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Mobility of higher education students and staff supported by internal policy funds (KA131-HED) - Coordinator: MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE

2023-1-FR01-KA131-HED-0001137862023Mobility of higher education students and stafffinalized
Countries: FR|BE|DK|EL|HU|IT|MX|PT|ES|SE|TG|UK · Grant: €40,128

Objectives

The National Museum of Natural History, repository of major heritage collections and endowed with numerous research laboratories, provides Master and Doctorate level training with a strong multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary dimension. Its scientific positioning, at the crossroads of natural, humans and social sciences, gives it a singular identity in the French, European and international academic landscape. In particular, it offers a Master's degree program structured into seven courses, including international Masters courses integrated into Erasmus Mundus programs (EMJMD). These courses welcome around 250 students, of whom 10–20% are international.. They train researchers, experts and professionals in different fields of expertise, concerning : - the identification, inventory and historical interpretation of natural entities; - the analysis of the mechanisms of life, its evolution and dynamics; - the study of the evolutionary and cultural history of man, as well as the interactions between societies, environments and ecosystems - the dissemination of knowledge to all audiences. These programs are characterized by limited student numbers and a strong connection to a wide international network of academic, scientific, and heritage institutions. Participation in the Erasmus+ programme has become an essential driver for consolidating this institutional dynamic. More broadly, it is embedded within a strategy to strengthen the Museum’s scientific and heritage networks through mobility opportunities, thereby fostering synergies between training and research, providing students with privileged access to these networks to diversify their academic and professional opportunities, and enhancing the international visibility and attractiveness of the Museum’s educational offer. Action KA131 of the Erasmus+ programme constitutes the central pillar of this initiative. Its success fosters the participation of the institution (with a limited number of students) to other key actions of the Programme (E. Mundus, KA 171, KA 220). For the institution and its staff, it contributes to the quality of teaching, international attractiveness, and the exchange of best practices within the European Higher Education Area. For students: it provides the acquisition of skills that enhance their employability and professional integration. This participation also strengthens the Museum’s distinctive role within the Sorbonne University Alliance. With regard to the 2023 Erasmus+ agreement, the project aimed to maintain the momentum of international mobility flows for both students and staff, as outlined in the Museum’s internationalisation strategy and in accordance with the terms of its Erasmus Charter. Over the past decade, the Museum has managed a significant and steadily increasing volume of international mobilities (in proportion to its student cohort). In 2019, around 25% of Master’s students undertook a study period abroad each year, mainly within international programmes that attract a significant proportion of non-European scholarship students. Although severely disrupted by the pandemic (2020–2022), this dynamic has since recovered and even surpassed previous levels. The current project therefore sought to sustain this vitality by maintaining the target minimum of 25% of Master’s students undertaking international mobility each year.

Project partners (1)