Erasmus+: Education

Erasmus+ is the EU's framework programme for education, education, youth, and sport (2021-2027). It has a budget of 26.2 billion euros for the 2021-2027 period. This represents an increase of more than 80% on the previous period.

Erasmus+ gives students and trainees opportunities to spend time abroad so they can acquire and consolidate skills, knowledge and competences that will enhance their employability. The programme also supports multilingualism and the development of a sense of European citizenship. Mobility programmes can be physical or virtual.

In addition to mobility, Erasmus+ also facilitates collaboration and the sharing of innovative knowledge and practices between higher education institutions and an extensive panel of public and private stakeholders in the fields of education, education, youth, and sport.

Overall, Erasmus+ has a significant international outlook, particularly in the field of higher education.

For its 2021-2027 programme, Erasmus+ will focus on developing knowledge to address major contemporary challenges, paying particular attention to three priorities: (i) diversity and inclusion, (ii) the digital and green transition, (iii) active European citizenship. Its activities will also support flagship initiatives such as European Universities, Centres of Vocational Excellence, and the European Student Card.

Erasmus+ is "a key component supporting the objectives of the European Education Area" (source: Erasmus + guide). The 41 European Universities created in 2019 and 2020 are part of this vision.

This action supports transnational mobility for learners and staff, enabling participants to acquire and use new skills, enhance their personal development and employability, improve their linguistic competences, and gain a greater sense of European citizenship and educational cooperation.

This action facilitates cross-sector cooperation, pedagogical innovation and relations between educational institutions and businesses. It also fosters cooperation with third countries.

There are three types of partnership:

Partnerships for cooperation, including Cooperation partnerships: sector specific or cross-sectoral projects to develop new pedagogical methods and practices.

Partnerships for excellence, which include:

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters: Masters level study programmes designed jointly by higher education institutions in Europe and other countries around the world,
• Teacher Academies: networks and communities of practice to improve teacher education in Europe.

Partnerships for innovation, which include:

• Alliances for innovation: transnational cooperation partnerships between key actors in education, higher education, professional education, the private sector, and research.
• Capacity building: transnational projects between EU countries and third countries, with a focus on modernising higher education systems through reform policies.
• Forward-looking projects: actions to foster innovation, creativity, and online participation, as well as social entrepreneurship, drawing on the priorities of the EU.

Key Action 2 also supports the organisation of European, not-for-profit, sporting events with the goal of promoting volunteering and social inclusion and encouraging the practice of sport and physical activity as a means of fighting against discrimination in sport.

This action supports policy cooperation at European level, contributing to the development of new public policies to facilitate the modernisation and reform of education systems in Europe.

It encourages European policy experimentation, and European and international level studies and surveys. It also supports transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications and promotes cooperation with international organisations such as the Council of Europe and the OECD.

Jean Monnet Actions promote teaching and research in the field of European studies. They can be implemented in any country around the world. They promote European Union studies and place particular emphasis on study and research on European integration. Their objective is to foster understanding of the place occupied by Europe in a globalised world, particularly in fields where the European perspective is not generally well developed (the study of medicine for example).

Various activities are supported:

• Jean Monnet Modules: short teaching programmes of at least 40 hours per year.
• Jean Monnet Chairs: teaching posts of at least 90 hours per year for individual university lecturers.
• Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence, which provide a central hub for high-level, expert  knowledge.
• Jean Monnet Networks, which aim at providing regular feedback on the most advanced and innovative practices in the fields of specific internal EU policy topic or foreign policy issues.
• Teacher Training (open to INSPE): professional development for teachers to foster improved knowledge and understanding of the European Union and its institutions in learners.

To find out more about Erasmus+, consult the 2PE Guide to European funding: