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APPLICANTS GUIDEBOOK 2013/2014

ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME
ACTION 2 STRAND 1
NORTH AFRICA


















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Thank you for your interest in the Battuta program. Now that you are ready to apply to
one of 20 partnering universities of North Africa or Europe in this project, we wish to provide you
through this guide with all the clarification necessary for a strong application that increases your
chances of being selected and achieving financial mobility as part of your studies.

We recommend that you read this guide carefully and follow the advice given before
submitting your application: this will allow you to verify the eligibility criteria and review precise
information on the expectations of quality as you present your candidacy for this program of
excellence.

We hope that this guide is useful to you and brings you to your final choice.

Good luck and see you soon!




Christel Outreman,

Delegated Vice President of International
Relations of the University of Rouen

Ahmed Chaalal,

Vice President in charge of Foreign Affairs,
University of Mostaganem























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The Erasmus Mundus Program and Projet BATTUTA

A cooperation and mobility program in the area of Higher Education of the European Union, the Erasmus
Mundus Program aims to promote European higher education, to help improve and enhance the career
prospects of students and to promote intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries.
Action 2 of this program, to which the BATTUTA project is included, has specific objectives for contributing
to the mutual enrichment of societies; to promote mobility for students, researchers as well as universities
outside the EU, to contribute to the development of human resources and the international cooperation
capacity of higher education institutions.

The University of Rouen coordinates a consortium of 20 higher education institutions in North Africa and
Europe, in which students and academic and administrative staff will carry out mobility of study or
research. The program BATTUTA is open to all types of mobility: Bachelors, Masters, PhD, Post-
Doctorate and Staff. The project has many features: firstly, an overall minimum of 285 scholarships will be
awarded during the three years of the project. This is much more than for other programs of its kind. But in
particular, the program allows mobility to be recognized in your home university with which you therefore
stay in contact during your stay in North Africa or Europe and connect completely to the European
ERASMUS program extending to the five North African countries. Full academic recognition of periods of
study or research conducted in a host university will be recognized in the home institution of the applicant.

Principal partners of the Battuta program

North Africa :
Universit Abdelhamid Ibn Badis , Monstaganem Algeria
Universit Badji Moktar, Annaba Algeria
Universit Abderrahmane Mira, Bjaa Algeria
Universit Constantine 1 Algeria
Universit Senghor de la Francophonie Egypt
Universit de Tripoli Libya
Universit Sultan Moulay Slimane, Bni Mellal Morocco
Universit de Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Fs Morocco
Universit Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech Morocco
Universit Hassan 1er, Settat Morocco
Universit de Sfax Tunisia
Europe
Universit de Mons, Belgium
INSA de Rouen France
Universit du Havre France
University of Naples "L'Orientale" Italy
Riga Technical University Latvia
Universidade do Porto Portugal
Universitatea Babe-Bolyai Romania
Universidad Autnoma de Madrid Spain
Partners
Universit dOran Algeria
Universit de Batna Algeria
Chambre de Commerce et dIndustrie Mostaganem Algeria
Libyan International Medical University in Benghazi Libya
Universit Abdel Essaldi, Tanger/Ttouan Morocco
SGroup Belgium




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Applying for the BATTUTA program: user instructions



1. Website : www.battuta.eu

In presenting the training programs in the courses section, allowing the registration and
submission of your application in the "Apply" section, it is a must to consult this site. You will also
find in the contact section the contact person for your institution. If you have a question that
is not addressed in this guide or on the website, then you will receive the requested information
through the appropriate contact person. In your own interest, it is strongly recommended that
you carefully read the website and the applicants guidebook before speaking to the contact
person.

2. List of open program training

In the section courses the website lists all the courses that the institutions wished to open for
this program. Before applying, you must therefore choose the programs for which you wish to
apply and view related web pages on the website of the proposed host university. You will find
information for determining how well you match the expected profile but also for refining your
proposal and your cover letter.
The staff will also find on the website dedicated host offers submitted by the member universities
of the consortium.

3. For which degree to apply?

a. Bachelors Degree

30% of mobility scholarships will be awarded to students in the first cycle. Interested students
must be in their second year at the time of application and apply for the academic discipline to
which they belong at their home university. Mobility in Europe or North Africa will be recognized
on their return by a system of recognition of subjects studied and the results obtained in their
host university. The application shall include a certificate from the home university stating that
the recognition will be made (see "required documents" section).

b. Masters Degree

i. Masters mobility

The majority of Master scholarships will be awarded to students meeting the same conditions as
undergraduate students (see previous section). According to their profile, students can take
courses in the first year or second year of the Master selected.

ii. Masters full degree

1. One-year Masters

Certain countries have their Masters in a single year, totaling 60 ECTS or equivalent. Students
applying for this type of degree must provide evidence of reaching the required level, that is to
say have validated four years of study in their home country /country of origin. The applicant
must necessarily possess a Bachelors degree or equivalent to be eligible.

2. Two-year Masters

The applicant must necessarily possess a Bachelors degree or equivalent at the time of
application to be eligible.
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c. The Doctorate

Doctorial scholarships are only for students already enrolled in PhD programs and wish to
incorporate a laboratory of one of the partnering universities to enhance their research, training
of specific techniques, etc... The joint supervision (cotutelle) will be encouraged but are not a
condition of eligibility.

d. The Post-Doctorate

The Post-Doctorial scholarships will be reserved for young researchers who completed their
PhD no more than two years before submitting the application. Within the stay in the host
university, post-doctorates remain in contact with the original laboratory and project work must
find itself in a common problem both for laboratory of origin and host laboratory.

e. Staff

i. Research Professors

Mobility scholarships for research professors aim to strengthen cooperation between the partner
institutions. The activities carried out during the stay in the host university may be courses,
seminars, research activities, the contribution of a particular expertise both in training and
research, but also in governance. Priority will be given to proposals including various types of
collaboration and generating lasting cooperation.

ii. Administrators

Administrative staff in mobility shall establish a work plan describing the relevance of mobility
and multiplier effects induced by the development of the proposal. It may be, for example the
structuring of a service of international relations, the creation of an administrative office, etc...
The multiplier effects and sustainability of actions will be the factors taken into account in the
evaluation.

4. What are the eligibility criteria?

a. Who can apply?

i. Students and staff of partner institutions (Target 1)

Many scholarships are reserved for students and staff of the North African and European
Universities of the Battuta project (see list on page 8). Applicants must either be registered or
full-time staff of one of the 20 member institutions. Formal proof must be provided in the
application (see required documents section).

ii. Students and staff of partner institutions and other institutions in
eligible countries (Target 2)

About a third of scholarships of the Battuta program will be assigned to students or staff of
institutions associated or not with Battuta program. The criteria for eligibility are the same and
proof must be given in the case that mobility will be recognized at the return to the student's
home university.
iii. Students in vulnerable situations (Target 3)

Specific scholarships are reserved for mobility of applicants from North Africa to Europe, who
can officially attest to be in one of the following situations: a political refugee, asylum seeker, for
social, economic or political reasons. For this category of applicants, the rule of residence in
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North Africa does not apply. All applicants in any of the situations described above must submit
official documentation proving their group affiliation by downloading Section 10 of the application
form online. If candidates fail to present proof, they will be considered Target 1 or Target 2
(depending on their home institution). Students applying for a Master, Doctorate, a Post-
Doctorial or staff mobility can, however, declare to be in this situation upon their application.

b. Criteria for nationality and residence

i. Mobility from North Africa to Europe

Eligible for the program for mobility to Europe are the Algerian, Egyptian, Libyan, Moroccan and
Tunisian nationals. At the time of application, applicants must be enrolled in a university in
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. They cannot have the status of resident in a
European country or have carried out their principal activity (studies, work ...) in a European
country for more than 12 months during the last 5 years.

ii. Mobility from Europe to North Africa

Eligible for the program are nationals from the following countries:
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland,
France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden.
The students must be enrolled or graduated from a European institution of higher education.

c. Criteria for academic degree

Each program has its own rules. It is necessary to consult the courses section of the website
to verify if your profile is a good match. Applications which do not meet the required academic
criteria will not be considered.
Students applying for the Bachelors Degree must have completed at least the first year at the
time of application.

d. Situation regarding the Erasmus Mundus program

The applicants cannot have previously benefited from an Erasmus Mundus scholarship for the
same level of mobility, excepting staff (example: you cannot have twice received an Erasmus
Mundus scholarship for making two doctorate mobilities). The applicant must verify having not
already received a scholarship for the same level. In the case of detected fraud after the
selection, the student must completely reimburse the payments received as well as other
benefits (transportation and health and living insurance). The appeal shall be conducted directly
by the Executive Agency.


e. Linguistic criteria

The partner institutions offer a large variety of languages of instruction: German, English, Arabic,
Spanish, French, Latvian, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Certain institutions offer degrees
in different languages or intensive courses permitting you to quickly reach the appropriate level.
Owing to a large number of applications, however, it is imperative for many universities to
produce a certificate verifying your linguistic ability to take courses in a language that is not your
native language. For example, if you choose to take a training course in English in Riga, in
Arabic in Marrakech or in Spanish in Madrid, you must provide proof of a sufficient level in the
language of instruction in the degree for which you apply.
In any case and whatever your situation, producing a certificate of knowledge of the host
institutions language of instruction will be favorable to your application.

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5. Online application

All applications received and sent information is included in read-only in a protected database.
All legal requirements relating to the handling of personal data will be respected and the
confidentiality of information submitted online is ensured. The database is accessible only by
authorized persons in partner institutions and with an access code.

a. Create a user account

The first step of your application begins with the creation of a user space on the site
www.battuta.eu from the home page. Mind your code because you will be able to complete your
application over time.



b. Complete the application

The application is composed of 10 sections. From section 1 to 9, you will complete fields relating
to your identity, your background, your choice of host institutions, your motivations, etc... The
10th section is dedicated to supporting documents (see section 6). Thanks to the "save"
function, the data that you have built on the site will be retained.
You can apply for three different institutions, ordered according to your wishes. The language to
be used is the language of instruction in the country for which you are applying. If you apply for
the courses offered by institutions of different languages, we recommend that you complete your
application in English so that all the universities may evaluate your request.

c. Submit the application

Once all fields have been completed and all supporting documents uploaded, you can then
submit your application (the system prevents you from submitting if mandatory elements of your
file are not complete). You will then receive an automatic message confirming that your
application was validated, accompanied by a registration number. Once your application is
submitted, you can no longer modify it. If you must make changes then it will be necessary to
again request a user code and start your application from the beginning. In the case of multiple
applications for the same person, the last application will only be taken into account.

d. Deadline

The set deadline is February 28, 2014. From 23:59 CET, that is to say Central European Time -
GMT +1, the website will be automatically closed and you will no longer be able to apply. You
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may submit your application earlier if you wish but this will not be a special advantage regarding
selection. We advise you however to not wait until the last minute to do it. In the case of traffic on
the site, it is possible that you may experience difficulties. The program assumes no
responsibility in this situation and no appeal on these grounds will be possible.

6. Required documents

All the required documents must be downloaded by the applicant in section 10 of your user
space. The application can be validated only if the required documents have been made
available to the selection committee in this section. Files that do not meet this criterion will be
rejected without being evaluated. No appeal will be considered if the application is incomplete.
For each sub-section, you can upload only one document. To bind different materials to be put in
the same sub-section, you can use the software PDFBinder.

You will find below details of some of the documents required:

a. Identity

At the application stage, only one copy of an official form of identification must be downloaded.
In the absence of the existence of such a document, you can provide in this section a copy of
your passport. Without either of these documents, your application will be rejected.

b. Proof of academic recognition

This document must first be downloaded from the website, completed by your home institution
and added to your application by downloading it in Section 10. This document is not mandatory
for students applying for a full Master nor for Post-Doctorates and staff. It is a formal document
allowing your university to confirm the validation of your application.



c. The cover letter and CV (Bachelor / Master) or proposal and CV (Post-
Doctorate PhD - staff)

A part of the evaluation of your application file is going to be based on your motivations and you
are therefore strongly advised to prepare this document carefully.

More particularly for the proposal, you will describe in this document research activities, and/or
teaching and/or all other forms of collaboration that you propose. The description of activities,
the provisional calendar, the expected results and the possible future developments are
elements that should appear in this document. The proposal should also include the applicant's
motivations.

d. Proof of handicap

To be considered, the certificate must be issued by an appropriate authority in your country.

e. Proof of situation of vulnerability

You can download in this section one or more documents proving your particular situation with
regard to situations of vulnerability (adverse socio-economic situations, refugee status, asylum
status, situations of exclusion of a higher education institution for political reasons, gender,
sexual orientation, etc...). The documents you upload here must be copies of documents
officially recognizing your status with regard to your particular situation.


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f. Other documents

One section allows you to download other documents which seem helpful to bring to the
attention of the evaluation committee (Example: certificate from the host university, training
certificate, video about your work, letter of recommendation from your home university, etc...).

Table summarizing supporting documents to download in section 10 of the online form.

BACHELOR MASTER DOCTORATE
POST
DOCT
STAFF
Sworn statement/ Declaration of honor Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Identity Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Copy of last degree obtained (including bachelor or
equivalent)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cover letter and CV / Or proposal and CV Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Proof of academic recognition or approval of stay by
the home Institution
Yes Yes* Yes Yes Yes
Last certificate of enrollment or certificate of
membership at a higher education institution (eg:
student ID)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Transcripts in higher education since the first year Yes Yes Yes No No
Photo (mandatory if the resume and ID contain no
photo)
Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Passport (will be mandatory after selection) Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Language skills (strongly recommended) Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Certificate declaring : handicap Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Certificate declaring : vulnerability Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Other relevant documents (letter of recommendation,
video, joint supervision agreement ...)
Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional
Related items Optional Optional Optional Optional Optional


* Does not apply to full Masters


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7. Evaluation of the application and results

a. Evaluation process

After the closing date of applications, each file will be validated by your home institutions and
eligibility criteria will be verified. If your application is complete and meets all the administrative
requirements of the program, it will be sent to the head of the program for which you are
applying. Your file will be recorded and evaluated, then ranked in order of merit. The final
selection committee, composed of members of partner institutions, will finalize the master list of
students who will be awarded a scholarship, and a reserve list will be used if students from the
master list withdraw.

b. Criteria for evaluation

Files are evaluated in a transparent manner through the establishment of specific criteria to
which all applicants will be subjected. Alternative criteria (such as respect for the male / female
equality or access to higher education for vulnerable groups) will also be taken into account to
respect the distribution of scholarships awarded by the European Union.


Bachelor and
Master
Doctorate
Post Doc and
Staff
Student file
(results and/or experience)
65% 50% 40%
Motivation and/or proposal 15% 35% 45%
Linguistic skills 20% 15% 15%

c. Procedure for appeals

Applicants who do not agree with the results may have access to grounds for refusal of their
application. Further details on the appeal will accompany the result sent to the student.

8. After the selection

You will receive end of April/early May your letter of selection accompanied by the first steps to
take immediately following reception of this document. Here are some practical preliminaries for
informational purposes.

a. Implementation of the mobility

The University of Rouen will be responsible for purchasing your flight between the city of your
home university and your host university and you do not have to take care of the ticket. Warning!
You will not be able to purchase your own ticket and be reimbursed. Likewise, any changes
made by the applicant will not be funded or reimbursed by the University of Rouen.

b. Visa

The University of Rouen will send each consulate the list of applicants selected for a
scholarship. As soon as the selection letter is received, it is your responsibility to contact the
Consulate at which you will apply for your visa. In case of problems, it is imperative to notify the
coordinating university.
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c. Insurance

The University of Rouen will accept all applicants, an insurance covering transportation, civil
liability and health expenditures for the duration of stay of grant holders. Such insurance shall be
valid from the day of the applicants departure.

d. Scholarships

You will have to sign a contract of scholarship that will define your rights and obligations during
the period when you will be a grant holder. The first payment will follow your arrival, just after
verification of your presence in your host university (and as appropriate, after opening a bank
account).
Warning! The scholarship can be suspended for the following reasons:
- Withdrawal of applicant from the program
- The applicant does not comply with the internal regulations of the host institution
- The applicant leaves the host institution for more than a week
- The applicant does not take courses / is absent from lab without providing reasonable
grounds (example: in the case of illness, a medical certificate will be required).
- The applicant was not sincere in his/her application and is not eligible for the program

9. Additional information

All information relating to the Battuta program can be consulted on the site:

www.battuta.eu

If you have any questions regarding the application that are not answered in this guide, you can
send a message to:

erasmus.mundus@univ-rouen.fr





The BATTUTA program thanks you for your interest and wishes you luck in your proposal.