BHU’s Faculty of Arts bags ₹8 crore Erasmus+ grant, biggest so far for varsity

The BHU-led project, titled SacredTravels4Growth: Higher Education and Sustainable Growth through Religious Tourism,' brings together 16 partner institutions from eight countries.

The Tourism Management section of the Faculty of Arts at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has secured a landmark Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) grant from the European Union, marking a first for the Faculty and the largest Erasmus funding received by the university to date, as per a statement by the institute.

The grant, valued at €780,000 (approximately ₹8 crore), has been awarded for three years — November 2025 to October 2028.

Launched in 1987 by the European Community, the ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) programme was named after 15th-century Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam. In 2014, the European Union consolidated its education, training, youth, and sports initiatives under the Erasmus+ framework, which supports higher education mobility, vocational education, adult learning, youth exchanges, sports cooperation, and capacity-building projects such as CBHE.

The BHU-led project, titled ‘SacredTravels4Growth: Higher Education and Sustainable Growth through Religious Tourism,’ brings together 16 partner institutions from eight countries — Albania, India, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Moldova, Malta, and South Africa. From India, Banaras Hindu University and Karnataka University are participating. The international consortium aims to strengthen higher education capacity in religious tourism, cultural heritage conservation, and sustainable regional development by sharing best practices from Europe and partner countries.

The project team at BHU is led by Dr Pravin Rana (Project Lead, Tourism Management), with Dr Shyju PJ as Quality Assurance Head, Prof. Jyoti Rohilla as Senior Researcher (Art History), and Dr Priyanka Singh (RGSC, Barkachha) as Researcher. Administrative and financial oversight will be managed by the university’s Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell (SRICC).

Highlighting the project’s academic impact, Dr Rana said it will offer enhanced learning and capacity-building opportunities for faculty members, students and other stakeholders, including four international training workshops and study visits planned across Albania, Moldova, South Africa, India (BHU), Slovenia, Spain, Malta and Greece.

These engagements are expected to expand BHU’s global academic networks and promote collaborative teaching and research. The Erasmus+ grant, officials said, further strengthens the university’s focus on internationalisation and academic excellence.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi expressed satisfaction over the recognition received by the Faculty of Arts from the European Union. The Registrar, on behalf of BHU, formally signed the project agreement with the EU, while Prof. Sushma Ghildyal, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, noted that several upcoming international projects and memoranda of understanding would open new avenues for growth and global engagement.