Alliances for education and enterprises

Two types of cooperation projects are envisaged within the Alliance for Innovation:

  1. Lot 1: Alliances for Education and Enterprises;
  2. Lot 2: Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills.

Alliances for Innovation aim to strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity by boosting innovation through cooperation and flow of knowledge among higher education, vocational education and training and the broader socio-economic environment, including research.

Additionally, they aim to support the development of new skills and address skills mismatches by designing and creating new curricula for higher education and vocational education and training, supporting the development of a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets in the EU.

Alliances for Education and Enterprises

Alliances for Education and Enterprises are two-year or three-year transnational projects that are implemented in cooperation between higher education institutions, VET providers, public sector, enterprises, non-governmental organisations, etc

In these projects partners share common goals and work together to foster innovation, new skills, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets.

The cooperation between VET and higher education organisations should be relevant and should benefit both sectors.

Projects of this type tend to achieve the following goals:

  • Fostering new, innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning;
  • Supporting skills development in the deep tech domains; supporting Europe’s innovation capacity by broadening its talent pool in these new, disruptive technologies;
  • Fostering the setting up of incubators within education and training institutions across Europe
  • Fostering corporate social responsibility;
  • Stimulating a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial attitudes, mind-sets and skills in learners, educational staff and other workers;
  • Improving the quality and relevance of skills developed and certified through education and training systems;
  • Facilitating the flow and co-creation of knowledge between higher education and vocational education and training, research, the public sector and the business sector;
  • Building and supporting effective and efficient higher education and vocational education and training systems, which are connected and inclusive and contribute to innovation.
Types of activities

Activities supported within the Alliances for Education and Enterprises projects are:

  • boosting innovation,
  • developing a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets, competences and skills,
  • stimulating the flow and exchange of knowledge between higher education, VET, enterprises and research,
  • identifying resilience-related, market needs and emerging professions.
Consortium composition

Public or private organizations from the EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme (formerly known as Programme countries), as well as from third countres not associated to the Programme can participate in these projects: higher education institutions, VET providers, networks of VET providers, small and medium-sized or large enterprises (including social enterprises), research institutes, non-governmental organisations, public bodies at local, regional or national level, organisations active in education, training and youth, etc.

Any applicant (coordinator) and full partner legally established in an EU Member State or a third country associated to the Programme can be the applicant. This organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project. Organisations from Serbia can participate as coordinators or as partners.

Alliances for Education and Enterprises must cover at least 4 EU Member States and/or third countries associated to the Programme, involving a minimum of 8 applicants (coordinator and full partners). The partnership must include at least 3 labour market actors (enterprises or companies, or representative intermediary organisations, such as chambers, trade unions or trade associations) and at least 3 education and training providers (VET and/or HEIs), as applicants (coordinator and full partners). There should be at least one HE institution and one VET provider involved as applicants (coordinator and full partners) in each proposal.

Affiliated entities do not count towards the minimum eligibility criteria for the consortium composition.

Higher education institutions established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE). An ECHE is not required for participating HEIs in third countries not associated to the Programme

Organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme may also participate as full partners but not as coordinator. However, organisations from Belarus and the Russian Federation are not eligible to participate in this action.

Project duration

Projects should last 24 or 36 months.

Funding rules

The maximum amount of the grant for two-year projects is 1.000,000 euros and 1,500,000 euros for three-year projects.

This action follows a lump sum funding model. The budget should be detailed as necessary by beneficiary/-ies and organised in coherent work packages (for example divided into ‘project management’, ‘training’, ‘organisation of events’, ‘mobility preparation and implementation’, ‘communication and dissemination’, ‘quality assurance’, etc.).

The grant can cover staff costs, travel and subsistence costs, equipment costs and subcontracting as well as other costs (such us dissemination of information, publishing or translation).

More details about the Alliances for Education and Enterprises can be found in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide on the website of the European Commission.

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