Welcome to our latest update for International Officers. Packed with recent highlights, important deadlines and new opportunities, we aim to keep you informed and inspired as we work together in 2025.

KA131 Grant Agreements

Key Action 131 applicants were formally notified of their grant agreements on Tuesday 6 May 2025. The deadline for the grant agreements to be signed by Erasmus+ legal reps is Wednesday 14 May. If you have any questions, please reach out to erasmus@hea.ie.

ESC webinar

Tuesday 20 May, 1-3.30pm, online

Are you interested to know more about the ESC and its benefits? Join the ESC team for this session dedicated to current and potential ESC issuers.

Experts will go through the latest features on the ESC digital platform (ESC-Router) and cover student status validation, the issuance process of the cards, and present a practical use case. More broadly, the session will offer a chance to discuss and exchange ideas with present and future ESC users about the benefits.

The ESC is a central feature of the Commission’s horizontal priority on digital transformation so we encourage attendance to see how you can implement the ESC at your institution.

Register for the European Student Card webinar

Next IO meeting

The next International Officers’ meeting will be held online on Wednesday 11 June. A registration form will be circulated to our IO mailing list in due course.

IAIE Conference

Thursday 12 June – Friday 13 June, South East Technological University (Waterford Campus)

The Irish Association for International Education (IAIE) is pleased to announce its inaugural conference, Internationalisation in Higher Education – Looking to the Future, with the support of the Department of Further and Higher Education Research, Innovation and Skills (DFHERIS), the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Education in Ireland.

This in-person event aims to explore forward-thinking strategies, innovations and partnerships that will shape the future of global engagement in higher education. As we navigate changes in technology, policy, and societal priorities, the conference seeks to envision the next chapter in international education.

The conference welcomes academics, researchers, university leaders, international office staff, policymakers and practitioners committed to advancing the future of internationalisation in higher education.

Find out more and book your spot

Cercle d’Economia Award

The Erasmus+ programme has been awarded the prestigious Cercle d’Economia Award for European Integration, a recognition that honours the outstanding contributions of this European Union flagship programme to the European integration process.

Presented annually by the Cercle d’Economia, a leading civic association based in Barcelona, this award celebrates individuals and institutions that have played a key role in advancing European unity and cooperation. The award has previously been presented to figures such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The award ceremony took place in Barcelona on 7 May, where Roxana Mînzatu Executive Vice-President responsible for social rights and skills, quality jobs and preparedness at the European Commission personally accepted the prize. In her speech, she described Erasmus+ as a symbol of the Europe we want to build, open, united, confident in its values and invested in its future. She reaffirmed the programme’s vital role in fostering inclusion, civic engagement and a shared European identity. Looking ahead, she emphasised the need to be ambitious: to make Erasmus+ more inclusive and impactful and to ensure it becomes an integral part of being educated in Europe, because investing in Erasmus+ is investing in Europe itself.

Practical guidelines for Erasmus+ priorities

The Erasmus+ programme has four horizontal priorities:

• Inclusion and diversity

• Environment and the fight against climate change

• Digital transformation

• Participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement

Do you want to learn how to better incorporate these priorities into your projects?
The SALTO Resource Centres have developed a handy handout giving practical tips on how to make projects more inclusive, green and digital while also encouraging greater participation.

Download the handout from SALTO

Call for papers

Are you working on the digitalisation of Erasmus+ processes? Help shape the future of digital Erasmus+: contribute your insights and ideas!

The EWP Consortium invites International Relations Officers, IT experts, researchers and other colleagues interested in our digital future to contribute to the open call on the future of Erasmus+ digitalisation and the European Student Card Initiative.

Original materials are welcomed, such as:
Policy briefs • Technical notes • Case studies • Research papers

Suggested themes include (but not limited to):

• Future pathways for digitalising Erasmus+ administration processes

• Barriers and opportunities in digital transition

• ESCI implementation case studies

• Equity, inclusion and the digital divide

• Sustainability and paperless workflows

Deadline: 15 October 2025
Early submissions may be selected for presentation at the EWP Convention in Warsaw (17-18 June 2025).

Be part of shaping the next era of Erasmus+.

Learn more about this opportunity

Communications – get involved!

Participant testimonials
Please encourage your mobility participants – students AND staff – who have undertaken a mobility abroad to share their story with us for our national Erasmus+ experience campaign.

Putting a spotlight on real people with real experiences has a strong impact, especially for those wanting to learn more about the programme and opportunities it offers. It’s also a great boost for contributors’ CVs and LinkedIn.

If we feature a participant from your institution, we’ll promote your institution through our social channels and website for a period of one month.

We’re looking for:

• HEI Students

• HEI Staff

• BIP participants

Circulate this Erasmus+ Experience registration form

Read our latest testimonial from National College of Art and Design student Alison Ryan.

Social media spotlight
We love this Instagram post from Maynooth University showing a big turnout for one of their Study Abroad information sessions.

We’re here to amplify your stories. Tag our Erasmus+ Ireland accounts or invite us to collaborate on posts, reels, videos or campaigns.

Erasmus+ communications contact
To better support your Erasmus+ projects, we are asking each institution to assign a point of contact for our Erasmus+ communications and events outreach. This will allow us to:

• Provide additional support and guidance with event promotion and media coverage
• Share valuable resources and opportunities
• Advise on best practice
• Ensure consistent, accurate use of Erasmus+ branding
• Streamline communication and make it easier to share key updates

Please submit contact details to the HEA asap via the 30-second form below.

Submit contact details

Connect with us
Connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and Bluesky to make sure you’re in the loop with all our Erasmus+ news.

We’re here to help!
Have questions, ideas, achievements, or events to share? Reach out to us at erasmus@hea.ie and contact our Communications Officer, Dana, who’ll help with promotion!