For foreign students, the international mobility experience can go far beyond the boundaries of FEUP. Within Europe, international mobility programmes, funded by the European Union, offer multiple possibilities. Through numerous bilateral agreements with European institutions under the Erasmus-Study programme, students can visit a partner university for a specified period of time.
The new Erasmus Mundus programme is expanding the scope of mobility to countries outside of Europe, also offering, in some cases, the chance to get a degree at the host institution. For students who are in their final phase of study, the Erasmus-Internship programme allows them to complete their dissertation abroad, in a business environment, thus providing them with their first experience of a real work environment.
Recent graduates can also undertake an internship through the Leonardo da Vinci programme. In addition, FEUP promotes the MOBILE programme - Mobility for Students in Higher Education - between FEUP and partner institutions in Brazil, other Latin American countries and Timor. One aspect of this programme is that it allows projects to be undertaken in a business environment in Brazil - MOBILE Internships.
The IAESTE programme (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) is another opportunity for internationalization, which aims to give students in higher education technical experience in a foreign country, related to their field of study, thereby promoting a spirit of cooperation and solidarity among students of all nations. These internships provide (pre) professional experience, while not replacing the internship / academic dissertation or an equivalent discipline at FEUP.
Finally, at the level of professional mobility, the Vulcanus programme aims to place EU students in industrial companies in Japan, to undertake a one-year internship. This programme is funded by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation. After finishing the course, students are provided, in addition to the programme administered through FEUP / UP, with information, advice and support for submitting applications to other international internship programmes.