Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes – BIP
The “Blended Intensive Programmes”, BIP for short, are an innovative new offering among the various Erasmus+ programs.
Students have the opportunity to participate in a recognized and innovative course concept and to receive ECTS as well as to develop intercultural skills.
Overview of the most important aspects
- Short, intensive and joint mobility curricula and activities
- Members of a group will have a short physical mobility period (5 to 30 days) and also take online courses (blended short-term student-mobility)
- Both students and University staff can participate in the period of study abroad
- A minimum of 3 universities from 3 different program countries must jointly develop the BIP
- Funding: Instructors can be financially supported if the BIP is to be implemented in Germany. Learners in a group taking part in physical mobility can receive funding if the BIP is implemented abroad
- A BIP group must have at least 20 participants
- Students are awarded a minimum of 3 ECTS credits
Please visit the DAAD website for more details. You can specifically find a link to download the Higher Education Mobility Handbook for information in English.
Information for faculties and students: RWTH as the sending university
How can students participate in a BIP abroad and receive Erasmus+ funding?
Students can only receive funding for their stay abroad through a BIP if their respective RWTH institute jointly coordinates the BIP with the foreign partners and the physical phase of the program takes place abroad. The co-organizing institute at RWTH must notify the Erasmus Coordinators at RWTH (see contact box) of their participation in the BIP in order to apply for funding for the students to be sent to the partner institution abroad. This should be done as early as possible and, at the latest, two months before the start of the BIP so that the team can check whether the students are eligible to participate and receive funding. Furthermore, it is imperative to inform the international coordinators of the respective faculty/department, as they have to sign (in case of funding) both the digital contract of the BIP and the learning agreements of the outgoings.
What funding will students receive for participating in a BIP abroad?
- The funded individuals/participants from program countries receive financial support from the respective sending university. The prerequisite is that funding is still available for the project year.
- The International Office of RWTH can fund a maximum of 5 days of stay abroad. The amount of funding per day is 70 euros. In addition, you will receive funding of 70 euros per day for the outward and return journeys.
- You can also apply for additional grants for traveling in an environmentally friendly manner, for costly travel, or if you are someone with special needs. Information will be provided upon approval of your participation.
Does the BIP affect other Erasmus stays?
- It is not possible to receive concurrent funding with other Erasmus grants.
- Participation in a BIP does not count against the regular Erasmus student quota (12 months for international mobility per study cycle). Please visit the Erasmus+ Student Exchange or Erasmus+ Internships websites for more information on Erasmus stays.
What must students do if they want to receive Erasmus funding?
Since participants in a BIP want to benefit from an Erasmus grant, they must submit certain mandatory Erasmus documents. The International Office (see contact box) is happy to provide you with detailed information on what exactly is required.
Students must furthermore:
- register in the Study Abroad Database (registration link will be provided by the International Office).
- prepare an Online Learning Agreement
- take a language test before and after their stay abroad for stays lasting more than 14 days
- get a Confirmation of Stay Abroad (template available from the International Office)
- take the EU-Survey, which will automatically be sent to them after the completion of their stay abroad
- get a Transcript of Records of classes completed/credits earned
- get a Credit Transfer Notification or Certificate of Attendance
How many ECTS can students obtain abroad and will these credits be accepted at RWTH?
To participate in a BIP, you must be awarded at least 3 ECTS CP. You will be told the exact amount by the hosting institution.
It is up to the respective RWTH faculty or department whether they accept credits earned abroad, but you must still discuss this issue in advance with your faculty’s study abroad coordinator/examination board and record the result in an Online Learning Agreement (Blended Mobility with Short-term Physical Mobility).
If no CP can be transferred – for example in the case of some doctoral programs – the 3 ECTS CP should be seen as a guideline for the student’s workload and a certificate of attendance should be submitted to Erasmus Outgoing Student Support.
Information for Faculties: RWTH in the role of coordinatiing university
How can faculties apply for and coordinate a BIP?
Please refer to our guidelines for faculties, available in German in the download section below, and contact the team member listed in this document.
What are the general conditions for organizing a BIP?
- At least 3 universities from 3 different Erasmus+ program countries must collaborate.
- All universities must be recognized Erasmus HEIs (certified by the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education).
- The organizing HEI and the participating institutions must have bilateral inter-institutional partnership agreements
- At least 20 students must participate
- The physical group mobility duration (5 to 30 days) will be combined with a virtual phase of undefined duration. Physical mobility can be carried out at the hosting institution or another location in the host country.
- Students receive a minimum of 3 ECTS CP (combined total of virtual and physical parts).
What funding is available for a BIP at RWTH?
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Amount of Funding
The coordinating university receives organizational support funds for a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 mobility participants. Additional participants can also join the BIP. The organizational funds amount to 400 euros per participant, i.e. a total of 6,000 to 8,000 euros. The program coordinators receive half of the organizational funds (3,000 to 4,000 euros), and the other half remains in the International Office to cover the administrative costs. -
Possible Costs
The OS or organizational support funds are intended to cover the costs for initiating, developing, implementing, and monitoring the BIP. Furthermore, the funds support the implementation of virtual components and managing the program. Funding is also available to prepare documents and teaching materials, book rooms, procure materials and conduct field trips (travel costs or tickets). Communication activities, catering, translation and interpretation services, preparatory visits, and administrative activities are also covered.
Who is eligible for funding in a BIP?
- The hosting university receives OS funds for organizing a BIP (see above).
- The sending universities receive funds to financially support their participants during their physical mobility abroad. Both students enrolled at the university and staff that the HEI contractually employs can be funded as participants in a BIP. If you are interested in STT funding as part of a BIP, please read the information on our staff mobility website. Information for RWTH students: Participation in a BIP abroad.
BIP in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Group photo with many conference attendees before leaving for the castle tour. The participants are in front of the Faculty of Philosophy of UPOL, where most of the conference took place.
Testimonials
The ERASMUS BIP grant gave Jule J. and me a dreamlike academic experience abroad at the prestigious Faculty of Arts at the Palacký University. Retrospectively, it was a wonderful mixture of an educative purpose, social networking with great researchers of Biosemiotics and chances to get to know the country and its culture.
Chiara Schumann
The GIBS conference was my second Erasmus stay abroad and I am very grateful for the opportunities the program has provided me with. Both times, I was able to meet and talk to a variety of inspiring and authentic people whose diverse life models showed me how anything can be possible and often even changed my perspective on life in general.
Jule Janßen
The workshop at Palacký University Olomouc allowed students from Aachen and from many universities to participate and learn about biosemiotics from leading scholars. This has great academic importance, as the attending students will be the scholars to develop the discipline.
Alin Olteanu