The AcrossEU Consortium is glad to announce that the project IKAS – Intercultural Skills for Administrative Staff in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) has been selected by the Erasmus+ National Agency during the summer of 2025.
With a funding of €400,000 over three years, the project will be carried out by the University of Caen Normandy, the University of Lapland, the University of Valladolid, the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, the University of Pardubice and the university of Fribourg and will directly benefit 120 administrative staff members from these six partner universities.
Ambitious goals to support the internationalization of universities
The IKAS project is designed to support the professional development of administrative staff in contact with international audiences. It focuses on four key objectives:
- Strengthen intercultural and linguistic competence by equiping administrative staff with the skills to interact effectively in multicultural environments and developing a structured intercultural and English language training program, fostering communication, adaptability, and cross-cultural awareness.
- Promote cross-institutional collaboration and mobility through a Targeted Mobility Scheme to encourage staff exchanges between partner institutions and creating a common training and certification framework, recognized across all partner universities.
- Enhance digital skills and accessibility of training by designing and implement an online learning platform to ensure flexible and accessible training and promoting digital learning methods to support remote collaboration and international administration.
- Ensure long-term impact and sustainability by integrating intercultural training as a permanent component of professional development programs and building a network of trained administrative staff, encouraging ongoing knowledge-sharing and best practice exchange.
A real career boost for participants
The project specifically targets university administrative staff with at least a B1 level of English. Their participation will be a genuine career boost, offering:
- Professional development: acquisition of valuable new skills, contributing to the overall internationalization of their institutions.
- Career advancement: official IKAS certification/badge, endorsed by university leadership and recognized in their CV.
- Networking opportunities: engagement with peers from other European universities, opening doors to collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The Human Resources departments of the partner universities will be fully involved in ensuring official recognition of the training.
A European project for the future of universities
IKAS represents a significant step in strengthening the international dimension of higher education institutions across Europe. By providing administrative staff with intercultural, linguistic, and digital skills, the project helps universities face the challenges of international cooperation with confidence.
Through this initiative, the participating institutions will contribute to building a more inclusive, connected, and future-oriented academic environment.
