How can Erasmus+ mobility become more accessible, equitable and responsive to students with fewer opportunities? A new DiEM project publication, Improved Frameworks for Inclusive Mobilities, examines how National Agencies translate the programme’s inclusion and diversity priority into national practice and identifies pathways for strengthening implementation. 

The publication draws on a comparative review of institutional guidance, a survey of 16 National Agencies, and two participatory workshops involving National Agencies and DIEM project partners. It shows that commitment to inclusion is widespread, but implementation is constrained by structural challenges. Financial support remains a central concern. Base grants and inclusion top-ups are often insufficient in relation to the real costs of mobility, while real-cost support can be administratively demanding. National Agencies and higher education institutions also face rigid allocation models, limited staff capacity, uneven institutional coordination and monitoring systems that focus more on compliance than on inclusion outcomes. 

To reflect the diversity of national contexts, the publication develops a typology ranging from administrative implementation to more flexible and innovation-driven approaches, with multisectoral and systemic cooperation considered as a further dimension. The typology is not intended to rank countries, but to support reflection on strengths and areas for development. Building on the evidence, the publication proposes seven design principles for more inclusive mobility:  

1. financial sufficiency 
2. flexibility and responsiveness 
3. data-informed monitoring 
4. shared responsibility and institutional capacity 
5. student-centred approaches 
6. whole-institution engagement 
7. stronger coherence across sectors and levels.  

It also translates these principles into practical frameworks for National Agencies operating in different contexts. The central message is clear: inclusion cannot depend on isolated top-ups or individual initiatives. It requires integrated systems that connect funding, monitoring, institutional practice, stakeholder coordination and student participation, and stronger action at European, national and institutional levels. 

These and other related topics will be discusses at DIEM Final conference in Brussels on 29 September 2026. Check the DIEM project website for more details and register for the conference here.