The University of La Laguna has been awarded €153,899 in funding through the Erasmus+ KA171 2026 call to develop a new international mobility project with universities in countries not affiliated with the Erasmus+ program. This grant will fund 34 student and staff exchanges with ten countries, strengthening the institution's international presence and expanding academic exchange opportunities beyond the traditional European area.
The project includes 20 incoming exchanges to the University of La Laguna and 14 outgoing exchanges. By group, 16 student exchanges and 18 university staff exchanges will be funded. Most of the exchanges will take place with Latin America, a region where 27 grants have been awarded to universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. The project will allow both the University of La Laguna to receive students and staff from these institutions and to facilitate exchanges for members of the ULL university community at Latin American universities.
This initiative will further develop one of the priority areas of the University of La Laguna's internationalization policy, which maintains a long history of academic and institutional collaboration with universities in Latin America, as demonstrated recently by the Campus América event. Erasmus+ funding will now contribute to expanding these relationships, facilitating the exchange of students, teaching and technical staff, management, and administrative and service personnel.
The project also includes five incoming exchanges from Ukraine, involving students and staff from Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University. This will further strengthen academic cooperation with Ukrainian institutions and encourage their participation in European university networks.
In the Caribbean, the University of La Laguna will also develop two incoming exchange programs with the University of The Bahamas, one for students and one for university staff. This addition contributes to diversifying the ULL's international relations and strengthening its academic presence in the Caribbean region.
Overall, the project includes higher education institutions from the ten funded countries, including universities with which ULL maintains previous relationships and others whose incorporation will open new avenues for academic and institutional cooperation.
The funding awarded includes €83,490 for individual support for participants, €46,409 for travel expenses, €7,000 in additional aid for participants with fewer opportunities, and €17,000 for organizational support. In total, six of the planned student exchanges include additional funding linked to situations of limited opportunity.
The Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation at the University of La Laguna, Inmaculada González Pérez, highlights that this project represents an important step forward in the University's internationalization strategy, "by allowing Erasmus+ opportunities to also reach regions with which the Canary Islands and the ULL maintain particularly relevant academic, cultural and historical ties.".
It also points out that international mobility not only directly benefits the people who carry out a stay, but also "allows for the creation of lasting academic relationships, the development of future initiatives and brings students, faculty and staff from very diverse backgrounds closer to our university.".
The Erasmus+ KA171 action is designed to fund mobility between European institutions and universities in third countries not associated with the program. Through this action, both students and university staff can undertake international stays, contributing to knowledge exchange, the internationalization of teaching, and the creation of academic cooperation networks.
Following the final approval of the project, the University of La Laguna will now begin the necessary procedures for its implementation, including formalizing agreements with participating universities and publishing the corresponding calls for mobility.
Spanish 
English 
French