The Thuringian Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have applied for this project as a consortium to support placements for students and graduates within ERASMUS+ program. The realization of the project is the responsibility of the office of the consortium - the LEONARDO Office Thuringia. The office is headed by the Managing Director Dr. Frank March; the project is coordinated by Mrs. Elfriede Thron regarding students and Mrs. Sigrid Wille regarding graduates. The LEONARDO Office Thuringia is based at Technische Universität Ilmenau, which acts as contract partner to the German National Agency DAAD. The office takes responsibility for the complete application, execution and for work out the project. The project application has been submitted for 130 participants and 650 months along with the application for accreditation of the consortium HEI in Thuringia in 2014. Due to the high demand - especially from students - two applications for additional funding have been approved. An increased budget of € 307,123 was available for a total of 158 placements and 744 months. During the contract period a total of 155 internships with 729 months and 9 additional days were realized, including 131 student placements and 24 placements of graduates. In this project, students / graduates were sent from eight HEI. Especially female students / graduates (101) took part in this project, there were 54 male participants supported. Access to the project as was possible for all applicants, the realization of the project was carried out in compliance with the equal treatment. Students / graduates almost all fields of study were supported, this reflects their interests and the labor market situation. Particular preferred were placements in the UK (33), Austria (20), Spain and the Netherlands (both 19) and Sweden (13), in total participants were sent to 21 countries. In the project, the participants were funded in average for 4 months and 21 days. Six students completed their internships with a period of 8 to 12 months. The demand of students/graduates of HEI in Thuringia for placements was met with this first project in the ERASMUS+ program due to the restrictive calculated amount of funding and the budget increases. Extensive information activities to motivate students were conducted for project realization - for example: • information events on the program Erasmus + at the Thuringian universities in cooperation with the International Offices • presentation and advertising of the program on http://www.tu-ilmenau.de/leonardo/erasmusplus/ with specific project information and flyers, posters The planned results have been achieved with success. Beside the quantity especially the quality of the placements has been in focus. The preparation of the learning agreement was supported by the Leonardo Office Thuringia for each placement. It has actively coordinated the preparation of this document between participant, host organization / company and the sending HEI (faculty). For example the agreed ECTS were easily recognized already at the time of completing the EU Survey - or the full academic recognition is expected by the students. Due to active cooperation with the host organizations/companies there is interest in further cooperation. They offer again internships - this also ensures the long-term perspective of other successful projects in the program Erasmus+. The realization of placements in the program ERASMUS+ by the LEONARDO Office Thuringia is for sending Thuringian HEI (in the case of compulsory placements) an essential part of academic training and also an important aspect of its own strategy of internationalization. This project contributes to bring the Erasmus+ program among students/future graduates in the focus for their individual mobility. The funding helps to support the interest of the applicants and the nominating HEI in Thuringia and ensures that the LEONARDO Office Thuringia is continuously active and can help to promote the common interests.