134 Indian students selected for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree scholarship

Over 130 Indian students have been awarded the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) scholarship under the EU Erasmus programme, a 40 per cent increase that made India the top global recipient this year. Under the EMJMD scheme, students will get an opportunity to pursue masters degree in leading European universities in at least two different countries. The fully-funded scholarship will cover the tuition fee, travel costs and living allowance of the recipient.

An official statement said, "134 Indian students have been awarded the EMJMD scholarship under the EU Erasmus programme, making India the top global recipient this year. France, UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Portugal are the top six higher education destinations where the students will start their courses this year." "Under this programme, the Indian students will be pursuing 78 different programmes ranging from management, food sciences, cartography, vaccinology, photonics, biological and chemical engineering for a sustainable bioeconomy, digital earth, sustainable tropical forestry, decentralized smart energy systems to tribology of surface," it added. To mark this success, the delegation of the European Union to India organized a virtual event for the Indian students. "An Erasmus degree fosters excellence, innovation and internationalization. Being an Erasmus scholar also offers the opportunity to explore Europe, its diverse cultures and languages. You will meet fellow students from all over the world and study in a truly globalized environment. I hope you will come back as goodwill ambassadors for the EU-India cooperation and partnership," said Ugo Astuto, the Ambassador of the European Union to India.

Abhay Jere, the chief innovation officer in the Ministry of Education, encouraged Indian students to go to Europe, see different countries and learn from different cultures. He asked them to "take maximum advantage of all opportunities and build networks for their future and their country, which needs them to address the problems and challenges that India and humanity at large are facing." Given the current global challenges and uncertainties posed by the novel coronavirus, the Erasmus+ programme, EU Member States and the universities are putting all their efforts to ensure that support and information are available to the students while ensuring flexibility in the programme. Adrian Veale, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission, Brussels said, "Our first priority is health and safety of the students. Erasmus+ has also offered flexibility to the universities for them to continue operating in these circumstances." "While some programmes have built in a delayed start to the academic programme, others may start with online lessons and will switch to face-to-face teaching when this becomes more feasible. These new arrangements will continue to apply at the start of our academic year in September 2020," Veale said.

Over 6,000 Indian scholars have benefitted from the Erasmus+ scholarship since it opened to India in 2004, which makes the country one of the largest beneficiaries outside Europe..

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