Erasmus+

General information

The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.

The main aim of Erasmus+ is to provide financial support:

• for mobility and activities carried out by learners (pupils, students, young people and adult learners);
• for mobility and cooperation actions of staff involved in education, training, youth and sport.

It is not possible for individuals to apply for Erasmus+ personally (except for applications submitted on behalf of a group of young people active in socio-educational leadership); applications must be submitted through an organisation. Organisations (schools, establishments, institutions, not-for-profit associations, etc.) can be partners in an Erasmus+ project, or submit an Erasmus+ project and obtain, if the project is granted, co-financing to support the mobility of individuals.

Key Actions

The Erasmus+ programme focuses on three Key Actions.

Key Action 1 - Learning mobility of individuals

Mobility opportunities in the sectors of school education, vocational education and training, higher education, adult education, youth and sport are priority activities in the Erasmus+ programme.

People of any age whatever their level of training are given the opportunity to go abroad or exchange with people from other countries as part of an Erasmus+ project. The objective of these types of mobility is for participants to develop their skills in order to take an active part in the labour market and in society and to contribute to social inclusion and the development of a European identity.

The people concerned are:

• pupils in school education interested in individual or group mobility in another country,
• apprentices, learners and young people with recent vocational training wishing to carry out placements in businesses or vocational institutions in Europe or further afield, or wanting to participate in skills competitions or interested in group mobility abroad,
• students, doctoral candidates and recent higher education graduates interested in periods of study or placement in Europe or further afield, as well as in hybrid intensive programmes (programmes that combine a shorter physical mobility activity with a virtual component),
• adult learners wishing to take advantage of opportunities for personal development or to improve their basic skills through individual or group mobility,
• young people wishing to take part in "youth exchanges", "youth participation activities and DiscoverEU",
• people working in the fields of education, training, and youth wishing to carry out teaching or training missions and staff training activities, and members of the staff of higher education institutions interested in taking part in hybrid intensive programmes (programmes that combine a shorter physical mobility activity with a virtual component),
• teachers and educators in training who can carry out their placement abroad,
• coaches and other staff members (paid and voluntary staff) involved in sport organisations who want to develop their skills to strengthen the capacity of their organisation.

Experts may also be invited by organisations active in the education and training sectors (with the exception of the higher education sector) for the further development of the teaching and learning methods used by these organisations.

Key Action 2 - Cooperation among organisations and institutions

Projects in favour of cooperation meet the needs for innovative practices, cooperation and the pooling of experience at the European level. They are open to all types of organisations active in the fields of education, vocational training, social and educational work and other socio-economic sectors.

There are two types of partnership, defined by their aims and the composition of the project:

• cooperation partnerships
• are aimed at developing initiatives in one or more of the fields of education, training, youth and sport,
• may last for 12 to 36 months,
• must involve at least 3 partners from 3 different countries (the coordinating organisation must be legally established for at least 2 years),
• may receive a European grant of either € 120 000, € 250 000 or € 400 000 per project;
• small-scale partnership projects
• are aimed at developing initiatives in one or more of the fields of education, training, youth and sport, excluding the higher education sector,
• may last for 6 to 24 months,
• must involve at least 2 partners from 2 different countries,
• may receive a European grant of either € 30 000 or € 60 000.

Key Action 3 - Support to policy development and cooperation

Key Action 3 is managed directly by the European Commission.

It supports:

• the "European Youth Together" action which targets youth organisations which want to establish partnerships across borders, promoting regional partnerships in close collaboration with young people from all over Europe.

Key Action 3 also supports Jean Monnet Actions in the field of higher education and research and Jean Monnet Networks in the higher education sector, as well as teacher training, Learning EU initiatives, and Jean Monnet Networks in the other sectors of education and training. All these actions promote the spread of knowledge about European Union integration topics.

Erasmus+ Training - Training and Cooperation Activities (TCA)

The Training and Cooperation Activities (TCA) of the Erasmus+ programme are international events organised by the national agencies allowing participants to form partnerships with European actors and contribute to achieving the objectives of the Erasmus+ programmes:

• www.salto-et.net (education and training sectors)
• www.salto-youth.net (youth sector).