EWP Champions – Erasmus@SWU

Digitalizing your Erasmus+ admin:

Traditional management of Erasmus+ mobility can be a cumbersome, complex and costly process for higher education institutions (HEIs). The Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) initiative paves the way to manage mobilities more efficiently by letting higher education institutions exchange information around their students’ mobility swiftly and securely.

EWP does this through an online exchange network that connects HEIs participating in Erasmus exchanges. It allows HEIs using the network to exchange student data in a more secure and efficient way than traditional paper-based methods.

How erasmus without paper works:

The main principle behind EWP is that, as a higher education institution, you maintain your existing system for managing student mobility and connect this to the EWP network.

Instead of printing a PDF or a paper copy of a document such as an Inter-Institutional agreement or a Learning Agreement, you will be able to:

approve the documents you need online
send them directly via your own management system to your partner institution
ask your partner institution to digitally approve them

What this means for how you manage your mobilities:

An Erasmus+ mobility entails a whole set of processes that require communication between the sending (or home) HEI and the receiving (or host) HEI.

While this process can vary, in general it works as follows:

an HEI signs an Erasmus+ institutional agreement
a sending HEI nominates the student at the receiving HEI
a Learning agreement is established and signed by three parties (student, sending HEI, receiving HEI) before departure
the student arrives at the receiving HEI, who needs to confirm the date of arrival
in case of changes to the Learning agreement these need to be signed by three parties (student, sending HEI, receiving HEI)
the student departs
the receiving HEI, who needs to confirm the date of departure
the receiving HEI sends Transcript of Records to the sending HEI
The EWP will come in to play for each of the steps that require communication (or data exchanges) between the sending HEI and the receiving HEI.

The processes above are gradually being transferred into technical so-called APIs (Application Programming Interface) that facilitate system-to-system communication. These will allow administrators to manage their part of the process in their own system while interacting with the EWP network whenever confirmation/approval/signatures are needed from a partner.

Benefits of using Erasmus without paper:

The main benefits of using EWP are for higher education institutions.

The overwhelming majority of student information now exchanged in the context of the Erasmus programme is exchanged by email or even by normal post, and seldom the personal information in it is encrypted. Such procedures are not GDPR-compliant, and EWP provides an infinitely more secure fashion through which to exchange such digital data.

In addition, EWP exchanges data in real-time and is extremely labour efficient. No double work any longer. Finally, supporting digital procedures is part of your Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) commitments.

By managing your student mobilities with EWP, your institution can

replace their paper-based workflow with a digital one. Administrative practices in Erasmus are still largely paper based. EWP stands for a digital workflow that leaves no university behind
tackle the administrative workload for students and staff. Setting up a student exchange takes a lot of work by both students and supporting staff. Shifting processes online can greatly reduce the strain
benefit from streamlined technical solutions for student mobility. Instead of reinventing the wheel, EWP aims to streamline existing technical solutions by bringing tools together and connecting them through a network
use and contribute to a free public infrastructure which will benefit all HEIs across the EU

SWU’s journey in the open call for Erasmus without paper champions:

The European Commission launched an open call for “Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) Champions” – a unique opportunity for Higher Education institutions to showcase their efforts and commitment to the digitalisation of Erasmus+ administration through EWP. The Commission is seeking institutions that have implemented EWP to become visible champions at the EU level, recognised as change leaders and inspiring others to follow suit. The selected institutions will also play an important role in testing and helping to improve the design of business processes to achieve seamless and efficient administration of Erasmus+ student mobilities.

We are delighted and immensely proud to announce that SWU has been honoured with the esteemed title of Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) Champions. This recognition highlights our exceptional achievement and unwavering commitment to revolutionizing the Erasmus program through digital innovation.

At SWU, we firmly believe in harnessing the power of technology to enhance international mobility and streamline administrative processes. Being awarded the EWP Champions title reaffirms our dedication to providing seamless, paperless experiences for our students, faculty, and staff participating in the Erasmus program.

We take great pride in our efforts to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and simplify the exchange process for our students and partners. Through our cutting-edge digital infrastructure and robust systems, we have successfully transformed the way Erasmus operates at SWU, making it more efficient, accessible, and sustainable.

As EWP Champions, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing the Erasmus program through technological innovation. We will continue to push boundaries, explore new possibilities, and share best practices to inspire other institutions to adopt paperless solutions for a more streamlined and inclusive Erasmus experience.