The Programme de Formation d’Ingénieurs d’Excellence au Vietnam (PFIEV) is taking a new step forward in its international cooperation strategy: in 2026, the program’s French partners are preparing an Erasmus+ consortium application, with a dual structuring objective: to obtain KA130 accreditation (higher education mobility – consortium), then submit a KA171 project (international credit mobility) to benefit mobility between France and Vietnam.
This initiative, led by Grenoble INP – UGA, aims to consolidate and expand existing mobility programs under the PFIEV, while opening up new prospects for sustainable funding and greater access to academic mobility and internships for Vietnamese students.
A French PFIEV consortium mobilized around a common goal
The project relies on a group of French establishments strongly committed to the PFIEV. The prospective consortium includes :
- Grenoble INP – UGA (operational coordinator)
- CentraleSupélec
- ENPC (École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées)
- ITM Atlantic
- INSA Lyon
- Toulouse INP
- ISAE-ENSMA (Poitiers)
- Polytech Marseille
- with Lycée Louis-le-Grand for its key role in PFIEV’s scientific preparatory cycle.
On the Vietnamese side, KA171 mobilities would target the four PFIEV academic partner universities:
- HUST (Hanoi University of Science and Technology)
- HUCE (Hanoi University of Civil Engineering)
- DUT (The University of Danang – University of Science and Technology)
- VNU-HCMUT (University of Technology – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City)
Why KA130 and KA171? A lever to strengthen grants and secure mobility
The project responds to a concrete, shared need: to give a lasting boost to incoming mobility between Vietnam and France, particularly for study purposes.
In this context, Erasmus+ KA171 is an essential lever for :
- fund more scholarships for PFIEV students,
- make mobility more predictable and sustainable,
- secure regular flows to French partner establishments,
- reinforce staff mobility (teaching and administrative staff), which is essential to the quality of the program.
Filing for KA130 (consortium) accreditation is an important preliminary step: it enables the PFIEV consortium to position itself as a credible collective structure, capable of subsequently carrying out a consolidated KA171 project in a highly competitive context.
Student mobility at the heart of the project – with a strong focus on inclusion
The bid will give priority to funding the following types of mobility:
- study in France (one semester or one academic year),
- internships / end-of-studies projects in French establishments and laboratories.
Particular attention will be paid to students with limited means: Erasmus+ grants are designed to remove financial obstacles, and may, where appropriate, be supplemented by the Erasmus+ Inclusion Supplement, to ensure fairer access to mobility opportunities.
Enhanced cooperation for staff: teaching, training of trainers, pedagogical innovation, etc.
In addition to students, KA171 will also support staff mobility in both directions:
- France → Vietnam: teaching and training assignments (pedagogical engineering, scientific and technical content, course development in English, languages, quality) ;
- Vietnam → France: training and observation stays (immersion, exchanges of practices, academic cooperation).
These mobilities play a key role in capacity building, and contribute directly to the quality and evolution of the PFIEV.
A complementary approach to existing financing PFIEV
This Erasmus+ application is not intended to replace the PFIEV’s historical support, but to complement it.
The PFIEV consortium continues to rely on existing funding (in particular, subsidies from the French Embassy in Vietnam and support from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research) to ensure program coordination, annual steering and certain mobilities. Erasmus+ provides additional leverage for scaling up and stabilizing international mobility.
