Three higher education institutions which receive funding through the Erasmus programme were named as winners of the 2013 European Erasmus Awards on November 21. Finland, Greece and Spain win Erasmus awards for investing in staff exchanges and teaching quality. The Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece received the silver award. The gold prize winner is JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä, Finland, and the Universitat Politècnica in Valencia, Spain, was awarded bronze. The Erasmus Awards will be presented centre in Brussels this evening.

The Technological Educational Institute has over 15,000 students who are taught in six cities throughout Crete. Since 2005, the Institute’s 22 intensive programmes have provided a platform for internationalisation by creating links with local industry as well as world-leading institutions such as the University of Oxford and Imperial College in the UK. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: "Quality teaching is crucial if we are to produce the creative and adaptable graduates we need. I congratulate the winning institutions for demonstrating the value of Erasmus teaching and training opportunities abroad."