Over EUR 10 million awarded to Finnish organisations for international Partnerships for Cooperation under Erasmus+

Programmes Erasmus+ Erasmus+ for adult education Erasmus+ for vocational education Erasmus+ for higher education Erasmus+ for youth work Erasmus+ for general education Internationalisation Education development

The funding decisions on applications for Erasmus+ Partnerships for Cooperation submitted in the spring application round have been made. Funding totalling EUR 10.4 million was awarded to Finnish organisations. The grants will be used to fund the development of education and projects on topics such as advancing sustainable development.

Viisi ihmistä pöydän ääressä suunnittelemassa.

Photo: Unsplash

Funding amounting to more than EUR 41 million was applied for in the spring 2023 application round for Partnerships for Cooperation under the Erasmus+ programme. Twenty-eight per cent of the applicants received funding. The largest amount of funding was awarded to higher education and general education.

Graph on the grants awarded on the spring 2023 application round.

A total of 54 Partnerships for Cooperation received funding. The funding awarded to large-scale Cooperation Partnerships amounted to EUR 9.2 million, which will be used to fund 32 projects. Grants amounting to EUR 1.2 million were awarded to Small-scale Partnerships and will be used to fund 22 projects.

The approval percentage of projects under Cooperation Partnerships was 25%, while it was 33% for Small-scale Partnerships.

- “It is delightful that there were several new actors which have not previously received funding for Partnerships for Cooperation under Erasmus+ among the organisations that received funding,” says Programme Manager Hannele Nevalampi from the Finnish National Agency for Education. “This way, the opportunities provided by the programme reach an increasing number of actors.”

One of the priorities of the application round was Ukraine

Erasmus+ Partnerships for Cooperation can be used for purposes such as networking and learning from others, development of the curricula and teaching methods, promotion of the use of digital tools and development of youth work.

The projects that were now awarded funding promote the green transition and take advantage of the opportunities digitalisation provides in education and youth work. Sustainable development is a visible theme in the projects in all of the sectors.

One of the priorities of this application round was Ukraine. There are two Ukraine-related projects among those that will be funded: one in VET and another one in higher education.

The project of the Seinäjoki Joint Municipal Authority for Education Sedu in VET supports Ukrainian refugees in finding a study place in VET. In the project in higher education, a Ukrainian higher education institution participates as a partner in a consortium led by Åbo Akademi University and aimed at promoting inclusion, participation of citizens and peace in the digital media. In addition, the target group of a project coordinated by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences is immigrant students and especially students who have fled the war in Ukraine.

The world situation is also reflected in the funded applications in other ways. Some of the projects that received funding in the field of youth focus on peace and supporting young people at difficult times. One project in general education also develops peace education to respond to the needs of general upper secondary education.

Funded projects promote topical themes diversely

The projects in the field of youth also include promotion of the mental health of young people and improvement of the entrepreneurial skills of young artists. The projects in VET develop international cooperation of art schools, smart learning environments and entrepreneurship education, among other things.

The approved projects in higher education cover a wide range of topics and fields of study. For example, they develop inclusion and diversity in SMEs, students’ entrepreneurship, physiotherapy in sports, use of learning analytics in supporting students, and nursing care of cancer patients.

Projects in general education advance inclusion and a sustainable way of living, increase appreciation for the cultural heritage and support the development of pupils’ and students’ digital skills.

Projects in adult education engage adult learners who are at risk of marginalisation and promote integration and entrepreneurial pathways of refugees and immigrants.

The number of applications doubled

Finnish actors were interested in Erasmus+ Partnerships for Cooperation. A total of 195 applications were received in the spring 2023 application round. Of them, 129 concerned large-scale Cooperation Partnerships and 66 Small-scale Partnerships.

In spring 2022, a total of 102 applications were submitted, so the number of applications almost doubled this year.

Autumn application round open

There will be a second round for applications for Partnerships for Cooperation in autumn 2023. Applications can be submitted for Small-scale Partnerships in all sectors and for Cooperation Partnerships in the field of youth. The deadline for applications is 4 October 2023.