EU grants 11 higher education scholarships to Sri Lanka

Eleven Sri Lankan students have been selected for scholarships under the European Union funded Erasmus Mundus programme for the academic year 2013/2014. Ten have been selected for joint Masters Courses, while one candidate has been selected for a joint Doctoral Course.

Six students from the University of Moratuwa were among the selected, with the others being from the Universities of Colombo and Peradeniya.

All candidates have applied for technical disciplines and will receive joint degrees in subjects such as environmental sciences, flood management, theoretical chemistry, service engineers and similar. They will carry out their studies in at least two European countries for a minimum of two years.

Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme funded by the European Union in the field of higher education. Its goals are to enhance the quality of education and promote dialogue between people and cultures through collaboration amongst universities and research institutes of different countries.

The programme offers scholarships to students, researchers and university staff to carry out study at bachelor, masters, doctoral or post-doctoral levels in a pool of top quality European universities. Assistance provided comprises integrated packages, covering visas, travel and insurance costs as well as substantial allowances, ranging from Rs. 160,000 to over Rs. 450,000 a month. This EU programme comes in addition to other mobility programs sponsored by single EU Member States, making the EU one of the highest contributors of higher education scholarships in the world.

Head of the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Ambassador Bernard Savage commented on this achievement: “Higher Education is the soul of contemporary societies. Thanks to initiatives such as the Erasmus Mundus, participants can acquire valuable skills that increase their future employability in a competitive, knowledge-based society. Higher education institutions can internationalise their teaching methods and services and build up research and management capacities. Links to businesses are also created in the process. Therefore I am delighted to see this timely boost in Sri Lanka’s participation in EU higher education programmes”

Sri Lankan undergraduate students and university staff are fully eligible for the Erasmus Mundus programme. New rounds of scholarships for the academic year 2014/2015 will soon be available via the following links: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus;  where candidates can select “Funding & scholarships - for students and academics” and click on the link to: Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (EMMCs) or Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates (EMJDs).