From Exchange to Impact: Advancing Student Mental Health in Universities 

An Erasmus+ programme for professionals shaping student support across Europe. 

As rising academic pressure, social challenges and global uncertainties continue to influence student's mental health, the need for effective support structures within higher education grows. 

Designed specifically for professionals who work closely with students in areas such as student counselling, teaching, and international services, this Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) aims to tackle this challenge.

While fostering international exchange and encouraging cooperation, participants will exchange experiences, explore best practices and develop strategies to strengthen their institutional approaches and support student wellbeing. 

Engage with university professionals from across Europe to explore, share, and develop innovative strategies for supporting student mental health.  

Empower yourself and your colleagues with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to support students who may be experiencing mental health problems.  Do so by becoming a certified Mental Health First Aider (MHFA). 

Encourage others and part of our Community of Impact, continuing to drive positive change in your institution and above. 

Key Facts
  • Programme format: Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) 
  • Duration: One week on-site + virtual components 
  • Location: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe/Germany 
  • Date: November 16, 2026 - November 20, 2026 (and again in 2027) 
  • Language: English 
  • Participants: 15 participants from CLUSTER partner institutions
  • Participation fee: The course fee is covered by CLUSTER
Target Group 

Priority will be given to university staff from the Consortium Linking Universities of Science and Technology for Education and Research (CLUSTER). The number of participants is limited to 15. Some parts of the program will be open for public and other partner universities.  

The programme is designed for university staff who work directly with students, including: 

  • student counselling professionals 
  • academic staff and lecturers 
  • staff from international offices 
  • professionals from student support services 
  • staff involved in student mental health and wellbeeing initiatives 

Participants should have a professional interest in improving support structures for student mental health. 

Please keep in mind: People who are currently suffering from severe mental health problems are often unable to fully benefit from the MHFA course. 

 

online session

An online pre-seesion will take place during the first week of November.

Day 1 

Introduction and Context

  • Welcome and introduction 
  • Get to know each other
  • Keynote lecture on student mental health in higher education 
  • Exchange of institutional perspectives 

Day 2 

Understanding Student Needs

  • Current trends in student mental health 
  • Best practices from partner universities 
  • Collaboration between counselling services, teaching staff and international offices 

Day 3 and 4

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training

  • Signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in adults 
  • How to recognise and respond to an emerging or worsening mental health problem 
  • Available treatments and support  

MHFA is an internationally acclaimed and evidence-based, accredited training program. After completing the course, participants can take a standardized online accreditation exam to receive a personalized digital accreditation certificate. 

Day 5

Reflection and Outlook 

  • Group work and peer exchange
  • Developing ideas for improved institutional approaches 
  • Presentation of group results 
  • Discussion of future collaboration opportunities in CLUSTER and beyond 
online session

Some months after the programme has finished, participants meet again to talk about possible achievements and challenges faced while continuing working on the subject.

 

Registration opens in June. The link to the registration form will then be accessible here.

The course takes place as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP). BIPs are short-term Erasmus+ mobility programmes that combine virtual collaboration with a short on-site mobility period. They provide opportunities for staff and students from different universities to work together on shared challenges and develop innovative solutions. 

Participants are therefore expected to cover travel and accommodation costs through their institution’s ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility funds. Please direct Mobility Agreements and other relevant ERASMUS+ documents to staffmobility∂intl.kit.edu. 

Participation fee: The course fee is covered by CLUSTER.

Building a Community of Impact in CLUSTER and beyond 

Participants are encouraged to form a Community of Impact that remains active beyond the duration of the programme. The goal is to support participants in bringing the insights and approaches developed during the BIP back to their own institutions and create sustainable, professional networks. 

By maintaining contact and sharing experiences, participants can continue to: 

  • exchange good practices and institutional approaches 

  • support each other in implementing new ideas and initiatives 

  • strengthen cooperation between universities and in CLUSTER 

  • contribute to advancing the topic of student mental health within their institutions and networks 

In this way, the programme aims not only to provide a meaningful learning experience for the participants, but also to create a lasting impact across the participating universities and beyond. 

 

Fröhliches, 4-seitig gezeichnetes Emoji-Smiley-Pad mit Händen auf hellgrünem Hintergrund; Textlogos Erasmus+, Student Mental Health.

Partner Institutions

The programme is organised in cooperation with CLUSTER partner universities. Participating institutions include:

KTH

KU Leuven

ZI Mannheim

The programme aims to strengthen international cooperation in addressing student mental health challenges.

  Contact

staffmobility∂intl.kit.edu