In this blog, we talk about the main features of Key Action 1 for vocational, school, and adult education. If you would like to send your staff or learners for free to courses like the ones we offer in Ireland, Tenerife or Poland you have 5 weeks to apply! The deadline is 11 May.

About the Erasmus+ programme 

Erasmus+ is the EU Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the period 2021-2027.The Programme has an overall indicative financial envelope of more than 26 billion EUR of the EU Budget for the seven years.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The general objective of the Programme is to support, through lifelong learning, the educational, professional and personal development of people in education, training, youth and sport, in Europe and beyond, thereby contributing to sustainable growth, quality jobs and social cohesion, to driving innovation, and to strengthening European identity and active citizenship.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The Programme has the following specific objectives:

• promote learning mobility of individuals and groups, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion and equity, excellence, creativity and innovation at the level of organisations and policies in the field of education and training;
• promote non-formal and informal learning mobility and active participation among young people, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of organisations and policies in the field of youth;
• promote learning mobility of sport staff, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of sport organisations and sport policies.

PRIORITIES OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

• Inclusion and Diversity 
• Digital Transformation
• Environment and fight against climate change 
• Participation in democratic life

THE STRUCTURE OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME:

KEY ACTION 1 – MOBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS

Deadlines for KA1 projects

Online applications can be found here.

Official application rules are here.

• Mobility of learners and staff: opportunities for pupils, students, trainees and young people, as well as for professors, teachers, trainers, youth workers, sport coaches, staff of education institutions and civil society organisations to undertake a learning and/or professional experience in another country;
• Youth Participation Activities: youth-led local and transnational initiatives run by informal groups of young people and/or youth organisations to help young people engage and learn to participate in democratic life, raising awareness about European Union common values and fundamental rights, bringing together young people and decision makers at local, national and European level, as well as contributing to European Union common goals;
• Discover EU Activities: action offering 18-years-old young people the opportunity to have a first-time, short-term individual or group experience travelling throughout Europe in the frame of an informal educational activity aimed at fostering their sense of belonging to the European Union and discovering its cultural diversity.

KEY ACTION 1 in detail

TYPES of KA1 projects

Short-term projects

• Provide applicant organisations with an opportunity to organise various mobility activities over a period of 6 to 18 months.
• Short-term projects are the best choice for organisations trying Erasmus+ for the first time, or for those that wish to organise only a limited number of activities.
• Within a period of any five consecutive call years, organisations may receive
  a maximum of three grants for short-term projects in vocational education and training. Grants received in the 2014-2020 period do not count towards this limit.
• An application for a short-term project can include a maximum of 30 participants in mobility activities. Preparatory visits and participation of accompanying persons will not count towards this limit.
• AWARD CRITERIA – Submitted applications will be assessed by assigning points out of a total of 100. To be considered for award, applications must pass the following thresholds:
  • At least 60 out of the total 100 points, and
  • At least half of the maximum score points in each of the three award criteria categories
• DEADLINES:
  • Round 1 for all National Agencies: 11 May at 12:00 CET
  • Round 2 for National Agencies that decide to open a second deadline: 5 October at 12:00 CET
• PROJECT START DATES. Projects can choose the following start dates:
  • Round 1: between 1 September and 31 December of the same year
  • Round 2: between 1 January and 31 May of the following year
• PROJECT DURATION. From 6 to 18 months
• PROJECT SCOPE: 30 participants

Accredited projects

• Projects are open only to organisations holding an Erasmus accreditation in the field of vocational education and training, school education or adult education.
• This special funding strand allows accredited organisations to regularly receive funding for mobility activities that contribute to the gradual implementation of their Erasmus Plan.
• Erasmus accreditations are open to all organisations that seek to organise mobility activities on a regular basis. Previous experience in the Programme is not required to apply.
• Applications are based on the previously approved Erasmus Plan, so a detailed list and description of the planned activities is not required. Instead, the applications focus on estimating the budget needed for the next set of activities.
• DEADLINE: 11 May at 12:00 CET
• PROJECT START DATE: 1 September of the same year
• PROJECT DURATION: All accredited projects will have an initial duration of 15 months. After 12 months, all beneficiaries will have the possibility to prolong their project to a total duration of 24 months
• PROJECT SCOPE: no limits of a number of participants

Good luck!