ERASMUS+ supports the professional development of higher education staff through funded training and continuing education activities abroad. Teaching staff, administrative staff and other employees of German higher education institutions can undertake stays in the 33 programme countries (all 27 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Türkiye) – for example, for training or job shadowing at partner universities or other organisations in the fields of employment, education or youth.
An Erasmus+ grant is available for individual stays ranging from 2 days to 2 months. Due to limited funding, the University of Rostock currently funds a maximum of 5 active training days plus 2 travel days. If environmentally friendly travel is documented, up to 4 additional travel days may be reimbursed, depending on the distance.
The first day of attendance at the receiving institution is considered the start date of the funded stay, and the last day of attendance is considered the end date. The actual duration must be documented by a confirmation from the receiving institution after completion.
Why are conferences not funded? Erasmus+ specifically supports sustainable learning experiences and practical exchange, rather than short-term events.
Eligible Continuing Education Formats
Various forms of professional development can be funded, including:
- Job Shadowing
- Work shadowing / practical observation (Hospitation)
- Study visits
- Staff Training Weeks
- Language courses
- Workshops and seminars
- other subject-specific training activities
Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) may also be eligible for funding as part of Erasmus+ staff mobility, provided that the requirements of the Erasmus+ programme are met.
Funding criteria & application deadline
After the application has been submitted, the International Office decides on funding in consultation with the responsible department or institution.
The following criteria are taken into particular consideration:
- You are employed by the University of Rostock
- Endorsement by the responsible central administration department, division, faculty or institute
- Relevance of the planned stay to your professional activities at the University of Rostock
- Quality and benefit of the planned training programme
There are currently no fixed application deadlines for Erasmus+ staff mobility.
Applications can generally be submitted at any time. Short-notice applications will also be considered wherever possible, provided that sufficient funding is available.
Please note: Bookings (e.g. for travel or accommodation) should only be made after you have received confirmation of funding from the International Office and your business trip application has been approved. If bookings are made in advance, this is done at your own financial risk.
Application & procedure
Step 1: Contact the International Office
First, send an informal enquiry by email to outgoing.io@uni-rostock.de. The International Office will check whether funding is possible within the available Erasmus+ budget.
You may only proceed with the application after receiving a positive response.
Step 2: Submit the required documents
After receiving confirmation of funding, please submit the following documents:
Original documents to the International Office:
- Business trip application provided by the International Office
By email to the International Office:
- fully completed and signed Declaration of Acceptance
- fully completed and signed Mobility Agreement
The Mobility Agreement must be signed by:
- you as the applicant,
- the internationalisation officer, dean or director of your faculty or institution,
- the partner institution.
For employees of the Central University Administration (ZUV), the agreement is signed by the respective departmental supervisor.
Step 3: Document review and registration of the mobility
Once all documents have been received, the International Office:
- completes the funding information,
- forwards the business trip application to the Travel Expenses Office for approval, and
- checks the other documents submitted.
Your mobility data will be entered by the International Office into the programme systems Mobility Online and Beneficiary Module.
Data entry is a mandatory part of the Erasmus+ programme and serves administrative processing and reporting to the European Commission.
Step 4: Book your trip
Once the business trip application has been approved, you can make binding bookings for your travel and accommodation.
Please note: Bookings made before receiving the funding confirmation and approval of the business trip application are made at your own financial risk.
Step 5: Financing the trip
You must initially cover the costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses yourself.
The Erasmus+ grant is not paid before the start of the trip. Instead, it is settled in accordance with the applicable procedures after completion of the mobility and submission of the required documents. The grant is intended as financial support and generally does not cover all costs incurred.
Mobility & reimbursement
During your stay, you will participate in the agreed training and continuing education activities.
If there are any changes to your travel period, please inform the Travel Expenses Office (D2.4) and the International Office immediately.
On the last day of your stay, please have the Confirmation of Stay (Certificate of Attendance) signed by the partner institution.
Reimbursement of the business trip:
After completing your stay, submit the required supporting documents to the International Office.
These generally include:
- Certificate of Attendance
- reimbursement form of the International Office for staff mobility
- any other documents specified in the funding agreement
The mobility can only be fully completed and settled once all documents have been received.
Reporting:
After completing the mobility, all participants will automatically receive an email containing a link to the EU Participant Report (EU Survey).
The online report is provided via the Erasmus+ system (Beneficiary Module) of the European Commission and is mandatory for all grant recipients.
The report covers, among other things, the following aspects:
- implementation and organisation of the mobility
- quality of the training or continuing education activity
- experiences with the host institution
- achievement of learning and training objectives
- impact of the mobility on professional activities
- overall satisfaction with the Erasmus+ stay
The report contributes to quality assurance and the further development of the Erasmus+ programme at European level.
Funding & grant rates
The financial support for Erasmus+ mobility for training and continuing education for staff (STT) and teaching staff (STA) is based on the different costs of living in the destination countries ("programme countries"). For German higher education institutions, uniform Erasmus+ grant rates apply to accommodation and travel costs.
Due to limited Erasmus+ funding, a maximum of 5 active days + travel days can be funded financially, regardless of the actual duration of the stay.
For longer stays, the period exceeding the funded period is carried out as a zero-grant period (non-funded period). The mobility can nevertheless be completed in full.
The following rates apply to German higher education institutions:
| Destination country | Funding per participant per day |
|---|---|
| Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden | EUR 180 |
| Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus | EUR 160 |
| Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye, Hungary | EUR 140 |
Travel allowance
Additional travel days are taken into account for travel to and from the destination as part of Erasmus+ funding.
- Non-sustainable travel: up to 2 travel days (outward and return journey) can be funded.
- Sustainable travel (Green Travel): if predominantly sustainable means of transport (e.g. train, bus or carpooling) are used, up to 4 additional travel days can be funded, depending on the actual travel distance.
The number of additional travel days depends on the one-way distance between the place of departure and the destination:
500-1.000 km 1 additional travel day
1.001-1.500 km 2 additional travel day
1.501-2000 km 3 additional travel day
über 2000 km 4 additional travel day
Please note: Additional travel days can only be granted if the requirements for Green Travel under the Erasmus+ rules are met. Please indicate already when submitting your application if you are planning sustainable travel.
The amount of travel funding depends on the one-way distance between the place of departure and the destination of the mobility. The distance is determined uniformly throughout Europe using the distance calculator provided by the European Commission (one-way distance as the crow flies).
The following flat-rate amounts are reimbursed depending on the one-way distance:
| One-way distance according to the distance calculator | Amount (Unit Cost) per Participant for Non-Green Travel | Amount (Unit Cost) per Participant for Green Travel |
|---|---|---|
| < 100 km | EUR 28 | EUR 56 |
| 100 – 499 km | EUR 211 | EUR 285 |
| 500 – 1.999 km | EUR 309 | EUR 417 |
| 2.000 – 2.999 km | EUR 395 | EUR 535 |
| 3.000 – 3.999 km | EUR 580 | EUR 785 |
| 4.000 – 7.999 km | EUR 1.188 | EUR 1.188 |
| 8.000 km and more | EUR 1.735 | EUR 1.735 |
Share your experiences
In addition to the mandatory reporting, we would be delighted to receive photos, short videos and a personal statement about your stay. Your experiences help us raise awareness of Erasmus+, encourage other colleagues to participate in international mobility and promote international exchange at the University of Rostock.
With your consent, selected contributions will be published on the website and on the social media channels of the International Office.
If you would like to provide us with photographs, videos or written material, please also submit the consent form for publication and use. We can only publish your contributions once we have received your consent.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
Kontaktmöglichkeit
Nadine Karkossa (i. V.)
Mobilitätskoordinatorin
Kröpeliner Str. 29 +49 (0) 381 498 1700
18055 Rostock outgoing.io(at)uni-rostock.de
Raum 302
