Manchester Metropolitan University secures Erasmus+ and gains European funding

Manchester Metropolitan University have strengthened their European ties, as their Centre for Enterprise have secured funding for three projects which reaffirm European links within the university.

The first funding victory, the SME Gap Project (Small and Medium Enterprises Growth Access), is one of only eighteen projects approved across the EU and involves working with the Greater Manchester Apprenticeship Hub, in liaison with an NGO in Austria and a Regional Authority in Spain.

The other two projects which have secured funding, the Digital Transformation of European Micro Enterprises (DiTEM) and the Sustainability Alliance of Urban Networks in Asian Cities (SAUNAC), both codify the links between Europe and Manchester Metropolitan University. DiTEM focuses on developing online training for micro-firms to work digitally across Europe with a particular emphasis on social media relations.

SAUNAC and SME both directly fund the Erasmus+ scheme with €1,000,000, and seemingly secure it for the foreseeable future for Manchester Metropolitan University students. Both projects also retain a plethora of international partner universities in locations ranging from France to Vietnam.

This comes as a relief to many students, as there has been persistent doubt and confusion over whether the Erasmus+ scheme is sustainable in a Britain which is no longer a member of the EU. Recent comments made by the Education Secretary Justine Greening to The Mancunion did nothing to ease this doubt: she suggested students should “wait and see” if Erasmus+ would last.

It is not yet clear if these specific funding victories will be indicative of wider EU funding projects across British universities.

Jennie Shorely, Head of Bids and Partnerships for the Centre for Enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “These exciting opportunities represent exciting new global partnerships for the university, stretching across Europe to Vietnam! We are looking forward to working with all partners to support the development of SMEs, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship skills, and to consolidating our current working relationships and developing new ones.”