This document provides guidance on applying for funding under Key Action 2 of the Erasmus+ programme. Key Action 2 supports strategic partnerships and knowledge alliances aimed at modernizing education, training, and youth work. It replaces previous EU programmes and has a simplified structure based on key actions. Strategic partnerships must involve organizations from at least three countries and can address themes like skills development, entrepreneurship, and increasing labour market relevance. The application process involves completing an online form with details of project objectives, activities, budget, and impact.

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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•
•
•
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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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•
•
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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