As the UK’s European university, we are proud to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme in 2017 – a milestone for Europe!

Widely recognised as the most successful EU programme, Erasmus+ provides us with a concrete example of the positive impact of European integration and international outreach, having enriched the lives of nearly two million people from Europe and beyond between 2014 and 2016 alone! The University has been part of the European Commission’s Erasmus programme since its inception in 1987; an engagement that has facilitated the University’s collaboration with a large number of prestigious Higher Education Institutions in mainland Europe.

Erasmus+ has opportunities for people of all ages and background, helping them develop and share knowledge and experience at institutions and organisations in different countries. Erasmus+ experiences help people enhance their skills and intercultural awareness and it enables them to become engaged citizens.This platform for European and international mobility and cooperation brings people from different backgrounds together. It provides them with the competences needed to lead independent, fulfilling lives and helps them find their place in our societies and develop a sense of a European identity – an identity that complements our national, regional, local identities.

Key to the University’s Internationalisation Strategy is the objective to champion and extend the University’s unique position as the UK’s European university. As we mark the start of the 2017 celebrations of this anniversary, we look forward to many more years of strong bilateral links with institutions across Europe, established through student and staff mobility agreements, continued opportunities for inter-institutional cooperation and exchange of best practice, capacity building and joint initiatives covering both research and teaching.

Happy 30th anniversary Erasmus+!