The Foundation Tempus was founded in October 2002. It was founded by state universities which initially conceived it as an organisation for implementing the Tempus Programme in Serbia, which supported the modernisation of higher education. Since then the Foundation has gradually become responsible for other European Union programmes such as Erasmus Mundus, Lifelong Learning Programme, Jean Monnet and Erasmus+.
In 2007, the Foundation started to promote the Erasmus Mundus Programme, its joint study programmes and grants for students, teachers and other staff employed at higher education institutions.
Since 2009, the Foundation has been responsible for the promotion of the Jean Monnet Programme. In 2010, the Foundation began to organise consultations for students about funding possibilities for master’s and PhD studies, and exchange programmes.
In 2011 the Foundation Tempus became responsible for the Lifelong Learning Programme which also involved pre-university education. As a result, the Foundation started cooperating with a wide range of institutions, including universities, colleges of applied studies, primary and secondary schools, organisations, state institutions, companies and civil society organisations active in the field of education.
In 2013 the national Euroguidance Centre was established within the Foundation Tempus as part of the European network supporting career guidance and counselling, which Serbia joined in the same year.
Since 2014, the Foundation Tempus has been responsible for implementing the education component of the comprehensive Еrasmus+ Programme for education, youth and sport.
In 2015, the Foundation also became the office responsible for implementing the CEEPUS Programme, the Central European exchange programme for students and academic staff.
Following the beginning of preparatory measures for Serbia’s full participation in this programme in July 2016, the Foundation Tempus also became responsible for the youth component of this programme.
In 2019, Serbia became a fully-fledged member of the Erasmus+ Programme and the Foundation Tempus was nominated the Erasmus+ National Agency. This means that participants from Serbia are now able to benefit from all the opportunities offered within the Programme, i.e. to take part in all types of projects on equal terms with participants from EU countries. In the same year, the Foundation Tempus became officially in charge of the “Study in Serbia” national initiative, supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, aiming to increase the number of foreign students in the Republic of Serbia.
The promotion of language education and support for language education professionals is a significant aspect of the Foundation Tempus’ work. Every year, the Foundation participates in the celebration of the European Day of Languages and since 2019 it has been the national coordinator for this initiative. In the same year, the Foundation Tempus established cooperation with the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe, becoming its national contact point in Serbia. Within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme, the Foundation started implementing the European Language Label, a European Commission’s initiative whose aim is to highlight and reward innovative projects in language teaching and learning. The Foundation Tempus also organises conferences and workshops for language education professionals.
The Foundation Tempus continuously contributes to the development of European standards in education, dedicated to promoting and popularising various aspects of education, educational and youth policies. It provides support not only to organisations but also to individuals in their personal and professional development through a number of activities involving the development of skills, competences and qualifications, career guidance, and information on educational opportunities, with a special focus on practitioners, young people and disadvantaged groups.
