Bursa Erasmus + për Student në Universitetin e studimeve të Bergamo, Itali – UNIVLORA

ERASMUS+ HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS MOBILITY – KEY ACTION 107 – International Credit Mobility Project – 2019-1-IT02-KA107-061514

Call for Applications Student Mobility for Studies

Academic Year 2022-23 (First semester)

Art. 1. Purpose of the Call and General Regulations

1.1 This call regulates the application procedure for student mobility in the framework of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Project between Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy and Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë, Albania.

Erasmus+ is the EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport. It offers a wide range of opportunities for students and staff to study and train abroad and obtain credits, which are then recognized by the sending/home institution.

1.2 The present Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project between Università degli Studi di Bergamo and Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë, Albania will be valid 36 months. from August 1^st 2020 to July 31^st 2023.

Art. 2. Mobility Types and Available Places

Under this call for applications, the following places are available for prospective candidates from Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë, Albania to Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Italia:

Bachelor (at least in their second year of studies) and/or Master level: two (2) places in the following academic areas (ISCED code/s):
Languages – ISCED code 023;

The present Call for applications provides two mobility grants for first semester of academic year 2022-2023. Detailed information is provided in ANNEX I.

Art. 3. Start and Duration of the Mobility Period

First semester: October 1, 2022 up to February 28, 2023 for a total of 5 months.

All mobility activities must end by June 15, 2023.

Art. 4. Admission Requirements

4.1 In order to apply, prospective applicants must be regularly enrolled at Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë” at the time of application and for the whole duration of the mobility.

4.2 Language proficiency

Applicants are required to have a B2 level in Italian in order to attend Italian-taught courses, or have achieved a B2 level in English for English-taught courses. Levels are based on the CEFR (see Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – Self-assessment grid http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr).

In order to be eligible, applicants must provide Self-assessment grid http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr ) approved by a teacher.

4.3 Incompatibility

Selected beneficiaries will not be allowed to benefit from any other grant provided by the European Commission for mobility for study / teaching or training during the same period.
Students must carry out their mobility activity in a Programme Country or Partner Country different from the country of the sending organisation and the country where the student has his/her accommodation during his/her studies. It is not required for the student to have the nationality of the country of the sending institution.

In the case of branch campuses, the country of the sending institution is the country where the parent institution is located. The country of accommodation should (in most cases) be the country where the branch campus is located.

Candidates with a double nationality must specify the nationality under which they submit their scholarship application.

4.4 Ineligibility

If, at any stage in the application procedure, it is established that the information provided by the applicant has been knowingly falsified, the candidate will be disqualified from the selection process.
Selected beneficiaries who receive an Erasmus+ grant will fully or partially reimburse the EU grant if they do not comply with the terms of the grant agreement and/or if they fail to complete and submit the final online report, unless they are prevented from completing their planned activities abroad due to a case of force majeure.

Art. 5. Activities

Erasmus+ grants for study are assigned for full-time study activities, including thesis preparation.

Art. 6. Grants

6.1 Beneficiaries will receive a grant of 850€ per month from UNIBG at the start of the mobility, as financial contribution to their costs for individual support during their mobility.

6.2 Beneficiaries will also benefit from travel support: a contribution by the European Commission which follows the no-profit and co-financing principles. The top-up amounts for travel are not meant to cover all the costs incurred by the participants, but to support them as far as possible. Beneficiaries will therefore receive a contribution for travel upon arrival at UNIBG based on the following distance rates:

Travel distance 500-1999 Km: 275€/person

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/distance-calculator_en

6.3. Erasmus+ selected beneficiaries are required to have international medical insurance to cover their mobility period abroad.

6.4 Erasmus+ selected beneficiaries will continue to pay enrolment fees to their home/sending university but will benefit from tuition-fee waiver from their host university.

6.5 The mobility period must be carried out without interruption and not be split into different periods. Therefore, during their mobility period abroad beneficiaries will not carry out any learning activity or take exams at their home university.

6.6 Selected candidates accepting the scholarship will sign a grant agreement for mobility with UNIBG listing duties and responsibilities and a Learning Agreement with both UNIBG and their home university listing courses to be attended at the host university. They will be required to comply with the local admission requirements and registration procedures at UNIBG.

6.7 Special needs support:

Extra-financial support may be available for beneficiaries with special needs. A person with special needs is a potential participant whose individual physical, mental or health-related situation is such that his/her participation in the project would not be possible without extra financial support. Beneficiaries with special needs may apply to UNIBG at time of acceptance of the Erasmus+ grant. The application for financial support must then be approved by the Erasmus+ Italian National Agency.

6.8 Administrative support:

Both the home university and the hosting university support and assist beneficiaries with procedures such as visa application, accommodation and residency application abroad.

Art. 7. Admission Procedure

7.1 Application

Applicants should submit their application form and all required documents (7.2) to the following address: international@univlora.edu.al from 31 May to 15 June 2022. Any application received after the deadline will not be accepted.
A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the applicants after their application has been received.
The official language for application is English. At the time of application any diplomas, transcripts and other official documents may be submitted in original language. At this stage non-certified translations are accepted. Selected applicants may be asked to provide certified translations of all relevant documents.
The application form and all attachments MUST BE MERGED IN ONE PDF file and named as follows: ICM (acronym for International Credit Mobility) acronym of host university_name_surname.pdf (for example: ICM_UNIBG_name_surname.pdf) to be emailed to the following address at home university international@univlora.edu.al
Applications which do not meet all these requirements will not be accepted.

7.2 Required Documents

Bachelor and Master Students must provide the following documents:

Application form duly signed;
Copy of a valid international passport;
Copy of certificate of enrolment at Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vore;
Copy of the transcripts of records. For MA applicants only: the transcript of records must indicate also university grades/marks for accomplished first-cycle degree;
Copy Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – Self-assessment grid http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr approved by a teacher;
Proposed Learning agreement (signed by the student and the academic coordinator);
Curriculum Vitae (max 2 pages) in English including extra-curricular activities (courses, seminars, conferences, published research, etc.) and professional experience related to the fields of the mobility. Please use the European template on https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions.iehtml;
Motivation letter (max 2 pages) explaining the background of the candidate and the reasons for applying to the programme;

Art. 8. Selection Process

8.1 The selection process includes the following steps:
Eligibility check by the International Office of Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë
Evaluation process (pre-evaluation by EGE Rabat Selection Committee (to be named at local level) and final evaluation with UNIBG coordinators in order to guarantee maximum transparency and equal treatment in the selection procedure;
8.2 Valid and eligible applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria, which have been jointly agreed by the partner university and the coordinating university:
academic/scientific performance;
motivation (considering also CV & additional information);
proposed Learning Agreement;
language skills;
previous mobility experience.

8.3 In the framework of Erasmus+ regulations the first criterion for selecting students must be academic merit, but with equivalent academic level, preference should be assigned to students from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

8.4 The final selection decision will consider also cross-cutting evaluation criteria such as gender balance, equal opportunities and participation of disadvantaged groups (disabled students, economically disadvantaged students) providing a more equal and fair selection process.

8.5 The Selection Committee may decide to invite the candidates to an interview. An additional Skype interview may be requested by the UNIBG.

8.6 At the end of the selection procedure the Selection committee will draft a ranking list of qualified candidates. A reserve list will also be defined and will include the names of eligible candidates that may be awarded a grant in case of withdrawals/drop-out of selected students.

8.7 All applicants will be notified by e-mail to their institutional e-mail addresses of the selection results as soon as the evaluation procedure has been concluded. The final list will be also published on the Universiteti “Ismail Qemali” Vlorë website (https://univlora.edu.al/) for transparency reasons.

8.8 Selected candidates are required to accept or reject it in written (no later than 3 days from the notification e-mail). For every selected candidate who will renounce or not accept within the deadline, the Selection committee will nominate a candidate from the reserve list.

The final list of selected candidates who have accepted the mobility grant will be submitted via e-mail to Dott.ssa Blerta Topalli, Erasmus + ICM KA107 officer nearby the International Office at UNIBG: blerta.topalli@unibg.it

8.9 Appeal Procedure

Rejected applicants who feel that a mistake has been made in the process or that their application has not been fairly evaluated can file a complaint to the Selection committee not later than 2 days after the notification e-mail, explaining their reasons.
Complaints from applicants who have failed to satisfy all the eligibility criteria (e.g. who have not produced the required documentation, or have applied for a scholarship but do not meet the requirements, etc.), or have failed to satisfy them within the established time frames, will not be taken into consideration.
The appeal procedure can only come into play if a candidate feels that the Selection Committee has not handled his/her own application in line with the principles and procedures described in the call. In other words, the appeal cannot concern the decision itself, but only an alleged error made in the process.

Rector, Prof. Dr. Roland Zisi

ANNEX I – UNIBG Contact Details
ITALY
Università degli Studi di Bergamo – University of Bergamo (UNIBG)
Italy
Available Positions: 1 (one) place for 5 months;
Level: 1^st cycle and/or 2^ndcycle (BA, Master, “Laurea Triennale”, “Laurea Magistrale”)
Website: www.unibg.it/incoming
ISCED CODES FOR AVAILABLE ACADEMIC AREAS:

Languages – ISCED code 023;

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: at least a B2 level in Italian (for Italian-taught courses) or B2 in English (for English-taught courses). No language certificate is required. The level will be determined by the selection committee.
MAIN LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Italian; English.
VISA AND INSURANCE: The sending and receiving institutions will provide assistance related to obtaining visas and/or insurance, according to the requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. Exchange students must purchase suitable travel insurance, accident and liability insurance, as well as overseas health insurance that includes medical coverage and repatriation expenses in their home country prior to departure.
HOUSING: Information on accommodation and other matters, will be provided by UNIBG International Office to selected incoming students, prior to departure from their home country. Information and assistance can be provided by the following persons and information sources:

Accommodation Service

Via Moroni 255 – 24127 – Bergamo – Italia

Tel.:+39 035 2052511

Fax:+39 035 2052614

accommodation.service@unibg.it

Office hours: Mon-Wed-Fri 10.00-12.30; Tue-Thu 14.30-17.00

www.unibg.it/accommodation

ERASMUS+ LOCAL UNIT AT HOME UNIVERSITY: International Relation Office

e-mail: international@univlora.edu.al

Academic Coordinators: Assoc. Professor Bledar Toska, Department of Foreign Languages:

email: bledar.toska@univlora.edu.al

Administrative contact: MSC. Rezarta Sinanaliaj: