Introduction
The Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet) manages the European, Nordic and nationally initiated mobility and scholarship programmes below if not mentioned otherwise.
Student Mobility
Mobility programmes
Erasmus+
Erasmus+ programme, funded by the European Commission, offers scholarships to student to spend 3 to 12 months in practically all countries in the world within Student Mobility for Studies (SMS) although most scholarships are given to mobility to other programme countries in Europe. There are also scholarships available for Student Mobility for Traineeships (SMP) in the programme countries in Europe for a duration of 2 to 12 months. Students are also offered a possibility to increase their language skills prior to the mobility period through participating in Online Linguistic Support (OLS) funded by Erasmus+ programme. Practically all Swedish higher education institutions participate in Erasmus+.
Linnaeus-Palme
Linnaeus-Palme programme has been funded by Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) to strengthen cooperation between universities in Sweden and in developing countries. Student mobility for studies was funded for both outgoing and incoming students for one or two semesters. Practical placements could be included in the study period. It was the Swedish higher education institution that applied for the funding both for itself and for its foreign counterpart. There are no new funds to be applied for in this programme anymore.
Nordplus Higher Education
Nordplus Higher Education is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Nordiska ministerrådet). Nordplus Higher Education offers funding for higher education institutions in Nordic and Baltic countries. Student mobility for studies or placements is funded for periods of 1 to 12 months. In addition, Express Mobility grants exist for very short student mobility periods of minimum one week. Student mobility is also funded for participation in Intensive Courses of minimum one week organised by networks of Nordic and Baltic higher education institutions.
Minor Field Studies
Minor Field Studies programme has been funded by Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) to offer Swedish students a possibility to spend a minimum of eigth weeks in a developing country in order to gather material for an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation and to do field work for the benefit of the host country. There are no new funds to be applied for in this programme anymore.
Visby Programme
Visby Programme administrated by the Swedish Institute (Svenska institutet) and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supports institutional cooperation and individual exchanges at higher education institutions. The programme funds mobility periods for studies or work placements during maximum 10 months in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
IAESTE
IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) is administered in Sweden by Chalmers University of Technology to offer Swedish students an opportunity for a work placement abroad during 1 to 18 months mainly in the areas of Technology and Science. The students receive no scholarship but normally a salary from the employer.
Support for international mobility
To obtain study assistance from the Swedish government for studies abroad, a student must have been resident in Sweden for at least two continuous years within the last five years. There are some requirements imposed on students and the institution of higher education. There are no obstacles to paying study assistance when a student also receives a scholarship for studying abroad.
Higher education institutions are themselves responsible for assessing and validating exchange programmes. If the exchange takes place within the context of an exchange programme, a learning agreement is made in advance between the outbound student and the Swedish higher education institution – normally the major part of the exchange studies are credited to the student's programme at the university of origin. If the exchange takes place in some other way, for instance if the students is a so called free-mover (not taking part in organized exchange), a learning agreement can be established in advance or an assessment can be made retroactively.
Academic Staff Mobility
National policy goals regarding staff mobility in higher education
Sweden participates in a large number of international cooperation projects in the area of education and research. The aim of these projects is to draw attention to and focus on individual issues as well as to exchange experience across national borders. The Swedish Higher Education Act states ”… in their operations higher education institutions should promote understanding of other countries and of international circumstances.”
The Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet) has the task to promote Swedish participation in the programmes and follow up, analyse and spread results and experiences from the programmes to increase the quality of education. This includes the mobility of higher education staff.
Mobility programmes
Erasmus+
Erasmus+ programme, funded by the European Commission, offers funding for Swedish higher education institutions to send their teachers abroad to teaching assignments and also for inviting incoming lecturers from enterprises abroad. The programme offers also funding to send staff (including teachers) for training periods abroad (courses, seminars and job shadowing).
Linnaeus-Palme
Linnaeus-Palme programme has been funded by Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) to strengthen cooperation between universities in Sweden and in developing countries. Academic staff mobility was funded for both outgoing and incoming staff for a 3-8 weeks period. It was the Swedish higher education institution that applied for the funding both for itself and for its foreign counterpart. There are no new funds to be applied for in this programme anymore.
Nordplus Higher Education
Nordplus Higher Education is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Nordiska ministerrådet). Nordplus Higher Education offers funding for higher education institutions in Nordic and Baltic countries. Academic staff mobility is funded as well as different academic cooperation projects.
Visby Programme
Visby Programme administrated by the Swedish Institute (Svenska institutet) and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supports institutional cooperation and individual exchanges at higher education institutions. The programme aims to support projects and network building to stimulate long-term co-operation in Sweden and one or more of the Baltic countries, Poland, Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine. Higher education institutions can apply for funding for contact meetings/ project planning in one of the countries in the program, and PhD students, researchers or teachers can apply for grants for short-term visits to actively take part in a conference. A higher education institution can also invite a PhD student, researcher or teacher for a study or research visit for two weeks to one month.
Teaching sabbaticals
STINT (Stiftelsen för internationalisering av högre utbildning) is a foundation that offers a range of funding and scholarship programmes in support of strategic internationalisation at higher education institutions. Teaching sabbaticals are funded at selected universities and colleges based in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the US.
Bilateral programmes
STINT (Stiftelsen för internationalisering av högre utbildning) manages bilateral programmes for academic cooperation with Chile, China, Brazil, Japan, South Africa and South Korea. These programmes offer funding for academic staff mobility.
Salary, financial compensation and social security arrangements
Academic staff recieve their usual salary during their mobility periods, along with insurance.
Reward mechanisms for staff participation
Academic staff who participate in mobilities have all the costs covered, including travel, accommodation and a food allowance. For some of the programmes, e.g Linnaeus-Palme, the participating staff can obtain funding for an additional two week language course before the actual mobility period begins.