Support system for student and teacher international mobility

Background

System of grants and loans to encourage and support international mobility of students and staff. Slovenia does not have an explicit strategic document on mobility of students and staff in higher education. Promotion of international mobility is considered to be an integral part of the objective to increase the internationalisation of HE. As such it is included in all major national strategic documents (Slovenia’s development strategy, Resolution on the National program on Higher Education in the Republic of Slovenia in 2007-2010, Reform programme on the implementation of the Lisbon strategy in Slovenia, etc). Concrete benchmarks are set for incoming mobility.

Aims and targets

By providing funds for outgoing and incoming mobility Slovene Government aims at increasing the internationalisation of higher education. Students and staff mobility represents an important factor of increasing competitiveness between HEIs and improving quality assurance. 

Strategy and actions

• Provides scholarships for Slovene undergraduate/postgraduate students studying abroad (for the whole study period). (Estimated budget for 2008 is 1,7 mio EUR.)
  o    offers loans for studying abroad for the whole study period or shorter exchange (from 6 months to 1 year). (Estimated budget for 2008 is 1,25 mio EUR.);
• Co-finances Corporate Scholarships directly or within regional scholarship schemes ;
• Provides Zois merit-based scholarships for talented students for studies in Slovenia or abroad for academic year (Estimated budget for school year 2007/2008 is 9,6 mio EUR.);
• Possibility of financing of short term mobility can be found also within the national funding scheme “young researchers in economy”, which promotes basic research of doctoral students in companies. The tender does not specifically promote international mobility, but does allow the student to do up to 1/3 of the research period abroad. The funding is awarded for the entire period of the studies (3-5 years). (Estimated budget for 2008 is 20 mio EUR.).

At local level some municipalities provide scholarships for talented students also for studies abroad (undergraduate and postgraduate level for 1 academic year). Company scholarships are distributed at regional level (Ad future acts as a central info point).

The incoming mobility:

Slovene Human Resource Development and Scholarship Fund offers:

• Scholarships for postgraduate students of natural and technical sciences for an academic year (Estimated budget for 2008 is 250.000 EURO);
• Grants for research and pedagogical teaching assignments of foreign citizens in duration from 3 to 12 months. (Estimated amount for 2008 is 200.000 EURO);
• Grants providing assistance for returning of Slovene experts from abroad to Slovene higher education in duration from 2 to 12 months. (Estimated amount for 2008 is 80.000 EURO);
• Grants promoting professional cooperation of foreign citizens in Slovenia for the period of 3 to 12 months (Estimated budget for 2008 is 100.000 EURO);
• Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Education and Training Programmes offers Regional CEEPUS scholarships and bilateral scholarships (up to one academic year. Budget for academic year 2007/08 was 150.000 EURO) and bilateral scholarships offered by Slovene Government.

Monitoring and evaluation

Funding/Cost effectiveness

Sustainability/Transferability

Outcomes/impacts

Achievements

Success factors

Unintended impacts

Strengths and weaknesses

Curricular reform

Funding reform

Governance reform

Management reform