Algorithm of actions for HEIs that wish to participate in ICM

1. Search of partners from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme  

It is highly recommended to start the preparation for any call under the Erasmus+ programme with researching the Erasmus+ Programme Guide that gives thorough information about the objectives and priorities of all actions. The Program Guide is available in “Helpful materials on ICM” section and in “Useful resources” section of our website. 

Since only HEIs of EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme can act as an applicant organisation for ICM, HEIs of Kazakhstan need to constantly search partners from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme and expand their network on a regular basis. When searching partners, it is important to select HEIs that offer similar programmes. This will make the credit transfer much easier in case of student mobility projects. Some suggestions for searching partners are presented below.  

• Take advantage of current links and contacts of your university made through the university leadership, its staff, faculty, students and alumni.

• Use links established through CBHE projects, if applicable.

• Cooperate with foreign Embassies in Kazakhstan. 

• Consult with the NEO KZ и National Agencies of EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme. 

• Use partner search tools indicated in the "Opportunities" - "Partner search" section of the website.

2. Negotiations of the cooperation with partner universities and obtaining consent to apply for ICM  

HEIs of Kazakhstan should contact partner universities from EU Member States and Third countries associated to the Programme and express their wish to participate in ICM projects. In case of a new partner, Kazakhstani HEI should send a brief information or its profile with its academic programmes, student body, accreditation, etc. Besides, it is worthwhile to have a preliminary discussion and agreement on inter-institutional agreement (number of students, staff and faculty for exchange). 

3. Completing a questionnaire and sending it to a partner university 

Once the call is announced (late November), a partner university will send the HEI in Kazakhstan a questionnaire to include it into the ICM application form. The questionnaire should contain all relevant information about the Kazakhstani HEI. It is very important to send the completed questionnaire to a partner university on time. A partner university might request an OID (Organisation ID) or a PIC (Participant Identification Code) from the Kazakhstani HEI. In order to check your OID and PIC, please follow the Guide on receiving OID and PIC of an organisation available in “Helpful materials on ICM” section. 

4. ICM selection results

As a rule, ICM selection results are out in late July or early August annually. The list of selected ICM projects with the Kazakhstani HEIs will be sent by NEO KZ. Sometimes, a partner university might also notify the Kazakhstani HEI about the selection results. 

5. Signing of an inter-institutional agreement with a partner university

Once the Kazakhstani university receives the information about the selected ICM projects, it needs to contact the partner university and start preparation for signing the inter-institutional agreement which needs to include all details of the ICM project (number and direction of students, staff, faculty for exchange). A sample agreement is available in “Helpful materials on ICM” section.

6. Start of ICM projects

After signing the inter-institutional agreement and clarifying the mobility terms, Kazakhstani university may start the selection process according to the requirements set by its partner university. The selection of students, staff and faculty for ICM projects must be held on a competitive basis. The announcement on the start of the selection process should be posted on the Kazakhstani university’s website. After selecting the candidates, a Mobility agreement is signed with them. Sample agreements are available in “Helpful materials on ICM” section.