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Call key data
Alliances for Education and Enterprises
Funding Program
Erasmus+ - Key Action 2 – Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions
Call number
ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PI-ALL-INNO-EDU-ENTERP
deadlines
Opening
05.12.2023
Deadline
07.03.2024 17:00
Funding rate
80%
Call budget
€ 62,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
Alliances for Education and Enterprises are transnational, structured and result-driven projects, in which partners share common goals and work together to foster innovation, new skills, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets.
Call objectives
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 (both initial and continuous), and the broader socio-economic environment, including research.
They also aim to boost the provision of new skills and address skills mismatches by designing and creating new curricula for higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET), supporting the development of a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets in the EU.
These partnerships shall implement a coherent and comprehensive set of sectoral or cross-sectoral activities, which should be adaptable to future knowledge developments across the EU.
To boost innovation, the focus will be on talent and skills development. Firstly, digital competences have become increasingly important in all job profiles across the entire labour market. Secondly, the transition to a circular and greener economy needs to be underpinned by changes to qualifications and national education and training curricula to meet emerging professional needs for green skills and sustainable development. Thirdly, the twin digital and green transition requires an accelerated adoption of new technologies, in particular in the highly innovative deep tech domains, across all sectors of our economy and society.
The objectives of Alliances for Innovation can be achieved by applying to one or both of the following Lots (an organisation can be involved in several proposals).
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Expected effects and impacts
Alliances for Innovation will be anchored in strategic and sustainable cooperation among vocational education and training, higher education and enterprises working together to boost the innovation capacity of Europe. They will considerably strengthen the synergies between both educational fields in fostering innovation, new skills, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind-sets. These Alliances among HE, VET and the enterprises are expected to contribute to the development of regional eco-systems and directly provide a valuable input to the economy, integrating work-based learning. While universities have research knowledge and data that allows them to directly provide input to small and medium sized enterprises to boost local economies, VET providers supply skills needed by enterprises and they are able to foster growth in the local economy.
At a larger scale, Alliances for Innovation are expected to target societal and economic challenges, both in education and employment, and take into account key areas such as innovation challenges, skills provision, climate change, green economy, demography, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Benefits can also be drawn from cooperation with large enterprises. The Alliances for Innovation will focus on the need of citizens and accelerate the modernization of HE and VET.
The Pact for Skills will not only establish a framework for the implementation of the other actions of the updated Skills Agenda, but also for the dissemination and exploitation of the project results of the Alliances for Innovation. In particular the results of the Blueprint Alliances for sectoral cooperation on skills will be used as a basis for the Pact for Skills sectoral large-scale partnerships.
In addition, the Alliances will help to implement the EU Communication on the Renewed Agenda for Higher Education and contribute to the creation of a European Education Area. They will also contribute to implement the new European Innovation Agenda and the EU Industrial and SMEs strategies (2021).
The Alliances for Innovation will also take into account the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Declaration on Climate Change as overarching parameters of the action, thus helping the European Commission to implement its new Green Deal and the Europe Recovery Plan. The Alliances will also contribute ideas to the New European Bauhaus initiative which aims to design new sustainable ways of living to meet the objectives of the Green Deal.
Alliances for Innovation are meant to have a short and long term impact on the wider range of stakeholders involved, at individual, organisational and systemic level. This impact is expected to go beyond the project's lifetime and beyond the organisations involved in the partnerships. It is expected that partnership and activities persist. For that, results/deliverables might not be stand-alone but be linked to/integrated into existing undertakings, schemes, projects, platforms, ventures etc.
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Expected results
Alliances for Education and Enterprises aim to foster innovation in higher education, vocational education and training, enterprises and the broader socio-economic environment. This includes confronting societal and economic challenges such as climate change, changing demographics, digitalisation, the emergence of new, disruptive (deep tech) technologies such as artificial intelligence and rapid employment changes through social innovation and community resilience, as well as labour market innovation.
Alliances for Education and Enterprises bring together enterprises and both higher education and vocational training providers to work together in partnership. Operating within one economic sector or several different economic sectors, they create reliable and sustainable relations and demonstrate their innovative and transnational character in all aspects. While each partnership must include at least one VET and one higher education organisation, they can address either both or one of these educational fields. The cooperation between VET and higher education organisations should be relevant and should benefit both sectors.
They intend to achieve one or more of the following aims:
- Fostering new, innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning: fostering innovation in education design and delivery, teaching methods, assessment techniques, learning environments and/or developing new skills;
- 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 (e.g. equity, inclusion, climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development);
- Stimulating a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial attitudes, mind-sets and skills in learners, educational staff and other workers, in line with the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp);
- Improving the quality and relevance of skills developed and certified through education and training systems (including new skills and tackling skills mismatches);
- 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.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Iceland (Ísland), Liechtenstein, North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Türkiye
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
Alliances for Education and Enterprises must cover at least 4 EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme, involving a minimum of 8 applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities). The consortium 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 HEIs), as applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities). There should be at least one HE institution and one VET provider involved as applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities) in each proposal.
Affiliated entities and associated partners do not count towards the minimum eligibility criteria for the consortium composition, and can not be coordinator.
The applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities, if applicable) must be:
- public or private organisations;
- 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, Intermediaries that represent education, training or youth organisations or enterprises, Accreditation, certification, recognition or qualification bodies, Chambers of commerce, industry or labour, chambers of skilled crafts, European or national social partners, Hospitals or other care institutions, including long-term care, Authorities responsible for education, training or employment at regional or national level, Employment services, National statistics offices, Economic development agencies, Sectoral or professional associations, Sector skills councils, Bodies providing career guidance, professional counselling, information services and employment services;
- established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme
Organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme may also participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities or associated partners, but not as coordinator, if their participation brings an essential added value to the project. Exception: organisations from Belarus (Region 2) and the Russian Federation (Region 4) are not eligible to participate in this action.
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.
other eligibility criteria
The available call budget is split between two calls: ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PI-ALL-INNO-EDU-ENTERP - ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants and ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PI-ALL-INNO-BLUEPRINT - ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants.
This action follows a lump-sum funding model. The amount of the single lump-sum contribution will be determined for each grant based on the estimated budget of the action proposed by the applicant. The amount will be fixed by the granting authority on the basis of the estimated project budget, evaluation result and a funding rate of 80%.
The maximum EU grant per project is:
- 1 million euros (2 years project)
- 1,5 million euros (3 years project)
Financial support to third parties in the form of grants or prizes is not allowed.
Volunteer costs are allowed. They shall take the form of unit costs as defined in the Commission Decision on unit costs for volunteers. SME unit costs for SME owners without a salary are allowed. They should take the form of unit costs as defined in to the Commission Decision on unit costs for SMEs owners.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
24 or 36 months
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted to the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).
Each applicant must be registered as follows:
- For actions managed by the Executive Agency, applicants, affiliated entities and associated partners must register in the Funding & tender opportunities portal (FTOP) and receive a Participant Identification Code (PIC). Organisations/groups that have already obtained a PIC through their participation in other EU programmes do not need to register again. The PIC obtained from this previous registration is valid also for applying under Erasmus+;
- For actions managed by National Agencies, applicants must if not already done, register through the Organisation Registration system https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc for Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps and receive an Organisation ID.
Applications must be complete containing all parts and mandatory annexes. Only clerical errors can be corrected after the submission deadline upon request of the managing agency for duly justified cases.
For actions managed by the Executive Agency, applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home. Applications (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided in the Submission System.
Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:
- Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
- Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
- Part C (to be filled in directly online, if any) containing additional project data
Applications (Part B) are limited to 40 pages for calls for low value grants (EUR 60 000 or below); 120 pages for calls with high value grants ( EUR 4 000 000) and 70 for all other calls. Evaluators will not consider any additional pages.
For actions managed by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, applications must be submitted electronically via the forms available in the Erasmus+ website and the websites of the Erasmus+ National Agencies.
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