Brussels, 17/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - One year after the signature of the new EU-US “Atlantis” education agreement, the European Commission, jointly with the US authorities, has launching 14 new transatlantic cooperation projects. The European Commission will invest a total of €3.8 million in these projects, with the US authorities matching this amount. The aim is to foster transatlantic academic cooperation through innovative student exchanges resulting in double degrees, joint curriculum development, and policy studies. The selected projects are: eight Transatlantic Degrees: these are joint or double Bachelor's or Master's degrees; two Excellence in Mobility projects: these are projects that are similar to the EU's Erasmus university exchange programme, and which focus on curriculum development with student mobility for one academic term; and four Policy Oriented Actions to enhance transatlantic collaboration through studies, seminars, working groups, and benchmarking exercises that address comparative higher education and vocational training issues. The joint selection process was conducted by the Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) on behalf of the European Commission, and by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) on behalf of the US Department of Education. In total, the selected projects cover 32 European institutions from 12 member states and 22 American institutions. The most-represented member states are Germany, UK, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The fourteen grants will support 380 students in two-way transatlantic exchanges with full recognition by the home institution of the studies undertaken abroad. Of these students, 284 will be funded by the Transatlantic Degree action, spending a full academic year on the other side of the Atlantic and receiving, upon successful completion of their study programme, a joint or a double degree from one university in Europe and one in the United States. “The Atlantis programme is a tangible example of the fruits of our cooperation with our American partners,” said European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel'. He added, “Furthermore, Atlantis will help promote mutual understanding between the EU and the USA”. (il)