Erasmus+, the new EC funding programme for education, training and sport.

1. Key Action 2
HE
Guidance on
applications
David Hibler
Joanna Collins

2. Overall objectives
• Boost skills, employability, labour market
relevance
• Modernise education, training, youth work
• Focus on young people
• See
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-f

3. Key facts
• Simpler, cross-sectoral structure based on
‘Key Actions’
• Worth €940m to UK over seven years
• Replaces Lifelong Learning Programme,
Youth in Action and other EU programmes
• Addresses EU agenda for modernisation
of HE

4. Erasmus+ is
‘the new EU
programme for
education,
training, youth
and sport’

5. European policy context

6. Key Actions
• Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals
• Key Action 2: Co-operation for Innovation and
Exchange of Good Practices
• Key Action 3: Support for Policy Reform
• Some activities managed centrally, not by
National Agencies
• Organisation, not individual applications
• No funding for preparatory visits

7. Key Action 2
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Strategic Partnerships (by sector and crosssectoral)
Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances
Capacity Building Projects
Support to IT Platforms
Broadly, absorbs Tempus within changed focus

8. Key Action 2 Strategic partnerships
• Development, transfer and/or implementation of
innovative practice (incl. mobility) and
development of labour market skills
• Partnership size and type flexible
• HE, VET, schools, adult education, youth and
cross-sectoral
• Funding based on unit costs

9. Strategic partnerships in HE

10. Basic criteria
• Wide variety of organisations: public or private,
professional bodies, NGOs etc, in programme countries;
sectoral, cross-sectoral
• Participating HEIs - Erasmus Charter for Higher Education
(ECHE)
• Minimum 3 organisations from 3 programme countries
• Up to €150,000 per year
• 2 or 3 years: duration depends on objectives and activities
• Overall budget less for UK, expect much competition

11. Application deadline
DEADLINE
30 APRIL
12.00 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME
(11.00 BST)

12. Possible Strategic Partnerships themes

13. Priorities for KA2 HE
• Enhance quality and relevance of learning, attainment
levels
• Key skills: entrepreneurship, languages, digital
• labour market relevance: links with work
• Non traditional approaches, virtual mobility, use of ICT
• Professional development
• Capacity building, Organisational development
• Equity and inclusion
• Pursue EC priorities for modernisation of HE

14. Projects
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Address policy objectives
Foster transversal (cross-cutting) skills for employability
Promote practical experience, work-based learning
Professional development in using ICT, support for OER
Develop innovative curricula
Validation of non-formal and informal learning and
connection with formal; transition to new levels with
European tools, link with national recognition systems
• Career guidance and counselling

15. Activities
• Very flexible to deliver project objectives
Separate budget lines:
• Project management and meetings
• Intellectual outputs
• Multiplier events
• Teaching, training and learning activities
• Linguistic support
• Dissemination of results

16. Award criteria
• Relevance: policy; needs; objectives; synergies between
fields; innovative or complementary; added EU value
• Design and implementation : work programme phases;
consistency; methodology; quality control; VFM;
appropriate T&L if any; recognition of learning outcomes
• Quality of team and cooperation: participating
organisation skills and competencies ; tasks and
responsibilities; management arrangements
• Impact & dissemination: evaluation; impact;
dissemination; sustainability
• Programme Guide pages 99 to 100

17. The application eform
• Completed on-line
• Guidelines on NA website www.erasmusplus.org.uk
• “Declaration of Honour” to be signed off by legal
representative of institution (download for signature,
scan, upload)
• IT issues- to Erasmus helpdesk
Erasmus@britishcouncil.org

18. Advice
• Read relevant sections of Programme Guide, especially
objectives and priorities for KA2 (pages 93 to 96); award
criteria (pages 99 to 100); examples of projects (page
243)
• See project examples
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/project_reports/project_reports_e
• Guidance on using the eforms is at [t.b.c.]
• Read full application form and guidance before
completing the form

19. The application form content overview
• Context: background
• Participating organisations: basic information
• Description of the project: rationale for project and
partnership, objectives
• Preparation and project management: including m&e;
target groups
• Project activities: details of all outputs and activities

20. The application form content overview
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Follow-up: dissemination, use of results, sustainability
Budget: management and activities
Project summary
Formal aspects: data protection, sign off

21. Context and participating organisations
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Basic information
NA – select UK1
Details fill in automatically when PIC input
HEIs – accredited (ECHE), do not have to add further
information to show eligibility
• Summary of background and experience
• Partners – as above

22. Description of the project, objectives
• Rationale, issues and needs ie why this project?
• Innovative or complementary: how fits with other activity?
• Partners: how chosen? skills, knowledge, experience? New
partners? EU added value
• Communication and meetings, partners and stakeholders
• Priorities (cf EU priorities) - overall objectives eg partnerships
between education and employment
• Topics - eg regional dimension; environment; discipline
• Results: outputs, products, changes; people trained, skills,
knowledge, cultural awareness, languages
NB not outputs covered below under “activities”.

23. Preparation and project management
• Preparation: analyses, planning, building engagement,
possibly before funding starts (cf. “activities”)
• Budget and timelines: management and monitoring
budget between partners, monitoring timelines, rectifying
• Quality of activities: monitoring quality of delivery; who,
how, when? (cf. “activities”)
• Risks: internal and external, how monitored and mitigated
• Assessing achievement: qualitative and quantitative
indicators and activities (outputs, results, objectives) cf.
“activities” and “impact” below

24. Implementation
• Organisation of activities: who, what, where, how
coordinated, timelines (template annex promised)
• Target groups: who? cf. “needs”, above
• Participants with fewer opportunities: number; proportion of
participants
• Support for them
• Difficulties in participation

25. Project activities (and outputs)
• Divided into types
• For each type (eg intellectual outputs, events, mobility) :
– Phase of the project: Preparation; Implementation;
Follow-up; Dissemination; Closure
– Title
– Description
– Tasks
– Estimated start and end dates
– Organisation leading the activity
– Other participating organisations.

26. Intellectual outputs
• Publications eg academic papers; policy recommendations
at different levels; curricula , course materials; training
materials; assessment methods, materials; handbooks,
advice, guidance; case studies ; good practice; websites;
innovative uses of IT and different media; software
• Type
• Languages
• Media

27. Multiplier events
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Emphasis on visibility and dissemination in Erasmus+
Beyond participating individuals and organisations
Event type
Intellectual outputs covered

28. Learning, teaching and training activities
• Must contribute to overall objectives of project
• Eligibility criteria and funding different from mobility in KA1:
quality criteria (eg recognition) the same
• Students: blended mobility i.e. up to 2 months physical
mobility with virtual mobility
• Staff teaching and training: 2 to 12 months
• Intensive programmes of 5 days to two months
• Short – term joint staff training events: 5 days to 2 months

29. Learning, teaching and training activities
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Activity type – click as appropriate
Activity description
Number of participants
Participants with special needs: even if you are not sure of
the details, included any anticipated participation by people
with special needs.
• Accompanying persons – as above
• Long (months) or short term (days) – as appropriate.
• Participating organisations

30. Follow up - impact
• Impact (effects, results, changes) on participating
individuals and organisations and other stakeholders
• Impact beyond the project, local, regional, national,
European
• Measurement – who, what, how

31. Follow up - dissemination
• Important in Erasmus+ - added value of EU funding, wider
reach and impact
• Communicating successes and results widely: for use by
others including other sectors; to influence policy; into the
future
• Measureable, realistic objectives
• Timetable
• Resource planning
• Involvement of target groups if possible

32. Follow up - dissemination
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Target audiences, different levels
Responsibilities, skills of team
Accessibility, media
Monitoring

33. Sustainability
• Of project activities and results
• Resources – financial, other (eg institutional support)

34. Budget (summary)
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Different activities: different funding levels and structures
Most payments conditional on justification in application
Unit costs and lump sums, with ceilings
Project management - 500 per month for coordinating;250
per month for participating (all)
• Transnational project meetings (must be justified) per
participant and distance travelled
• Intellectual outputs per day and staff role (manager,
researcher/teacher/trainer, technician, administrator)

35. Budget (summary)
• Multiplier events related to intellectual outputs: per local
and foreign participant
• Learning, teaching, training: travel by distance, and
subsistence per participant by day or month
• Linguistic support: lump sum per participant in 2 to 12
months mobility
• Special needs: actuals – costs included in application
• Exceptional costs: 75% actuals , subcontracted goods and
services which partners cannot provide

36. Project Summary
• Synopsis: to be used for publicity, uploaded to EC
dissemination platform
• Context
• Objectives
• Participants
• Activities
• Methodology
• Results, impact, longer term benefits
• Summary of participating organisations and budget

37. ECAS and PICs
• Need PIC http://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/how-to-apply
• HEIs ask Erasmus coordinator
• Other organisations: register on the European
Commission Authentication Service (ECAS), see
http://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/how-to-apply
• Log in to Participant Portal with ECAS account details,
see EC Participant Portal User Manual
• Register on the Unique Registration Facility (URF)
• You will receive a PIC.

38. Further information
• Call for Proposals and Programme Guide
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmusplus/index_en.htm
• UK NA website, www.erasmusplus.org.uk
• #erasmusplusuk – BC/Ecorys hashtag
• Erasmus Helpdesk (detail) erasmus@britishcouncil.org
• Examples of centralised projects under LLP
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/llp/project_reports/project_rep
orts_erasmus_en.php