Erasmus+ Award Education: Curtain up for innovation and internationalisation

OeAD-Calice: The Erasmus programme is one of the EU's greatest achievements for many EU citizens.

The Erasmus+ Award has been presented to mobility projects in the fields of school education, vocational education and training, higher education and adult education as well as strategic partnerships of outstanding quality for the sixth time. Awards were also given to people who are particularly committed to the valuable EU programme Erasmus+. The aim of this award is to bring the high quality of projects and stays abroad before the curtain, to recognise the achievements of individuals and to provide inspiration.
The best success stories, projects and partnerships were awarded prizes at a virtual event on 21 December 2020 by the Head of Section Iris Rauskala (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF)) on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science Heinz Faßmann, by the OeAD’s managing director Jakob Calice, and Dobrinka Dimova (Representative of the European Commission in Austria).
The Minister for Education and Science, Heinz Faßmann, is convinced that the EU educational programme also brings great added value beyond physical mobility for people in all education sectors: "In the exceptional year 2020 we saw the added benefit of the EU educational programme. In times of restrictions to mobility teachers, education staff, students and pupils have exchanged, networked, developed projects, researched and cooperated with each other via the available EU portals as well as via social media and blended learning. Digital learning platforms and virtual collaboration tools have, in the last few months, proved to be cutting-edge, continuing to bring Europe into our classrooms, seminar rooms and offices in a digital way."
Erasmus+ Award Education: the 2020 winners
This year's Erasmus+ Award went to: the HTL Leoben’s School Association with its school project "Improving knowledge and skills for modern teaching in the 21st century", the Chamber of Labour Tyrol with its vocational education and training project "Tyrolians taking to the road", the University College of Teacher Education Carinthia with its international higher education mobility project within the Erasmus+ programme and partner countries, and the Science Centre Network with its adult education project "Competence enhancement at the interface of formal/informal learning". The award for the best Strategic Partnership went to the FH JOANNEUM’s Department of Automotive Engineering for its project "Engineering Literacy Online".
The OeAD as national agency for Erasmus+ is responsible for the implementation of the EU educational programme on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) and the European Commission.
Jakob Calice, the OeAD’s managing director, states: "For many EU citizens the Erasmus programme is one of the EU’s greatest achievements. Austrian educational institutions participating in the Erasmus programme have already stood the digital test through their experience with transnational cooperation. In the new Erasmus+ programme starting in 2021 digitisation will also play an essential part in the form of virtual mobility and blended learning. Digital mobility can thus also bring international experience to all those who cannot or do not want to go abroad. This will allow even more people in Austria to benefit from the added value of the programme and the educational projects and initiatives."
Erasmus+ ambassadors as multipliers
The national Erasmus+ ambassadors are good examples of practised internationality. The following persons have been distinguished as Erasmus+ ambassadors in 2020: Markus Kraushofer (school education), Elfriede Maier (vocational education and training), Max Schachner (higher education) und Gaby Filzmoser (adult education).
Competition: Erasmus+ Diary 2020
The winners of a diary competition organised by the OeAD together with the Representation of the European Commission in Austria were also awarded prizes. Anna Kubin (school education), Romana Zeitlhofer (vocational education and training), Luna Aleesha Bas (higher education) und Edith Draxl (adult education) will receive travel vouchers of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). In the last few months they have shared their experiences during their Erasmus+ stays abroad with many people via Facebook.
New Erasmus+ programme period starts in 2021
In the new programme period 2021-2027 new priorities will be added: Firstly, inclusion, with the aim of addressing a broader target group. Secondly, under the motto "Green Erasmus" the programme aims to minimise the negative effects of travel on the environment and to create an awareness of sustainable action among participants. The third focus will be digitisation, which is increasingly used by the Erasmus programme: The up to now primarily physical stays abroad will be extended to include "virtual mobility" – in this way shorter stays abroad can be initiated online and then enhanced in a digital way.
Organisational restructuring in Austria
With the start of the new Erasmus+ programme period in January 2021 the OeAD will be responsible for both education and youth. The European Solidarity Corps will also be added to the OeAD’s portfolio. The programme budget has therefore been significantly increased: The overall European-wide budget for the new period 2021-2027 totals more than 26 thousand million euros.
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