasis on young and socially disadvantaged people and on cultural diversity;
  
• highlight cultural diversity and the development of new forms of cultural expression;
  
• share and highlight, at the European level, the common cultural heritage of European significance; disseminating know-how and promoting good practices concerning its conservation and safeguarding;
  
• recognise the role of culture in socio-economic development;
  
• foster inter-cultural dialogue and mutual exchange between European and non-European cultures;
  
• explicit recognition of culture as an economic factor and as a factor in social integration and citizenship;
  
• improved access to and participation in culture in the European Union for as many citizens as possible.

A call for proposals will be published once a year. The next call is scheduled to be announced in the summer of 2004 with deadlines in late summer or autumn 2004. To subscribe to the free Culture 2000 newsletter (published 10 times per year) of the European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture please send an email to Edith.Guetta@cec.eu.int
The newsletter can also be downloaded here.
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European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2004, Call for Entries 2004
The aims of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards are to promote high standards of conservation practice, to stimulate the exchange of knowledge and experience throughout Europe and to encourage further efforts through the power of example. Public recognition will be given to outstanding initiatives and best practices by either individuals or organisations, which contribute to the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe.

Outstanding heritage achievements will be rewarded by prizes of 10,000 euro each, in addition to Medals and Diplomas in the following categories:

An outstanding project in the field of
1. Architectural heritage
2. Cultural landscapes
3. Collections of works of art
4. Archaeological sites
An outstanding study in the field of cultural heritage
Dedicated service to heritage conservation by individuals or groups.

Click for entry forms or request from Mrs Laurie Neale, Heritage Awards Co-ordinator ao@europanostra.org. Deadline for submission of entries is 15 September 2004.
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Leonardo da Vinci II
The Leonardo da Vinci Community seeks to promote a Europe of knowledge through co-operation in education and training, specifically linked to vocational training needs. The programme actively supports the lifelong training policies conducted by the Member States. It supports innovative transnational initiatives for promoting the knowledge, aptitudes and skills necessary for successful integration into working life and the full exercise of citizenship, and affords scope for links with other Community initiatives - particularly the Socrates and Youth programmes - by supporting joint actions.

A new call for proposals (for projects happening in 2005 and 2006) will be published in 2004. For coming deadlines please check the Leonardo Web site (above). An events listing can be found at http://www.leonardo.org.uk/events/index.htm
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Supplementary Measures
Accompanying Measures support various activities which, though not eligible under the main Actions, will clearly contribute to achieving the programme's objectives. The projects to be supported will be aiming at:

• raising awareness of relevant target groups or the general public concerning the SOCRATES programme or the importance of European cooperation in the field of education more generally (conferences, seminars, etc.);
  
• improving the implementation of SOCRATES, in particular by providing training in project management or in tackling obstacles;
  
• maximising the impact of European cooperation in the field of education, by disseminating the products and processes resulting from European cooperation;
  
• fostering trans-sectoral synergies between the Actions of the SOCRATES programme, for example around activities bringing together projects supported under Comenius, Erasmus, Grundtvig, Lingua, Minerva, etc.;
  
• targeting horizontal priorities of the SOCRATES programme, including in particular, the promotion of equal opportunities, the integration of disabled persons, intercultural education and the fight against racism.
  

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ERASMUS MUNDUS (2004 - 2008)
The Erasmus Mundus programme aims to enhance quality in European higher education and to promote intercultural understanding through co-operation with third countries. It is intended to strengthen international links in higher education by enabling students and visiting scholars from around the world to engage in postgraduate study at European universities, as well as by encouraging the outgoing mobility of European students and scholars towards third countries.

It promotes the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world, by supporting inter-university Masters Courses. It also provides EU-funded scholarships for third-country nationals participating in these European postgraduate courses, as well as scholarships for EU nationals studying in third countries

Erasmus Mundus is a new global scheme, providing a distinctly «European» offer in higher education. It seeks, primarily, to enhance the quality and attractiveness of European higher education world-wide. Secondly, Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and scholarships will provide a framework to promote valuable exchange and dialogue between cultures. By supporting the international mobility of scholars and students, Erasmus Mundus intends to prepare its European and non-European participants for life in a global, knowledge-based society.
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The programme runs from 1 January 2004 - 31 December 2008 and has a total budget of 230 million euro.
The Erasmus Mundus programme includes four Actions:

Action 1: Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses
Action 2: Scholarships for third-country graduate students and scholars
Action 3: Partnerships with third-country universities
Action 4: Projects aimed at enhancing attractiveness

Participating countries: Apart from the EU Member States, the programme is open to the participation of accession candidate countries and EEA / EFTA countries. Official participation of the non-EU countries will be formalised through the relevant instruments governing the relations between the European Community and those countries. This process is likely to be concluded in 2004 so that the institutions of those countries could participate in the programme in 2005. the EFTA / EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) have expressed their desire to take the necessary steps for the EFTA / EEA institutions to be involved as from year 2004. Depending on progress in this matter, the call for Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses to be launched for the academic year 2004 / 2005 could already be open to EFTA / EEA institutions on the condition that the necessary procedures be completed in time.

The first call (regarding Action 1, Action 2 and Action 4 for the academic year 2004/2005) is scheduled published with deadlines in late May 2004. The first Erasmus Mundus Master Courses with participation of Third Country students and scholars are scheduled to begin in September 2004.
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Action 3 (Partnerships) will not start before 2005, the second year of the programme, since it builds upon the first-year results of Action 1 (Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses). Actions 1, 2 and 4, in turn, will be implemented as of 2004.

After the 2004 call the standard procedure for the implementation of Action 1 and Action 2 (see above) will imply a two-step procedure:

Calls for Erasmus Mundus Master courses will be published first.
Once the Erasmus Mundus Master Courses have been selected, these can apply for third-country scholarships.

The schedule for calls for the academic year 2005/2006 for Action 1 and 2 will be as follows:
The 2005 call for proposals will be launched in early April 2004 (i.e. parallel to the call for proposals for the academic year 2004/2005!!).

Deadline for Action 1 (Master Courses) to start in the academic year 2005/2006 will be in September 2004 with a decision to be expected in January 2005. Deadline for Action 2 (Scholarship) will be January/February 2005 with a decision to be expected in May 2005.

The 2006 call for proposals (for Action 1, 3 and 4) will be launched in March 2005.
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eLearning Programme
The overall objective of the programme is to support and develop further the effective use of ICT in European education and training systems, as a contribution to a quality education and an essential element of their adaptation to the needs of the knowledge society in a lifelong learning context.

The specific objectives of the programme are:

1. to identify the actors concerned and inform them of ways and means of using e-learning for promoting digital literacy and thereby contribute to strengthening social cohesion and personal development and fostering intercultural dialogue;
   
2. to exploit the potential of e-learning for enhancing the European dimension in education;
   
3. to provide mechanisms for supporting development of European quality products and services, and for exchange and transfer of good practice;
   
4. to exploit the potential of e-learning in the context of innovation in teaching methods with a view to improving the quality of the learning process and fostering the autonomy of learners.

The programme runs from 1 January 2004 until 31 December 2006. The overall budget will be 44 million euro.

There are be four action lines under which projects can receive funding:

Action line 1: 'Promoting digital literacy'
Action line 2: 'European virtual Campuses'
Action line 3: 'E-twinning for primary and secondary schools in Europe and promotion of teachers' training'
Action line 4: Transversal actions and monitoring of the eLearning Action Plan

To see and subscribe to the newsletter of the eLearning Portal. An events listing can be found on the elearning Portal web-site
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Life III (Directorate General Environment)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/life/home.htm

The EU-LIFE programme provides financial support for projects that contribute to the development, updating and implementation of Community Environmental policy. Projects are supported in three areas - Environment, Nature and Third Countries.

Calls are published once a year. A proposed total budget of EUR 317 million will cover the period from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2006.

An events listing can be found at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/news/events.htm
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6th Framework Programme (FP6) (Directorate General Research)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/index_en.html or http://www.cordis.lu/fp6
FP6 is the EUs primary funding mechanism for supporting and encouraging EU organisations to undertake research and development, which it does through a range of grant funding mechanisms. It will run until 2006 with a budget of €17.5 billion. There are seven thematic priorities that form the focus of the 6th Framework Programme - these are the areas of research activity targeted to receive funding.

• Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health
  
• Information society technologies
  
• Nanotechnologies, materials and production
  
• Aeronautics and space
  
• Food quality and safety
  
• Sustainable development
  
• Citizens and governance in a knowledge-based society

In addition, there are other FP6 programmes which run across a range of other scientific and technological areas for SMEs and academic research centres:

• SME activities
  
• Research for policy support
  
• New and emerging science and technology (NEST)
  
• International co-operation activities
  
• Joint Research Centre (JRC) activities
  
• Research and innovation
  
• Human resources and mobility
  
• Research infrastructures
  
• Science and society
  
• Co-ordination of research activities
  
• Development of research/innovation policies
  

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International cooperation with Mediterranean countries
The European Commission has launched a call for proposals for specific targeted research projects and coordination actions - Mediterranean Partner Countries under the 'specific measures in support of international cooperation - Mediterranean Partner Countries' activity of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

The following areas are covered by this call:

• environment (B.1 in the work programme);
  
• comprehensive policy for integrated water planning (B.1.1);
  
• improving the water consumption by users and uses; plant breeding for efficient crop water and nutrient use (B.1.2);
  
• advanced water treatment, re use and energy implication (B.1.3);
  
• environmental risks (B.1.4);
  
• renewable energy (B.1.5);
  
• material artefacts, monuments and sites (B.2.1);
  
• risk assessment and preventive conservation (B.2.3);
  
• health (B.3).

The indicative budget for this call is 27.1 million euro. Deadline is 14 September 2004. Details at: http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/call_details.cfm?CALL_ID=121
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DIGICULT - Digital Heritage and Cultural Content
http:// www.cordis.lu/ist/directorate_e/digicult/index.htm
This is an IST Priority of the 6 Framework Programme with the focus on Access to Cultural Heritage. For news, link to: http://www.cordis.lu/ist/directorate_e/digicult/newsletter.htm
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Preparatory Visits
Preparatory Visits for all Actions - Contact your National Agency
All application forms and further information

Grundtvig 3, Individual Training Grants for Adults, European Union
Organisations in EU countries who are involved in adult education can apply for an individual training grant from their national Socrates agency. In May and June, different sessions will take place Sweden, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Lithuania and Germany. List of Socrates agencies
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Tempus - Structural & Complementary Measures
Tempus provides project funds for working with Eastern Europe and MEDA (Mediterranean) countries like Egypt, Palestine etc. next deadline is 15 October. Guide and forms available from http://www.etf.eu.int/tempus/
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Partners please:
Science Teacher Education - Women and Fundamental rights
N ew Socrates Network for Science Teacher Education
EBISTED is a proposed new SOCRATES Thematic Network looking for partners, if you are interested in being involved, contact: Stéphane Chaudron chaudron@bani.ucl.ac.be

Looking for partners (Women and Fundamental Rights) for a new interdisciplinary thematic network on Women and: Fundamental Rights, Places of Socialization and Growth, Health and Sexual Freedom, Scientific Research, Labour Market, contact Mrs Rita Saraò, International Relation Office, University of Foggia r.sarao@unifg.it
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HERODOT News aims to provide members will useful information concerning opportunities to access European Commission and other funds to further collaboration and for projects.

HERODOT wants to establish a partner search function, if you wish to find partners for a new project or to find places for your students to undertake a European study or work placement exchange overseas - if you want to include your information in the partner search, then please email Amanda Plumb
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Training on funding
A training course is being organised about developing projects under the various programmes of the European Commission. The priority is on energy, environment and sustainable development so the programme may be interesting for companies and professionals active in all these fields. Further information about the training courses is available at: http://www.eucenter.org/training/training.php
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European Commission News
The European Commission have informed us that on 9 March they adopted a Communication on "The new generation of Community education and training
programmes after 2006". These programmes will replace Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Tempus when these expire at the end of 2006.

This Communication outlines the content of two major new Community programmes in the field of education and training, which the Commission will formally propose in the summer. These are:

* An Integrated Programme in Lifelong Learning, for mobility and cooperation between EU, EEA/EFTA and Candidate Countries, which will subsume the
existing Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes.

* A Tempus Plus programme, for the countries neighbouring the EU and for the existing Tempus countries, which will focus on cooperation and development in higher (university-level) education, vocational training, school and adult education.

Relevant documents on this can be downloaded here
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