The Erasmus and Erasmus Plus programme has been running for 35 years! The anniversary was celebrated as part of the 5th Education Congress.

The discussion panels and lectures organised as part of the congress focused on internationalisation in education in its broadest sense, mainly through the prism of values that unite Europe.

Above all, however, the event was an opportunity to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Erasmus+ programme, which is widely recognised as one of the greatest successes of European integration. Thanks to the mobility of millions of students and teachers, the European community has been enriched by a generation of people who are creative, open-minded and courageous in embracing new educational and cultural experiences.

The plenary panel on the implementation of the European Education Area (EEA) concept was attended by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski. The debate concerned, among other things, the role of higher education in implementing the main postulates of the EEA, in terms of increasing the quality and accessibility of education, digitisation and environmental education, and finally lifelong learning programmes.

- 'In Poland, it is becoming necessary to change the standards of teacher education, which are archaic and out of step with the needs and necessary skills that teachers should possess,' - emphasised Rector prof. Piotr Stepnowski. - 'It is also necessary to change the model of functioning of a modern school and its financing - otherwise, the crisis in this area will deepen. We at the UG have set up a Centre for Teacher Education. In the first stage, we are focusing on changing the model of educating future teachers, and in the next stage, on creating an outward-facing offer to those already working in the profession. What is most important is the spirit of community in education - the well-being of teachers is the well-being of students.'

Strengthening alliances of educational organisations using the example of 'European Universities' was also an important theme of the congress. The importance of networking and strengthening alliances between schools, universities and educational institutions in local, national and international contexts was discussed.

- 'There is no better pilot of the main principles of the EOE than the European Universities environment. It is in these partnerships that we get to know each other through our differences, but also through good practices, we can learn from each other, and test the commonality of certain areas of university management, such as unlimited access to online teaching modules, library resources or infrastructure. This is a great opportunity, especially for Polish universities,' - said Rector prof. Piotr Stepnowski. - 'The EU is fundamentally changing its growth strategy, based on sustainable development, with the factors that will lead to change being ecological and digital transformation. Education is at the heart of the European way of life, strengthening the social market economy and democracy through freedom, diversity, human rights and social justice.'

The congress also discussed the Erasmus+ Youth sector, as 2022 has been declared the European Year of Youth.

In addition, there were thematic sessions on educational programmes and the European Day of Languages.

These meetings focused, among other things, on the implementation of the horizontal priorities (Inclusion and Diversity, Digital Transformation, Environment and the fight against climate change and Participation in democratic life) of the Erasmus+ programme in international projects.

- 'Projects implemented as part of the Erasmus programme do not only involve international mobility of students and university staff but also participation in a wide variety of undertakings that enrich the lives of our academic community and the acquisition of experiences that will pay off in future professional lives,' - points out the Vice-Rector for Students and Educational Quality, dr hab. Arnold Kłonczyński, prof. UG. - 'Opening up to a different lifestyle, new professional contacts, benefiting from the experience of scientists working in other research centres and participating in cultural and sporting projects, internships and work placements are all enormous opportunities that open up with the new Erasmus Plus programme perspective for the next few years. We look forward to the announcement of these programmes!'

As the organisers of the event - the National Agency of the Erasmus+ Programme and the European Solidarity Corps - emphasised, this year's edition of the Education Congress under the slogan '35th anniversary of the Erasmus+ Programme' was addressed not only to a large group of decision-makers and beneficiaries of the programme but also to the students themselves. Despite its 35 years, the main idea of the programme remains the same - the development of international cooperation between educational institutions. That is why during the lectures and presentations, participants in the Congress had the opportunity to learn, among other things, about the importance of networking, which, through the sharing of knowledge and exchange of ideas, supports their development, both in the local, national and international contexts.

- 'We are most happy that currently, the University of Gdańsk is a national leader when it comes to obtained funding for Erasmus and Erasmus+ projects for European and non-EU countries, and that we simply manage to make our dreams come true,' - emphasises the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG.  

As part of the Erasmus KA131 Programme, the University of Gdańsk received funding in the amount of EUR 3 036 230 (for the years 2022/23 and 2023/24), which places the UG in third place among Polish universities. The funds obtained will enable the mobility of UG staff and students to partner universities from 30 countries (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Hungary), within the framework of 566 agreements signed by our university.

In turn, as part of the Erasmus+ KA171 Project, the University of Gdańsk received funding in the amount of EUR 380 030, which places the UG fifth among Polish universities. We are also number 1 in the region. This funding will enable the mobility of UG staff and students to/from partner universities from 32 countries (Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Georgia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan). Together with the budget of the extended KA107 2020 project (which will end in July 2022) of around EUR 245 000 we now have a total budget of EUR 625 600 available.  

- 'These fantastic results are the result of an actively pursued internationalisation strategy and the extraordinary commitment of the staff of the International Cooperation Office and the coordinators of the Erasmus and Erasmus+ programmes in the Faculties and other UG units,'  - points out prof. UG Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler. - 'We continuously undertake various promotional activities, thanks to which information on academic mobility opportunities reaches an ever wider group of researchers and administrative staff. Committed researchers are carrying out truly fantastic projects at partner universities, and long-term cooperation is strengthening our research centres. What is particularly important to us university authorities is an increasing interest in the mobility of administrative staff.'

About the possibilities for UG employees to improve their qualifications also outside the EU: https://ug.edu.pl/news/en/3861/not-only-eu-improving-qualifications-ug-employees.   

The congress was honoured with a concert, as well as a Gala with the presentation of competition awards: European Language Label, EDUinspirations, EDUinspirator and the European Innovation in Teaching Award (EITA).

The content of the event was supervised by: Programme Board of the 5th Education Congress and Programme Board of the European Day of Languages.

The anniversary celebrations took place on October 27, 2022, at the University of Warsaw as part of the 5th Education Congress.