Erasmus+ Staff Mobility

What is Erasmus+ programme?

Erasmus+ is the European Union programme that supports education, training, youth and sports in Europe. It gives the opportunity for RSU students and staff to study, practice or gain experience abroad. RSU traditionally provides Erasmus+ support in the form of international exchanges (mobility) and projects.

Erasmus+ project for mobility

Erasmus+ mobility for RSU staff is implemented within a project financed by the European Commission and the Latvian state. The project is submitted every year by the RSU International Department (ID), forecasting the possible number of mobilities. The project is evaluated and approved by the State Education Development Agency (VIAA). After the project approval, VIAA and RSU sign two grant agreements for the funding allocated by the European Commission and the Latvian state for the implementation of staff mobility. The project will be implemented over a period of 2 years.

What RSU staff activities are supported by the Erasmus+ programme?

Staff mobility for teaching: mobility allows RSU teaching staff to go to one of the partner country institutions of higher education abroad (RSU partner universities) and teach at this university. This type of staff mobility may be implemented in any field of study. Teaching mobility shall last for at least 8 hours.
Staff mobility for training: mobility allows RSU staff to participate in professional development activities (excluding conferences), providing participation in training, job shadowing at a foreign partner university or other relevant organisation.

Maximum duration of mobility: 5 days of mobility activities (excluding travel time); minimum duration of mobility: 2 days of mobility activities (excluding travel time).

Which countries are covered by Erasmus+ mobility?

Teaching and staff training mobility is implemented in Erasmus+ programme countries:

27 EU Member States – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden;
European Economic Area (EEA) countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway;
EU candidate countries – Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia.
*From the academic year 2027/2028, the United Kingdom and Switzerland will also become programme countries.

Application

ID announces the call for mobility once a year, at the beginning of the academic year (usually in mid-September). The application period is two weeks. Employees must fill out an electronic application form on the RSU website.

Apply for mobility

Before submitting a mobility application, the employee is obliged to inform their immediate supervisor/head of structural unit of their wish and plan to go on mobility. A clear justification of the need for mobility and the expected benefits thereof must be provided. The head of the structural unit must assess the justification and usefulness of the mobility.

Selection

After the deadline for submitting the application, ID collects the electronic application forms completed by RSU employees and sends the applications for evaluation to the Rector/Vice-Rector/Chancellor according to the employees’ subordination. The Rector/Vice-Rector/Chancellor in cooperation with the dean of the faculty and/or the head of the structural unit evaluate the applications of the employees and decide which mobility should be supported and submitted for approval in accordance with the following criteria:

Staff mobility for teaching:

maximum of two teaching mobilities per academic year are permitted;
one teaching mobility (one host organisation, one period or activity) per structural unit, with a maximum of two staff members per structural unit at the same time;
in the mobility application, the Employee includes specific activities and plans to promote cooperation between the University and the host organisation during the mobility period in accordance with the RSU Development Strategy 2022-2027 action area “Internationality”.

Staff mobility for training:

each structural unit has quotas for mobility;
mobility related to academic work;
employees who have not participated in RSU staff mobility in the last two years (plan to participate in mobility for the first time);
no more than two employees from one structural unit at a time for one staff training mobility (one host organisation, one period or activity);
employees who include clearly justified ideas, specific activities and plans in the mobility application to promote cooperation between the University and the host organisation during the mobility period in accordance with the RSU Development Strategy 2022-2027 action area “Internationality”.

The opinion of the Rector/Vice-Rector/Chancellor on the mobility shall be submitted by the ID Erasmus+ institutional coordinator to the RSU staff participation in Erasmus+ mobility evaluation committee, which takes a decision to support or not to support the mobility of the RSU employee on a competitive basis. The results of the competition for participation in exchange programmes are announced to the staff electronically by the ID no later than one month after the deadline for submitting applications.

Preparing for mobility

RSU staff prepares for mobility in a timely manner and informs ID thereof.

As mobility is agreed with the host party by the RSU staff, the staff also organise communication and document exchange with the host organisation where the mobility will be implemented.

In cooperation with the host organisation, the RSU employee receives the confirmation of the mobility and its timeframe from the host organisation no later than one month before the planned start of the mobility. The employee sends this document to the ID and to their immediate supervisor, thus informing the supervisor of the planned absence and agreeing on the time of the mobility. The immediate supervisor discusses mobility with the employee where appropriate.

At the same time, the RSU employee organises the signing of the Tripartite Agreement – the document must be signed by the employee, their immediate supervisor and the partner institution (host party). The employee sends the signed document to the ID.

ID registers the planned mobility in the Beneficiary Module of the EK Erasmus+ reporting electronic platform, as well as prepares the Funding Agreement for the receipt of individual financial support, which is signed by the employee and the Rector or their authorised person (Acting Rector for the period of replacement).

Mobility application

The mobility of the employee is drawn up as a foreign official travel in accordance with the internal regulatory enactments of RSU. ID provides instructions for applying for a foreign official travel in the HOP system.
After all the documents are arranged and the application for a foreign official travel is submitted, RSU transfers to the employee the individual financial support referred to in the mobility funding agreement. Please note that the transfer of funds usually takes one business day.

As the employee receives funding from EC funds, after the approval of the foreign official travel in the HOP system:

the employee receives an email from the HOP system about the approval of the foreign official travel;
the next day the employee contacts the travel agency/company with which RSU has concluded a contract or general agreement;
travel agency issues an invoice to the RSU employee, which the employee pays from the received individual financial support.

Please note that the travel agency also receives a message from the HOP system confirming the foreign official travel. Typically, the information is received within 24 hours. We encourage you to start communicating with the travel agency after these 24 hours (See the second bullet point in the previous paragraph).

Returning to RSU after mobility

Upon return from mobility, the employee, within 30 days:

prepares and submits a HOP report on the foreign official travel with a justification of usefulness;
completes the electronic report in the Beneficiary Module;
submits to the ID the Certificate of Attendance from the host organisation.

Partner universities

Erasmus+ teaching mobility may only be implemented if:

an Erasmus+ cooperation agreement has been concluded between RSU and the host organisation;
the host organisation is awarded the Erasmus+ Charter.

Erasmus+ staff training mobility can take place at a partner university of RSU or at another eligible organisation. A cooperation agreement is not necessary in this case.

Erasmus+ partner universities*

*The process of concluding cooperation agreements is ongoing and may take a long time to obtain all the approvals. Therefore, the list of partner universities above is subject to change and may not include all partner universities.
If you do not find the selected mobility host organisation (university) in the list of partner universities, please contact us by e-mail erasmusrsu[pnkts]lv. ID responsible employees will check the status of cooperation and, if necessary, initiate the process of concluding a cooperation agreement.