Erasmus+ Research & Cooperation Projects

About Strategic Partnerships

Strategic Partnerships are transnational projects designed to develop and share innovative practices and promote cooperation, peer learning, and exchanges of experiences in the fields of education, training, and youth.

Overall, strategic partnerships aim to address horizontal priorities as well as field-specific priorities in the areas of:

• Higher education
• Vocational education and training
• School education
• Adult education
• Youth

There are two kinds of Strategic Partnership; those supporting innovation and those supporting the exchange of good practices. More information on the field-specific priorities is available in the Programme Guide.

What are the opportunities?

• Strengthening cooperation and networking between organizations,
• Promoting the development, testing, and implementation of innovative practices,
• Promoting the recognition and validation of knowledge, skills, and competences,
• Promoting cooperation between regional authorities to develop new systems for education, training, and youth,
• Supporting learners with disabilities and special needs and ease their transition to the labor market,
• Supporting education and training professionals to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in learning,
• Promoting integration of newly arrived migrants and raising awareness about the refugee crisis in Europe
• Promoting entrepreneurship and active citizenship among young people

Strategic Partnerships can be of different sizes and conduct different activities depending on the objective of the project, the organizations involved, the expected impact, and other elements. Within the scope of the project’s objectives, there are also opportunities for pupils, students, learners, and staff to learn, be trained, or to teach abroad, insofar as these transnational teaching, training and learning activities contribute to the achievement of the project’s objectives.

How does it work

Participating organizations intending to apply for an opportunity must be based in a Programme Country. Applications must be led by an organization established in a Programme Country and must generally involve at least three organizations from different Programme Countries. Exceptionally, partnerships in the field of school education and youth may involve at least two organizations from different Programme Countries. Partnerships in these fields can also choose to apply for specific formats of “School Exchange Partnerships” and “Transnational Youth Initiatives”. A simpler application process and a slightly modified set of rules apply for these special formats. Applications can include any number of organizations. They may also include organizations from Partner Countries, provided that they bring essential added value to the project. Higher Education Institutions established in Programme Countries must also hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

What else you should know

Strategic Partnerships can have different durations depending on the field:

• Higher education: between 24 and 36 months
• Adult education, school education, and vocational education and training: between 12 and 36 months
• Youth: between 6 and 36 months

Grants for projects are generally capped at € 150,000 per year. Grants for the specific format “School Exchange Partnerships” are capped at € 99,000 per year.

How do you apply

Applications should be submitted to the National Agency in the Programme Country where the applicant organization is established.

Capacity-building projects in the field of higher education support the modernization, accessibility, and internationalization of higher education in Partner Countries. These projects build on the success of the Alfa, Edu-link, and Tempus programs.

The projects aim to encourage cooperation between the EU and Partner Countries and support eligible Partner Countries in addressing challenges in the management and governance of their higher education institutions. This includes improving the quality of higher education, developing new and innovative education programs, modernizing higher education systems through reform policies as well as fostering cooperation across different regions of the world through joint initiatives.

There are 2 types of capacity-building projects:

• Joint projects: aimed at organisations to help improve curriculums, governance, and the strengthening of relations between higher education systems.
• Structural projects: aimed at promoting reforms in higher education systems, modernizing policies, governance, and strengthening relations between higher education systems and the wider economic and social environment.

Capacity-building projects can be:

• National projects involving institutions from only one eligible Partner Country
• Multi-country projects within one single region, involving at least two countries from this region
• Multi-country projects involving more than one region and involving at least one country from each region concerned

E-tutorial on the international dimension of Erasmus+. This e-tutorial provides information about opportunities available to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and their staff and students based in Partner Countries.

E-tutorial on how to prepare a competitive proposal. This e-tutorial provides information on how to apply to funding opportunities.

Info session Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education: How to successfully complete and finalise a project proposal. This Info session provides information on the 2019 Call for proposals and on how to complete a project proposal.

Info session Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education: Focus on Asia. This Info session provides information on the 2019 Call for proposals and on how to prepare a competitive proposal for the Asian Region.

The Table of Projects table provides basic details about projects funded under the Capacity Building in Higher Education action of the Erasmus+ program: project number, project type, project title, list of beneficiaries and their PICs, participating countries, names, and e-mail addresses of contact persons, budget awarded and project summary as provided in the initial application. For further information on capacity-building projects in the field of higher education please refer to the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

What does it support

Capacity-building projects in the field of higher education include the following activities:

Joint Projects

• The development, testing, and adaptation of:
  • curricula, courses, learning materials and tools
  • learning and teaching methodologies and pedagogical approaches,
  • new forms of practical training schemes and study of real-life cases in business and industry
  • university-enterprise cooperation and business start-ups
  • new forms of learning and providing education and training
  • virtual mobility, open educational resources
  • guidance, counseling and coaching methods and tools
  • tools and methods for professionalization and professional development of academic and administrative staff
  • quality assurance at the program and institution level
  • new governance and management systems and structures
  • modern university services e.g. for financial management, international relations, student counseling and guidance, academic affairs and research

• Strengthening of the internationalisation of HEI and capacity to network effectively in research, scientific and technological innovation
• Upgrading of facilities
• Staff trainings

Structural Projects

• strengthening the internationalization of higher education systems
• introducing Bologna-type reforms (three-level cycle system, quality assurance, evaluation, etc.)
• implementing transparency tools such as credit systems, accreditation procedures, guidelines for the recognition of prior and non-formal learning, etc.
• establishment of National Qualification Frameworks;
• development and implementation of internal and external quality assurance systems/guidelines
• development and implementation of new approaches and tools for policy making and monitoring, including the establishment of representative bodies, organizations or associations
• strengthening the integration of education, research, and innovation.

In more concrete terms, these activities can include:

• surveys and studies on specific reform issues
• policy and expert advice
• conferences, seminars, workshops, round tables
• staff training on policy issues
• the organisation of awareness-raising campaigns

For detailed information on activities please refer to the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

Who can benefit from it

Participating institutions must be established in a Programme Country or eligible Partner Country belonging to regions 1 to 4 and 6 to 11 (see Part A of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

Eligible participating organizations include the following:

• any public or private organization offering higher education degrees and recognized diplomas
• a non-profit organization, association, NGO (including European Youth NGOs)
• a national Youth Council
• a public body at local, regional or national level
• a school/institute/educational center (at any level, from pre-school to upper secondary education, and including vocational education and adult education);
• a public or private, a small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises)
• a social partner or other representatives of working life, including chambers of commerce
  • craft/professional associations and trade unions
  • an HEI
  • a research institute
  • a foundation
  • an inter-company training center
  • a cultural organization, library, museum
  • a body providing professional counseling and information services.

This list includes organizations that can benefit from EU funding. Please note however that not all these organizations can submit an application.

What Support is available

The Minimum grant that can be awarded is 500.000€

The maximum grant that can be awarded is 1.000.000€

For more information please refer to the project manual

Who can apply

Organizations that can apply must be established in a Programme Country or eligible Partner Country belonging to regions 1 to 4 and 6 to 11 (see Part A of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide).

Organizations that can apply include:

• an HEI
• an association or organization of HEIs
• a legally recognized national or international rector, teacher or student organization (only for structural projects)

National projects involving institutions from only one eligible Partner Country require the participation of:

• minimum 1 HEI from at least two of the Programme Countries taking part in the project
• minimum of 3 HEIs from the Partner Country taking part in the project
• at least as many Partner Country HEIs as Programme Country HEIs

Multi-country projects require the participation of:

• minimum 1 HEI from at least two of the Programme Countries taking part in the project
• minimum of 2 HEIs from each Partner Country taking part in the project
• at least as many Partner Country HEIs as there are Programme Country HEIs

Please note: HEIs located in a Programme Country must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE). An ECHE is not required for participating HEIs in eligible Partner Countries.

Please note that some exceptions to the mentioned rules above may apply to some regions or countries. You should always refer to the “Eligibility criteria” section related to Capacity-building in the field of higher education in the last version of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

Contact Information

Key Action 2 “Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education” is managed by the EACEA in Brussels.
If you do not find what you are looking for in the Programme Guide or on our website, please contact us at the following email address mentioning the action concerned (Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education) EACEA-EPLUS-CBHE@ec.europa.eu If you are based in a Programme Country and have a country-specific question on this action, you can also contact the International Erasmus+ Contact Point (ICP) in your National Agency. For the list of these offices, please click here. If you are based in a Partner Country, you can also contact the National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) which exists in certain Partner Countries (former Tempus Partner Countries). For the list of these offices, please click here.

The Hellenic Mediterranean University Case

HMU is the 1st Hellenic University that has awarded a Capacity Building Project as a coordinating Institution in 2017 in the field of nanophotonics. Since then the HMU is coordinating three such projects (all of them active) and one as a partner Institutions. Below find more information of the projects are running now

Sector Skills Alliances aim at tackling skills gaps with regard to one or more occupational profiles in a specific sector. They do so by identifying existing or emerging sector-specific labour market needs (demand side), and by enhancing the responsiveness of initial and continuing vocational education and training (VET) systems, at all levels, to the labor market needs (supply-side).

Length of the projects: 2 to 4 years

Maximum grant award:

Lot 1: 700 000 € for 2 years and 1 000 000 € for 3 years

Lot 2: 4 000 000 € for 4 years

For more information please check here