Increasing the rate and at the same time improving the quality of mobility in higher education has been and remains a major priority for Europe, both at the political level and at the level of mobile individuals shaping their social and professional perspectives.

While conditions for mobility are often dependent upon intergovernmental and governmental players defining legal frameworks and funding mechanisms, higher education institutions are critical stakeholders regarding mobility, and progress will have to rely ultimately on institutional strategies and concrete initiatives.

The MAUNIMO project (MApping UNIversity MObility) set out from the notion that universities should have a clear view of their mobility measures (both incoming and outgoing) across the institution and how they interrelate. This would not only encourage a strategic reflection on all types of mobility and the purpose they serve, but also help universities respond to external pressures, in particular regarding national and regional political targets and the increasing drive to measure and evaluate mobility

At institutional level mobility generally takes place through decentralised activities and programmes at faculty and departmental level, detached from the institutional strategy. Given the diverse nature of mobility actions, it is also challenging to establish a shared institutional vision of what mobility ultimately means for the development of teaching, learning and research and how this vision will evolve in the years to come.