161 Indian students win the Erasmus+ scholarships for higher education in Europe
New Delhi : 161 Indian students, 88 of them women, have been awarded the prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarships for the degree programmes starting in the academic year 2022-23. With this, India ranks first for the second consecutive year among 167 countries.
To mark this success, the Delegation of the European Union to India organized an event to commemorate this milestone. The Indian students who have received a scholarship for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme will soon be leaving for Europe for their higher studies.
Congratulating the students, the EU Ambassador to India and Bhutan, H.E. Mr Ugo Astuto said, “So far, 6000+ Indian students and academics have benefited from Erasmus Mundus scholarships, making the country the leading recipient for two consecutive years. This underscores the growing people-to-people connect and mobility between the EU and India, which is an important pillar of our partnership.” He added, “Erasmus+ scholarships offer a lifetime opportunity for professional and personal development. Apart from improving student’s expertise, it allows them to gain a rich cultural experience, given Europe’s diversity. I wish the students all the best as they embark on this exciting and enriching journey.”
The Indian students selected for the Erasmus Mundus 2022-2024 batch will have the opportunity to study and conduct research in at least two universities located in different European countries and obtain a joint, double or multiple degree. The fully-funded scholarship will cover participation costs, travel costs and living allowance of the recipient. Europe today has over 4000 higher education institutions, from top-level research establishments to small, teaching-focused colleges, with more than 17 million students and 1.5 million academics, including 435,000 researchers.
Hailing from 19 states across India, the recipients of this year’s Erasmus Mundus scholarship are from the country’s leading higher education institutes. Collectively, Indian students will stay and experience over 18 different European countries over a span of two years. The first host countries for the students who fly in for the current academic year include1, France (34), Italy (23), Belgium (20), Finland (10), Spain (11), United Kingdom (10), Portugal (08), The Netherlands (05), Germany (07), Poland (06), Sweden (06), Austria (07), Denmark (03), Ireland (02), Hungary (03), Czech Republic (02) and Greece (01), Norway (01). Egypt as a partner country will also host 2 Indian students.
1 This takes into account the host country for 159 out of the selected 161 scholars.
From engineering to natural sciences to social sciences, students have chosen a diverse set of courses to pursue. Within engineering students have opted for courses in ICT, green technology, circular economy and health. Students of social sciences have chosen fields such as rural development, women and gender studies and international law. These fields also align with the priorities under the EU-India strategic partnership. In 2022, EU and India mark 60 years of diplomatic relations.
Representatives from the Member States welcomed the students to their respective countries and encouraged them to make most of this opportunity. Indian Erasmus Alumni, officials from EURAXESS and European Mundus Association in India attended the annual event.
In 2021, 153 Indian students received the Erasmus Mundus scholarships.
What is the EU Erasmus + programme about?: Erasmus, meaning European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, is a programme established in 1987 by the European Union to support not only education for students from across the globe but also to encourage partnerships between universities and countries. This programme supports education, training, youth and sport. In 2022, the Erasmus+ programme celebrates its 35th anniversary.
With a budget of €26.2 billion (Rs. 2,096,94 crore) for the 2021-2027 period, this is the largest programme in the world for student mobility and also an important project for collaborative funding. With this programme, the EU wants to enhance academic and youth mobility and cooperation among European Union members but also with other regions in the world, including Asia.
EU-India relations: The EU and India are marking 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2022. For 60 years, the EU and India have worked together to reduce poverty, prevent disasters, expand trade, secure global goods, enhance security around the world and promote joint research in energy, health, agriculture and many other fields of mutual interest.