Erasmus+

Erasmus+  is a new European Union (EU) programme for education, training, youth and sport for 2014-2020, adopted by the European Parliament on 19 November 2013. The budget for 7 years is 14.7 billion Euro.

Erasmus+ will reflect the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy and its flagship initiatives.

Main objectives:

• development of international mobility and cooperation in the areas of education, training, youth and sport;
• improvement of people’s skills, regardless of their age or background, and their employability;
• enhancement of attractiveness of European higher education; 
• modernisation of education, training, youth and sport systems both in Europe and beyond;
• development of youth capacity to actively participate in society;
• promotion of Eropean dimension in the areas of Programme activities.

Erasmus+ has brought together seven existing European and international initiatives such as the Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action, Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries, which were realising  during the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2007-2013).  The new action of sport supports grassroots projects. Combining several programmes into one provides more opportunities for cooperation in all spheres of Erasmus+ activity, as well as simplifies grant application procedures and makes funding more efficient and accessible.

Eligible Erasmus+ participants are devided in two categories: 

1) Participating Organisations - public and non-public entities, organising activities suppoted by the Programme: higher education, training, youth and charity institutions, private enterprises, NGOs etc.

2) Participants - individuals: students, trainees, apprentices, pupils, adult learners, young people,  volonteers, professors, teachers, trainers, youth workers, professionals in the fields of education, training, youth and sport, etc., involved in activities arranged by Participating oOganisations.
  
Only Participating Organisations can be applicants and beneficiaries for Erasmus+. Participants should be involved into programme activity through Participating Organisations.  

 Erasmus+ includes the following actions:

Ø  Key Actions:

 Action 1: Learning mobility of individuals – activities providing opportunities for individuals, both within the EU and beyond, to improve their skills, enhance their employability and gain cultural awareness, including study and training, traineeships, teaching and professional development and non-formal youth activities such as volunteering. Citizens of EU countries will be able to get education, undergo training or to teach at a higher education institution anywhere in the world, and students and teachers from non-European countries will have more opportunities for education, training and work in Europe. Mobility activities will be project-based and will need to be led by organisations. Individuals will no longer be able to apply.

Action 1 may support

• study period or work placement for students in Higher Education;
• vocational traineeships for apprentices and students in initial vocational training;
• youth exchanges;
• European Voluntary Service activities;
• professional development and training for staff in all sectors of education, training and youth.

Action 2: Co-operation for innovation and good practices – activities enabling organisations to work in strategic partnerships within and across countries and sectors to encourage the development and implementation of innovative practices in education, training and youth activities, to tackle common issues, and to promote employability, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Action 2 may support

• Strategic Partnerships established in the field of education, training and youth;
• Knowledge Alliances created to organise cross-cultural and cross-institutional learing in education and training institutions, and youth organisations, as well as to improve exchange of good practice;
• Sector Skills Alliances established in vocational institutions to organise sector and cross-sector cooperation, develop new skills and exchange of experience and innovative practices and methods.

In addition, within the framework of Action 1 and Action 2, there may be funded any initiatives aimed to develop innovative interaction between progammes in the spheres of sport, education, training and youth. 

Action 3: Support for policy reform – activities aimed at promoting and facilitating the modernisation of education, training and youth systems. This will cover support for policy reforms in EU MS and cooperation with non-EU countries with a focus on strengthening the evidence-base for policy making and exchange of good practices.

Action 3 may support

• Structured Dialogue between policy-makers and young people in the youth field;
• knowledge in education, training and youth fields, involving evidence gathering, analysis and peer learning (e.g. thematic, cross- and country-specific expertise, studies on policy issues and reforms; EU Presidency events, conferences and high-level meetings, etc.);
• prospective initiatives to anticipate innovative policies or prepare their implementation;
• cooperation with international organizations, such as OECD and the Council of Europe.

Specific Actions: 

Jean Monnet Activities - activities aimed at increasing knowledge of the processes of European integration through teaching, research and debate on topics related to EU history, politics, economics and legislation, and with the relationship between the EU and other regions of the world.

Sport - activities aimed at the development of grassroots sports and physical activity, sport volunteering, innovation cooperation in the fields of sport, health, education, training and youth in Europe, as well as tackling cross-border threats to the integrity of sport, such as doping, match fixing and violence, as well as all kinds of intolerance and discrimination. In addition, the event includes projects that promote progress in the European dimension in sport through the development of cooperation and harmonization in the field of management of mass sport at the international level.

More detailed information on the Programme, calls and regulations of participation are available on the web sites:  Erasmus+, The Education , Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACA), and Erasmus+ National Agencies.