Study in Europe Initiative (Enhancing the attractiveness of Europe as a study destination for global talent) & Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative (Supporting joint programmes in attracting talent through Erasmus Mundus scholarships)

The call for tenders is divided into two distinct lots. Lot 1, the Study in Europe Initiative, seeks a contractor capable of enhancing the global attractiveness of European higher education by designing and executing targeted, multi‑channel promotion, recruitment and communication campaigns. The selected operator must demonstrate a deep understanding of the EU higher education landscape, current student mobility trends, and EU policies, while deploying sophisticated digital marketing techniques that harness artificial intelligence and data analytics to optimise audience segmentation and campaign effectiveness across diverse geographic markets. Lot 2, the Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative, is focused on strengthening outreach, exchange, and collaboration for higher education institutions that award Erasmus Mundus joint programmes or future Erasmus+ joint study programmes linked to the European degree label. The goal is to elevate these programmes’ capacity to attract top talent worldwide through coordinated networking, knowledge sharing, and promotional support. The contractor for each lot must prove proven expertise in digital marketing, AI‑driven user data analytics, multichannel campaign design, and the ability to operate across diverse geographic markets with strong knowledge of EU higher education policies and global mobility trends.

This call for tenders in the field of higher education is divided into two lots, with the following objectives: - Lot 1 'Study in Europe' aims to promote European higher education in the world and strengthen Europe’s global reputation as a top study destination. - Lot 2 'Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative' (EMSI) aims to promote exchange, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for higher education institutions awarding Erasmus Mundus scholarships. Each lot is a continuation of previous service contracts through which these two initiatives have been implemented - Study in Europe since 2014, and EMSI since 2023.
Additional information: Objectives – Lot 1 The contract requires a combination of targeted expertise, operational capacity and market presence in the field of higher education promotion and recruitment at international level. The contractor must demonstrate a strong understanding of the EU higher education landscape and policies, global student mobility trends, recruitment practices and communication strategies, including the design and implementation of multi-channel campaigns and the use of data analysis to inform targeting and optimisation of activities, as well as the ability to operate across diverse geographical markets. In addition, it is important that the contractor demonstrate a proven expertise in digital marketing allowing to leverage the new AI reality and digital student user data, including also the capacity to deal with focussed campaigns targeting priority countries, specific study fields and student segments. With the first lot of this tender, the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC) and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) aim to increase talent attraction and EU competitiveness in higher education. Objectives – Lot 2 With the second lot of this tender, DG EAC and EACEA aim to promote exchange, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for Higher Educations Institutions (HEIs) with joint programmes awarding Erasmus Mundus scholarships as EMJM or possible future “Joint Study Programmes” funded by Erasmus+ linked to the European degree label, with the aim to improve the capacity of the concerned programmes to attract top talent from around the world.In case of unavailability or disruptions in the functioning of the electronic means of communication provided in Section 5.1.11 in the last 5 calendar days before the time limit for receipt indicated in Section 5.1.12, the contracting authority reserves the right to extend this time limit and publish the extension at the Internet address provided in Section 5.1.11, without a preceding publication of a corrigendum to this notice. Economic operators interested in this procurement are invited to subscribe to the call for tenders at the address in Section 5.1.11 in order to get notified when new information or documents are published.
Place of performance: Please consult the procurement documents.

Lot: LOT-0001
Title: Study in Europe Initiative: enhancing the attractiveness of Europe as a study destination for global talent

Lot: LOT-0002
Title: Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative- Supporting joint programmes in attracting talent through Erasmus Mundus scholarships