Networks of schools and Vocational education and training institutions (VETs), ISCED 1 – 4, and/or higher education Institutions providing Teacher Training /Education should serve the purpose of giving an international aspect to the new Jean Monnet strand and allow exchange of good practices as well as experiencing co-teaching within a group of countries.

The activities will facilitate a common understanding on learning methodologies about European Union matters among practitioners working in different contexts, facing different challenges and constraints due the national legislations and the structure of the curricula.

Objectives of the action

The Jean Monnet Networks in other fields of education and training aim to offer support to schools & VETs, (ISCED 1 – 4), and/or higher education Institutions involved in Teacher Training /Education for boosting knowledge on how to teach European Union subjects, they will also give an international edge to the learning exercise.

Teachers’ exchange of knowledge (collaborative working on specific subjects and on methodologies, co-teaching experiences, common activities are the basis of the network activities. For example:

• Exchanging information on content and promoting results of methodologies applied;
• Enhancing cooperation between different schools/VETs (ISCED 1 – 4),  teacher training /education providers giving them international experience and a European standing;
• Exchanging knowledge and mobility for co-teaching;
• Fostering cooperation and creating a solid and sustainable knowledge platform among schools & VETs (ISCED 1 – 4), and/or higher education Institutions involved in Teacher Training /Education.

Which are the criteria to be met to apply for Jean Monnet Networks in other fields of education and training? 

Eligibility criteria

Who can apply?

The applicants (coordinator and full partners) must be:

• school, VET institution (ISCED 1 - 4) or Higher Education institution holding a valid ECHE, and providing initial and/or in service training to teachers of schools and/or VET institution (ISCED 1 - 4);
• established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme.

Consortium composition

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 6 applicants (coordinator and full partners) from at least 3 different EU Member States and/or third countries associated to the Programme.

The consortium must include:

• at least 4 schools and/or VET providers (ISCED 1 - 4);
• maximum 2 higher education institutions providing initial and/or in-service training to teachers of schools and/or VET institution (ISCED 1 – 4)

Affiliated entities do not count towards the minimum eligibility criteria for the consortium composition.

Duration of the project

Projects should normally last 36 months (extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment).

Where to apply?    

To the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)

Call ID: ERASMUS-JMO-2023-SCHOOLS-NET

When to apply?     

Applicants have to submit their grant application by 14 February at 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 

Applicant organisations will be assessed against the relevant exclusion and selection criteria. For more information please consult Part C of this Guide.

Setting up a project

Jean Monnet Networks in other fields of education and training must respect one or more of the following:  

• gather and discuss teaching methodologies for curricular and extracurricular activities;    
• collect and share good practices on learning about European Union subjects;  
• organise co-teaching and collaborative teaching experiences both via mobility or online.

The above can be done through:

• Production of documents and guidance for disseminating good practices;  
• Physical and on line meeting;
• Co-teaching and collaborative teaching. 

Expected impact

Quantitative

• number of beneficiaries by EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme / region

Qualitative

Jean Monnet Networks in other fields of education and training are expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects to general education and VET education (ISCED 1- 4) providing the participants knowledge about successful practices on bringing facts and knowledge about the European Union to pupils and students.

The Networks in other fields of education and training will increase opportunities for general education institutions and VET institutions to extend their activities integrating European Union content.

Activities supported under Jean Monnet Networks in other fields of education and training also aim to produce the following outcomes on participating organisations:

• increased capacity to integrate EU subjects in their activities;
• enhanced international exposure.  

Award criteria

Projects will be assessed against the following criteria: 

Relevance of the project (maximum score 25 points)

• The extent to which the proposal meets the objectives of the Jean Monnet action:
  • addresses EU Studies (as described in the introductory paragraph);  
  • enables teachers in schools to develop new skills;  
  • helps to exchange information and practices on what and how they make their learners become more knowledgeable about the EU;
  • facilitates mobility experiences of teachers to deliver co-teaching / co-tutoring with their partners;  
  • brings about a better understanding of the EU and its functioning;
  • enables teachers to introduce EU content in their activities.
• The extent to which the proposal reaches priority target groups:  
  • schools and VET providers (ISCED 1 – 4)
  • teachers
  • students

Quality of the project design and implementation (maximum score 25 points)

• Methodology: quality, novelty and feasibility of the proposal itself and the viability of its methodology.
• The extent to which the work programme:
  • is presented in a clear, complete and coherent manner, with due care taken to present the appropriate planning of preparation, implementation, evaluation, follow-up and dissemination phases;
  • demonstrates coherence with the project objectives and activities;
• The extent to which the resources assigned to work packages are in line with their objectives and deliverables.
• Monitoring and evaluation strategy.

Quality of the partnership and the cooperation arrangements (maximum score 25 points)

• Internal organisation of the partnership:
  • Pertinence and complementarity of the profile and expertise of participants involved in the activities proposed, in terms of European Union Studies (as described in the introductory paragraph) and in terms of the specific theme addressed by the proposal.
• Cooperation arrangements and distribution of roles, responsibilities and tasks.

Impact (maximum score 25 points)

• The expected impact of the networks having long lasting effects
  • on schools and VET providers:
    • increased capacity to teach on EU subjects;
    •  innovative content in the development of new angles of EU subjects at schools;
    • reinforced cooperation and capacity to connect with partners;
    • increased allocation of financial resources to teaching on EU subjects within the institution.
  •  on the  teachers directly and indirectly  involved in the networks:
    • Strengthening of their skills on EU issues and progress in delivering EU content in their activities.
• Dissemination and communication:  
  • The appropriateness and quality of measures aimed at disseminating the outcomes of the activities within and outside the institution involved in the networks:
    • raising awareness of activities and results, enhancing visibility of participants and organisations;
    • reaching out to groups outside schools and VET providers.
  • The extent to which the dissemination tools foreseen will reach the target audience via:  
  • media exposure (including social media, publications, etc.);
  • events.
• Sustainability and continuation: the proposal includes appropriate measures and resources to ensure that the project results and benefits will be sustained beyond the project lifetime.

To be considered for funding, proposals must score at least 70 points in total and at least 15 points in each award criterion. The ex aequo proposals within the same topic will be prioritised according to the scores they have been awarded for the award criterion “relevance of the project” and then “impact”. 

What are the funding rules?

This action follows a lump sum funding model. The amount of the single lump sum contribution will be determined for each grant based on the estimated budget of the action proposed by the applicant. The granting authority will fix the lump sum of each grant based on the proposal, evaluation result, funding rates and the maximum grant amount set in the call.

Maximum EU contribution per project is EUR 300.000

How is the project lump sum determined? 

Applicants must fill in a detailed budget table according to the application form, taking into account the following points:  

• The budget should be detailed as necessary by beneficiary/-ies and organized in coherent work packages (for example divided into ‘project management’, ‘training’, ‘organization of events’, ‘mobility preparation and implementation’, ‘communication and dissemination’, ‘quality assurance’, etc.);
• The proposal must describe the activities covered by each work package;
• Applicants must provide in their proposal a breakdown of the estimated costs showing the share per work package (and, within each work package, the share assigned to each beneficiary and affiliated entity);
• Costs can cover staff costs, travel and subsistence costs, equipment costs and subcontracting as well as other costs (such as dissemination of information, publishing or translation).

Proposals will be evaluated according to the standard evaluation procedures with the help of internal and/or external experts. The experts will assess the quality of the proposals, against the requirements defined in the call and the expected impact, quality and efficiency of the action. The lump sum value will be limited to a maximum of 80% of the estimated budget determined after evaluation.

Following the proposal evaluation, the authorising officer will establish the amount of the lump sum, taking into account the findings of the assessment carried out.

The grant parameters (maximum grant amount, funding rate, total eligible costs, etc) will be fixed in the Grant Agreement.

The project achievements will be evaluated on the outcomes completed. The funding scheme would allow putting focus on the outputs rather than the inputs, thereby placing emphasis on the quality and level of achievement of measurable objectives.

More details are described in the model Grant Agreement available in the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (FTOP).