On March 6, the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia held an online information session dedicated to the Erasmus+ “Virtual Exchanges in Higher Education and Youth” action, the purpose of which was to present the procedure for applying to the action, conditions, possible scopes of cooperation and successful projects already funded with the participation of Armenia.

The meeting launched with a presentation by Sara Pittarello, Managing Director and Project Manager at UNICollaboration, Expert in EU Higher Education and Training projects, during which Ms. Pittarello introduced the idea of virtual exchanges (VE), what they are and what are not, the types of virtual exchanges, advantages and disadvantages of these types, and also presented VE case studies in the field of higher education and youth.

Afterwards, Lana Karlova, the coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia, presented the Erasmus+ “Virtual Exchanges in Higher Education and Youth” action itself, the conditions for applying to it, the criteria set for applicants, thematic directions and deadlines. The deadline for applying for this action is April 25, 2024.

The second part of the info session was dedicated to the presentation of projects with Armenian participation funded in the frames of the above-mentioned action.

First, Sos Khachikyan, Head of Chair of the Faculty of Macroeconomics at Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE), Coordinator of the Digital Transformation and Data Analytics Center, presented the “Virtual Exchanges and Education on Digital Skills” (VIRTUALLYEDU) project, its general description, goals, actions aimed at achieving these goals, as well as the ASUE role in the project. This project will develop a curriculum consisting of 10 courses on digital skills and cybersecurity and will target around 2,500 students.

The meeting was concluded by Arsen Aproyan, head of Grant Coordination Department at Yerevan State University, presenting the main goals of the Erasmus+ “Climate University for Virtual Exchanges” (CLUVEX) project, the activities carried out within the project and the expected results. The project aims to announce 5 VE Calls  and organise interactive online workshops/trainings called “VE Weeks” in 2024-2026.

The meeting gave speakers, participating universities and NGOs the opportunity to exchange ideas and contacts to discuss future cooperation frameworks.

Let’s remember that the projects implemented in the frames of this Action are aimed at organising online exchange activities between young people to promote the intercultural dialogue and soft skills development of the participants without physical mobility. Applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies), namely higher education institutions, youth organisations, entities active in the field of higher education or youth (non-formal education), associations or organisations of higher education institutions, as well as legally recognised national or international rector, teacher or student organisations.

Presentations, recordings and photos from the info session are available below.