The Erasmus program enables researchers and teachers as well as other academic and non-academic staff members of the University of Mannheim to spend time abroad in one of the program countries in Europe. The International Office will be happy to advise you.
Both training events and teaching placements are eligible for funding, as well as combinations of teaching and training. Generally, teaching placements are rather short stays comprising only a few days; however, longer mobility periods of up to 60 days are possible.
During a teaching placement abroad, the participants do not only gain experience in teaching at a European partner university but also have the opportunity to exchange and share knowledge in the fields of teaching and research. The development of joint study programs and the exchange of teaching contents and methods can also play an important role.
The Erasmus teaching placements are part of the internationalization strategy of the University of Mannheim and are designed to advance mobility and international exchange in teaching and research. All interested staff members are explicitly invited to inform themselves and apply.
If you are interested in the reports of previous teachers from German universities describing their experiences abroad with an Erasmus teaching placement, please download the following brochure. You can find further information about the ERASMUS program on the website of the Nationale Agentur für EU-Hochschulzusammenarbeit of the DAAD.
As a rule, the funding period is limited to a maximum of two weeks. Provided that sufficient resources are available, funding may be extended to a maximum of 60 days. Performing teaching work to the extent of eight hours per stay and per week is mandatory (four hours for combined stays). For each additional day exceeding a week (seven days) the minimum number of hours will be calculated proportionately.
All European higher education institutions participating in the Erasmus program are eligible as host universities. For the teaching placement, a simple contract will be concluded between the University of Mannheim and the respective university abroad. Please do not hesitate to contact the International Office if you have any questions.
At present, all 28 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, and North Macedonia participate in the program. The database of partner universities gives an overview of those European universities that have already concluded an exchange agreement with the University of Mannheim. Yet, stays abroad in countries participating in the ERASMUS program can also be funded if you decide to go to an institution other than the partner universities; this applies, in particular, for staff members going abroad with ERASMUS.
Though, at present, Switzerland does not take part in the ERASMUS program, funding terms for stays abroad in Switzerland are similar to the ERASMUS exchange program as the country finances a similar program with national funds.
Current Information on exchange programs with the United Kingdom (as of 28.12.2020):
The news published on 24 December 2020 that the UK will no longer participate in the ERASMUS program will affect exchanges from 2022/23 only, as we will be able to use existing funds from the “old” porgram first.
This means that exchanges with universities in the UK in 2020/21 and 2021/22 will continue to be funded by the ERASMUS program.
Funding comprises a travel and a subsistence allowance, which is calculated depending on the distance and the country.
In addition to the actual days of activity, up to two days for arrival and/
The following daily allowance rates apply for three groups of countries. Up to the 14th day of activity, the full rate will be paid; between the 15th and 60th day of activity, the grant will be 70% of the full daily rate.
Country group 1 (EUR 180 per day of activity):
Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom
Country group 2 (EUR 160 per day of activity):
Belgium, Germany (for incoming staff mobility participants), France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus
Country group 3 (EUR 140 per day of activity):
Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary
The above-listed daily rates are complemented by a contribution to travel expenses. These are calculated based on the distance between the place of origin and the venue of the activity, using the distance calculator provided by the European Commission.
A contribution to travel expenses is granted in form of a fixed allowance based on the calculated distance:
Kilometer (one way) | Travel allowance |
< 10 km | No allowance |
10 km - 99 km | EUR 20 |
100 km – 499 km | EUR 180 |
500 km – 1.999 km | EUR 275 |
2.000 km – 2.999 km | EUR 360 |
3.000 km – 3.999 km | EUR 530 |
4.000 km – 7.999 km | EUR 820 |
8.000 km and more | EUR 1,500 |
The Erasmus grant can be used to cover any costs that may occur in relation to your trip, including possible participation fees.
In case you have to expect the Erasmus grant to not cover all your travel expenses, you can ask your superior to add another account unit to cover the remaining expenses. Any costs exceeding the above-mentioned allowance cannot be financed from Erasmus funds.
You can apply for additional funding due to a degree of disability of at least at 50 % or more. To that end, the University of Mannheim must submit the respective application to the DAAD at least two months prior to your envisaged mobility period. The purpose of this additional funding is to cover the additional costs arising during the mobility period provided that no other institution (e.g. health insurance provider or social security office) will bear the costs. If you want to apply for additional funding, please contact the International Office as early as possible.
As a basic prerequisite for participating in the program, applicants must be teaching at the University of Mannheim. The following groups of persons fit this criterion:
Employees of European companies and organizations who are invited to the University of Mannheim to hold guest lectures for students are also eligible for funding (funding line incoming company staff ). Even a single guest lecture may be funded. External doctoral candidates who are employed at a foreign enterprise may be funded in the same way. However, provided that the guest lecturer has German citizenship, his or her main residence must be abroad.
Repeated funding is possible, however, priority is given to applicants who have not yet participated in the ERASMUS staff mobility.
Applications may be submitted at any time. If you are planning to take part in teaching staff mobility, we recommend contacting the International Office as soon as possible in order to ascertain whether funds are available.
Please submit the application form via e-mail to Ms Bach. Please remember to attach the invitation from your host institution (an informal e-mail is sufficient).
After submitting your application, you will be informed as soon as possible whether and to what extent your teaching placement will be funded.
In the following, we are going to comment on any formalities to be dealt with following the reception of the Official Grant Award Notification.
As soon as your business travel authorization form has been approved, i.e. before your departure, the travel expenses office will automatically transfer the first installment (80 percent of the total grant) to your private bank account.
Please make sure that your insurance coverage will suffice for the duration of your mobility period.
The Erasmus mobility grant does not include insurance coverage. Neither the University of Mannheim nor the European Commission nor the National Agency for Erasmus of the DAAD are liable for damages caused by illness, death, accident or injury of a person and the loss or damage of belongings during the course of stays abroad through the Erasmus program (studies, internships, teaching staff mobility, or training events). Every scholarship holder is responsible for arranging for his or her own insurance coverage.
The participant's national health insurance usually covers basic insurance needs during stays in EU countries by means of the European Health Insurance Card. However, insurance coverage of the European Health Insurance Card may not be sufficient, especially in case of complex medical needs or medical repatriation. The University of Mannheim therefore strongly recommends taking out additional private insurance. Participants have the option to take part in the group insurance offered by the DAAD to all students and researchers who are funded as part of the ERASMUS program.
If you are not employed at the University of Mannheim, please fill in the following insurance declaration and submit it to the International Office (a scanned copy is sufficient).
You will receive an automatically generated e-mail carrying the subject line „Erasmus+ Individual Participant Report Request“ from the following address: replies-will-be-discarded(at)ec.europa.eu. If necessary, please check whether the e-mail message has been moved to your spam folder. Please open the link to your Erasmus+ Individual Participant Report and answer the survey within 3 weeks following your return to Germany.
