The Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education, SEPIE (Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education), attached to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has recently published a Resolution on the applications for the 2019 call for strategic partnerships of the program Erasmus + of the European Union.

The grants (for a total of € 31,164,097.72) will allow financing 168 projects aimed at promoting collaborative activities in the field of innovation and the exchange of best practices, specifically those of the Strategic Associations, related to the Spanish institutions in the field of education and training.

This figure is divided into institutions, namely educational centers, universities, companies, foundations, chambers of commerce, etc., and under the nomenclature of "Strategic Partnerships", adopted in Brussels for this program. The measures are funded to support the incorporation of development, transparency or innovative practices and the promotion of joint initiatives for the promotion of cooperation in the exchange of learning and experience at European level.

These are the main figures of the 2019 call for proposals: 31 grants have been awarded for innovation projects in the field of higher education, for a total amount of € 8,273,519.00. This means a 52% increase in the budget provided and a 55% increase in the number of projects that have received a grant compared to the previous call.

The direction of the selected projects is the vision of the European Commission to create a European Higher Space in 2025 and will actively assist in this objective by continuously exploiting different innovations related to quality improvement, interconnection of curricula and Higher Education systems, with special relevance for students' knowledge and skills, especially in the European context. reinforcement: social inclusion.

These projects will also allow the development of intellectual products, which are educational materials and open access resources, with high collision power in European institutions and higher education systems.

Figures

In the Vocational Training sector, € 7,885,731.00 were provided for 46 projects, of which 34 are cooperatives for the development of innovation and another 12 for exchanges of best practices, representing a 12% increase for allocated funds and a 13% increase in the number of projects compared to the previous call. The beneficiaries of these projects are business associations, chambers of commerce, educational centers, as well as other organizations that are important in this educational sector.

The funded projects include the teaching methodology applied to the introduction of new technologies and the promotion of technological innovation in different sectors and processes, and social inclusion in different sectors of production and socioeconomics, the development of youth employability and promotion of the social and educational value of European cultural heritage, energy efficient and productive models. creation, as well as projects aimed at improving Vocational Training and its training.

A total of 44 projects have been selected in the School Education sector, of which € 7,892,247.00 has been allocated. Of these 44 projects, 33 are for innovation and 11 for the exchange of best practices. The beneficiaries of these projects are universities, public administrations, educational centers, as well as other organizations that are important in this sector.

The result of these actions will be the improvement of the quality of education, the adoption of measures aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion, the social and educational value of European cultural heritage, as well as early school leaving and disadvantaged situations. The € 7,892,247.00 allocated this year represents a 29% increase in the funds provided and a 22.2% increase in the number of projects compared to the previous call.

In the Education sector for the elderly, a total of 7,112,600.72 euros have been allocated to 47 projects: 40 for the exchange of innovation projects and best practices 7.

The main objective of these projects is the integration of the elderly in educational activities in a multicultural environment, improving the offer of high quality learning opportunities, developing orientation strategies and improving their literacy skills, mathematical and digital competence.

Spain and its commitment to Erasmus +

It focuses on Erasmus + learning (formal and non-formal) beyond the borders of the EU, with a clear vocation for internationalization, opening up to third countries, with the aim of improving the education and educational skills of people for the employability of students, teachers and educators. These actions include students and teachers, administration and service personnel, and are intended to:

• In the case of students: improve education, improve employability, strengthen employment prospects and increase personal development and participation in society.
• In the case of staff: improve their skills, increase their skills, modernize the participating educational and educational institutions, as well as increase their knowledge of other practices, policies and systems.

All these data show, in summary, the interest of Spanish centers and institutions, of all sectors of education, to participate in the Erasmus + program, placing Spain among the main European countries in this program.