Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships (KA220-HED) improve the quality of higher education. The aim of Cooperation Partnerships is to enable organisations to develop and strengthen their partner networks and to increase international cooperation and the internationalisation of their activities. In Cooperation Partnerships, organisations can share ideas and develop new practices and methods. Cooperation Partnerships are a continuation of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships funded during the previous programme period 2014–2020.

Objectives

The objective of Cooperation Partnerships is to support internationalisation and the quality of higher education. The projects are also linked to achieving the objectives of the European Education Area. Inclusion and diversity, environmental sustainability and digital dimension are central aspects both in the content of the projects and in the working methods. 

 

In addition, the objective of Cooperation Partnerships is to

  • support networking, innovation, participation and digitalisation in higher education.
  • encourage deeper and multidisciplinary cooperation also with new partners.
  • increase links between education, research and innovations.
  • enhance participation, mobility, digitalisation, lifelong learning, quality assurance in higher education and automatic recognition of studies.

You will find more detailed descriptions of the objectives and priorities of Cooperation Partnerships in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

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What is funding available for?

Diverse cooperation is possible under Cooperation Partnerships. The activities in each project are selected on the basis of the objectives that have been set, and activities such as the following are possible:

  • development of teaching methods, curricula and joint degree programmes and development of teaching materials and tools
  • learning, teaching and training events
  • promotion of open and flexible forms of learning, including virtual mobility
  • development of students’ working life skills through traineeship programmes and real assignments completed in the world of work
  • cooperation with local and regional actors
  • development of methods and tools for student counselling
  • dissemination of results

The products and results of the projects must be innovative and sustainable also outside the group of partners. It is important to utilise and disseminate these results and make the products openly available after the project.

The duration of a Cooperation Partnership is 12–36 months. The Erasmus+ grant awarded to the project is EUR 100,000–400,000.

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Who can participate?

At least three organisations from three Programme Countries must be involved in a Cooperation Partnership. All public and private sector organisations working with higher education can participate in Cooperation Partnerships:

  • higher education institutions
  • companies
  • NGOs
  • authorities
  • research institutes

Any organisation working in a Programme Country may act as the coordinator of the project. All higher education institutions participating in Cooperation Partnerships must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

Cooperation with organisations outside the Programme Countries is possible if it is justified from the point of view of the project and brings the necessary expertise and added value to the project. Remember to describe this added value clearly in the application. Through the link below, you will find a list of both the Programme Countries and the Partner Countries.

In addition, associated partners contributing to specific activities in the project may also be involved in Cooperation Partnerships. No funding is awarded to associated partners.

In Cooperation Partnerships, cooperation may also be carried out on themes concerning different levels of education and the youth sector (projects concerning several target groups, i.e. so-called cross-sectoral projects). Shared themes include student counselling and guidance or the development of key skills. The objectives, content and output determine the sector to which the application will be addressed.

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Instructions and forms for applying

The organisation coordinating the Cooperation Partnership will draw up the application and submit it to the Erasmus+ National Agency of its country. The National Agency in Finland is the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). In the application form, the code for Cooperation Partnerships in higher education is KA220-HED.

Application deadline

The 2021 call for proposals ends on Thursday, 20 May 2021 at 13.00 Finnish time (12.00 CET).

The opening of the call will also be announced through EDUFI’s EDUFI_HigherEd mailing list.

The basic principles of Cooperation Partnerships and the funding rules have been described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. In Finland, there are no separate national priorities for applying for Cooperation Partnerships (KA220-HED) in higher education.

The organisation code (OID) of each participating organisation is required in the application form. Also, check that the project partners' OIDs are correct and valid. See the links below for more detailed instructions.

Sample application form
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Support for applicants

EDUFI provides advice to applicants of Cooperation Partnerships. During the call, we will organise information events for applicants and also provide advice by email and over the telephone. See our contact information at the bottom of the page!

  • Participate in information webinars organised for applicants by EDUFI. The material of the webinars will be available on the webinar website after the event.
  • In the electronic application portal, select the right application form according to your sector (higher education, adult education, vocational education and training, general education or youth). If the project is a cross-sectoral project, the objectives and the content determine which sector the application should be addressed to (higher education, adult education, vocational education and training, general education or youth).

Information webinars for applicants of the spring 2021 call for Cooperation Partnerships:

  • Project planning I: Cooperation Partnerships 10.00–12.00 on Wednesday, 14 April  
  • Application form and budget I: Cooperation Partnerships 14.00–16.00 on Thursday, 29 April 
  • Question Time 14.00-15.00 on Friday, 7 May 

In addition, one information webinar will be organised in English:

  • Cooperation Partnerships Information webinar 14.00–16.00 on Tuesday, 20 April
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Selection procedure

  • Independent external experts evaluate the applications using the evaluation criteria described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
  • EDUFI makes the grant decisions on the basis of the evaluations made by the external experts.
  • The applicants will be informed of the decisions in October.
  • The projects will be launched between 1 November 2021 and 28 February 2022.

Award criteria

  • relevance of the proposal from the point of view of the call (max. 30 points)
  • quality of the project design and implementation (max. 20 points).
  • quality of the partnership and the cooperation arrangements (max. 20 points)
  • impact, sustainability and distribution of results (max. 30 points)
Evaluation guide for Erasmus projects (to be updated later)
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Results of calls for proposals

The Strategic Partnerships funded during the programme period 2014–2020 can be found in the files below.

In addition, you can familiarise yourself with the projects funded under Erasmus+ and their results on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. The Strategic Partnerships in the field of higher education in the programme period 2014–2020 can be found with the project code KA203 and with the project code KA226 of the 2020 additional call for proposals.

News on calls for proposals

Lists of accepted projects 2014–2020
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Project management

Instructions and material for the management of Strategic Partnerships (projects awarded 2014–2020) can be found on EDUFI’s website Administration of Strategic partnerships (KA2).

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Experiences

Read about participants’ experiences of Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships (during programme period 2014–2020).

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Contact us

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