An update to the EU's Erasmus programme has been announced, with double the funding pledged to the initiative up to 2027 compared to the previous seven years.
The improved programme will be funded by €28 billion compared the €14.7 billion fund for the seven-year period to 2020, with MEPs securing an additional €1.7 billion during the final stages of negotiations with the European Council on the matter.
The Erasmus+ programme enables students and teachers to study/work within the EU for a number of months, receiving a grant to do so.
More than 88,000 Irish students and teachers have availed of the Erasmus programme, however, the number of Irish students who travel abroad each year is half the number of EU students who come to Ireland under the scheme.
The most recent figures relating to the number of students partaking in the Erasmus programme show just 3,700 Irish students studied in another EU country during the period, compared to 8,000 students from other EU countries who came here to study.
This is such a unique programme in terms of its size, scope and global recognition.
Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune welcomed the launch of the updated Erasmus+ programme, but urged more people to take part.
"[Erasmus] offers a great opportunity for Irish people to experience other cultures and educational systems in Europe and it is a big boost to the programme that the budget for the next seven years has almost doubled. This is such a unique programme in terms of its size, scope and global recognition.
"We should as a nation engage more in Europe. The programme gives a means of living, working and studying in another country, with financial support and the support of an educational institution," Ms Clune said.
The new system aims to make the application process simpler, by moving to more user-friendly IT systems and cutting down on paperwork.
Those in adult education will also now be able to study abroad under the scheme, while grants will also be available for people who are unable to pay for the initial costs of the programme, such as transport and accommodation costs.
More information on Erasmus+ can be found on the European Commission's website.
