On 29-30 October  2024, Erasmus+ stakeholders gathered in Zagreb to deepen their understanding of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) in an event organised by two ACA members, the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs (AMEUP) and the Foundation Tempus from Serbia, in partnership with ANPCDEFP from Romania. The event highlighted the expanding role of blended mobility in enriching educational experiences and fostering collaboration among institutions across Europe. 

Participants of the event, including Erasmus+ coordinators, international relations officers, and academic staff from higher education institutions, engaged in discussions on the inclusive and virtual aspects of BIPs. Attendees explored successful approaches to BIPs, with sessions covering the benefits and challenges of virtual elements in fostering student and staff engagement across borders. Through collaborative sessions, participants brainstormed strategies for initiating BIPs, including goal-setting, partnership building, and resource management with a focus on enhancing inclusivity within the programmes. The event concluded with a lively session where participants shared their working group outcomes and discussed plans for operationalising BIPs at their institutions.  

The event also closely aligns with ACA’s ongoing efforts to promote high-quality Student Blended Mobility (SBM), particularly through the HIBLend project (for more details, see ACA Newsletter Education Europe - February 2023 and ACA Newsletter Education Europe - October 2023). HIBLend aims to raise interest in and enhance the capacity of higher education institutions across Europe to develop high-quality blended mobility opportunities for students, and its upcoming launch of the HIBLend Community of Practice (CoP) will further support this goal. This CoP will bring together higher education practitioners committed to advancing SBM, fostering a collaborative environment to share insights and