Record-breaking interest in Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships for Higher Education

Programmes Higher education Erasmus+ Erasmus+ for higher education Internationalisation Education development

The spring 2025 call for Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships showed that the Finnish higher education sector has a strong interest in international cooperation and the development of education. The Finnish National Agency for Education received a total of 63 applications, one of which was withdrawn during the call. This is the largest number of applications in the higher education sector ever. Funding was granted to six high-quality projects, three of which include Ukrainian partners.

Photo: Statistics from Cooperation partnership application round 2025

Number of applications increased significantly

The call ended on 5 March 2025, and the number of applications received was approximately 40% higher than the year before. Of the applications, 49 were for EUR 400,000 and 13 were for EUR 250,000. Three applications were rejected on the basis of the checks carried out on the applications.

The total amount of funding applied for was EUR 22.85 million, but due to the available budget only six projects could be granted funding. The total amount of funding granted was EUR 1.95 million, and the acceptance rate was low, with only 9.7% of the applications being approved. This is indicative of not only fierce competition but also the high quality of the applications: the lowest approved score was 91.

Higher education institutions highly active

Applications were submitted by a total of 28 different higher education institutions. Universities of applied sciences were once again more active applicants than universities: 42 of the applications were coordinated by universities of applied sciences, while 20 were coordinated by universities. Of the projects that were granted funding, four are coordinated by universities while two are coordinated by universities of applied sciences. The number of applications submitted in Finland speaks for the interest and readiness of Finnish higher education institutions to serve as coordinators of higher education development projects.

The approved projects will start in September–December 2025 and involve a wide range of international partners: higher education institutions, companies, NGOs and other stakeholders.

In addition to these projects, Finnish higher education institutions are also partners in Cooperation Partnerships funded by other countries and sectors.

International cooperation and support for Ukraine

In the 2025 call, it was possible for projects to include partners from three regions outside the Erasmus+ Programme, namely the Western Balkans, Neighbourhood East and South-Mediterranean countries. One of the programme's priorities is to support cooperation between European and Ukrainian higher education institutions. Although none of the projects that were granted funding designated Ukraine as a priority, three of the projects include Ukrainian partners. This shows the commitment of Finnish higher education institutions to supporting the Ukrainian higher education sector in a difficult situation.

Priorities: pedagogy, digitalisation and the green transition

Cooperation Partnerships are required to define one to three priorities. The applications received this year highlighted the following themes in particular:

Innovative learning and teaching practices (41 applications)
Digital transformation and capability development (28 applications)
Strengthening digital and green capabilities (21 applications)

While these themes are strongly represented in the funded projects, they have other priorities as well. Two of the projects have both inclusion and diversity and digital transformation as their priorities. Half of the funded projects included sustainable development themes ranging from combating climate change to strengthening green capabilities. Through Cooperation Partnerships, higher education institutions contribute to the objective of the Erasmus+ Programme of building more comprehensively sustainable and inclusive European higher education.

Funded projects

HAAGA-HELIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, COOL-APA, Collaborative online and onsite learning in Adapted Physical Activity, COOL-APA
UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND, Nature Restoration - challenges and opportunities for future landscape specialists, FutureLand
SAVONIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, Trauma-informed teaching, STEP
UNIVERSITY OF OULU, Scalable Socio-Technical System Simulation in Manufacturing, 4SiM
UNIVERSITY OF OULU, English for Specific and Academic Purposes for Supporting University Sustainability Teaching and Innovation, ESAP4SUSTAIN
UNIVERSITY OF TURKU, Experiential Quantum Mechanic, ExQuMe

Next call

The next call for Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships is expected to launch at the end of 2025 and end in spring 2026. More detailed information on the timetables and application webinars will be published on the Cooperation Partnerships for Higher Education website and on the Finnish National Agency for Education's International Higher Education Cooperation mailing lists.