Erasmus+

Erasmus+ is the European Union’s flagship programme for funding education, training, youth, and sport projects. Since its creation in 1987, Erasmus+ has helped millions of learners and educators across Europe to gain international experience, collaborate across borders, and improve the quality of education.  Its outstanding and increasing success makes it one of the most real efforts the EU has made to promote our schools’ internationalization and modernization.

Though it began with university student exchanges, Erasmus+ now reaches far beyond, supporting:

• Teachers and school staff
• Adult educators and VET trainers
• Youth workers and education leaders

It helps individuals grow professionally while helping organisations modernise and internationalise their work, enabling training courses, partnerships, job shadowing, and many other forms of mobility and cooperation.

Education professionals can benefit from this opportunity to learn new teaching best pratices, grasp innovative teaching tools, trade knowledge derived from different nationalities and cultures, and practice a foreign language. 

Within the Erasmus+ Program, the networking of schools has also greatly contributed to organize and carry out projects of international scale to promote innovation, implement medium and long-term strategies and share best practices at all levels of school organization.

📢 Why is Erasmus+ Important? It promotes:

• Innovation in education
• Intercultural understanding
• Inclusive and digital learning environments
• Long-term school development strategies

🏛️ Key Actions of Erasmus+ 2021–2027 | 4 Key Actions:

• KA1 – Learning Mobility of Individuals
• KA2 – Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions
• KA3 – Support to Policy Development and Cooperation
• Jean Monnet Actions – EU Studies and Research

Over 4 million educators and professionals’ mobilities been funded by Erasmus+ between 2014 and 2021 alone. The program gives the opportunity for participants to meet new colleagues from different cultures, and take part in international activities in the selfless search of innovative ways to improve the education of current young generations.

🔑 Your Mobility

There is no excuse not to start planning your next mobility project right away!
We provide Erasmus+ mobilities and are commited to support participants before, during and after their experience — ensuring they get the most out of their learning journey and enjoy it to the fullest. ▶ Let’s Talk!

🟦  Key Action 1 (KA1): Learning Mobility of Individuals

Key Action 1 provides a fantastic opportunity for individuals, allowing you to take international training abroad, in many European countries.

It’s also the most funded Action in the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program, revealing the importance of mobility in today’s EU.

Through KA1, teachers, trainers, and staff can:

• Take training courses abroad;
• Join job-shadowing experiences;
• Develop teaching practices with international colleagues;
• Improve language skills and cultural awareness.

As stated by the EU Commission, “The Actions supported under this Key Action are expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects on the participants and participating organisations involved, as well as on the policy systems in which such activities are framed (…) In the long run, the combined effect of the several thousands of projects supported under this Key Action is expected to have an impact on the systems of education, training and youth in the participating countries, thus stimulating policy reforms and attracting new resources for mobility opportunities in Europe and beyond.”

✅ Who can apply?

• Individual schools or organizations;
• A consortium of schools or organizations.

The calls for actions in this category will allow professionals (namely educators) to travel abroad for different purposes:

• Training for Education professionals – will allow teachers and other school staff members to take face-to-face courses abroad in the interest of professional growth. Courses abroad embody the motivation of developing professional skills whilst having a break from the routine of everyday work, with colleagues across the EU and beyond.
• Sharing of best practices – KA1 projects also create the opportunity for teachers to learn from different realities: to teach in a different country, in a different classroom, and to different students; or to assist a local teacher on their daily tasks and challenges. This is fit for educators who may benefit more from job shadowing opportunities.

🟧  Key Action 2 (KA2): Cooperation Among Organisations

Key Action 2 focuses on fostering collaboration and innovation to improve education, training, and youth work across Europe and beyond. It supports partnerships among organizations, institutions, and other stakeholders in the education, training, youth, and sport sectors. These partnerships aim to develop, share, and transfer best practices and innovative approaches. 

Key Action 2 projects can vary widely, from strategic partnerships aimed at promoting  educational quality, inclusion, digital transformation, and the creation and implementation of joint initiatives to foster cooperation, peer learning, and exchanges of experiences at international levels.

This Key Action supports, specifically:

• Partnerships for Cooperation, including Cooperation Partnerships and Small-scale Partnerships;
• Partnerships for Excellence, including Centres for Vocational Excellence and Erasmus Mundus Action;
• Partnerships for Innovation, including Alliances and Forward-looking projects;
• Capacity Building projects in the fields of higher education, vocational education and training, youth and sport;
• Not-for-profit European sport events.

✅ Who can apply? Only international networks of schools and organizations, who prepare a project proposal together.

KA2 aims to build inclusive, high-quality, and future-ready education across Europe and beyond. It funds joint projects between schools, training providers, NGOs, and institutions.

Interested in a joint partnership with Learning Together? Let’s collaborate!

>> New Erasmus+ Guide 

The new Program is dedicated to strengthening the actions of the previous successful Programme (2014-2020) and expanding its horizons.

According to the new Erasmus+ Guide, this programme “(…) strengthens its efforts to increase the opportunities offered to more participants and to a wider range of organisations, focusing on its qualitative impact and contributing to more inclusive and cohesive, greener and digitally fit societies”.  

This is mainly possible due to the significant increase in available resources. It has seen its budget almost double, from 14.7 to 26 billion euros, and it aims to fund 10 million mobility projects until 2027.

+Ambitious

It seeks to empower the strategic European dimension of institutions and organizations engaged. Most funding will be allocated to institutions that show a clear intention to develop their international dimension and to participate in European projects on a regular and unceasing basis.

+Open

It will dedicate special calls for applications for organizations unfamiliar with the Programme and/or with less resources and/or logistic capacities, assist them on the familiarization process, and break down into simpler projects easier to implement.

The openness scope also tackles the extension to new participants. The possibilities of professional skillset improvement will now reach and be available to pre-schools and kindergartens.

+Inclusive

The involment of special needs students it is on the Erasmus+ agenda for 2021-2027, this means the newly reformed budget now allocates funding and strongly didicates it to students with special needs (e.g., mobility funding for an accompanying person, or for the rent of special means for transportation).

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 Guide:

>> New Erasmus+ Guide

By section:
>> Part A: General information about the Erasmus+ Programme

>> Part B: Information about the actions covered by this guide

>> Part C: Information for applicants

>> Part D: Glossary of terms

The new Erasmus+ programme follows the general framework and guidelines of the three Key Actions (KA) for the education sectors (formal, non-formal and informal), which were already established in the previous Program.

In particular, Key Actions 1 and 2 (KA1 and KA2) will remain central to the school sector. Don’t forget, while Key Action 1 projects are promoted by single schools or a national consortium of schools, Key Action 2 are accessible only to international networks of schools and organizations, who prepare a project proposal together.

What are the main differences between the old and the new Erasmus+ programme?

Erasmus Accreditation for Key Action 1 (KA1) is a strategic addition introduced in the new Erasmus+ Program (2021–2027), specifically designed to benefit schools and educational organisations engaged in international mobility.

While the previous Erasmus+ programme already included accreditation schemes for vocational education and training (VET) and higher education, this updated version now extends the same structured opportunity to schools in the general education sector.

🟠 Why Is It Important?

• Is valid for 7 years;
• Signals trust and commitment to the Erasmus+ objectives;
• Officially recognises the school or organisation as a reliable and active promoter of international mobility;
• Is granted by the relevant National Agency of each country.

💯 What Are the Benefits?
Schools that successfully obtain Erasmus Accreditation enjoy significant long-term advantages, including:

• Stable and predictable access to Erasmus+ funding throughout the entire 2021–2027 program period;
• Simplified application processes in future calls for mobility funding;
• Faster evaluation procedures for each submission;
• No need to reapply for the same type of KA1 mobility every year.

📑 What Do Schools Need to Apply?

• Present a European Development Plan that outlines medium- and long-term goals for internationalisation and modernisation;
• Submit a strategic Erasmus Plan aligned with these goals;
• Commit to meeting the Erasmus Quality Standards, which ensure that each mobility activity is:
  – Well organised
  – Clearly structured
  – Inclusive and accessible
  – Designed to provide lasting impact for participants and institutions

(These quality standards apply to all areas of mobility implementation, from participant selection and preparation to monitoring, support, and follow-up). 

Participation in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ 

Participating in the Erasmus+ program has never been easier – but it still requires thoughtful preparation.

Please have a quick read of the following suggestions to maximize the outcome. Ensure your school’s application is well-planned, aligned with your needs, and technically sound.

1. Develop an Application;
2. Link Funding Requests to Real Needs;
3. Build strong cooperations;
4. Design and Submit your Project.

1️⃣ Develop an Application

Developing an application is not an instantaneous action, and it requires planning.

It is advised to:

• Assemble a small working group of interested staff members;
• Gain the support of school leadership and the broader school community;
• Assign tasks and responsibilities to better manage the technical and administrative aspects of the process.

2️⃣ Link Funding Requests to Real Needs

Before taking the first step in preparing the application, understand that every funding requests must be justified and, therefore, tied to real expectable expenses required for the duration of the mobility and other related needs.

Before you begin your application, make sure you:

• Clearly identify the specific costs associated with mobility (e.g. travel, accommodation, course fees, administration);
• Align these needs with your institution’s European Development Plan (EDP).

💡 The European Development Plan (EDP) is not just about one project—it reflects your school’s overall long-term vision for internationalisation and development. It ensures that your school’s Erasmus+ activities are coherent, strategic, and aligned with educational goals.

When your EDP is well-defined, following the school’s goals and criteria, designing an Erasmus+ application becomes much easier, as it naturally fits into your wider vision.

3️⃣ Build Strong Partnerships

These partnerships are central to your project’s success and should be based on shared values, mutual goals, and clear communication.

With your project concept drafted, the next step is to identify:

• An open Erasmus+ call that fits your goals;
• Suitable partner organisations—often schools or training centres in other EU countries.

4️⃣ Design and Submit Your Project

Once your team/taskforce and partner(s) are confirmed, you’re ready to create your project proposal. This step is easier if you’ve already:

• Learned the key Erasmus+ terminology;
• Understood basic project management and EU funding logic;
• Prepared a draft structure based on your EDP and school needs.

🖥️ Before submitting the application:

• Make sure your institution is registered in the Erasmus+ platform (you’ll need an OID — Organisation ID — formerly known as PIC) – e.g. Learning Together’s OID is E10201112;
• Collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to finalise the draft;
• Upload the final version to the official European Commission platform.

If you’ve already prepared the project’s key components (such as budget, objectives, management elements, implementation plan and communication outcomes), all you really have to do now is simply copy and paste the work that you’ve already prepared!

The better you plan ahead, the easier this phase becomes.

Here at Learning Together, we wish you the best of luck with your Erasmus+ journey —
and remember, we’re always here to support you at every step of the way!

ERASMUS+ KA1 & KA2 | OID: E10201112