Funding
Your stay abroad will be paid for through funding from the Erasmus+ programme, which you have to apply for. If you are interested in teaching staff mobility, funding is virtually guaranteed. For Erasmus+ staff training, competition is a bit more intense and funding is more limited. Apply well in advance of your exchange. Sometimes opportunities may arise unexpectedly and you may have to apply at short notice, but remember that there should still be at least one to two months before departure when you apply. There are no application deadlines, so you can submit applications at any time during the year.
Please note that it is your department, not you, who receives the awarded Erasmus funding – after you have completed the trip and submitted the correct documents. This means that your department bears most of the costs before the exchange takes place (travel, accommodation) and receives an Erasmus standard grant afterwards, as compensation. Sometimes the Erasmus standard grant exceeds the actual costs incurred by the department, sometimes they are not fully covered. You should therefore follow the guidelines carefully (see below) and discuss any discrepancies with your head of department and division financial officer.
How the process works, generally speaking:
- You coordinate your stay abroad with your manager and/or head of department.
- You identify a host abroad and agree on a date for your trip.
- You apply for funding in the Erasmus database (more information can be found below under the tab “Applying for a European mobility placement”), and hopefully receive a positive decision. Please note that the Erasmus funding must be approved before you leave!
- The decision will include an indication of the amount of the Erasmus grant. It is based on the distance to your destination and the number of days you will be staying there. You can calculate it yourself at the bottom of this page.
- You discuss the financial part of the exchange with your division. Please note! Make sure to send your Mobility Agreement/Learning Agreement to the financial officer at your department. You will receive the right fund post ("kontering") in return - and that will save you a lot of time and effort!
- The following guidelines are in place:
- Round-trip travel (first or second class rail travel; if there is a special need for air travel, it is in economy class). Follow LU's guidelines for business travel. The travel must be booked through LU's contracted travel agency. You can read more here about how to book your business trip abroad.
- Domestic travel to and from the train station/airport at home and in the country of destination. If possible, tickets should be booked through LU's contracted travel agency.
- Reimbursement is only made for public transport to and from the host university or organisation. Car rental is not covered.
- Accommodation must also be booked through LU's contracted travel agency. The accommodation must be in reasonable proximity to the host university or organisation.
- Daily allowance according at the rate that applies for the country in question (in Swedish).
- Certain materials (copies/teaching literature, etc.) are included.
- Are you planning for costs beyond these guidelines (accompanying family members, course or conference fees, etc.)? Discuss this with your department before departure!
- You can now book round-trip travel and accommodation, and any travel to and from the train station/airport, etc., through LU's contracted travel agency. Extra Erasmus funding will be paid if you opt for a green mode of travel. Specify your department's cost centre (if you are unsure, ask your division financial officer). Your department will be invoiced.
- You undertake your stay abroad, and save the receipts of your expenses (travel within the mobility area, certain materials, etc.).
- You come back home, create an expense report in Primula, and attach all receipts for expenses. Ask your division financial officer for help if you are uncertain. Also include any costs for (teaching) materials. After that, you will be reimbursed for the expenses you incurred and you will also receive a daily allowance for the country you visited (see above), calculated according to the number of days you were there.
- You upload a “Certificate of Attendance” (signed by your host) to the application database, and fill in the Erasmus report that you receive by email (more about this in “Applying for a European mobility placement”). Once this is done, the Erasmus standard grant is paid to your department.
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Why do I have to book my travel and accommodation through LU's contracted travel agency, when there are much cheaper options available when I look for them myself? There are three main reasons:
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