Erasmus Policy Statement
1. Objectives of Participation
The University of Malaga (UMA) has approved its own Internationalization Strategy (IS) for EU and non-EU countries with the main objective of increasing the international promotion of the institution through a broader international orientation of teaching and research activities while focusing on the transfer of knowledge to the productive sector.
The implementation of this policy enhances a multi-level approach to the management of all the structures and collectives of the University, as it can be seen in its Strategic Plan 2017-19.
In order to attain this strategic objective, it is essential to promote international mobility and cooperation, especially highlighting the role of the Erasmus Program and the European Education Area in the achievement of institutional objectives.
The IS is based on a regulating framework which guarantees equality of opportunities, academic and professional recognition and exemption from payment of enrolment fees for incoming mobility students.
Partners are carefully selected according to a detailed analysis based on a series of parameters: previous cooperation, institutional profiles, geographical diversity, prospective synergies, excellence, technical capacity, complementarity, etc.
Priorities include long-term alliances, stable, balanced, proactive and efficient international networks, as well as agreements with institutions fully committed to the objectives of the European Education Area.
Regarding the selection of geographical areas, UMA undertakes a logical process of analysis in which the balance between opportunities and risks for the internationalization of the institution is assessed.
The areas in which the institution has the closest links are the EU, Latin America and Northern Africa.
The process of geographical diversification recently initiated has fostered the cooperation with North America, Asia, especially South Korea and China, and Oceania.
UMA takes this strategy of diversification a bit further exploring new relationships with universities in countries of special geostrategic interest in Asia, Oceania and Southern Africa.
UMA is characterized by a strong multidisciplinary approach regarding its academic offer with a wide range of study programs (undergraduate and master degrees; PhD and research programs) in numerous areas: Life Sciences, Health Sciences, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Particularly relevant are the International Excellence Campus of "Andalucía Tech" (A-Tech) targeted thematic areas: Information and Communication Technologies, Production Technologies and Biotechnology.
The relevance of these fields fosters A-Tech visibility and increases the international interest for A-Tech areas which is the reason they represent an important role in our strategy of internationalization.
Nevertheless, all the areas of study are supported by our IS policy. Being an innovative university is another of the basic pillars of UMA's strategy, reflected in its vision, which is committed to transferring knowledge from university research to the production system, through the creation of spinoffs and startups, promoting a close relationship with the business world, which boosts the so-called knowledge triangle.
In this sense, as part of its Strategic Alliances Plan, it is important to highlight the participation of UMA in GEIC (Joint International Strategy Group) promoted by the Malaga City Council, where different productive and service agents, both public and private (Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Entrepreneurs, Technological Park of Andalusia, UMA...), work together for the international promotion of Malaga and its province.
2. Erasmus Actions and Implementation
The Internationalization Strategy of the University of Málaga, based on a strategic assessment, includes amongst its key policies, besides the mobility actions, the participation in international cooperation projects, considering these projects as a tool of modernization and improvement of quality management and knowledge spread.
The objectives pursued are the following:
- Contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the European Education Area.
- Establish a strategic network of international partners involving an intense, structured and long-term cooperation with higher education institutions and other public and private organizations.
- Increase the impact of the knowledge generated in the private sector.
- Encourage creativity, innovation and learning opportunities.
- Contribute to strengthen and enrich the capabilities of individuals and institutions.
The mobility activities of UMA focus on three basic groups:
Students
The aim is to significantly increase the capacity to attract incoming students, especially in second and third cycle, as well as the quality of the services provided to this group.
Another priority is to boost outgoing mobility by setting up agreements with a range of high-profile academic and scientific destinations to strengthen the quality of the mobility experience and to improve employability.
In this sense, priority is given to outgoing placement mobility.
UMA also intends to increase the participation of groups usually under-represented in the Program (e.g., people with special needs, degrees with low participation in the Erasmus Program, etc.).
Academic staff
Development of the international dimension of the teaching skills and research exchange of our academic staff through teaching and training mobility actions is seen as a goal of the utmost importance.
Increasing the participation of international staff in UMA teaching and training activities is considered as a priority.
Non-academic staff
Contemplated as part of the policy to foster quality management and training of non-academic staff, language and international competences related skills are highly promoted.
Non-academic staff are encouraged to participate in the program mobility activities.
Activities that involve international exchange of good practice experiences are considered as a key benefit for the institution.
The University of Malaga participates in the development of double, multiple and joint degrees, undertaking an analysis based on the following criteria: complementarity of the academic offer of the participating institutions, quality and impact of the resulted new degree, legal and financial viability and sustainability. In this sense, second and third cycle degrees are prioritized.
The participation of UMA in international projects is performed under the principles of balance, sustainability, informed choice and transparency.
In the selection of partners priority is given to the general policy of internationalization, but also to the mutual interest of starting new joint projects, as well as reinforcing previous collaborations with other partner institutions in every field of the knowledge.
Every year, after the publication of the official Erasmus+ call by the European Commission, the International Office disseminates it and promotes the participation in Erasmus+ projects to all academic members of its community.
Informative seminars are held, in order to explain different funding opportunities and offer advice and administrative support to KA2 and KA3 projects, so that professors are encouraged to apply for new cooperation projects in the framework of these actions.
UMA also collaborates with other national and international universities in this line following the criteria of inter-institutional cooperation.
Individual and technical assistance is provided since the application step until the final lifetime of the projects that have been finally awarded. This support is extensive to the implementation.
3. Impact and Monitoring
UMA has extensive experience of more than 30 years in participating in mobility programs in all modalities.
The main objectives of UMA's efforts in this context have been the consolidation of the network of partners and the implementation of the quality standards established by the Erasmus+ Program in its different stages.
Currently UMA carries out all its Erasmus+ KA1 mobilities, for studies, training and teaching, within the framework of inter-institutional agreements (IAA) previously established with the home and host institutions.
The proposed agreements are studied and coordinated at two levels: the technical-administrative and the academic ones.
The International Relations Office (IRO) reviews the formal aspects common to all agreements and the content of its own clauses established by the institutions to guarantee compliance with the principles established by ECHE.
The international coordinators analyze the academic offer of the partners to establish the possibilities of recognition of studies and allocation of ECTS credits in their area of study.
The follow-up of inter-institutional agreements is also carried out in a coordinated manner.
UMA ensures that all mobility management procedures are applied with quality criteria before, during and after mobility.
The program's dissemination tasks are carried out through different channels: informative assemblies to promote mobility, meetings and seminars with students before starting the mobility, social networks, website, annual reports, courses for UMA staff and implementation ongoing dissemination activities and recognition of staff mobility, among others.
The selection of participants is carried out centrally from the IRO, following strictly the principles of ECHE.
The selection criteria are the academic record and the language level.
Regarding the selection of staff, criteria for the allocation of places are considered, including the score assigned to each of these criteria, with mobility places being awarded to the highest-scoring candidates.
For its part, the exemption from the payment of public prices is guaranteed to the students received.
In terms of language preparation, UMA ensures the participants have the language level necessary for the proper development of the learning periods before mobility: compliance with language requirements, calls for accreditation of languages, wide promotion of OLS courses, etc.
The staff is also included in the UMA language promotion policy, a specific training modality is included to carry out English language courses to improve the language skills of our staff.
Moreover, the received students can take a Spanish course before the beginning of each semester, while the incoming staff also have a Spanish language course.
The student documentation’s management is highly digitized, specifically grant and learning agreements, whose procedures guarantee the signature of all parties before the start of the mobility period.
In order to facilitate access to pre-mobility information, digital platforms are used in which participants can find all the necessary information such as contracting insurance, support and documentation for visas, orientation for the accommodation of students and reception staff, expedition automatic credentials, access to OLS, information on scholarships and grants, and access to the Erasmus+ Student Charter.
In relation to student mobility, the UMA's academic offer is available on our website in Spanish overall and partially in English.
The offer is published on the digital platform annually, after the update of the study plans.
The objective is to facilitate maximum access to our academic offer with instructions to locate it on the web, through informative guides and online tutorials.
The online platforms themselves that support student mobility play an important role in the follow-up and monitoring of students, since through them we can punctually know the processing status of all their documentation and provide us with a means of communication with students through the mass mailing utility, which allows sending reminders, news that occurs throughout the mobility cycle, advice regarding security aspects, etc.
Social networks also serve both to disseminate any relevant information and to respond to student inquiries through as many channels as possible.
As for the realization of an action plan for emergency situations, the UMA follows the recommendations of the "Protocol for action in emergency situations" proposed by the subgroup "Safety / Emergency Protocols" of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE).
In this sense, UMA contemplates the realization of a contingency plan that considers different scenarios and possible problems that it may face, so that if any of these cases occurs, the impact in any conflict situation would be minimal, logically always in accordance with the principles and recommendations of the Erasmus+ programme.
In relation to the activities of integration and promotion of multiculturalism, the Welcome to UMA office plays an important role, which centralizes advisory, support and integration activities for international students: accommodation, language exchange, cultural and sports activities, visits to events, excursions, etc.
Moreover, the “buddy program” scheme contributes to the integration of incoming students in university life and in our city.
Welcome to UMA collaborates closely with the ESN section in Malaga whose main objective is also the integration of our incoming students.
Furthermore, the study carried out on the qualitative and quantitative indicators found in the Mobility Tool+ "EU survey" is essential, with the information of each participant after completing their mobility.
This study serves both to carry out the final report of each project and to monitor the quality of the mobilities that it has developed.
These surveys provide valuable information on the general degree of satisfaction of the participants, the sending and host institutions and the support received in logistics, recognition of the activity, among others.
In relation to Erasmus+ KA2 projects, in recent years, UMA has made a strong commitment to foster the participation of its teaching staff in this action of the programme.To that effect, the International Relations Service carries out the work of disseminating the different Erasmus+ actions and administrative support, previously mentioned.
This firm commitment has made it possible to significantly increase the number of Erasmus+ projects in which UMA participates, starting with 2 projects at the beginning of the program in 2014, up to the 34 projects that our institution currently has active.
The aim is to achieve a modern, cross-sectional and interdisciplinary project area, which will serve fundamentally as support for the teaching and research tasks associated with international projects, and thus be able to continue the existing growth dynamics.
