The European Commission has launched a new Call for Proposals aiming to fund new actions under TEMPUS IV Trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education. The objective of Tempus Programme is to promote multilateral cooperation among higher education institutions, authorities and organisations from EU Member States and partner countries, focusing on the reform and modernisation of higher education.

The overall objective of the TEMPUS Trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education is to contribute towards facilitating cooperation in the field of higher education among Member States of the European Union (EU) and partner countries in the surrounding area. In particular, the programme will help promote voluntary convergence with EU developments in the field of higher education deriving from the Lisbon agenda and the Bologna process.

Tempus Programme, firstly adopted in July 1990, entered in its fourth phase (2007-2013) with the adoption of the first Call for Proposals under TEMPUS IV.

Two principal instruments for cooperation through DG EAC/01/09 TEMPUS Call for Proposals are:

• Joint Projects: projects with a ‘bottom-up’ approach aiming at modernisation and reform at institutional (university) level. Joint Projects aim at modernising university curricula and governance through a transfer of knowledge between universities, organisations and institutions from the EU and from the partner countries as well as between partner country entities as appropriate.
• Structural Measures: projects which seek to contribute to the development and reform of higher education systems in partner countries, as well as to enhance their quality and relevance, and to increase their convergence with EU developments. Structural Measures will concern interventions designed to support structural reform of higher education systems and strategic framework development at national level.

Eligible Applicants and Budget

Institutions and organisations which may participate in the Tempus Programme range from higher education institutions and organisations through to non-academic institutions and organisations such as non-governmental organisations, companies, industries and public authorities.

These institutions may be based in any of the 27 Member States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Kosovo, 15 countries in the Southern and Eastern neighbouring area of the European Union )Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Tunisia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine,), the Russian Federation, as well as 5 Central Asian Republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects amounts to 53 M€, being the financial contribution from the Commission not more that 90 % of the total eligible direct costs.

The minimum grant size for both Joint Projects and Structural Measures will be 0,5 M€. The maximum grant size will amount to 1.5 M€. In the case of Kosovo, Montenegro and the five Central Asian countries, the minimum grant size for national projects (both types) is set at 0.3 M€.

The maximum duration of projects is 36 months.

Applications for Joint Projects and for Structural Measures must be sent no later than April 28th 2009 at 16.00 Central European Summer Time.  Full text of the Call for Proposals, as well as forms and other relevant documents can be found at the TEMPUS website.