SOCRATES       

The programme sets out to develop a Europe of knowledge and thus better cater for the major challenges of this new century: to promote lifelong learning, to encourage access by everybody to education, to acquire qualifications and recognised skills.

The first phase of the Socrates programme was for five years (1995-1999). The programme has been renewed and the second phase will run for seven years (2000-2006). Socrates has a budget of 1 850 € million for the seven-year period.

Socrates consists of eight actions:

• Erasmus: higher education

• Comenius: school education

• Grundtvig: adult education and other education pathways

• Lingua: learning and teaching of European languages

• Minerva: information and communication technologies in education

• Observation and innovation of education systems and policies

• Joint actions with other European programmes

• Accompanying measures.

Erasmus

The purpose of Erasmus is to improve the quality of higher education and strengthen its European dimension. It does this by encouraging transnational cooperation between universities, fostering the European mobility of students and teachers, and contributing to improved transparency and academic recognition of qualifications and studies throughout the European Union.
Higher education institutions apply for the Erasmus University Charter (EUC) to the European Commission. The awarding of an EUC gives the institution the right to participate in activities supported by the Erasmus programme. Once an institution receives a Charter, it can apply for funding for activities such as Student Mobility and Curriculum Development projects. Erasmus targets universities (nearly all universities in Europe take part) but also all types of recognised non-university higher education establishments as well as post-university studies.

Erasmus supports the following activities:

Student mobility (SM)
Erasmus gives students (up to and including doctorate, except for students enrolled in their first year of Higher Education) the opportunity to study for a period of 3-12 months at a university or higher education establishment in another participating country in the framework of agreed arrangements between universities. The time spent in the other country is fully recognised in the originating university, thanks to ECTS. Students also receive an Erasmus Student Charter which outlines their rights as visiting students and the obligations which they must fulfil at their host institution.

Teaching staff mobility (TS)
Erasmus provides support for teachers giving, generally short courses, as part of the official curriculum of a partner university in another European country. The grants are intended as a contribution to the additional costs arising from teaching in another country.

Organisation of mobility (OM)
Erasmus provides support to higher education institutions for the creation of optimal conditions: a) for students, to undertake recognised periods of study at partner institutions in other participating countries; b) for teachers, to organise fully integrated teaching assignments of short duration; c) for implementation of ECTS and Diploma Supplement (DS). These optimal conditions include information, infrastructure and facilities, guidance, follow-up, involvement of local partners and facilities, guidance, follow-up, involvement of local partners and associations, etc.

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

Erasmus supports the activities related to the introduction, implementation and/or extension of ECTS, a system for academic credit allocation and transfer. The ECTS support mechanisms are: an ECTS introduction grant for institutions, which have never received Erasmus support for ECTS, an ECTS label for institutions which apply ECTS the proper way in all first and second cycle degree label for institutions which apply ECTS the proper way in all first and second cycle degree programmes, an ECTS Credit Accumulation Grant for institutions which have the ECTS label and wish to introduce mechanisms for credit accumulation, ECTS/DS Counsellors and ECTS/DS Counsellors’ site visits.

Intensive programmes (IP)

Community funding may be allocated to universities organising short courses (10 days to 3 month) provided they have a European dimension. Financial support is available for one, two or three consecutive years on the understanding that every year the group of participants must be different and/or the themes involved must be different.

Curriculum Development projects (CD)

At least three establishments from different countries pool their resources to develop a programme of study, a module or a master’s programme. This can be done in all academic subject areas. The financial support is for a maximum of three years.

Comenius

Comenius focuses on the first phase of education, from pre-school and primary to secondary school, and it is addressed to all members of the education community in the broad sense – pupils, teachers, other education staff, but also local authorities, parents' associations, non-government organisations ...

Comenius supports school partnerships, projects for the training of school education staff, and school education networks. It thus aims to enhance the quality of teaching, strengthen its European dimension and promote language learning and mobility.

Comenius also emphasises certain important issues: learning in a multi-cultural framework, which is the cornerstone of European citizenship, support for disadvantaged groups, countering under-achievement at school and preventing exclusion.

Grundtvig

The Grundtvig (adult education and other education pathways) action is aimed at enhancing the European dimension of lifelong learning. It supports a wide range of activities designed to promote innovation and the improved availability, accessibility and quality of educational provision for adults, by means of European co-operation.

The Grundtvig action addresses a great variety of educational providers, but the final beneficiaries are adults who, at whatever stage of their lives, wish to learn in order to:

• increase their capacity to play a full and active role in society and develop their intercultural awareness;
• improve their employability by aquiring or updating their general skills;
• enhance their capacity to access or re-enter formal education schemes.

Lingua

• encourage and support linguistic diversity throughout the Union;
• contribute to an improvement in the quality of language teaching and learning;
• promote access to lifelong language learning opportunities appropriate to each individual’s needs.

Lingua 1 is intended to:raise citizens’ awareness of the Union’s multilingual wealth, encourage people to learn languages throughout their lifetime, and improve access to foreign language learning resources across Europe; develop and disseminate innovative techniques and good practices in language teaching.

Lingua 2 aims to:ensure that a sufficiently wide range of language learning tools is available to language learners.

The Action has three main objectives, (1) to promote understanding among teachers, learners, decision-makers and the public at large of the implications of the use of ICT in education, as well as the critical and responsible use of ICT for educational purposes; (2) to ensure that pedagogical considerations are given proper weight in the development of ICT and multimedia-based educational products and services; and (3) to promote access to improved methods and educational resources as well as to results and best practices in this field.

Observation and Innovation of education systems and policies

Making optimal use of existing structures wherever possible, this Action consists of the following:

(a) collection of descriptive and statistical data, and comparative analysis of educational systems and policies in the Member States;

(b) development of methods for evaluating the quality of education, including the development of appropriate criteria and indicators;

(c) development and updating of databases and other information resources on innovatory experiments;

(d) dissemination of experience resulting from relevant activities supported at Community and Member State level;

(e) facilitation of the recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of learning at all educational levels in other Member States.

To this end, Community financial assistance may be awarded for:

(a) the Information Network on Education in Europe, "EURYDICE";

(b) the organisation of and participation in "ARION" multilateral study visits for decision-makers and senior managers of educational institutions in any sector of education;

(c) networking of institutes and other appropriately qualified bodies engaged in analysing educational systems and policies, as well as of the bodies involved in the evaluation of educational quality;

(d)studies, analyses, pilot projects, seminars, exchanges of experts and other appropriate actions relating to matters of common educational policy interest;

e) activities to promote recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of learning, notably studies, analyses, pilot projects and the exchange of information and experience. The Community network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) will make a full contribution in this regard.

Joint Actions With Other European Programmes

Joint Actions aim to promote a "Europe of knowledge" and focus on themes that, by their very nature, are not limited to one field alone, i.e. education, training or youth policy. They call for reinforced cooperation between actors from various sectors and fields of knowledge. The EU programmes SOCRATES, LEONARDO DA VINCI, CULTURE 2000 and YOUTH are complementary instruments that aim to create European-level conditions under which learners of all ages are able to acquire the experience, knowledge and skills they need to live, work and actively participate in society. Joint Actions are included in all four Programmes and give concrete form to complementarity by implementing initiatives that extend beyond the scope of a single Programme.

Joint Actions also aim to encourage the development of innovative approaches to analysing and solving problems which cut across several areas. This objective will be achieved primarily through cooperation between different sectors at different levels, transnational networking of different types of actors, as well as by removing barriers between different modes of intervention.

Accompanying Measures

Accompanying Measures support various activities which, though not eligible under the main Actions, will clearly contribute to achieving the programme's objectives. The projects to be supported will be aiming at:

• raising awareness of relevant target groups or the general public concerning the SOCRATES programme or the importance of European cooperation in the field of education more generally (conferences, seminars, etc.);
• improving the implementation of SOCRATES, in particular by providing training in project management or in tackling obstacles;
• maximising the impact of European cooperation in the field of education, by disseminating the products and processes resulting from European cooperation;
• fostering trans-sectoral synergies between the Actions of the SOCRATES programme, for example around activities bringing together projects supported under Comenius, Erasmus, Grundtvig, Lingua, Minerva, etc.;
• targeting horizontal priorities of the SOCRATES programme, including in particular, the promotion of equal opportunities, the integration of disabled persons, intercultural education and the fight against racism

For Further Information

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates