Tempus: Modernising higher education

Tempus (The Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies) is a EU programme of assistance which supports the modernisation of higher education and creates an area of co-operation in countries surrounding the EU. Established in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the scheme now covers 27 countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Most Tempus projects develop cooperation among universities, often with participation of non-academic partners.

The overall objective of Tempus is to contribute to the creation of an area of cooperation in the field of higher education between the European Union and Partner Countries in the countries neighbouring the EU.

The specific objectives of Tempus are as follows:
   • To promote the reform and modernisation of higher education in the Partner Countries;
   • To enhance the quality and relevance of higher education to the world of work and society in the  Partner Countries;
   • To increase the capacity of higher education institutions in the Partner Countries and the EU, in particular their capacity to co-operate internationally and to continually modernize, and to assist them in opening up to society at large, the world of work and the wider world in order:
         o to overcome inter-country fragmentation in the area of higher education and inter-institutional fragmentation in countries themselves;
         o to enhance inter-disciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity between university faculties;
         o to enhance the employability of university graduates;
         o to make the European Higher Education Area more visible and attractive in the world;
• To foster the reciprocal development of human resources;
• To enhance mutual understanding between peoples and cultures of the EU and the Partner  Countries.

Tempus and its complimentary programme Erasmus Mundus, that funds higher education student and teaching staff mobility activities between European universities and universities from targeted third-countries, contribute to preparing the pre-accession countries of the Western Balkans for their participation in the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme. Both Lifelong Learning Programme and Erasmus Mundus in Croatia are managed by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes.

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is responsible for the management / implementation of all Tempus Actions under the supervision of the European Commission.