The ERASMUS program forms a major part of the lifelong learning program focused on university education and specialized professional education at a university level. The program is intended, above all, for students, instructors, and staff at university institutions. The program is exceptional due to the cohesion of individual program activities, thanks to which ERASMUS has introduced a complex tool for a modern system of universities in Europe. In addition to student and teacher mobility, it allows for the development and creation of new academic programs and support for the implementation of the European credit system (ECTS) and Diploma Supplement (DS).
The first step in joining the program for international mobility was earning the ERASMUS University Charter, a document that was awarded to IHM by the European Commission in March 2003. The first students took part in the program during the 2004/2005 academic year.
At the beginning of June 2007, the European Commission approved a new ERASMUS University Charter for universities for 2007-2013. IHM met the criteria and gained an Extended University Charter, which entitles the organization of not only student mobility, but also work stays abroad for both students and staff of the school. The Extended University Charter was awarded for the entire 2007-2013 period.
Funding for ERASMUS program activities comes from two sources. The main source of funding is the European Union, whose funds are allocated to schools by a national agency on the basis of their applications. An additional source of funding is a part of the state budget of the Czech Republic, which is used exclusively for public universities. Therefore, private universities are fully funded by the European Union. In just the past three years, approximately 7.8 million Czech crowns have been divided up between teachers and students at IHM. Financial support has already been approved for the upcoming 2010/2011 academic year in the amount of 102,257 euros, which at the current exchange rate is more than 2.5 Czech crowns.
Students are chosen for work or study abroad programs through a selection procedure whose conditions and deadlines are posted in advance on the internet and intranet web sites for the school. Participation in teacher and staff mobility is approved by the Rector's Collegium on the basis of the teaching or work plan submitted by the candidate.