Funding for Finland's global cooperation through the Erasmus+ programme

Programmes Global Cooperation Erasmus+ Erasmus+ for higher education Internationalisation Education development

Finnish actors have once again performed well in the 2024 application round for Capacity Building projects within the Erasmus+ programme, despite increasing competition. The interdisciplinary projects address key challenges of our time, such as bridging skills gaps, meeting the demands of digitalisation, and accelerating the green transition in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner.

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Photo: Felicity Tai / Pexels

The Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects cover higher education, vocational education, and sports. Their aim is to enhance the quality, impact, and accessibility of education, as well as to strengthen organisations' international cooperation. The projects also promote regional and cross-border collaboration and are based on the needs of partner countries.

Finnish higher education expertise delivers results

In higher education, a total of approximately €100 million in grants was distributed, involving participants from nearly 120 countries. About one-fifth of applications received funding.

Finnish higher education institutions are participating in 15 of the 151 funded projects, five of which are coordinated by Finnish institutions. Finnish universities continue to perform well in European comparisons, although the number of projects coordinated by Finnish institutions slightly decreased in comparison to last year.

In 2024, Finnish projects are geographically diverse, targeting regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Balkans, and Asia. Topics include equitable digital and green twin transitions.

Active collaboration is also underway with Ukrainian universities. Laurea University of Applied Sciences coordinates a project supporting the digitalisation of medical education in Ukraine. The average budget for higher education projects is €600,000, with a maximum duration of three years.

Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) has achieved exceptional success in securing funding over several application rounds. For 2024, HAMK received funding for Capacity Building projects in both higher and vocational education.

– "For a long time, we have strategically prioritised enabling competence development and improving education worldwide. This is why we have built long-term collaborations with higher education institutions, ministries, and other stakeholders in target countries. The projects now funded focus on supporting education reforms and collaboration in higher education, particularly emphasising vocational teacher training and bioeconomy. Themes of entrepreneurship, business cooperation, and sustainability are also strongly integrated," says Annukka Pakarinen, Research Director at HAMK.

Broad representation in vocational education

This was the third application round for Capacity Building projects in vocational education. Globally, 72 projects were funded with nearly €27 million.

Out of 299 applications, approximately one-quarter received funding. The projects aim to develop vocational education in non-Erasmus+ countries, improve alignment with labor market needs, and enhance staff competencies, institutional management, and quality assurance.

Finnish vocational education actors performed well, with five projects including Finnish organisations. One of these is coordinated by Häme University of Applied Sciences, focusing on developing sustainable forestry education in Tanzania and Zambia.

A new participant in Capacity Building projects is Helsinki Business College, which is involved as a partner in the Web 4.0 Entrepreneurship: Unveiling the Intelligent Web Ecosystem (UNVEIL) project. This initiative aims to enhance teachers' and students' skills to meet the demands of the digital world and rapidly changing labor markets.

2025 application round begins

The 2025 application round for Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects starts in November 2024. The action is administered by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) in Brussels.

The deadline for higher education applications is February 6, 2025, at 18:00 Finnish time. EACEA will host an information session for higher education on December 5, 2024, from 11:00 to 13:30 Finnish time. The vocational education application deadline is February 27, 2025.

The Finnish National Agency for Education will organise a preparation seminar for Finnish applicants on December 13, 2024, from 10:00 to 12:00. The event will be jointly targeted at CBHE and CB VET applicants.

Mika Saarinen, Director of the National Agency for Erasmus+ in Finland, encourages Finnish actors to remain active:

– "Finnish actors have strong capabilities for global cooperation and educational development. Finnish partners are highly valued as collaborators. This expertise should continue to be leveraged across all sectors and fields," Saarinen states.