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European Union awards Erasmus Plus scholarships to 240 Indonesian students and scholars
For the academic year 2018, a total of 240 Indonesian students and scholars have successfully earned scholarships from the European Union (EU) under the Erasmus+ (Erasmus Plus) Programme. Soon the Erasmus+ awardees will travel to various EU Member States to undertake a Bachelor, Master, Doctorate or Post-Doctorate studies, either full degrees or short-term exchange programmes. Some of the Erasmus+ awardees will study in at least two different universities located in two different European countries.
During the award ceremony today (14/7) in Jakarta, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia, H.E. Vincent Guérend, and the Acting Director for American and European Intraregional and Interregional Cooperation of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (KEMLU), Ms Virdiana Ririen Hapsari, congratulated all awardees on their success in obtaining the Erasmus+ scholarships.
EU Ambassador Vincent Guérend said:
“These Erasmus+ scholarships offer a lifetime opportunity to learn more about European cultures, languages, academic systems and, not least, people at some of the best universities in Europe. Apart from improving student's expertise, the scholarships are also meant to enrich young people's life experiences, help create mutual understanding and openness between people and cultures. We hope that these scholarships will help them to further excel and that upon return to Indonesia they will come back with enhanced skills and knowledge useful for Indonesia and themselves, as well as fond memories of Europe."
KEMLU Acting Director Ms Virdiana Ririen Hapsari said,
"Our world is becoming more intertwined than ever. The rise of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Cloud Computing creates economic opportunity if we can work together to capture it. Indonesia needs more experts of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEMS) and Humanities, that can collaborate well in the future."
Since 2004, more than 1,600 Indonesian students have benefitted from the EU’s Erasmus+ Scholarship Programme. The Erasmus+ scholarships also provides opportunities for Europeans to undertake short-term studies and teaching in various universities across Indonesia. A total of 97 European students and scholars have come to Indonesia over the course of 2018 under this programme.
One Erasmus+ Indonesia awardee is Ms Ibu Ella Jauvani Sagala, a lecturer from Telkom University. Ms Sagala, who will undertake staff mobility in Spain, said:
"Erasmus+ is a valuable opportunity for us, as it supports our future career development, contribute to the enhancement of knowledge and science in Indonesia and establish good mutual cooperation between Indonesia and European universities."
Another Erasmus+ Indonesia awardee is Mr Gilang Mentari Hamidy who will undertake the Erasmus Mundus Master's Degree Programme in Security and Cloud Computing. Mr Hamidy said:
"Being awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship is a dream come true after my long search for funding to study abroad. I hope to improve my expertise through the courses, research and internship. We will be interacting with people in the academic circle and industries who would be able to expand our knowledge and network in the long run. I hope that Erasmus+ programme will bring mutual benefits to Europeans and Indonesians, especially in the advancement of education, technology and socio-cultural aspects."
In addition to the Erasmus+ scholarships, the EU – in collaboration with ASEAN – is providing 500 scholarships for ASEAN students through the EU Support to Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (SHARE) Programme.
Through various scholarship schemes, the EU and its Member States award more than 1,500 scholarships per year to Indonesian students for studies in Europe.
Indonesians studying in Europe
The EU is increasingly becoming a popular destination for Indonesian students seeking to study overseas. More than 6,000 Indonesian students departed for Europe to pursue their undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in 2016 (on a self-paying basis as well as under a scholarship scheme). In total, around 9,600 Indonesian students are currently studying in Europe.
There are more than 4,000 higher education institutions in Europe and over 15,000 master's degrees in Europe are taught in English. Many of them can be found among the top 100 universities in the world, offering state-of-art facilities and countless research opportunities.
About the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a unique grouping of 28 independent countries with more than 510 million citizens living within its boundaries. The 28 EU Member States are (in alphabetical order): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
About Erasmus Plus (Erasmus+)
Erasmus+ is the €16 billion EU-financed programme for education, training, youth and sport. It is built on the well-known and respected EU brand of the highly successful Erasmus student exchange programme.
For the academic year 2019, applications for the Erasmus+ Master Course will open around October 2018. Further information on the Erasmus+ Scholarship programme can be found at:
About EU SHARE Scholarships
Officially launched in May 2015, SHARE is a €10 million EU grant- funded programme with the principal objective of strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing the quality, competitiveness and internationalisation of ASEAN higher education institutions and students, and contributing to an ASEAN Community. From 2016 onwards, SHARE provides some 500 scholarships for ASEAN university students to put the improved systems to the test, mainly by supporting student exchange and credit recognition within the ASEAN region. ASEAN is working with a consortium – led by British Council and comprising the DAAD, EP-Nuffic, Campus France, ENQA and EUA – between 2015 and 2018 to implement SHARE. All application details, requirements and deadlines can be found here