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The Erasmus+ program is the European Union's flagship program for education, training, youth, and sport, aiming to promote mobility and transnational cooperation. Erasmus+ projects are open to EU Member States and associated countries (including some non-EU countries) and cover a wide range of target groups, including students, teachers, researchers, youth workers, and institutions.

Figure n.1 - Erasmus+ project logo.

To fully understand the broad scope and diverse opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ program, it is essential to understand its three main Key Actions (KAs) (KA1, KA2, KA3). Each KA is designed with specific goals and targets different types of beneficiaries and activities, collectively contributing to personal, professional, and institutional growth across Europe and beyond.

KA1 is the pillar of the Erasmus+ program focused on transnational mobility opportunities for individuals. Its primary purpose is to provide students, learners, trainees, and staff with the opportunity to learn, train, or teach in other countries. This contributes to personal and professional development and the acquisition of new skills and perspectives.

Key points of KA1:

Focus: movement of individuals for periods of study, traineeships, teaching, training, or volunteering.

Who can participate (as a beneficiary of funding): organizations (schools, universities, vocational training institutions, youth organizations, etc.) that submit projects to send or host participants. The funding goes to the organization, which then manages the mobility.

Types of activities (examples):

• Higher Education: Study periods (the classic Erasmus program), student internships, faculty and staff mobility (teaching or training).
• Vocational Education and Training (VET): Mobility for trainees, apprentices, and VET students, mobility for VET staff (courses, job shadowing, teaching).
• School Education: Student mobility (short or long-term), mobility of school staff (courses, job shadowing, teaching).
• Adult Education: Adult learner mobility, mobility of adult education staff.
• Youth: Youth exchanges, mobility of youth workers, youth participation activities.

Action KA2 is dedicated to transnational cooperation and innovation development. Its aim is to support the design, transfer, and implementation of innovative practices and collaboration between different organizations in all sectors of education, training, youth, and sport. It aims to create tangible, long-term results that go beyond individual mobility.

The main projects (sub-actions) include:

• Cooperation partnerships

  Objective: to strengthen collaboration between organisations across Europe to improve innovation and knowledge sharing.

  📆 Duration of the project: 12 to 36 months

  💰 Available budget: €120,000, €250,000 or €400,000

  Funding: covers staff costs, project management, travel, events and materials.

  Eligible applicants: public or private organisations in the fields of education, training, youth or sport.

  Minimum partnership: at least 3 organisations from 3 different Erasmus+ countries

  👉 Financial lines:

  VET (Vocational Education and Training)

  ADULT (Adult Education)

  SCHOOL (School Education)

  HE (Higher Education - University)

  YOUTH (Youth, youth organisations, NGOs)

  SPORT (Projects for the development of sport at local and European level)

• Small-Scale Partnerships (KA210)

  Objective: Reaching less experienced or less administratively capable organizations with narrower objectives.

  Partners: Minimum 2 organizations from 2 different countries.

  📆 Duration: 6-24 months.

  💰 Budget: Lump sum of €30,000 or €60,000.

• Partnerships for Excellence

  These projects aim to support excellence and innovation in specific sectors, with a focus on the recognition of qualifications and the development of centers of excellence.

  Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs):

  • Objective: Create cooperation platforms between VET providers, businesses, research centers, and local authorities to develop innovation and expertise at the regional level.
  • Sectors: Vocational Education and Training (VET).

  Erasmus+ Teacher Academies:

  • Objective: Provide professional development opportunities for teachers, strengthen the European dimension in teacher training, and facilitate mobility.
  • Sectors: School education and, in part, higher education (initial teacher training).

• Innovation Alliances

  Objective: to promote cooperation between higher education institutions, companies and vocational education providers to drive innovation and entrepreneurship.

  📆 Duration of the project: 24 to 36 months

  💰 Maximum budget: €1,000,000 or €1,500,000

  Funding: covers project management, training, research and technological development

  Eligible applicants: higher education institutions, vocational training centres, companies, research institutions

  Minimum partnership: at least 4 organisations from 4 Erasmus+ countries

  👉 Financial lines:

  VET (Vocational Education and Training)

  HE (Higher Education - University)

• Capacity building projects in the field of youth and education

  Objective: to support non-EU countries in modernising their education, training and youth work through international cooperation.

  Key features:

  📆 Duration of the project: 12 to 36 months

  💰 Variable budget: depends on the project and the number of partners, often between €100,000 and €400,000.

  Funding: Covers capacity building, training and knowledge sharing activities

  Eligible applicants: educational institutions, youth organisations, NGOs, public bodies

  Minimum partnership: at least 3 organisations from 3 different countries (including at least one non-EU country)

  👉 Financial lines:

  VET (Vocational Education and Training)

  ADULT (Adult Education)

  SCHOOL (School Education)

  YOUTH (Youth, youth organisations, NGOs)

  HE (Higher Education - University)
  
  

  Action	Involved sectors	Duration	Maximum budget/project
  Cooperation Partnerships	VET, ADULT, SCHOOL, HE, YOUTH, SPORT	12-36 months	125.000€/ 250.000€/ 400.000€
  Small-Scale Partnerships (KA210)	VET, ADULTS, SCHOOLS, YOUTH, HIGHER EDUCATION, SPORT	6-24 months	€30,000 / €60,000
  Alliances for Innovation	VET, HE	24-36 months	1.000.000€/ 1.500.000€
  Capacity Building	VET, ADULT, SCHOOL, HE, YOUTH	12-36 months	100.000€/ 400.000€

  Table n.1 - Types of the Erasmus financial lines.

KA3 is the program's most strategic action, aiming to support policy cooperation and system-wide reforms in the European Union. It focuses on promoting structured dialogue, gathering data and knowledge, and testing new policies.

Key points of KA3:

Focus: contribute to the development and implementation of policies and reforms at the European level, influencing the system as a whole.

Who can participate: often public authorities (national, regional), research centers, think tanks, large European networks, and organizations promoting dialogue with young people (e.g., "European Youth Together"). Many actions are centrally managed by the European Commission (EACEA).

Types of activities (examples):

• Policy Experiments: projects that test and evaluate the effectiveness of new policies on a small scale before possible wider implementation.
• Data Collection and Analysis: studies, surveys, and reports to provide evidence to support policy decisions.
• Stakeholder Dialogue: events, conferences, and platforms to facilitate discussion between policymakers and industry stakeholders.
• European Policy Instruments: support for tools such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Europass, and quality assurance systems.
• European Youth Together: projects that promote youth participation and dialogue between youth organizations at the European level.
• Objectives: contribute to the modernization and adaptation of education, training, youth, and sport systems to current and future challenges, based on data and evidence.

Objectives: Contribute to the modernization and adaptation of education, training, youth, and sport systems to current and future challenges, based on data and evidence.