Projects coordinated by Finnish higher education institutions performed well in the Erasmus+ Capacity Building application round
The total amount of funding granted in the 2022 application round was approximately EUR 100 million. The total number of valid applications submitted by the deadline was 429, of which 33% were granted funding. As such, the total number of projects funded was 145, of which 19 involve Finnish higher education institutions.
Of the projects funded, 11 are coordinated by Finnish higher education institutions. The share of projects with Finnish coordinators was notably high, with Finnish organisations being the second-most active coordinators after Italian ones. The projects involved in this application round focused particularly on sub-Saharan Africa and, as in previous years, also on Latin America, Asia and the areas neighbouring Europe to the east and south. The budgets of individual projects range from EUR 400,000 to EUR 800,000.
Specific themes emphasised in Finnish Capacity Building projects
The themes of the Capacity Building projects of Finnish higher education institutions revolve around the development of education, digital competence, the health sector and sustainable development in particular.
Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) was granted funding for a three-year project entitled ‘Rehabilitation for all through digital innovation and new competencies (RADIC),’ which involves developing education in the health sector through digitalisation. The project's European partner comes from Germany, with the other partner organisations being based in Africa. The project has a budget of approximately EUR 800,000.
“For the past three years, JAMK’s Institute of Rehabilitation has been engaging in active networking and cooperation in Eastern Africa in the area of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Our shared interests have included the possibilities of digitalisation and innovative service models. We applied for this project because it will facilitate closer collaboration with key partners in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania in the area of developing competences for digital rehabilitation”, says expert Kari-Pekka Murtonen from JAMK.
“Applying for a Capacity Building project is a good idea once you have both partners and a common identified need. It is not just about offering our own expertise for the benefit of our partners, but about learning how to work together. Doing so also develops our own staff’s competence in operating in different international contexts and cultures”, Murtonen continues.
"As regards our partners, it is particularly important to renew their curricula so that future professionals and continuous learning products can meet the changing needs of societies. Digital rehabilitation is seen among our partners as an opportunity to solve current and future challenges in the health and social services sector”, Murtonen adds regarding higher education institutions’ motivation to participate in project activities.
Next application round in early 2023
The new programme period introduced some changes to Capacity Building projects, and funding can now be applied for in three different strands:
- fostering access to cooperation in higher education
- partnerships for transformation in higher education
- structural reform projects.
In addition, the programme has adopted a lump sum model for project budgets. While these changes have changed the project application process, they also enable new operators to participate in the programme.
The next application round for Capacity Building projects in the field of higher education will end in early 2023. Before this, the Finnish National Agency for Education will be organising an information event about the round for all interested parties in December 2022. The exact dates will be published during the autumn. The programme is managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). In Finland, information about the programme is provided by the Finnish National Agency for Education, which also provides support to applicants alongside the EACEA.