The University of Cadiz (UCA) has successfully closed its Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) focused on “Strengthening partnerships through Erasmus+ cooperation projects”. Held from 5 to 9 May 2025 at the “La Bomba” building, the programme brought together representatives of numerous international universities from the Dominican Republic, Albania, Ukraine, Tunisia, Pakistan, Mongolia, Portugal, Malta, France, Romania, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Kenya with the aim of strengthening their collaboration in Erasmus+ initiatives.

This intensive five-day programme provided training for participants to deepen their understanding of various aspects of Erasmus+ projects, which although mainly focused on Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects, time was also dedicated to other types of projects such as Cooperation Partnerships (KA220). Attendees participated in an intense agenda that included practical sessions, expert presentations and valuable networking opportunities between institutions.

Among the BIP training sessions there were an intensive Spanish language course, a presentation of the University of Cadiz by the Vice-Rector for Internationalisation, Marcela Iglesias Onofrío and the Erasmus+ project office. There were also in-depth discussions on types of CBHE projects. Experts shared knowledge on topics such as “What is a CBHE project?” and “Basics of cooperation partnerships”. Project leaders from various institutions, presented successful CBHE initiatives such as TecBioFood from the University of Porto and ANGOSAP, 3L4MOHS and DUALELS, the latter three involving UCA.

In the programme, time was designated to the topic of the Lump Sum funding scheme in Erasmus+ projects. Apart from an introductory session on the subject, there was an online presentation by the University of Ghent sharing the experience of this university. This was followed by group work sessions for a sharing of possible topics of interest or ideas for future projects. Participants also received valuable tips for preparing effective Erasmus+ CBHE project proposals from expert evaluators from the Universities of Cadiz and Granada.

The BIP also highlighted the UCA’s commitment to internationalisation through its participation in the SEA-EU European Alliance, with sessions on its strategy and stakeholder involvement. The programme concluded with sessions focusing on practical project management skills, including how to manage cultural differences in international projects, as well as the management of work, forms, time and information within project consortia.

This Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) reaffirms the University of Cadiz’s dedication to fostering internationalisation and international cooperation and enabling higher education institutions from all over the world to successfully participate in Erasmus+ initiatives.

We are looking forward to building on the connections made and turning ideas into action!