ERASMUS MUNDUS – WESTERN BALKANS (ERAWEB) is an international academic mobility programme involving five EU universities and six Western Balkan universities, focusing on the Health Sciences. Health affects the development of countries as well as citizens. It is an area of policy and practice closely linked to the development priorities across the Western Balkan region. All countries in the Region have signed the Skopje pledge, which commits them to improve their health systems and ensure universal access to high-quality public health care. Health research contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. ERAWEB addresses the issue of health in two ways. Firstly, the programme enhances the academic skills of students, researchers and teachers working in the health sciences. Secondly, research within ERAWEB will identify factors, which influence the health of the population and the development of possible interventions designed to improve health. ERAWEB consists of four elements: 1. Mobility: Promotion of and support for student and academic staff exchanges; 2. Research training: Focused on the development, promotion and implementation of joint research training in medicine and the health sciences (well educated professionals are essential for a fully functioning healthcare system); 3. Scientific development: ERAWEB encourages and facilitates collaborative research in disciplines related to the health sciences; 4. Capacity building: ERAWEB stimulates cooperation between the partners and strengthens the sustainability of EU-funded projects in Member States. Through the exchange of students and by ‘training the trainer’ activities, the capacity in the Health Sciences in terms of quality and quantity of researchers and policy makers will be ensured both in the near and the more distant future.