Stellenbosch University included in three prestigious European scholarship programmes

Stellenbosch University has recently been awarded three prestigious European scholarship programmes: ema2sa, EUROSA and EU-SATURN. These 3 programmes are the Erasmus Mundus programmes awarded for the next scholarship round.

Stellenbosch University has been involved with the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 programmes since the first programme for South Africa was awarded in 2010. The inclusion in these consortia is significant for the mobility of students and staff and offers a range of opportunities for academic development. Over the past 3 years, apart from other exchange agreements with partner institutions worldwide, the university has sent abroad 54 students and staff through these Erasmus Mundus scholarships.

SU first applied in April 2010 and was subsequently included in the first Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme of the same year: it formed part of all 3 programmes awarded at the time: SAPIENT, EUROSA and ema2sa. In 2011, the call was renewed, but only two scholarship programmes were awarded: ema2sa II and EUROSA III. The 2012 inclusion continues with the EUROSA and ema2sa programmes, and now also a third: EU SATURN.

SU is particularly looking forward to the opportunities that the new EU SATURN programme offers. The aforementioned consortium not only includes current partner universities such as University of Ghent (Belgium), Georg August University Göttingen (Germany) and Uppsala University (Sweden) but also creates links to new partners including the coordinator (University of Groningen, the Netherlands), University of  Valencia in Spain and University of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the UK.

Huba Boshoff, Coordinator: Exchanges at the Postgraduate and International Office (PGIO) explains that the inclusion of a representative number of South African institutions also creates the opportunity for national collaboration.

Although applications for the EU SATURN and ema2sa scholarships are not open yet, Masters and PhD students as well as academic staff may apply online for the EUROSA scholarship (before 14 September 2012) at this website: http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.EUROSA.

• More information is available from Huba Boshoff at the PGIO: 021 808 2606 | huba@sun.ac.za
• The website for EU SATURN scholarship programme will be launched by mid-September
• Ema2sa and EU SATURN scholarship calls will be announced once the applications open

Posted by Christopher Muller.