ERASMUS TRAINING PROGRAM and interdisciplinary high-level training environment.
WHAT IS AN ERASMUS MUNDUS JOINT MASTER( EMJM)? Education is a national competence: the European Commission cannot regulate curricula at European level. EMJM is therefore used as a tool of open coordination, encouraging universities to harmonise curricula, to create joint degrees, and to make qualifications comparable, mutually validated and recognised across borders. EMJMs are organised by a consortium of European universities, possibly involving non-European ones. Associated partners( other universities, private companies and organisations linked to the programme theme) contribute internships, visiting teachers, financial support, promotion. Curriculum, admission standards, student selection, learning outcomes, assessment methods, thesis supervision are jointly designed and run by experienced teams that share best practices. Students change university every semester, in at least two countries different from their country of origin, and are awarded joint, double or multiple degrees according to national legislation, although the European Union encourages joint degree diplomas. EMJM scholarships granted to the best students cover participation, and living costs, and a full-coverage insurance is included for all students. Administrative teams support their mobility and ensure good learning conditions. Academic support and mentoring favor success and employability. Quality assurance is an essential process in EMJM. Joint academic boards use feedback from a range of stakeholders, including students, alumni, academic staff, thesis supervisors, external reviewers and industrial advisory committees, to implement continuous improvements. The programme is updated on a annual basis with revisions to the course content and general organization. This ensures that the programme remains coherent, rigorous, aligned with both scientific and professional expectations, and includes emerging topics. In the context of photonics training, laboratory safety, access to experimental platforms and the quality of research supervision are also essential aspects of quality assurance. The latter also supports improvements in student services, administrative coordination and the overall mobility experience.
EMJM AS A STRUCTURING FORCE FOR EUROPEAN PHOTONICS In the European context, photonics is recognised as a key enabling technology, for instance through Horizon Europe calls. However, the field still appears fragmented, due to its numerous and diverse applications, and, it is not perceived, industrially, as a standalone sector with a clear identity: most photonics-enabled companies still identify with their application field. The very competitive worldwide context, where effective synergy among multiple partners is a key element to reach critical mass and visibility, requires developing intra-European collaborations, in particular by training a new generation of highly skilled specialists mobile across countries and the various facets of the field. This also carries political stakes, such as European competitiveness and reduced dependence on Asian or American producers. The attractiveness and retention issues are common to science, technology, engineering and mathematics( STEM) fields, as they are generally considered demanding, and perceptions still limit the choice of natural sciences and engineering by women and minorities. Additionally, even students inclined to study technical fields may opt for programmes and fields where career prospects are clearer and disciplines are more established and better recognised. EMJM structures the field of European photonics by offering answers to the problems listed above: definition and recognition of photonics as a discipline; connection between higher education institutions, industrial ecosystems and national clusters allowing a better identification of photonics as an industrial sector in its own right; promotion of career prospects and professional roles it offers; and attractiveness and maintenance of degree programmes. Besides increasing European visibility, EMJM programmes in photonics can provide Europe with a multiple-skilled workforce, ready to face the challenges of this high-tech domain. Training networks across different countries and technologies can prepare a new generation of scientists and engineers able to adapt to the priorities emerging in the coming decades. Photonics-related EMJM programmes are numerous compared to other engineering fields( mechanical, civil, electrical) or to emerging priority fields such as artificial intelligence. This is not accidental, and it cannot be explained by excellence alone. From a sociology of disciplines perspective, in which the
Figure 1. Universities involved in the eight photonicsrelated EMJM. Each programme is identified by a colour, positioned at the city of the partner institution. Two partner universities are located outside Europe: Toronto( Canada) and Toyohashi( Japan).
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