Brussels, 21/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - In 2005, the number of European Universities taking part in the ERASMUS University Cooperation scheme rose to an impressive 87% of all European universities, across 31 countries (the 25 EU Member States, Bulgaria, Turkey, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway), explains the European Commission. The success of the inter-university cooperation partnerships supported confirms the power of the ERASMUS scheme to integrate and network Europe's higher education institutions, helping to equip them for the challenges of the globalised, knowledge-intensive world of the future, explains the Commission in a press release. “Our universities are crucial for achieving a stable, prosperous Europe in an increasingly globalised and knowledge-based world economy. They are also the places where the aspirations of our young people take shape” said Ján Figel', European Commissioner in charge of Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism. “The clearest example of the European Union's contribution to Higher Education is the Erasmus scheme… it adds a truly European component to the education of generations of students.” The different Erasmus university networks and cooperation projects now cover nine tenths of Europe's 4000+ universities and higher education institutions. For the 2005/2006 academic year the deadline for submitting new applications is November 1 2005. (See: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/erasmus/erasmus_en.html)