News and Events
On March 31, 2020 National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine organised Facebook-webinar on "Erasmus+ during the pandemic COVID-19: challenges and solutions".
More than 150 representatives of Ukrainian universities IROs, Erasmus + coordinators and representatives of ICM, CBHE and Jean Monnet project teams joined the online.
The coronavirus pandemic has implications for student and staff mobility and projects funded by EU programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020.
Several application deadlines for Erasmus+ have been extended. Furthermore, the Commission announced to apply maximum flexibility in the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme within the limits of the legal framework. The Commission issued guidance to Erasmus+ National Agencies allowing them to invoke “force majeure” clauses. This makes it possible to cover certain additional costs of mobile students and staff due to the special situation and postpone activities when needed. A webinar organised by the European Students’ Union (ESU) and the Erasmus Students’ Network (ESN) with speakers from the European Commission and Erasmus+ National Agencies provides further information on the situation of mobile students.
For Horizon 2020, extensions have been applied for all calls with an original deadline between 17 March and 15 April 2020. No extension is applied to the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and EIC pilot calls linked to research and innovation projects to address the coronavirus pandemic. Further details are published on the call and topic pages on the Funding and Tenders Portal. The Commission also published answers to frequently asked questions about the impact on ongoing Horizon 2020 projects such as the possibility to invoke “force majeure” clauses of grant agreements.
Since end of January, 17 new research projects involving 136 research teams investigating different issues around the coronavirus pandemic have been shortlisted for total 47.5 million euros in EU funding.
As the crisis develops, the European Commission may adopt further measures. EUA will work to keep members informed.
MESSAGE TO THE ATTENTION OF BENEFICIARIES/CONTRACTORS/EXPERTS
If the implementation of the project or contracts are impeded by the spread of Corona Virus COVID-19, as a first step the beneficiaries/contractors/experts must inform the Executive Agency (EACEA) by e-mail to the responsible project officer you are usually in contact with or the functional mailbox of the Action and describe in detail the issue and its impact on the project implementation.
In any case, the following flexibility measures will apply:
1) Eligibility of costs in ongoing actions or contracts
Where individuals who were to take part in mobilities, meetings or events are prevented from doing so, for example owing to their recent contact with someone suffering from the virus or their presence in an area considered to be at high risk, EACEA may consider as eligible* expenses of travel or accommodation that could not be cancelled and which are not reimbursed from other sources provided that the beneficiaries/contractors/experts submit relevant supporting documents in this sense (in particular that they have claimed reimbursement and that it was denied).
2) Where COVID-19 prevents implementation of action or contract
Where the execution of contracts is impeded because of COVID-19 (for example due to unavailability of key staff, the impossibility of carrying on work in a zone affected by the virus or any other case which can be regarded as force majeure), EACEA may accept replacement activities or delayed performance. This could be done following a justified request by the beneficiary/contractor/expert to amend the contract including by extending the period of its implementation/ performance.
Documentation
Beneficiaries/contractors/experts must collect and keep the relevant documentation which might be needed at a later stage to prove/justify any decision taken having an impact on the implementation of the project (notably from a financial point of view). Other updates may follow as the situation evolves.
* if they fulfill the general eligibility conditions set out in the grant agreement/decision, or contract
Dear Erasmus+ Community!
In the context of recent quarantine and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine WILL BE CLOSED FOR VISITS and FACE to FACE MEETINGS UNTIL MARCH 27, 2020.
The team continue working on-line and we invite you to contact us at any issues related to your Erasmus+ projects and mobilities implementation in a convenient way for you:
Details about the situation and protection measures in Ukraine, please see at the link here.
Recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - at the link here.
Please follow our website and Facebook page to track all the following changes.
We wish you to saty safe, healthy, calm and collected!
Kind regards, NEO – Ukraine team
Dear Erasmus+ project teams!
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the restrictive measures to combat the Covid-19 coronavirus threat to prevent the disease from spreading. The Cabinet of Ministers proposed introducing restrictions on holding mass events, which doesn't apply to events of the state importance. The measures also include quarantine for all educational institutions since 12 March 2020 (according to the Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution as of 11 March 2020, updated on 25 March). Quarantine shall be introduced in all educational institutions regardless of their ownership and management type: pre-school, secondary, extra-curricular, VET, professional higher, higher, postgraduate education. The quarantine will last from March 12 to April 24, 2020. The quarantine terms may be changed depending on the epidemiological situation in Ukraine. During the quarantine, pupils and students are prohibited to attend educational institutions and any other public places. All should stay at homes and work/study on distance.
Please consult about all situation in Ukraine and protection measures introduced in Ukraine at the link here.
In addition, majority of the higher education institutions have issued their own orders for prevention and protection measures. We highly recommend the project partners to inform/update constantly each other about the situation and discuss its infuence towards the projects events implementation. You could consider the possibilities to perform events where reasonable in the videoconference/viber/skype formats or using other IT tools. The coordinators should request the approval from EACEA project officer about the consideration of the situation as a force major circumstances and to cover, where necessary, the cancellation fees for the travel and cost of stay (where relevant).
To those who are already on mobility, please do not forget to discuss and decide/agree if you prefer to come back or have possibility to stay at quarantine at hosting university and what are the sequences. Request the home and host universities to agree on the decision to apply the safest solution. Please communicate about the situation to host and home universities.
If you decide to return to Ukraine, please contact immediately the Embassy of Ukraine in your country: contacts in English language here ( for Ukrainian, please choose for contacts here). The details in Ukrainian language are available at the link here. For English, click here.
For foreign students under Erasmus+ in Ukraine, please contact your country European Students Association team at the link here.
Useful webinar recording at the link here.
All Ukrainian partners are highly recommended to inform the university management about the planned events/mobilities hosting by your universities and discuss the possibility to host the event or cancel/ postpone to a later time. The possibility to cover cancelation expenses and the necessary documents should be discussed too in cooperation with the accounting departments. Other guides and recommendations are provided on Coronavirus – exceptional measures with regard to Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects (link here).
Should you need any help from NEO team Ukraine, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We wish all to be healthy and take care!
As a result of difficulties experienced by applicants due to the coronavirus outbreak, the deadlines for SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS TO SOME ERASMUS+ ACTIONS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED to the following dates:
23, 25, 30/03 and 2/04 Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute invites students, postgraduates to training courses. The events are within the framework of the European Union Erasmus+ Programme, the Jean Monnet Module «European business models: transformation, harmonization and implementation in Ukraine».
Webinar: Inter-Institutional Agreement Manager for higher education institutions. An online gathering for higher education institutions on the new Inter-Institutional Agreement Manager.
Event date: Thu, 05/03/2020 - 14:00 to 15:30 Brussels time.
The tool is at beta stage before being rolled out in May 2020.
On 17-18 of February 2020, the University of Konstanz hosted the first kick-off workshop of the Erasmus+ project “New mechanisms of partnership-based governance and standardization of vocational teacher education in Ukraine (PAGOSTE)”.
The project teams from Ukraine and three EU countries (Germany, Austria, Italy) spent two days intensively working on the project issues. Generally, 36 participants took part in this event.
The aim of the workshop was to discuss the implementation of the first working package “Analysis of governance of vocational teacher education”, as well as issues related to ensuring the quality and sustainability of the project results, developing a plan of communication and dissemination.
On February 15, 2020 in Kyiv within the EU Delegation to Ukraine project “EU Study Days” the NEO-Ukraine team provided the information session for students on individual opportunities within higher education and youth. The event was held at the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. 43 participants, 29 of whom are newcomers, took part in the Euroschool.
