Organising a BIP at UM

Funding Details

The European Commission (EC) allocates EUR 400 per participant per BIP; therefore, the total amount earmarked will range between EUR 4,000 and EUR 6,000, depending on the actual number of students. In general, the maximum number of participants is set at 15 students. This funding is intended to support the preparation, design, development, implementation, follow-up, and delivery of virtual/remote activities, as well as the overall coordination and management of the programme.

Funding and Application Guidelines

Please note that this funding cannot be used to cover travel or subsistence costs for academic staff teaching or students participating in the BIP. These costs must be covered by the participants’ home institutions. Furthermore, administrative responsibilities are considered part of the daily commitment to administration, and overtime is not eligible for reimbursement.

Due to the increasing interest in organising BIPs at UM and the limited funding available, the International Office will submit funding bids to host BIPs for the upcoming academic year only if the following conditions are met:

Departmental/Faculty Commitment (Priority Requirement)

Submission of a funding bid is conditional upon the BIP coordinating applicant providing written confirmation from the Head of Department or the Dean, in case the applicant is the HoD, that they will cover, through Departmental/Faculty funds, any of the following:

• Ineligible expenses;
• Costs exceeding the awarded funding amount;
• All related expenditures if the BIP is deemed ineligible for funding due to non-compliance with the EC’s current eligibility criteria, which require participation from at least 3 HEIs from programme countries and a minimum of 10 students from across the partner HEIs. Please note that a Faculty/Institute/Centre/Schools (F/I/C/S) cannot fund or implement a Blended Intensive Programme independently.

This is a priority requirement and unless this confirmation is obtained, the process cannot be initiated.

BIP Approval Form

Applicants are required to complete the BIP Approval Form [PDF], which outlines:

• General details about the planned BIP;
• Names of the higher education institutions involved in the BIP;
• Partners HEI Erasmus+ funding commitments for students and staff mobility support confirmed through letters of intent;
• Departmental approval necessary for the implementation of a BIP

Please complete this form before submitting a funding request.  Submission of the form is mandatory for the evaluation of the BIP proposal.

Subsequently, once clearance is obtained from IO to proceed, proposers can move to next stage and work on:

Study-Unit Approval

The BIP study-unit to be delivered requires Senate approval through PVC . Clearance from the Distance and e-Learning Committee is also required (in view of the online learning component).  Please note that PVC approval does not in itself guarantee funding.  Additionally, the EC’s eligibility requirements may change from year to year.

UM BIP Funding Priorities

If the EC awards a lower number of BIPs than what UM applied for, preference shall be given to SEA-EU BIPs and other BIPs which focus on one or more of the EC's Erasmus+ horizontal priorities. The EC's priorities for the Erasmus+ Programme are:

1. Inclusion and Diversity;
2. Digital Transformation;
3. Environment and fight against climate change; and
4. Participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement.

Financial Management

As BIPs are department-led initiatives, a departmental subproject will be opened for the processing of purchase orders related to the BIP. Relevant expenditure should be charged to this subproject, following UM procurement regulations at all times.  It is important to note that the academics involved in the BIP particularly our partner HEIs, will be responsible to promote the BIP and aim to jointly attract the number of students to fulfil the minimum number of participants travelling from abroad to meet the necessary number or minimum number that will be indicated by the International Office (usually up to 15 students).

For more information on BIPs, kindly contact us at erasmus@um.edu.mt.