Erasmus Policy Statement

Erasmus Policy Statement (EPS) Luiss 2021-2027

Luiss University provides an innovative and internationalized educational approach with the aim to train its students, coming from different backgrounds and cultures, to be critical thinkers and skilled professionals who will work for the betterment of society. Following its tradition of openness, and mindful of its international reputation, geographical position and scientific and professional potential, Luiss considers the Erasmus Programme a fundamental asset to improve its own strategies for modernization and internationalization.

The main strategic document of the university internationalization, the Global Engagement Strategy, focuses on 5 priorities: 1) improvement on international rankings and accreditations, 2) attraction of best minds of students, faculty and staff, 3) development of multistakeholder partnerships, 4) enhancement of research, and 5) internationalization of internal processes. As attested in its global engagement strategy, Luiss acknowledges the key contribution of staff and student mobility as well as the participation in European and international cooperation projects to the quality of its higher education programs and student experience. For this purpose, Luiss University continues to invest in its internationalization processes.

Luiss is constantly implementing strategies to pursue the following goals:

Provide students with a high-quality scientific offer in line with the labour market

Luiss considers paramount to combine high scientific education with a close relationship with the job market. In the last years, Luiss dedicated its efforts to enhance an Innovative Teaching educational model that combines academic rigor with practical relevance. Digitalization, case studies, practical experiences and all contribute to the Luiss model of effective teaching. Hence, Luiss cultivates a special relationship with the business community, with the local authorities and national government, with international organizations, and with the professional world. Over 200 companies, multinationals, and public and private institutions collaborate with the University, offering its students their first real opportunities to step foot in the business world. The Luiss Career Services Office provides students with multiple opportunities to meet people in the business world and learn with them. This orientation and educational service facilitate the placement of degree candidates and new graduates in the business world with internships and training at companies and public and private institutions in Italy and abroad. To this end, Luiss organizes several meetings and presentations with major multinationals, investment banks, and public and private organizations and institutions.

Promote the international exchange of students, faculty and staff

Student, Faculty and Staff Mobility are core targets for Luiss. As a consequence, the Erasmus/Exchange programs and the Double Degrees andJoint Programs play an important role in enhancing the international dimension of the institution. Presently, about half of all courses are taught in English and designed with an international DNA to facilitate the interchangeability of knowledge and skills, in order to attract a wide number of international students and faculty. Luiss network has 268 international exchange programs with universities in 47 countries, both within and outside of Europe. Beyond standard student mobility, Luiss also offers its students the opportunity to study abroad through Double Degrees and structured partnerships. For each of the aforementioned programs, Luiss is ensuring equal and equitable access and opportunities to current and prospective participants from all backgrounds, paying particular attention to the inclusion of those with fewer opportunities.

Enhance research

Research excellence is a fundamental element for Luiss: it contributes to its growth, further the frontiers of knowledge and teaching thereof, creates the conditions for our students to refine their critical thinking, and enables a better understanding of legal, economic, political, and social phenomena. It is therefore a point of pride for Luiss to see that the hard work and dedication of our faculty have earned well-deserved recognition from European Research Council (ERC) and other high standing funding bodies. In this regard, Luiss recently joined a consortium of Universities to participate to the call for “European Universities”. In particular, the ENGAGE.EU Alliance aims to become the European incubator engaged in social change, with an approach based on the three related macro-sectors: Learning, Research and Innovation, Society outreach. It focuses on the current mega-trends that are transforming European society (digitalization, globalization, migration, climate change, demographic changes, in particular notably ageing).

Moreover, in 2019, Luiss promoted the Social Science Universities Network (SSUN). The network has brought together important social science universities from around the world to form a working group that collaborates on research, teaching and public engagement. While preserving the individual identities of each university, the network promotes exchange, sharing of cultures, development of common projects and launch of initiatives that will benefit all members.

Strengthen its international relations with academia and other stakeholders

Luiss considers utmost important to develop cooperative relationships with foreign counterparts. Luiss gives particular attention to the selection of foreign partners, evaluating their quality according to the international rankings, the teaching and research quality of partners. Particular attention is also dedicated to balance the geographical distribution of countries with the aim of opening new opportunities to the emerging countries. In the beginning of its internationalization process, the majority of the exchange agreements have been organized with partners operating within the European countries. In the last decade, also non-EU countries have become target destinations. Luiss has been an active partner of high standing international networks such as QTEM or GEM/GEM-Stones. Beyond academic cooperation, Luiss is also committed to develop multi-actor partnerships. In this framework, the engagement with Italian companies and Italian diplomacy is a priority. Equally important is the purposeful engagement with Alumni international network.

Promote internationalization of internal processes (Internationalization at home)

Luiss considers internationalization of its formal, informal but also “hidden” curriculum (Campus culture and services) a key enabling factor for its overall internationalization process. Every office of the university is going through a radical overhaul to fine-tune its activities to the international dimension the university is pursuing.

In particular, Luiss relies on its International offices that, in constant cooperation with departments and the university’s management and with diplomatic representations, not only provide assistance related to obtaining visas and insurance for incoming and outgoing participants, and offer welcome services to the whole Luiss’ foreign population; but also, together with academic delegates, also act as change agents within the institution, starting-up new activities - such as new international Summer Programs, International students recruitment, international accreditation working groups - that are later managed by other offices, in a progressive process of global widening of University’s services.

Also, several measures have been taken to ensure grounded cooperation with EU e non-EU partners: specific training in international activities for the staff; professional management of all the financial resources in order to guarantee the achievement of the strategic goals; support to the dissemination of the project results (website, publications, conferences, local media).

Luiss Global Engagement Strategy combines a vision of the future with the identification of concrete actions. The following list provides a guide for our future endeavours.

The participation of Luiss in the Erasmus program has always been a fundamental asset of the internationalization strategy of the University. Since the beginning of the Erasmus+ Programme, Luiss increased by 100% both the opportunities for study abroad, and its international mobility agreements.

The offer of student Exchanges and Double Degree Programs, and in general of credit and title-bearing mobility programs, has become an integral part of Luiss’ DNA. Luiss is committed to further increasing the number of students that take part in an international experience. To make student mobility possible for most of the eligible students with high academic standard.

Luiss also aims to implement other kinds of mobility projects, blended, virtual and more flexible, for shorter periods – also through the participation of a European Universities Alliance.

The main target group for mobility activities will be students who are in their first and second cycle in all departments. The majority of the University's mainstream student exchange activity takes place within Europe, where students from all backgrounds will strongly be encouraged to undertake exchange.

For student mobility, the University aims to ensure that outgoing and incoming mobile students have access to top expertise in other countries; different cultures; different ways of thinking; innovative thought processes.

All partnerships, European and non-European, are based on a thorough assessment process which ensures compatibility of curricula and quality of support and services. They are founded on a shared commitment to academic excellence and quality. Quality requirements are agreed with all partners a year before the mobility takes place. As our goal is to enhance high quality education. Luiss will control and assess the quality of all programmes and projects.

The ECTS procedures are used to develop and implement all mobility programs from short programs of study abroad, semester exchanges, double degrees and joint degrees. The use of the ECTS system improves the transparency and clarity of student qualifications.

Double Degrees not only give an invaluable opportunity to mobile students; they also bring international students into Luiss classes, internationalizing the campus for the whole student population; these programmes are also a means for complementing the Luiss academic offer, as some of them are focused on topics related to the Partner Institutions specialties, more than on Luiss’ majors.

Luiss has a total of 19 Double Degrees within the Erasmus Programme, sending more than 70 students abroad in the last two academic years.

Luiss participated to the second call dedicated to the European Universities alliances. The focus of the ENGAGE.EU alliance is to provide students and learners with a set of skills and competences needed to tackle the major societal challenges: digitalization and artificial intelligence, climate change and sustainability, ageing societies and migration.

The alliance will offer a mix of physical, blended and virtual, challenge-related ENGAGE.EU Summer Schools, Signature Courses, Joint Programmes and Micro-credentials.

Regarding the major work-package of the project (Engaged Learning), Luiss will lead the setting up of a Summer School, and on running a Joint Program, while facilitating the formation of the Alliance’s learner community. Virtual mobility will be an integral part of the activities of the Alliance, and signature courses will be offered to its learner community through the innovative learning environment of the ENGAGE.EU (digital) Campus.

Several reasons lead Luiss to participate into this project, as consistent with its institutional goals: the idea on the Universities’ engagement with society at large, the focus on societal challenges, the attention to blended didactics and finally the prospect of modernizing its academic offer, services and organizations thanks to the interchanges among the Universities participating in the alliance: Luiss University is ready to have its identity enriched in order to become an active part of a wider consortium with a shared strategy, based on common values, and to embark together on a highly-committed path of innovation.

The Erasmus+ programme has guaranteed the harmonization of study programs with EU universities, credit system (ECTS), student and staff mobility, European cooperation, and above all the modernization of higher education. Internationalization requiring full commitment to preserve existing networks, setting up new contacts, including them in joint activities and working with partners from abroad. Today, the Erasmus+ programme by supporting the establishment and development of internationalization strategies by HEI’s provides ample opportunities for improving the necessary dynamics undertaken by each Institution, with several important impacts in the Education field. First of all, the promotion of the EU as a study and research destination for top talent from around the world. This is achieved through developing relations in the area of higher education with partners inside and beyond the Union with the aim of strengthening national education systems, policy dialogue, mobility and academic recognition. Luiss is open to innovation and to dialogue with European partner and the rest of the world. This approach is the foundation of our idea of an engaged university: a centre of higher education that interacts with the world of business, with professionals, with various sectors of the economy and with the civil society, both at the national and international levels, to promote interaction and sharing of knowledge.

Fully aware that the quality of academic programmes and student satisfaction correlate with personal mobility experience and participation in projects, the University management actively supports all initiatives coming from individual members of academic/administrative staff, from research teams, and from student organizations. On the basis of needs analysis, strategic partnerships, geographical and subject area priorities, and pro-active attitudes of its internal management, nowadays, Luiss is strongly committed to continue to: Promote and sustain relations with foreign universities; cooperate in formulation and implementation of international projects; coordinate and monitor the participation in academic and other networks, consortia, associations and institutions; organize international conferences as well as visits by representatives of foreign universities. Participation in the program is also expected to strengthen the University efforts towards guaranteeing quality assurance and lifelong learning, which lead to international high standing.

Luiss is committed to ensuring high quality standards in all aspects of international mobilities, starting from a thorough evaluation of all potential partner institutions to a rigorous selection process for all outgoing students based on academic merit and language proficiency. Satisfaction of incoming and outgoing students is and will keep on being carefully monitored through reports, surveys and interviews during and after their exchange. Luiss values students’ feedback as essential for a constant improvement of the quality of the support provided as well as a crucial indicator in the assessment of existing partnerships and, as such, an important factor in guiding the University international network development and management.