The EU mobility programme Erasmus + provides funding opportunities for students and graduates studying, researching or doing an internship abroad. Erasmus+ aims to improve transnational cooperation between countries, universities, and organizations in Europe. The programme is organised by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

If you are interested in an internship, research stay or thesis completion abroad during your study program or shortly after graduation, you will find information on Erasmus+ funding opportunities in the following pages.

If you would like to complete an exchange program abroad at a university, please contact the international office at your university.

LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN was founded in 1995 at TU Dresden with the goal of organizing internships abroad for students and graduates of Saxon universities. Since then, over 5,000 grants have been awarded for internships at more than 2,500 institutions. Every year, up to 400 students and graduates use the opportunity to go abroad with Erasmus+ funding.

Below is a list of Saxon universities we are currently partnered with:

1. Berufsakademie Sachsen (all 7 locations)
2. Dresden International University
3. Fachhochschule Dresden
4. Hochschule für Bildende Künste (Dresden)
5. Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (Leipzig)
6. Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (Dresden)
7. Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur (Leipzig)
8. Hochschule für Telekommunikation (Leipzig)
9. Hochschule Meißen
10. Hochschule Mittweida
11. Hochschule Zittau – Görlitz
12. Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
13. Technische Universität Chemnitz
14. Technische Universität Dresden
15. Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (WHZ only possible for students of the Faculty of Applied Languages and Intercultural Communication and only within 2021)

If you have not found an internship yet, we can offer you the contact details of potential host organizations. If you would like to have this option, please send us your request via email.

Do not forget to attach proof of enrolment in your current university, and any preferences regarding countries and/or your fields of interest.

The funding criteria for implementation of the Erasmus + programme are regulated in Germany by the Erasmus Guide of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for implementation of mobility with universities and consortia.

These are the criteria to keep in mind:

• Apply before starting your internship.
• You must be enrolled at a participating university.
• You are eligible for the grant starting from your first year of study.
• The internship tasks and the student’s field of study should be related.
• The internship must take place in an eligible country.
• The duration of the internship should be at least 60 days.
• You can obtain full or partial funding for up to 360 days for a Bachelor’s or Master’s students or 720 days for Diploma or Staatsexamen Students, but you are not required to receive all of the funding and can split funding periods up.
• A company payment for traineeships does not count towards the Erasmus financial support.
• More than one funded Erasmus+ stays abroad are possible, e.g. a semester abroad (5 months) and two internships abroad (3 and 4 months), but the quota cannot be exceeded.
• You must apply for graduate support while you are still studying and before receiving your final certificate. The funding ends at a maximum of 12 months after unregistering from your university or graduating.
• The following organizations cannot be host institutions for Erasmus+ internships: European institutions, and organizations that manage community programmes (EU programmes).
• Traineeships of returnees (whom are foreign students returning to their country of origin for an Erasmus+ internship or study) may only be supported through Erasmus+ if they are not registered in their home country. For example, if you have a Polish citizenship, you can only apply for an internship in Poland if your main residence is outside of Poland and you have proof of residence.
• As long as your work/ project tasks are related to your field of study and supervision with on-site evaluation are guaranteed, your theses work can be funded by an Erasmus + grant.
• The Erasmus+ internship must be carried out as a full-time internship (at least 35 hours per week).
• There must be sufficient insurance coverage for the duration of your Erasmus+ internship, which can be obtained through DAAD Group Insurance.
• Failure to comply with the provisions of the Erasmus+ Contract for the Internship may result in the Erasmus+ grant being reduced or revoked. This includes:
  • Shortening the internship to less than 60 days.
  • Changes to the agreed internship description.
• Applications for extension must be delivered to LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN no later than one month before the extension is meant to take place.
• Internships under Erasmus + cannot be completed in Germany.

Applications for an Erasmus+ internship abroad are submitted through online form Mobility Online.

Please note:

• If you are still searching for a host organization, registration via Mobility Online is not available. If you are interested in obtaining contact details of potential host organisations, please send us a copy of your current university enrollment certificate to auslandspraktikum.leosachsen@tu-dresden.de to request contact information.
• In order to receive a graduate grant within 12 months after leaving university, you must submit an informal application for graduate support by email no later than one day before unregistering form your university. As soon as you have received details about your internship, please use Mobility Online for the final application.
• If you are starting your internship abroad soon and cannot complete the online form before you start, please send us an informal application for an Erasmus grant by email. However, you are required to send a full online application within 7 calendar days.
• In the online registration, you will also provide information about the receiving institution and the internship itself. Please discuss all relevant internship details (such as an internship description) with the receiving institution in advance.
• When you receive the Erasmus grant, a representative from a Saxon university, the student/intern, and a supervisor from the host institution will need to sign the Learning Agreement which is equivalent to a contract. You can see list of authorised represantatives here.
• We kindly ask you to not submit any further documents.

Click here to apply for an Erasmus+ Grant via Mobility Online.

• The decision to award an Erasmus+ grant can only be made within the limits of available financial resources.
• Applicants will need to be accepted by a receiving institution for an internship abroad before being considered for a grant.
• All application documents were received without delay by LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN. Information about the receiving institution, the internship, and the applicant were assessed in a positive manner based on eligibility criteria.
• The legal right to receive an Erasmus+ grant is effective when all parties included in the contract (the Saxon University, receiving institution, beneficiary, and LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN) have signed the Grant and Learning Agreements.

There are three groups of countries targeted by the European Commission. In addition, the DAAD sets the country rates on an individual basis.

For the Erasmus+ project year 2022/2023 you will receive:

Social participation and equal opportunities are the key priorities of the Erasmus+ programme generation 2021-2027. By reducing potential barriers, the access conditions for people with fewer opportunities should be improved and equal access created. To this end, Erasmus+ offers concrete measures at different levels: From the 2021 call onwards, financial support offers will be extended in the form of a top-up for students in addition to the regular monthly Erasmus grant. (See also Toggle “Target Countries for Funding”).
In addition, participants with a disability (GdB 20 or more) or chronic illness (with additional financial needs abroad) and students who are taking up their stay abroad with a child/children have the opportunity to submit an application for a real cost subsidy to cover the additional costs incurred abroad.
Persons in this target group (fewer opportunities) also receive travel expenses for certain mobility formats or have the opportunity to apply for and start a preparatory trip in advance.

If you have any questions on this topic, please contact us.

After a positive check of all documents, the grant agreement will be drawn up, checked and then sent out with instructions.
The contract must be signed by the beneficiary of the scholarship, the host institution, the sending university and the LEONARDO OFFICE SAXONY.
The 1st instalment amounting to 70% of the total grant is paid.
The internship will be carried out and the LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN will be informed promptly of any changes, if necessary.
Attention: During your stay abroad, you might run into an emergency. Please keep in mind that you can call “112” free of charge in all countries of the EU. You can use this number to make an emergency call to the police, fire brigade or ambulance.
Within 30 days after the end of the traineeship, the final documents must be submitted and the language exit test must be carried out.
After a positive check of the final documents, the remaining instalment of max. 30% of the total stipend will be paid.

• Before the start of the stay abroad, the Learning Agreement is signed by a responsible person from your university. With this signature, you acquire the right to recognition of the internship by your university.
  • Mandatory internships are recognised in the form of completed modules or via credits; as a mandatory component of the degree programme, they are already included in the Diploma Supplement.
  • Optional internships can be included as compulsory elective modules in the Transcript of Records (overview of grades) or in the Diploma Supplement (if applicable as an appendix).
  • Graduate internships can be recognised on request in the form of a Europass Mobility.

• For internships, however, the qualified internship certificate is the recognition you need for the future in order to be able to prove skills and knowledge in job applications.

Documents containing personal data (such as application documents, the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement, closing documents, and other relevant documents related to the Erasmus+ internship) will be stored in electronical and paper form for processing. The stored documents will also be utilized for examining the application, deciding the award of an Erasmus+ grant, and for the calculation and payment of the Erasmus+ internship.

These documents will be kept at LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN for up to ten years after the completion of the project, in accordance with the requirements of the Erasmus+ program and the legal requirements of the Federal State of Saxony. This is necessary because the European Commission in Brussels and the National Agency and Audit Institutions in Germany have the right to examine the application procedure and the allocation of Erasmus+ grants overall and on a case-by-case basis during this period. After this deadline, the documents of the applicants and beneficiaries in LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN will be destroyed in a secure manner.

How do I file a complaint?

Every grant recipient can send a written complaint to indicate shortcomings of the Erasmus+ Grants for International Internships. The first person of contact is our Erasmus+ Coordinator, Mr. Enrico Plathner, who works independently from the complainant. In justified cases, which could include the example of inadequate amounts of action from an ERASMUS+ Coordinator or other representatives, the complaining party can directly contact the management of LEONARDO-OFFICE SAXONY.

What happens with the complaint?

The person of contact forwards the complaint to a relevant party, who works towards a quick resolution and ensures that every complaint remains confidential. To successfully solve the problem, only relevant parties will be consulted, which includes representatives from the sending university or contacts from the host organisation. Depending on the kind of complaint, the complaining party will either directly be informed of the resolution, or in form of public release, with consideration of data security.

What will happen once I submit my complaint?

All complains and processes associated with developing a resolution will be part of the next Strength and Weakness analysis of the LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN which evaluates Erasmus+ Projects within Saxon Universities. For problems where an overarching solution on a grander scale is required, a separate evaluation during a meeting with the “Saxon consortium Erasmus+” will take place. Each case will be reviewed as to whether the indicated problem can be resolved, and whether the methods of correction should be long-term or short-term.

In accordance with the Erasmus+ Programme specifications for awarding Erasmus+ Grants, the beneficiary must ensure that LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN is notified when the following information has changed:

• Change of university or home address.
• Changees to your bank account number.
• To request date alterations for your internship, please use the form Amendment. Be aware that you are also responsible for ensuring that the host organisation signs the application (which must be sent to us as a digital or hard copy.) Thereafter, you’ll receive an addendum that will include financial implications, such as reimbursement or an increase in the grant amount.
• ATTENTION: applications for extending your internship need to be submitted to the LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN at least one month before the planned end date of the internship. If grant funds are available for distribution, your application could be approved.
• Information that may put the completion of the internship stated in the Learning Agreement at risk, such as occurring or previous problems in the workplace.
• Information regarding leaving the host country due to illness, such as receiving treatment in one’s country of residence.

Important Information

• When shortening an internship, it must be kept in mind that the new internship period must meet the minimum amount of 60 days, excluding departure and arrival. Exceptions are made after proof of Force Majeure has been individually reviewed.
• The Erasmus+ Learning Agreement can only be fulfilled when every work/study day missed due to illness can be proven by a doctor’s certificate issued from the host country.
• Beneficiaries are only able to receive funding while they are in the host country.
• Treatment time in Germany or one’s country of residence cannot be taken into consideration for the final grant amount. In this case, the beneficiary is required to inform LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN.

The deadline for submitting final documents is one month after completing the internship.

The following are an integral part of the final documents:

1. EU-SURVEY: within 1-3 days after your last internship day, you will receive an email which gives you access to a final report. The subject of this automatically generated email will be “Erasmus+ Individual Participant Report Request.”  Please answer the questions in this survey.
   If you do not receive an invitation email during the last days of your internship, please contact us.
2. REFERENCE LETTER: copy of reference letter from the host organization.
   If your host organization does not have a template for an official reference letter, you can use the Certificate Template instead. The template follows certain standards, therefore no changes to the template are allowed. Please note that the date of issue of the internship certificate in this document should be no earlier than one week before the end of the funding period, that is specified in the grant agreement.
   ATTENTION: we require EITHER an internship certificate OR a completed template from the DAAD.
3. LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT: Please complete your second language assessment by using the username and password from your first language assessement registration.
4. Digital certificate of enrolment for the internship period via e-mail.

Documents containing personal data (such as application documents, the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement, closing documents, and other relevant documents related to the Erasmus+ internship) will be stored in digital and paper form for processing. The stored documents will also be utilized for examining the application, deciding the award of an Erasmus+ grant, and for the calculation and payment of the Erasmus+ internship.

These documents will be kept at LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN for up to ten years after the completion of the project, in accordance with the requirements of the Erasmus+ program and the legal requirements of the Federal State of Saxony. This is necessary because the European Commission in Brussels and the National Agency and Audit Institutions in Germany will have the right to examine the application procedure and the allocation of Erasmus+ grants overall and on a case-by-case basis during this period. After this deadline, the documents of the applicants and beneficiaries in LEONARDO-BÜRO SACHSEN will be destroyed in a secure manner.