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European subsidy for exchanges doubled at Leiden University

Almost a hundred students and researchers can study in Leiden or go from Leiden to another university abroad as part of an exchange programme. Fourteen exchange projects have been awarded a subsidy from the EU's Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme.

The projects selected for awards received a total of more than 400,000 euros, twice the sum awarded last year. With these funds, Leiden University can implement 90 mobility projects with universities outside Europe: students and researchers from Leiden University will go abroad and their international counterparts will come to Leiden. Some of those who have received a subsidy talk about why they applied for this Credit Mobility Grant.

Suriname: re-writing the history of archaeology

Tibisay Sankatsing Nava (communications adviser at NEXUS1492): ‘Leiden archaeologists have already been conducting research on the arrival of the first Europeans in the Caribbean region for a long time. Until recently, this history was always written from a colonial perspective. We will use findings from archaeological research, in particular the NEXUS1492 research project, to adjust that image. Together with our local partners, we will show the Indian perspective on colonisation. The Credit Mobility Grant means we can now work on further developing the existing collaboration with the Anton De Kom University in Paramaribo. Students from both parties can gain valuable experience with fieldwork and Leiden researchers can go to Suriname to give and attend training courses. A number of Surinamese students and researchers will also come to Leiden for training or to share their expertise.'  

Uzbekistan: studying an unexplored region

Gabrielle van den Berg (lecturer in the Cultural History of Central Asia and Iran) and Elena Paskaleva (lecturer in Heritage Studies): 'As far as Dutch researchers are concerned, Central Asia is unexplored territory. We think that's unjustified, because for centuries it has been an important crossroads of cultural exchange. Uzbekistani cities, like Samarkand and Bukhara, have a wealth of information on this period, from Persian carpets to architectural monuments.This grant means that two Leiden researchers and two PhD candidates will be able to go to Uzbekistan, and three Uzbekistani researchers and two PhD candidates will come to Leiden. This will help us build lasting relationships. Without such relationships, access to many archives and private libraries is much more difficult.’

East Africa:  promoting integration between countries

Tom Ottervanger (professor of European Law): ‘Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Southern Sudan and Tanzania together make up the East African community. For several years, these countries have had a common internal market for a number of years now, and in time they even want to form a political and monetary union. That's not a bad idea: further regional integration generally results in fewer conflicts and greater economic and political stability. At Leiden University, we have a lot of knowledge about that other major international integration project: the European Union. We are convinced that East Africans can learn from the process of European unification. With a Credit Mobility Grant, these young researchers from Rwanda and Kenya will have the opportunity to come and do research in Leiden for up to four months.'  

Want to apply for a subsidy yourself?

Are you a member of staff of Leiden University yourself and would you like to set up an exchange project? An International Credit Mobility grant may well give you the opportunity. For more information, visit the international subsidies page. You will also find on this site the contact details of the grants adviser at the International Relations department.

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