Capacity Building for Higher Education (CBHE) projects

Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects in the field of higher education support the modernisation, accessibility and internationalisation of higher education in EU-external Partner Countries.

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Capacity Building projects are multilateral higher education development projects between Erasmus+ Programme Countries and over 150 Partner Countries.

The aim of Capacity Building projects is to improve the administration of Partner Countries' higher education, develop leadership and innovation capabilities, promote internationalisation and modernise education systems. At the same time, the projects promote regional and interregional cooperation.

In Capacity Building projects, Finnish higher education institutions can support the development of higher education in Partner Countries through cooperation and exchanging expertise and good practices. Higher education institutions can participate in

improving the quality of higher education in Partner Countries and its relevance to the needs of the labour market and society
developing new and innovative education programmes
developing higher education institutions' leadership and administration systems and their internationalisation
supporting authorities in renewing education policies.

What is the funding for?

There are two kinds of Capacity Building projects:

Joint Projects aim especially to develop the activities of higher education institutions in the Partner Countries
Structural Projects aim to develop higher education in the Partner Countries on a national level; Structural Projects must include the authority responsible for higher education in the Partner Country

The funding for an individual project ranges from 500 000 € to 1 million €. Eligible Partner Countries and the budget allocated for them will be specified in the annual call for applications.

The duration of the projects is at maximum 3 years.

Who can participate?

Countries eligible for Capacity Building projects are the EU's Programme Countries as well as Partner Countries from the following geographical regions: Western Balkans, EU's Eastern Neighbourhood, EU's Southern Neighbourhood, Russia, Asia and Central Asia, ACP countries (African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States), Latin America, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and South-Africa.

Projects are conducted by higher education institution consortia. A Capacity Building project must include at least

2 higher education institutions from two Programme Countries
3 higher education institutions from the Partner Country (in the case of a national project)
2 higher education institutions from each participating Partner Country, if more than one Partner Country
as many Partner Country higher education institutions as Programme Country higher education institutions
the Partner Country ministry responsible for higher education (in case of Structural Projects)

Additionally, many other actors such as enterprises, ministries, non-governmental organisations, research institutions and other organisations working with higher education are eligible for participation.

Erasmus+ Programme Participating Countries

Application forms and guidelines

Applications are processed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission. The organisation coordinating the Capacity Building project submits the application to EACEA which evaluates and selects the projects.

Application period

The last application round under the current programme period closed on 5.2.2020.
The next application round is expected in spring 2022.

Application round openings will also be announced on our EDUFI_HigherEd email list.

Join our EDUFI_HigherEd email list

Detailed application guidelines and other important materials

Detailed application guidelines, the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the call for proposals and the guide for applicants can be found on the Capacity Building website of EACEA.

Attachments

Restrictions in participation in Erasmus for certain partner countries (pdf, 201.63 KB)

Support for the applicants

The executive agency EACEA is responsible for the applications for the Capacity Building projects. EDUFI gives guidance and counselling to the applicants. We also organise an application guidance session after the application round has opened.

We also give guidance per email and over the phone. Please see our contact details at the end of this page.

For detailed application guidelines, application documents and all the necessary attachment, please see EACEA's web page (see the links above).

Information and support from EU-external National Erasmus+ Offices

27 Partner Countries in the EU's Neighbouring Area have a National Erasmus+ Office (NEO). NEOs can offer support for the application for projects that focus on the NEO's country.

Country-specific information about the partner country participation in the Erasmus+ Programme can be found on the Factsheets page.

Guidance for applicants

Tips for the application

There needs to be a justified need for a Capacity Building project in the Partner Country. Familiarise yourself with, for example, the Partner Country's higher education development strategies and other already funded projects and adapt your project to these.
Get to know the Capacity Building projects' country- and region-specific priorities for each project type. In order for your project to get selected, it must fit into the focus areas set by the European commission.
Familiarise yourself well with the materials and reserve plenty of time for the preparation of the application.
Keep in mind that the application is composed of the electronic application form and its many attachments. The most extensive part of the application is the attachment Detailed description of the Project.
Participate in EDUFI's application guidance sessions, about which we inform on these pages.
You can also get to know the ongoing and already finished Capacity Building projects, which you can find below under Results on this page.