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.

The Hellenic Mediterranean University Case

Since the launch of the Erasmus Plus era the HMU has coordinated four such projects mainly in the Engineering topics: Electronics, Photonics, Computer Science, and Materials. Below, check the most recent projects the HMU staff participates as a coordinator or as a partner

Project Name: “Digital Training for Cybersecurity Students in Industrial Fields”

Project Duration: 2021 – 2023

Summary:

DICYSTECH is a two-year project funded under the ERASMUS+ program. The project aims to develop open access training modules and linked cybersecurity remote laboratories for cybersecurity education that serve a double purpose: to meet Industry 4.0 needs and to provide innovative educational practice in the digital era supporting the uptake of innovative digital technologies (such as VLEs) for teaching and learning in HVET.

Coordinator:  Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri, Spain (HMU coordinator, Professor George Papadourakis, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Official Website: https://dicystech.eu/