Selection Criteria and Process

Published on 21 June 2024

The EMA General Assembly Organizing Committee (GAOC) upholds a transparent and structured selection process in line with all the activities within the association.

This year EMA received 388 applications for the 1st Annual Conference (AC) and the 18th General Assembly (GA) 2024 within the deadline of 24-03-2024. The application was open to all. Interested applicants were asked to fill in the Expression of Interest (EOI) Form shared through EMA social media platforms, EMA website and sent through emails to the EMA volunteers. A template of the EOI form shared can be found here.

EOI Deadline:

Initially, the EOI application process opened on January 24th, with a deadline set for February 23, 2024. However, due to several factors, we have decided to extend this deadline multiple times:

  • We were unable to hold our first working meeting with the new Erasmus+ Support Service Team before the initial deadline expired. Thus, we could not finalise several key issues.
  • Several EMA volunteers expressed the need for an exact date and location for the GA before submitting their EOI applications, as they needed to arrange leave from their work and plan accordingly.

In light of these circumstances and with the expectation that we would be able to finalise the date and location soon, we extended the deadline to March 10th. However, the new Erasmus+ Support Service Team still could not finalise the date and location and requested additional time to confirm the event’s date and location.

Once we received the confirmed date and location from the Support Service Team, we extended the EOI application deadline to March 24th, with this new information. This extension was made to ensure that those volunteers who needed specific information (date & location) before applying could have it for their application.

Fully Funded Seats:

Fully Funded seats: This year EMA received funding and support for 80 seats (accommodation, travel and food) as compared to previous years which was around 100 fully funded seats. The difference is as per the new contracts from the European Commission, starting from January 2024. The Erasmus+ Support Service Team is a third-party company that provides services to EACEA and is contracted by the European Commission (EC). EMA is the beneficiary of these services. As the Erasmus+ Support Service Team is under their inception phase of the new contract hence, this imposed limitation to EMA from accepting self-funded participants for the 18th GA which is different from the 17th GA.

The Annual Conference organised on the 1st day had a capacity of 160 participants. Out of which 80 participants were fully funded and 80 participants (local stakeholders) were covered only for the conference event day activities (food). The 2nd day of the event was the GA which had a capacity of 80 fully funded participants. Thus, in total 80 fully funded seats were available for the 2 days i.e., Annual Conference and General Assembly.

Funded seat distribution:  The distribution of the available fully funded participants is as below:

  • 14 participants were from the EMA MB and the GAOC leads and co-leads. The seats were reserved for their active contribution to the planning and organisation of the event.
  • 6 participants were from other Erasmus+ Students and Alumni Networks (Sister & Cousin organisations of EMA). They include representatives of ESN, WBAA, ASAF, OCEANS Network, MCAA & garagErasmus (gE).
  • 46 seats were allocated to the active EMA volunteers.
  • 8 seats were allocated to EMA members (not volunteers).
  • 2 seats were allocated to the winner of the EMA Project Concept Quest.
  • 3 seats were allocated to the EMA Poster Competition.
  • 1 seat was allocated for EMA Magazine

The selection criteria defined below outline the 60 fully funded seats excluding the GAOC leads and co-leads, MB and the representatives from the sisters & cousin organisations.

Selection Criteria:

Contribution to EMA: EMA members (& volunteers) who have made significant contributions to the association and the greater Erasmus Mundus community within the last 10 months (since GA 2023 until the application deadline) were considered for fully funded seats.

A. EMA volunteer

Step 1: Each EMA application (responses to the EOI form) underwent two blind evaluations (scored based on the replies to individual questions of the EOI) by 2 active EMA volunteers. The evaluators were selected by the Selection and Participation working group of the GAOC. The evaluators consisted of EMA volunteers with ample experience and knowledge about EMA activities and initiatives.

The applicants who are new to EMA volunteering and have never been to the EMA GA before were prioritised in scoring to facilitate the inclusion of new EMJM students and alumni. This was done through higher weightage in specific responses of points in this evaluation.

Step 2: Volunteer contributions were verified according to the unit director’s observations & experience with the particular volunteer, participation in unit activities, contribution to internal unit activities, entries in the EMA Activities Reporting Form (ARF), the impact of conducted events, and social media presence of the volunteer and their activities.

The volunteers scored from these evaluations were ranked and grouped based on their unit of representation (10 MB units). Depending on the number of active volunteers within each specific unit, the highest-ranked volunteers from each unit were allocated the fully funded seats.

B. EMA Members (non-volunteers)

There were 14 fully funded seats for this category. they were selected only on the following criteria:

Geographical Diversity: To ensure diverse representation, the selection process considered applicants from various geographical locations, including those from Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) target countries identified by the EMJM coordinators and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). In addition, special attention was given to applicants from countries that have yet to be represented during in-person GA since the COVID-19 pandemic (GA 2022, GA 2023).

C. Poster competition winners

3 funded seats were reserved for ‘Poster Competition` winners. For details of the selection process please contact the EMA R&I director by email.

D. Project Competition winners

2 seats were reserved for `Project Concept Quest` winners. For details of the selection process please contact the EMA PSU director by email.

E. First EMA Magazine contributors

1 seat was reserved for EMA’s magazine team and the member contributing significantly to the 1st EMA Magazine.

Conclusion:

EMA received a huge number of interested applications to take part in the GA and the motivation shown in the EOI was truly appreciable. However, the limitation of the 80 fully funded seats poses a significant challenge in accommodating all deserving candidates for the fully funded positions. The selection process prioritised diversity, inclusion, and equitable representation, aiming to cultivate a collaborative and supportive environment within the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA).

As volunteers dedicated to advancing the Erasmus Mundus community, the EMA Management Board, the Presidency, and the GAOC devoted valuable time and efforts to organising the EMA GA. The GAOC also appreciates the support from the Erasmus+ Support Service Team (ICF).

The GAOC requests all the applicants to continue their contributions to the shared feeling of Erasmus Mundus Community. As volunteers, we strive towards a common goal to contribute and make an impact on the greater Erasmus Mundus Community.

We appreciate the understanding and support of all applicants and encourage continued engagement and contribution to the Erasmus Mundus community.

For any further questions or comments regarding the GA, please reach out to us at generalassembly@em-a.eu

Kind Regards
General Assembly Organising Committee (GAOC) 2024

Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA AISBL)

Address: Rue Joseph II 120, Brussels, 1000 Belgium

Registration Number: 0650803385

VAT: BE0650.803.385

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