EIA (Ensino e investigação e administração)
Atlântica aimed to make its whole HE learning community more international. Through short study, teaching and training visits in other European countries, the project helped students and staff gain new knowledge, skills and contacts. It was designed to give more people, especially students who also work, the chance to have an international experience. By working with partner universities in Poland, Italy, Spain and Germany, Atlântica strengthened its teaching, supported professional development and helped students prepare for an increasingly connected world.
| Countries | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Period | 2023-25 |
| Funding | €17,923 |
| Type | Mobility of higher education students and staff |
Background
Atlântica is a higher education institution in Portugal that integrates two schools: Atlântica – University Institute and the Atlântica School of Health. At Atlântica, internationalisation is part of the institution’s wider ambition to improve teaching, expand academic and professional opportunities and prepare students for a more connected world.
Over recent years, the institution has steadily increased its participation in Erasmus+ projects, building partnerships with universities and higher education providers across Europe and beyond.
This project, running from June 2023 to July 2025, focused on mobility for higher education students and staff. It was recognised as a “good practice example” because it turned a practical challenge into an opportunity: how can students gain international experience when many of them are also working?
Objectives: Making Mobility Possible
The project’s main objective was to strengthen internationalisation across Atlântica’s academic community. This meant supporting students, professors and staff to gain experience in other European higher education settings, exchange ideas with partners and bring useful learning back to the institution.
A key concern was inclusion. Atlântica has a significant number of students who work alongside their studies. For these students, long stays abroad can be difficult because of professional responsibilities and limited availability. The institution therefore identified short-term mobility as a practical way to ensure more students could take part in international experiences.
The project also aimed to develop relationships with partner institutions, expand academic and professional networks, and support improvements in teaching and research. For students, the expected benefits included technical and scientific learning, greater independence and stronger intercultural communication skills. For staff, the focus was on teaching practice, training, cooperation and the development of new joint activities.
The project recognised that a shorter programme can still provide meaningful international learning when it is connected to students’ fields of study and supported by well-established partner institutions.
Implementation
Atlântica used the entire project grant to complete 31 mobilities, a total that was substantially higher than the number initially planned. The institution achieved this by adapting the project as it progressed and transferring funding between categories where needed.
Students completed 21 short-term study mobilities. Nine took place through a Blended Intensive Programme with Akademia Tarnowska in Poland, involving students from the Master’s in Rehabilitation Nursing and Bachelor’s in Physiotherapy.
A further 11 nursing students travelled to the Università degli Studi di Firenze in Italy, while another nursing student completed a short-term mobility at the Madrid campus of Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca.
The project also supported ten staff mobilities. Three physiotherapy professors travelled to Salamanca’s Madrid campus for teaching activities, including participation in a blended programme. Seven staff-training mobilities took place at partner institutions in Spain, Poland and Germany, including the universities of Málaga, Valencia and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Villingen-Schwenningen and UAS Tarnow.
Through these mobilities, students explored different approaches to healthcare education, teachers exchanged methods in the classroom, and professional staff developed new skills and international contacts.
Results
Participating students reported benefits in technical and scientific knowledge as well as wider skills such as adaptability, autonomy, initiative and intercultural communication. Because the activities were short-term, working students could take part without being away from employment for extended periods. This made mobility more inclusive and helped broaden access to international learning.
For staff, the teaching and training visits supported the development of pedagogical skills and contributed to the quality of academic provision. The exchanges also strengthened professional and scientific cooperation, supporting new working relationships, participation in international events and opportunities for publications and future projects.
The project also had an effect beyond the direct participants. Students and staff shared their experiences with others in the institution, encouraging further interest in Erasmus+ opportunities. By combining flexible mobility formats with active partnerships, Atlântica strengthened its international profile while creating a model that responds to the realities of its own academic community.
To find out more about this case study, visit the Erasmus+ project database: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2023-1-PT01-KA131-HED-000127683