The European Union (EU) has been urged to prioritise cross-border education in its next long-term budget, with university groups calling for improved funding as well as increased flexibility and simplification.

Submissions to the public consultation on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF), which will start in 2028, called for a tripling of the budget for the?Erasmus+ exchange programme.

This would only allow ¡°the continuation of the functioning of the existing initiatives of the programme¡±, stressed the , which added that expanding the scheme would require five times as much investment.

Describing Erasmus+ as a ¡°crucial tool for improving the quality of education and contributing to society¡±, the submission says the scheme ¡°must be one of the European Union¡¯s top priorities for the next MFF¡±, adding that ¡°its funding should be enhanced in line with the important policy objectives that the programme aims to address¡±.

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Under the next budget, YERUN¡¯s submission says specific streams of funding should be dedicated to short-term mobility schemes as well as virtual and hybrid forms.

¡°While semester-long exchanges remain important, many students cannot afford long-term mobility due to rising costs, housing insecurity, and personal commitments,¡± it says.

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¡°Virtual and hybrid formats democratise mobility and should be mainstreamed within Erasmus+ and beyond.¡±

The university group further urges the expansion of funding for blended intensive programmes, describing the short, flexible schemes as ¡°a cornerstone of accessible mobility¡± and a ¡°vital entry point for international engagement¡± for students with work, caregiving or other commitments.

The EU should fund cross-border lifelong learning in order to ¡°help upskill Europe¡¯s workforce in strategic areas¡± while boosting university income,?YERUN advises, and should further support institutions in continuously adapting curricula to a changing labour market via the creation of a?¡°teaching and curriculum innovation fund¡±.

Erasmus+ should emphasise the arts, social sciences and humanities as well as traditional STEM subjects, the YERUN submission adds.

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Both YERUN and the EUA called for a reduction in bureaucracy and a simplification of application and other procedures, with the EUA also describing?¡°vast, untapped potential¡± in increased ¡°operational and funding synergies¡± between other EU funding programmes. Those synergies should not, however, involve the incorporation of Erasmus+ and the successor to Horizon Europe into a broader competitiveness fund, the EUA cautioned.

The need for a self-standing framework funding programme with a ring-fenced budget to succeed Horizon Europe was echoed across university groups¡¯ submissions to the consultation, with the ¡°European Competitiveness Fund¡±, proposed in a Commission communication in February, the subject of much criticism.

The submission from the League of European Research Universities (Leru) says the proposals ¡°overlook fundamental research, reduce applied research to its role in innovation, and focus almost exclusively on innovation for competitiveness¡±, continuing, ¡°This undermines the foundational principle of balance between research and innovation that has guided EU R&I policy for decades.¡±

YERUN, too, warns against research being ¡°instrumentalised in favour of technological competitiveness¡±, while the EUA states that ¡°ensuring a well-balanced R&I programme that supports both strategic priorities and open scientific inquiry will help Europe stay competitive and resilient in the face of future challenges¡±.

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emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com