Tempus Programme

Call for proposals in the framework of the Tempus Programme


On 4 November 2011, the Call for Proposals for Reform of higher education through international university cooperation was published in the framework of the fourth phase of the Tempus programme, covering the period from 2007 to 2013.

The overall objective of the Tempus programme is to support the modernization of higher education in the EU\'s surrounding area. The Tempus programme promotes institutional cooperation and focuses on the reform and modernization of higher education systems in the partner countries be it in the European Union or in its wider proximity. In particular, the programme will promote voluntary convergence with EU developments in the field of higher education.

The priority of the current Tempus call for proposal is to promote multilateral cooperation among higher education institutions, authorities and organizations from EU Member States and partner countries with the focus on the reform and modernization of higher education.

The target groups for the results of this Tempus Programme’s call for proposal are:
- Policy makers from EU Member States and partner countries
- Higher Education Institutions

The eligible applicants within this call for proposal of the Tempus Programme must be:
- State-recognized, public or private higher education institutions or associations, organizations or networks of higher education institutions
From the following eligible countries:
- 27 Member States of the European Union,
- 4 countries of the Western Balkan region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as Kosovo 
- 17 countries in the Southern and Eastern neighboring area of the European Union: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine,
- 5 Central Asian Republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The actions that can be founded within this Tempus call for proposal are:
- Joint Projects: projects with a ‘bottom-up’ approach aiming at modernization and reform on an institutional (university) level. Joint Projects aim at transferring knowledge between universities, organizations and institutions from the EU and from the partner countries as well as between partner country entities as appropriate,
- Structural Measures: projects seeking 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 voluntary convergence with EU developments. Structural Measures will be interventions designed to support structural reform of higher education systems and the strategic framework development at national level.

Under this Tempus call for proposal, national and multi-country projects can be financed. 
- National projects must adhere to national priorities which are established in close dialogue between EU Delegations and the relevant authorities in the partner countries.
- Multi-country projects must comply with regional priorities which are based on the EU\'s policy for cooperation with the partner countries’ regions as identified in its strategic documents concerning the neighbouring countries, those for pre-accession to the EU and those in Central Asia.


The total budget available for the co-financing of this Tempus projects call for proposal is estimated at EUR 78,1 million (plus an additional amount of EUR 12,5 million for the Southern and Eastern neighboring area, under the reserve that the relevant financing decision following the recent ENP review is adopted by the European Commission).
The financial contribution from the European Union cannot exceed 90 % of the total eligible costs.
The minimum grant for both Joint Projects and Structural Measures will be EUR 500 000.
The maximum grant will amount to EUR 1 500 000.
For national projects in Kosovo and Montenegro the minimum grant for both project types is set at EUR 300 000.
 
The Deadline for submission of applications in the framework of this Tempus programme call for proposal is 23 February 2012, 12.00 (Brussels time).

Further information on the current Call for Proposals of the Tempus Programme is available here