Whenever a new mobility cycle begins, staff members from higher education working in the administration of Erasmus+ spend hours in front of a computer manually filling in data for each Erasmus+ student, amounting to 100-250 entries on average. A task that is not only tedious but particularly time consuming.
Contrary to the digitalisation trend of the Erasmus+ processes, the grants´ payment procedure has been spared from the digital transition and is still heavily reliant on paperwork. The Million of Erasmus Grants (MEGA) project strives to lift the administrative burden not only from the shoulders of HEIs staff but also of the students. By creating a proof of concept (PoC) on optimising the Erasmus+ grants’ payment process, the project aims to minimise the time needed by an institution to transfer the grant to the beneficiaries after the awarded mobility is signed.
Two aspirations, one project
However, simplification is not the only aspiration of this EU-funded project. Another equally significant aspiration lies in the priority of economic inclusion. Multiple evidence shows that insufficient grant amounts and payment delays are among the most important factors to discourage students from participating in Erasmus+ mobility. Yet, until now no transnational project has ever tackled the issue of securing the means and delays of grant payment at university level.
Although the payment of Erasmus grants requires a very specific and targeted organisation at university level, the fragility of local organisation makes the creation of a collective PoC all the more necessary.
The MEGA project commits to achieve equal opportunities, equal access, diversity and fairness by facilitating and securing the procedures that support students’ mobility, especially for economically disadvantaged students. Indeed, the project will ensure that no matter the student´s initial economic situation, everyone is treated fairly and efficiently when it comes to the payment of the Erasmus grants, so that each and every student can enjoy the full benefits of the Erasmus mobility.
In a nutshell, the ultimate goal of the MEGA project is to make the management of Erasmus grants more efficient and secure through the adoption of the most advanced technology.