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EU programme for education, training, youth and sport

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Capacity building (higher education)

Aim

Capacity-building projects in the field of higher education are transnational cooperation projects, based on multilateral partnerships.

These partnerships are primarily between higher education institutions from "EU Member states or countries associated to the Programme" and "third countries not associated to the Programme". (Read about eligible countries for the difference between these).

The aim of these projects is to support eligible third countries not associated to the Programme to

  • modernise, internationalise and increase access to higher education
  • address the challenges facing their higher education institutions and systems
  • increase cooperation with the EU
  • voluntarily converge with EU development in higher education
  • promote people to people contacts, intercultural awareness, and understanding

This is carried out in the context of the policy defined by two complementary financing instruments:

Opportunity

Erasmus+ provides the opportunity for organisations from eligible Partner Countries, mainly higher education institutions (HEIs), to promote cooperation through actions that:

  • improve the quality of higher education and its alignment with labour market needs
  • improve the level of skills in HEIs through new education programmes
  • strengthen the capacity of management, governance, and innovation, as well as internationalisation
  • build the capacity of national authorities to modernise their own higher education systems
  • foster regional integration and cooperation across different regions of the world

Projects typically focus on one of three main activities:

  • curriculum development activities
  • modernisation of governance and management of HEIs and systems
  • strengthening of relations between higher education and the wider economic and social environment

Organisations can choose from three project strands:

  •  Strand 1: Fostering access to cooperation in higher education, which are designed to cater for newcomers to the programme, less involved countries/regions, and for disadvantaged targeted groups (i.e. through modernisation of management/administrative capacity, increase of the accessibility of students/staff with fewer opportunities, etc).
  • Strand 2: Partnerships for transformation in higher education, which aim to have a large and wider impact on innovation, university/business relations and institutional governance
  • Strand 3: Structural reform projects, which focus on the macro level of policy reforms required to foster internationalisation and require the involvement of education authorities and ministries

Rules and eligibility

Please consult the respective page on the Programme Guide for

  • the number and profile of participating organisations
  • funding rules and budget
  • other important information on award criteria and eligibility

Related calls

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