ERASMUS Policy Statement

Erasmus Code: RO BUCURES43

ERASMUS CHARTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 2021-2027: Universitatea Națională de Știință și Tehnologie POLITEHNICA București (National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest)

Participation in Erasmus+

National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (UNSTPB) is a comprehensive university created by the merger of University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest with the University of Pitesti, which undertakes the mission of training specialists in various fields, capable to use scientific, technical, and socio-cultural knowledge valuable for the progress of Romanian society and contemporary world. UNSTPB ensures an efficient, developed, and improved education implementation through a wide and various teaching and research activities according to the standards and means offered by the nowadays informational society; it promotes forms of training adapted to a competitive society requirement and at the same time fosters equity inside and outside the multicultural space of the European Community.

UNSTPB understands the importance of students’ experience and training within the European Education Area and intends to transform into an international collaboration hub for training versatile professionals in the European labour market, the ERASMUS+ program being an important tool for achieving these goals. Furthermore, UNSTPB aims to consolidate its image and position regarding performance, internationalization, and interculturality as a European university.

With rich international experience, our university aims to create opportunities and build competencies that will increase the employment rate of the specialists trained for the European labour market so that the training process results can support smart and sustainable (green) development.

Through the ERASMUS+ program in UNSTPB, the university aims to improve the abilities of local students to speak at least one foreign language, namely the aim of mastering a second foreign language gained during exchange mobility abroad and interaction with the host country’s native people. Moreover, this interaction is meant to help students acquire and improve soft skills.

The exchange experience of professors through teaching mobilities will help the partner universities to continue identifying solutions for the modernization and development of educational programs, possibly even for organizing joint short-term courses. The ERASMUS+ program creates the opportunity for the latest ideas and concrete applications to be disseminated so that UNSTPB can find partners for common topics to participate in European research programs.

The ERASMUS+ program represents an opportunity for brilliant minds, especially those with limited financial possibilities or impairments to benefit and take part in an international experience, make contact with European values, and become more aware of Europe’s diversity and its cultural heritage. We believe in enabling mobility and ensuring a fair environment for all students, especially those with social difficulties and a low rate of inclusiveness.

The ERASMUS+ program is an important component of the university’s international strategy. Thereby, UNSTPB is developing and expanding its study programs in foreign languages, supports the development of international joint and double degree programs, carries out diploma and dissertation projects in collaboration with partner universities and economic agents, concludes agreements for doctoral theses under co-supervision, and supports from own funds learning foreign languages and testing to obtain official certifications, to contribute to the development of science and technology within the European Community space.

The ERASMUS+ program will continue to be implemented in UNSTPB with clear and transparent rules, which are offering the possibility to any student or teacher to be up to date with the actions and opportunities of this program. For this purpose, the university’s website, www.upb.ro, as well as the social media pages will be used to disseminate information.

Strategy, objectives and impact

The mobility of students, teaching, and academic staff is already one of the indicators for measuring the international dimension of our university. Within this action, UNSTPB will seek to raise its visibility on international education markets (a university strategic objective) to attract more foreign students to participate in educational international fairs and use online and offline promotion campaigns. Strengthening and expanding the study programs in foreign languages, and implementing joint degree programs with universities in the EU, are two important actions for the near future.

Through the university’s strategy for the next period, UNSTPB has proposed to increase its visibility as an “European University”, so that the profile of this new university model is of interest to students and the business environment. In this sense, the university participates in the European project on European universities, being a member of the EELISA project.

The faculty of Engineering in Foreign Languages (FILS), https://fils.upb.ro/ro/erasmus-incoming/has an important role in the ERASMUS+ program implementation in UNSTPB. The study programs of FILS are managed in three foreign languages (English, French, and German), allowing foreign students to find a wide range of subjects compatible with their home university. To extend the double-degree partnerships, the university has developed an online platform dedicated to students interested in such a program. We hope this approach will bring benefits to the Erasmus Mundus projects and will enforce the university’s international reach.

To expand its double-degree partnerships, the university has created a platform dedicated to students who want to obtain such a diploma. This approach will provide benefits within the “Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees” action and will be complementary to the university’s international promotion efforts.

As far as scientific innovation is concerned, the university aims to capitalize on the infrastructure for research purposes by including the centers and laboratories in international projects, together with universities and companies from around the world. ERASMUS+ partners are invited to our university for exchange programs and debating on current and vital topics, to create new research opportunities within Horizon Europe projects.

Regarding higher education modernization, UNSTPB wishes to take part in the digitalization process at the European level and to develop digital tools that facilitate international cooperation. We believe these kinds of tools require widespread implementation. Also, the university’s presence as a stakeholder or associate in different European organizations stands proof that the university is interested in developing policies for shaping the European Education Area.

Indicators

The ERASMUS+ program is the most successful program of the European Union in the education field, and UNSTPB has benefited from the opportunities offered to establish valuable partnerships with universities and companies both in Europe and worldwide. By increasing the number of partnerships and increasing interactions with strategic partners, the university aims to intensify the exchange of experience of teaching staff, to continue harmonizing the educational plans and the content of the disciplines to increase compatibility with its partners and ensure a greater diversity of options for students.

The ERASMUS+ program continues to be a bridge between teams of professionals from home and host institutions allowing them to expand collaboration in the field of research, for the joint realization of European projects and publication of impactful scientific papers. This collaboration result is quantifiable at the university level by the number of published papers and completed projects.

By participating in the ERASMUS+ program, the university aims to increase the number of outgoing students who will perform at least one mobility during the three cycles of education (bachelor, master, PhD). To boost students’ motivation to be part of the ERASMUS+ mobility, the university offers additional financial support to the ERASMUS+ grant, in lei, meant to partially cover the transportation and/or living expenses.

Furthermore, UNSTPB will attempt to continuously increase the number of incoming students as a strategy of internationalization. A large number of programs offered in foreign languages ​​(English, French, and German), as well as the possibility of hosting these students in the university’s dormitories, has led to an increasing trend in the number of foreign students, and in the next period of the program, we want to maintain this trend.

UNSTPB aims to become an important player in the market of educational services for future engineers’ education and training within the European Community by participating in Joint Master’s Degree (JMD) programs, with curricula focused on priority research topics in areas such as sustainable development, digitization, electromobility, smart grids, nanotechnologies, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc. At the level of 2023, in UNSTPB there are already two JMD programs in progress. The experience gained in this context is an impetus for the participation and increase in the number of KA2 projects.

For some employers who consider the international dimension of the education process important, the inclusion of ERASMUS+ mobility in the CV increases the chance of employment for university students. Thus, the university aims to increase its prestige, including through the reputation of the companies that employ its graduates, facilitating the search for the best incentives offered to its students to attract them to apply for an ERASMUS+ grant.

For the multi-annual assessment of the mobility dynamics, the ERASMUS+ Office carries out and publishes statistics for all types of mobility. These statistics are being used to analyze each faculty’s performance and to take correction and stimulation measures.