Outgoing training visits

Based on the Rector’s order dated 8 March 2023 No. 2023-TRD-Į-61 “On the confirmation of the procedure governing the Organisation of Erasmus+ Teaching and Training Visits at Vytautas Magnus University ”, the selection process is carried out by the committee formed by the Rector.

Candidates eligible to apply for Erasmus+ training visits are all VMU academic and non-academic staff members.

Selection for Erasmus+ training visits shall be made on the basis of a Training Agreement. Training agreement must be approved by the applicant and the head of his/her unit. During the application, the Training Agreement might not have yet been approved by the hosting organization

The selection process takes place every month throughout the year. After receiving at least one learning agreement, the Selection Committee meets, considers the applications and announces the results at the beginning of the following month, between 1 and 10 days. Once the funding for this type of visit has run out, the selections are stopped.

The application (Training Agreement) must be submitted via email konstantinas.kurzevas@vdu.lt

Application eligibility criteria:

• the objectives of the visit, the added value, the learning activities/programme and the expected outcomes and impact is indicated in Training Agreement;
• The aim of the visit includes the professional development of the staff member through training/exchange of experience activities etc.;
• the information provided in the Training Agreement/Application shall not be duplicative/identical to the information provided in the Training Agreement/Application of another candidate participating in the same competition;
• the Training Agreement/Application shall be signed/approved by the applicant and his/her head of the unit.

If the application does not meet the eligibility criteria, it shall be rejected, and the content shall not be evaluated.

The content of the application shall be evaluated on a 3-point scale according to the criterion “Added value for the participant, the unit and the University”. Where 1 is weakly justified, 2 is incompletely justified/lack of justification for one of the sub-criteria, 3 is an excellent description of the added value for the participant, the unit, and the University.

Additional points shall be awarded for:

• candidates participating for the first time in the Erasmus+ training visit programme (in EU Member States and associated third countries) (1 point);
• for candidates with no academic workload (1 point);
• candidates with more than 2 years’ continuous service at VMU (1 point);
• candidates with a fully agreed Training Agreement (or other evidence that the visit has been agreed/the staff member is accepted for the visit) (1 point);
• candidates who select the HEIs of the Transform4Europe Alliance for their Training visit (1 point);
• for candidates with fewer opportunities (1 point).

The final score for evaluating an application shall be the sum of all the points. Minimum score – 2.

Selected Staff members shall leave for the Erasmus+ training visit no later than 6 months after the date of the Selection Committee meeting. Failure to leave within the specified period shall result in the cancellation of the grant.

Staff members can go on an Erasmus+ study visit up to two times per calendar year: once between January and June and once between July and December. For visits to a Transform4Europe Alliance HEIs or to another institution of strategic importance, or for a visit that makes a substantial contribution to the internationalization of a unit or University, and where there is sufficient funding for these activities, the limitation set out above may be waived at the discretion of the Selection Committee.

The minimum duration of an individual (job-shadowing) staff training visit shall be 2 activity days and the maximum duration shall be 3 activity days. In the case of a training course where the duration of the programme shall be pre-determined by the host institution and applicable to all participants (e.g., international training week, language or other courses, etc.) and/or where the visit makes a substantial contribution to the internationalisation of the University, up to a maximum of 12 days of activity per visit may be funded (in case of a Green travel, the shortest possible duration of a training visit shall be 2 activity days and the longest shall be 10 activity days). The Selection Committee shall decide on the funding of the longer-term visit.

The maximum of 2 paid travel days (1 day before the activity and 1 day after the activity) shall be allowed for travel if necessary. If it is not possible to arrive within 1 day and/or return within 1 day (e.g., no flights, etc.), up to 2 days forward and up to 2 days backward may be allowed, but only 1 day forward and 1 day backward shall be paid. The exception shall be if you choose the green travel option, in which case the maximum number of paid travel days is 4: up to 2 days before the activity and up to 2 days after the activity. If the staff member decides to travel to the host institution by environmentally friendly means of transport (bus/train or carpooling with other participants), he/she must make a declaration of good faith before signing the Grant Agreement.

There are two types of costs eligible for reimbursement for VMU employees who go to the Erasmus+ mobility for training:

1. Individual support. A lump sum that depends on the country to which the participant is going:

2. Travel costs. The lump sum depends on the distance between the place of origin (Kaunas) to the place of activities. The distance shall be calculated using the distance calculator available on the European Commission’s website at http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/tools/distance_en.htm.

• In the event that a trip is not foreseen or shall be funded by sources other than the Erasmus+ Programme (e.g., the participant is already present at the place of implementation of the activity funded under the grant agreement for another activity), the staff member must inform the ICD in advance in writing (in writing or by email). In this case, no travel grant shall be provided.
• In case the place of departure is not the same as the place of the sending organisation and/or the place of arrival is not the same as the place of the host organisation, the mobility participant must provide an explanation to the ICD.

A bigger grant (please see table below) for travel expenses is allocated if mobility participant chooses to use ecological means of transport for his / her travel.

Green travel – travelling to and from the host institution using low-emission means of transport such as buses, trains, or travelling by car with a companion(s) (car-pooling) also participating in the mobility activity.

Funding of travel costs

*“Travel distance” refers to the distance from the place of origin (Kaunas) to the place of performance of the activity, while “amount” includes funds for travel to and from the place of performance. The general rule for the place of origin is that it coincides with the place of the sending organization and the place of performance with the place of the receiving organization.

Additional support for employees with special needs (due to disability)

Persons with special needs (due to disability) can receive an additional grant to reimburse 100% of actual eligible costs incurred due to their special needs. Applications regarding the provision of additional support shall be evaluated, and the Education Exchanges Support Foundation shall make the decision.

Employees that have been selected for mobility will have to fill out an application for additional support immediately after the results of the selection process are announced.

The applications can be submitted until the deadline indicated on the website of Education Exchanges Support Foundation. The VMU ICD shall send the application of the employee to the Education Exchanges Support Foundation.

The staff grant is paid in two installments:

The advance amounting to 70 per cent of the grant shall be paid within 15 business days after signing the grant agreement, before the beginning of the mobility, provided the employee submits the Mobility Agreement (and request for the business trip) no later than 20 business days before the planned visit.

The 30% balance is paid when the employee returns from the visit and:

• provide a certificate of participation issued by the host institution ;
• provide proof of the green trip and its duration (invoices/tickets/etc.) if applicable;
• submit the online EU Survey;
• provide a business trip finance report.

Please notice! Expenses related to the Erasmus visit (e.g., purchase of travel tickets, accommodation, etc.) can only be incurred upon submission of a work trip application.

Selected Staff members shall leave for the Erasmus+ training visit no later than 6 months after the date of the Selection Committee meeting. Failure to leave within the specified period shall result in the cancellation of the grant.

At least 20 business days before the visit, the participant should email (konstantinas.kurzevas@vdu.lt) the coordinator of this programme the final and confirmed version of the Staff Training Agreement. When the coordinator receives the Training Agreement, he shall email you information on how to submit a request for the business trip and which source of funds to indicate in the said form. When the application is submitted, coordinator of this programme will email you the Grant Agreement.

If the participant chooses Green Travel option, together with the request for the business trip, he must submit the declaration of Honour.

Expenses related to the Erasmus visit (e.g., purchase of travel tickets, accommodation, etc.) can only be incurred upon submission of a work trip application.

Before leaving for the Erasmus Staff Training visit, please visit ICD to take promotional material for the the receiving institution of higher education, company or organisation.

Please note! If you do not have a valid insurance policy:

1. Get a personal insurance policy (Health Insurance in obligatory, accident and );
2. Obtain a European Health Insurance Card. This card is issued free of charge. It can be obtained at Kaunas Territorial Patient Fund (Aukštaičių g. 10, ph. +370 37 20 88 46). More information can be found on the website of Kaunas Territorial Patient Fund. If you already have this card, please check its expiration date.

Within 5 business days after the mobility, VMU employee must provide all the documents and perform the following steps:

• provide a certificate of participation issued by the host institution;
• provide proof of the green travel and its duration (invoices/tickets/etc.) if applicable;
• submit the online EU Survey;
• provide a work trip financial report.

The final reporting of VMU staff member (see above) shall be considered as a request for the remaining payment of the business trip funds (30%). The 30% balance shall be paid to the employee no later than 20 business days after final reporting.

• Mobility Agreement for Staff Mobility for Training
• Certificate of Attendance
• Declaration of Honour for the Green Travel.

What is Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training, and what is its main aim?
Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training is an activity that promotes the professional development of the university's academic and non-academic staff through participation in training events (except conferences) and internships (work shadowing, participating in training activities) that take place in foreign institutions (higher education institutions, organizations, and enterprises).

The main aim of staff mobility for training is the professional development of university employees. In the Mobility Agreement you prepare, please emphasize and highlight the benefits of your mobility to your professional development.
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Where can Erasmus+ Staff Training visits take place?

In any institution, enterprise, or organization registered and residing in EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Turkey, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Serbia.
If the visit is taking place in Higher Education Institution, the institution must be the holder of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

Visits cannot take place in Lithuania or the participants' country of residence.

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Who can apply for Erasmus+ staff mobility for training?

All VMU employees.

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How are the applicants informed about the results of the call?

​The results of the call will be personally emailed to the participants of the call.

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How often can I go abroad for Erasmus staff training?

Employees can participate in the Erasmus+ mobility for training not more often than once in half a year (January–June; July–December). For visits to a Transform4Europe Alliance HEIs or to another institution of strategic importance, or for a visit that makes a substantial contribution to the internationalization of a unit or University, and where there is sufficient funding for these activities, the limitation set out above may be waived at the discretion of the Selection Committee.

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What expenses can be covered?

The programme covers participant's costs for travel and living. Other costs incurred during the mobility or related to the organisation thereof (participation fee, transportation within the country, etc.) shall not be reimbursed and must be covered by the participant himself / herself (nevertheless, the received grant most often is sufficient to cover all expenses). The grant is a flat rate and does not depend on the actual costs incurred during the mobility.

The grant consists of two parts:
- lump sum for travel costs depending on the distance between the place of origin (Kaunas) to the place of activities(the distance is calculated by the EU-designed distance calculator);
- individual support for subsistence, a flat rate for each day (including travel days), depending on the country training activity takes place. (please see section Funding for more information)
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Can people with special needs (due to disability) receive additional funding to enable them to participate in the program?

An additional grant may be awarded to persons with special needs to reimburse 100% of the costs actually incurred as a result of the special needs.

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When is the grant agreement signed?

The grant agreement is prepared and signed when the participant submits a Training Agreement and request for the business trip.

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Who is concidered to be participant with fewer opportunities?

Participant with fewer opportunities – a person who, due to certain circumstances, is unable to make effective use of the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ Programme. The procedure for assigning persons and groups to these groups is defined by Rector’s Order No. 2022-TRD-E-311 of 27 October 2022. Read.

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Contest for teaching and training visits under Erasmus+ programme in non-EU/EEA countries during 2023/2024 autumn semester!

Procedure for organising Erasmus+ staff teaching and training mobility

Candidates eligible to apply for Erasmus+ training visits
All members of VMU academic and non-academic staff. Citizens of third parties who want to apply for training visits must have a valid employment contract with VMU.

VMU employees can go for their training mobility to:

• Any Erasmus+ partner country, except their country of residence;
• To those foreign institutions that are announced in the call for applications.

Selection process for Erasmus+ training mobility
Centralised.

When the applications are to be submitted?
When the call for the selection has been announced.

How to submit the application?
Please send your completed application to the ICD by email at erasmus@vdu.lt.

What is the deadline to submit an application?
As established in the call for applications.

When are the results announced?
The results are announced when the selection procedure is over.

Application documents
Application for the training mobility call.

Who carries out the selection process?
Centralised selection committee formed by the Rector's order.

What is the duration of training mobility visit?
The mobility must last at least 5 days (excluding the travelling days) and no longer than 7 days (including the trip).

Application eligibility criteria for training visits:

• selected institution is a VMU partner institution (announced in the call for proposals);
• the objectives of the visit, the added value, the topics of the lectures/seminars and the expected outcomes explained in the application;
• the aim of the visit includes the professional development of the staff member through study/exchange of experience activities;
• the information provided in the Application shall not be duplicative/identical to the information provided in the Application of another candidate participating in the same competition;
• Application signed/approved by the applicant and the head of his/her unit.

The content of the application shall be evaluated on a 3-point scale according to the criterion “Added value for the participant, the unit and the University”. Where 1 is weakly justified, 2 is incompletely justified/lack of justification for one of the sub-criteria, 3 is an excellent description of the added value for the participant, the unit and the University.

Additional points shall be awarded for:

• candidates participating for the first time in the Erasmus+ study visit programme (third countries not associated to the Programme) (1 point);
• candidates with no academic workload (1 point);
• candidates with more than 2 years’ continuous service at VMU (1 point);
• candidates with fewer opportunities (1 point).

1. The following must be agreed with the receiving Institution of Higher Education:

• the date of the visit;
• Mobility Agreement for Staff Mobility for Training.

The period for training indicated in the Mobility Agreement:

• Planned period of physical mobility (at least 5 days) - indicate the dates of activities;
• Duration (days) – excluding travel days (at least 5 days).

2. When the training mobility is agreed with the receiving university:

• Please send to the ICD coordinator the Mobility Agreement signed by all parties. Then the coordinator will send you information necessary to complete the request for posting (Komandiruotės paraiška);
• Fill the request for posting (Instructions how to fill the request for the Partner countries);
• When the Rector's order for posting is issued, ICD coordinator shall prepare a financial agreement which must be signed before the beginning of the visit.

3. Before the visit takes place, you should get an insurance policy and check information whether it is obligatory to get vaccinated before entering a specific country (information available at http://keliauk.urm.lt).

4. Just before departing for your Erasmus+ mobility, please visit the International Cooperation Department to sign the financial agreement and take the info package for introducing the university in the partner institution of higher education.

Employees that participate in Erasmus+ staff mobility for training, receive grant for two types of costs:

1. Individual support

2. Travel costs

Travel distance* is calculated between the participant's place of origin and venue of activity using the distance calculator available at the website of the European Commission.

Funding of travel costs

*Please note. "Travel distance" refers to a distance between the place of origin (Kaunas, Vilnius) to the venue of the activity, while the "Amount allocated" includes the amount for the trip to the venue of activity and return.

The advance amounting to 70 per cent of the grant shall be paid before the beginning of the mobility, provided the employee submits the request for posting and Mobility Agreement no later than 30 days before the visit planned.
After the mobility, the employee must deliver the following documents (see "After the mobility"). No later than within 45 days after the final submission of all the documents required, the employee shall receive the remaining amount of 30 per cent.

Persons with special needs can receive additional grant to reimburse 100% of actual eligible costs incurred due to the special needs. Applications regarding the provision of additional support shall be evaluated and the decision shall be made by the Education Exchanges Support Foundation.

Employees that have been chosen for mobility will have to fill an application for the additional support immediately after the results of the selection process are announced. The applications can be submitted until the deadline indicated on the website of the Education Exchanges Support Foundation. The application of the employee shall be sent by the ICD to the Education Exchanges Support Foundation.

Within five working days after the visit, the employee must deliver the following to the International Cooperation Department:

1. Certificate of Attendance signed by an authorised representative of the foreign Institution of Higher Education that should feature:

• Duration of the visit (excluding travel days);
• Additional travel days;
• Confirmation that this visit has been carried out under Erasmus+ programme.

2. Online survey (a questionnaire shall be sent to an employee automatically a day after the visit from Mobility Tools system);

3. Travel documents (plane / bus / train tickets);

4. Certificate of Posting (Komandiruotės pažymėjimas) must be filled, signed and delivered to the Finance Department.

It is considered that the final action to complete the mobility is the request to pay the remaining part of grant (30%). No later than 30 days after the final submission of all the documents required, the employee shall receive the remaining amount of 30 percent of the grant. If an employee does not perform the above-mentioned steps and does not provide the documents, the university reserves the right not to pay the remaining 30 percent of the grant and demand the return of the advance that has already been paid in full or partially.

Mobility Agreement for Staff Mobility for Training
Certificate of Attendance

What is the aim of Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching?
Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training is an activity that promotes professional development of university's academic and non-academic staff through participation in training events (except conferences) and internships (work shadowing, participating in training activities) that take place in foreign institutions of higher education.

The aim of staff mobility for teaching is professional development of university employees. In the Mobility Agreement you prepare, please emphasise and highlight the benefits of your mobility to your professional development.
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Where to find the OID (Organisation ID) codes to identify an organisation in order to fill the mobility agreement?
You can find the OID (Organisation ID) codes at https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/organisation-registration/screen/home
Detailed information about OID https://erasmus-plius.lt/programa/kaip-gauti-oid
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How are the applicants informed about the results of the call?
Results of the call will be personally emailed to the participants of the call.
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Can mobility documents be sent by email?
According to the procedure established by VMU ICD, the mobility agreement can be scanned and sent by email.
The grant agreement is signed at the ICD, except VMU divisions which are located not in Kaunas or Kaunas District (e.g. the Education Academy in Vilnius), in which case the grant agreement can be sent via registered mail or courier (the signed originals of documents must be submitted).
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