Following December’s announcement of the UK rejoining Erasmus+ in 2027, today EU and UK policymakers legally formalised the offer under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Along with welcoming the UK back into the plan 6 years after its departure under Brexit, it was announced the British Council would become the UK’s National Firm for Erasmus+.
British Council president Scott McDonald stated re-entering Erasmus+ would be of “enormous advantage to a range of individuals from various backgrounds throughout the UK, providing a worldwide outlook and a whole range of abilities of value both to themselves and to the UK”.
“As the National Firm for Erasmus+, the British Council will work closely with the Department for Education, the Devolved Governments and the European Commission to make the most of the chances of the program for the UK,” McDonald continued.
He hailed the program’s “tested track record in altering lives, opening up finding out experiences, offering insight into cultures, and supporting international citizenship” throughout college, non-formal schools, trade training and sport.
The British Council was a lead partner in the Erasmus+ UK National Firm from 2014-2020 when the program funded over 8,000 tasks, engaging almost 600,000 UK participants and granting EUR1.1 billion to UK organisations.
Erasmus+has a tested track record in changing lives
Scott McDonald, British Council
Sector bodies have invited news of the UK’s reassociation and British Council’s leading function, urging institutions to work together to “maximize” the chance.
“The announcement offers crucial clarity for program shipment ahead of UK participation in 2027, supporting institutions throughout higher education, additional education and wider sectors to engage with Erasmus+ opportunities and strategy with greater confidence,” stated Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK worldwide (UUKi).
He said the British Council’s previous experience in delivering the last iteration of Erasmus+ would provide a “foundation for supporting program execution throughout all qualified education sectors” and help enable the next stage of mobilisation.
Arrowsmith said UUKi eagerly anticipated working with federal government and European partners to maximise its advantages for trainees and staff, with the association establishing an Erasmus+ FAQ resource attending to crucial questions surrounding the UK’s rejoining.
At a market event previously this year, UK universities were told to “think big” as they prepare to rejoin the movement plan, as the federal government pledged the Erasmus+ of 2027/28 was “bigger” and “wider” than the scheme the UK left in 2020, bring a “enormous” budget.
Elsewhere, the UK Mission to the EU invited the news of the official rejoining on social media, which it stated was: “Excellent news for students, apprentices, teachers and youths throughout Europe”.
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