EU’s EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR UKRAINIAN UNIVERSITY TEACHING STAFF

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the educational programs of the European Union, which it develops to intensify international cooperation and increase the mobility of participants of the educational space, their evolution from its inception to the present time. The paper analyses Erasmus with the key direction Erasmus+ KA1: International Credit Mobility for teaching and training, Tempus, Horizon 2020 with its Individual Fellowships, European Research Council Grants, programs supported by the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, Swedish Institute, and initiatives supported by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The paper also shows the opportunities for teaching staff of Ukrainian universities provided by the EU’s educational programs. The paper also reveals that the main activities supported by these programs are teaching, training, and research in the host university. It is based on the analysis of program documents and program requirements, as well as on the author’s own practical experience within Erasmus program, acquired in Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, and the University of Turku, Finland. It is stated that the programs of academic mobility are considered as one of the program strategies for internationalization of higher education at the institutional level nowadays. The paper highlights that participation of a university teaching staff in the programs of academic mobility provides an opportunity to establish successful cooperation with international partners, to organize the partnerships, to exchange experiences, to organize teaching and training in the host university, to improve teaching quality, to improve intercultural understanding, and support research initiatives. It is emphasized on the potential challenges that the international academic mobility program creates for its participants.