The EU has launched a new educational programme -Erasmus Mundus- for countries outside the EU (third countries). Graduate students and scholars from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus will be able to receive scholarships from the European Union in order to study and do research in countries inside the EU. Erasmus Mundus will support about 90 Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses of outstanding academic quality. It will provide grants for some 5,000 graduate students from third-countries to follow these Masters Courses, and for more than 4,000 EU graduate students involved in these courses to study in third-countries. The programme will also offer teaching or research scholarships in Europe for over 1,000 incoming third-country academics and for a similar number of outgoing EU scholars. Last but not least, Erasmus Mundus will support about 100 partnerships between Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses and higher education institutions in third-countries. The Erasmus Mundus programme is a co-operation and mobility programme in the field of higher education. The programme is intended to strengthen European co-operation and international links in higher education by supporting high-quality European Masters Courses, by enabling students and visiting scholars from around the world to engage in postgraduate study at European universities, as well as by encouraging the outgoing mobility of European students and scholars towards third-countries. It seeks, primarily, to enhance the quality and attractiveness of European higher education world-wide. By supporting the international mobility of scholars and students, Erasmus Mundus intends to prepare its European and non-European participants for life in a global, knowledge-based society. The Erasmus Mundus programme will be implemented as of the academic year 2004/2005. The duration of the programme is five years (2004-2008) with a planned financial envelope of 230 million Euro for the whole period. All information about Erasmus Mundus is available at: www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html In case of remaining questions please contact the Erasmus Mundus Task Manager at the Delegation, Mrs. Alla Seletska, alla.seletska@cec.eu.int Background Information: The Erasmus Mundus programme comprises four concrete actions: ACTION 1 Ц Creation of Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses: high-quality integrated Masters Courses offered by a consortium of at least three universities in at least three different European countries. ACTION 2 - Erasmus Mundus scholarships: a scholarship scheme for third-country graduate students and scholars from the whole world will be linked to them. This scholarship scheme addresses highly qualified individuals. ACTION 3 - Partnerships: Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses will also have the possibility of establishing partnerships with third-country higher education institutions. These partnerships will allow for outgoing mobility for graduate EU students and scholars involved in the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. ACTION 4 - Enhancing attractiveness: Erasmus Mundus will also support measures aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of and the interest in European higher education. It will support activities that will improve the profile, the visibility and the accessibility of European higher education as well as issues crucial to the internationalisation of higher education, such as the mutual recognition of qualifications with third-countries. Who can participate? The programme is open to: Х the 25 EU Member States Х the candidate countries for accession to the EU Х the countries of the European Economic Area / European Free Trade Association Х all the other countries of the world (third-countries) Action 1 (see description above) is reserved to the first three categories of countries, while the beneficiaries of Action 2 (see description above) will be third-country students and scholars. Action 3 partnerships can be established between Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses selected under Action 1 and worldwide third-country higher education institutions. Action 3 scholarships for the outgoing mobility to third-countries are destined to EU graduate students and scholars participating in Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. Action 4 activities are open to worldwide higher education institutions and other bodies involved in higher education, regardless from their participation in other Actions of the programme. Third countries: The scholarship scheme under Action 2 is exclusively reserved for graduate students and scholars from third countries, i.e. all countries outside the EU including Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. Third-country higher education institutions can be partner institutions under Action 3. Third-country higher education institutions and other third-country bodies active in higher education can participate in projects under Action 4. European and non-European graduate students having successfully obtained a first degree can enrol in an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course. The overall budget for the programme amounts to И 230 million for a five-year period (2004-2008). The bulk of the budget, approximately 90%, will go into scholarships.