Erasmus+ KA131 is the main action supporting higher education student and staff mobility among Programme Countries, namely EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye. For student study mobility (SMS) and staff mobility for teaching (STA) carried out under this action, a valid Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) between the institutions is mandatory. For student traineeship mobility (SMP) and staff mobility for training (STT), however, a previously signed bilateral agreement is not required.
A bilateral agreement is a document of intent in which two higher education institutions mutually define the terms of student and staff exchange. At our University, all KA131 bilateral agreements are prepared and signed in the digital Inter-Institutional Agreement format foreseen by the European Commission for the 2021-2027 programme period through the Erasmus Dashboard / EWP infrastructure.
A new bilateral agreement is initiated by the Erasmus Departmental Coordinator of the relevant academic unit at our University, while the Erasmus Coordination Office supports the process institutionally and gives the final approval.

1. Identification of the Partner Institution and Initial Contact:

The departmental Erasmus coordinator identifies an ECHE-holding institution with which an agreement is to be established, taking into account the academic profile of the department, research collaborations, and student mobility demand. Ways of identifying a partner include:
- Face-to-face contact
- Contact by email
- Screening through similar institutions

2. Review of Academic Compatibility:

Before the draft agreement is prepared, the departmental coordinator must examine the following points:
- Compatibility of academic calendars
- Language of instruction and required language proficiency level
- Content and ECTS credits of courses open to Erasmus students
- The possibility for students to take at least 30 ECTS per semester
Once the agreement has been concluded, recognition on the basis of the total ECTS credits to be taken at the host institution is considered to have been committed in advance by the department that established the agreement.

3. Agreement on the Terms of the Partnership:

The departmental coordinator reaches a written agreement with the host institution on the following matters and forwards this information to the Erasmus Coordination Office:
- Types of mobility
- Quotas and durations
- Study cycles to be covered
- ISCED codes
- Language proficiency levels
- Contact details of the relevant contact person at the host institution

4. Draft Preparation via the Dashboard and Submission of the Proposal:

The agreed terms are converted into a digital draft using the New Digital IIA section of the Erasmus Dashboard. The draft is then sent to the partner institution as a proposal through the Dashboard. The first signature at this stage is not the final signature; it only has the nature of a proposal.

5. Mutual Approval and Final Signature:

The partner institution reviews the draft and, if necessary, requests revisions or signs it on its side. After the partner institution's signature, the final signature on behalf of our University is placed only by the Erasmus Coordination Office through the Dashboard. The document enters into force when its status appears as Approved by both parties. Where necessary, it may also be signed in wet-ink PDF format.

6. Registration, Archiving, and Announcement:

The completed agreement is recorded in the institutional archive by the Erasmus Coordination Office, entered into the KA131 bilateral agreements list, and the relevant departmental coordinator is informed. The agreement is considered active only after this registration process has been completed and it then forms the basis for student and staff applications.

7. Monitoring, Revision, and Renewal:

Bilateral agreements are valid only for the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme period. Before each academic year begins, departmental coordinators review the existing agreements and submit revision requests to the Erasmus Coordination Office if changes are needed. Agreements that remain unused for a long period may be terminated by mutual consent.

Important Points to Consider:

- The responsibility for laying the groundwork for the Inter-Institutional Agreement belongs to Erasmus Departmental Coordinators, while official signing and validation within the EWP system may only be carried out by the Erasmus Coordination Office.
- Academic staff members other than the Departmental Coordinator must inform the head of department and the departmental Erasmus coordinator when initiating a new agreement.
- Each departmental coordinator may request agreements only for the programmes and study levels within their authority.
- Candidate students should be informed each year about the existing bilateral agreements before the application period starts.
- When drafting the agreement text, the language of instruction, mobility level, quota, and durations should be written clearly and explicitly.

Contact:

For all support related to KA131 bilateral agreement procedures, including Dashboard account setup, draft preparation, and sample correspondence texts for communication with partner institutions, the Erasmus Coordination Office should be contacted.

How is a Bilateral Agreement Made? KA171

Definition:

Erasmus+ KA171, also known as International Credit Mobility (ICM), is the mobility activity carried out with countries outside the Programme Countries, referred to as Non-Associated Third Countries. Unlike KA131, under KA171 our University receives country- and budget-based allocations from the Turkish National Agency for each academic year, and mobility can be carried out only with institutions located in the allocated countries and having a bilateral agreement.
On behalf of our University, only one KA171 project application is submitted each year by the Erasmus Coordination Office, and bilateral agreement requests coming from academic units constitute the basis of this application. For this reason, the KA171 agreement process is conducted more systematically than KA131 and in line with the call calendar.

1. Needs Analysis and Evaluation of Partner Suitability

The departmental or division-level Erasmus coordinator determines which partner countries and institutions would be strategically suitable for cooperation in line with the department's research areas, current internationalization goals, and student or staff demand. At this stage, the budget allocation assigned to regional priorities by the Turkish National Agency for the relevant call period should be taken into account.

2. Scope Definition and Draft Preparation:

The parties reach agreement on the following matters:
- Type of mobility
- Study cycle
- Annual quota and duration of mobility
- Language of instruction and required language proficiency level
- ISCED codes
- Academic calendar and recognition of courses
- Confirmation that the partner institution holds ECHE-equivalent authorization or national accreditation
Departmental coordinators prepare the draft text using the KA171 bilateral agreement template shared on the page.

3. Agreement on the Draft:

The prepared draft is sent by email to the Erasmus office of the partner institution or to the relevant departmental coordinator. Any necessary revisions are completed through mutual discussion until the final text is reached. At this stage, the Erasmus Coordination Office must be informed and the process must be monitored in parallel.

4. Institutional Approval, Signature, and Management:

The agreed final draft is submitted to the Erasmus Coordination Office. After the compliance check, the agreement is signed by the legal representative authorized to represent our University. The signed text is then sent to the partner institution in order to obtain the signature of its legal representative. For KA171 agreements, digital approval through the Erasmus Dashboard is also completed where possible, together with the PDF copy of the signed document.

5. Registration, Archiving, and Identification:

The agreement signed by both parties is recorded in the institutional archive by the Erasmus Coordination Office, entered into the KA171 bilateral agreements list, and the departmental coordinator is informed. The agreement is considered active only after this registration process has been completed and it then forms the basis for mobility activities.

6. Monitoring, Revision, and Renewal:

Bilateral agreements are valid only for the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme period. Before each project call, departmental coordinators should review the existing agreements and submit a revision request to the Erasmus Coordination Office if changes are needed in quota, level, or scope. Agreements under which no mobility is carried out may not be taken into consideration in the following project application.

Important Points to Consider:

- In order for mobility to take place under KA171, the existence of a bilateral agreement alone is not sufficient; grant allocation must also have been made to our University for the relevant country in that project period.
- In some partner countries, student exchange may be possible only at doctoral level.
- Course contents, ECTS equivalencies, and the academic calendar should be examined before signature.
- In mobilities carried out under KA171 agreements, the Learning Agreement and Mobility Agreement must be prepared in accordance with the formats of the National Agency.

Contact:

For any support and information requests regarding KA171 bilateral agreement procedures, the Erasmus Coordination Office should be contacted.

Bilateral Agreements List - KA131	download
Bilateral Agreements List - KA171	download
ISCED Codes	download
Course Pool	download

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