We are launching a call for applications for a one-week Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme hosted by Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal. The programme, titled “Security, Defence and Democracy in the European Union: The Road Ahead in the Age of Polycrisis”) will explore the major security and political challenges facing the European Union in an era characterised by a series of profound and interconnected crises and a rapid transformation of the liberal international order. Against the erosion of the international rules-based order, the rise of geoeconomic and geopolitical tensions, as well as increasing populism and polarisation, it asks students to think about how the European Union can protect democracy and foster internal and external security. Through a series of lectures and seminars, this intensive course will examine the core issues facing the European Union both at the domestic and international level, bringing perspectives from International Relations and Political Science.

The BIP consists of both virtual and physical components.
The virtual part will take place in June 2026.

The physical component will be held in Covilhã from 8–12 June 2026.

Find the detailed programme in the PDF version below.

If you are interested, please read the Erasmus+ regulations and send your application to the Institutional coordinator jakub.bornio@uwr.edu.pl. The deadline has been set for the 8th of February 2026. The number of spots: 3. 

All participants will receive a grant to cover the full cost of participation. The total value of the grant will be 5 x 79 euros to cover living expenses and 309 euros for travel (417 euros for green travel). 704 (812) euros in total.