"ERASMUS" continues and extends the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (the "ERASMUS programme"), established in 1987. It is named after the philosopher, theologian and humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam (1465-1536). An untiring adversary of dogmatic thought in all fields of human endeavour, Erasmus lived and worked in several parts of Europe, in quest of the knowledge, experience and insights which only such contacts with other countries could bring. By leaving his fortune to the University of Basel, he became a precursor of mobility grants.

Higher education plays a crucial role in producing high quality human resources, disseminating scientific discovery and advanced knowledge through teaching, adapting to the constantly emerging needs for new competences and qualifications, and educating future generations of citizens in a European context. All such functions are of vital importance to the long-term development of Europe.

The increasing speed at which existing knowledge becomes obsolete, and the rapid changes in the means by which it is delivered and renewed, will require the higher education sector to adopt new methods and commit itself wholeheartedly to the provision of lifelong learning.

Against this background, ERASMUS contains a wide range of measures designed

• to support the European activities of higher education institutions
• to promote the mobility and exchange of their teaching staff and students.

Inspired by a mobility tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, the Erasmus action and its different activities henceforth fit into the mobility policy promoted by the Bologna Process, which aims at the creation of a European Higher Education Area by 2010.