Eleven new transatlantic projects in the framework of the European Commission supported EU-Canada programme will start this month. These projects will develop joint study programmes between EU and Canadian institutions and provide mobility scholarships for 650 European and Canadian students and staff. The projects concentrate on areas considered important and innovative and include molecular chemistry, bioenergy, multi-agent robotics, safety and security management as well as food science and technology. European Commission funding of 1.4 million Euro for the three year projects will be matched by the Canadian government for partners on that side of the Atlantic.

In 2006, the European Union and Canada extended the agreement, which had started in 1995 in the fields of higher education, training and youth, for an eight-year period (2006-2013). The cooperation agreement aims primarily at promoting understanding between the peoples of the European Union and Canada and improving the quality of their human resource development. The EU-Canada Programme is administered jointly by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), in conjunction with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Since the inception of the programme, some 280 European and Canadian institutions have participated in 42 joint projects. More than 3 000 students have so far spent a transatlantic study period in Europe or Canada.

DG EAC
EACEA