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Call key data
National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC)
Funding Program
Erasmus+ - Key Action 2 – Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions
Call number
ERASMUS-EDU-2024-NARIC
deadlines
Opening
18.09.2024
Deadline
17.12.2024 23:00
Funding rate
90%
Call budget
€ 3,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
This action aims to support NARICs in implementing the key EU and EHEA commitments in the area of recognition, in particular automatic mutual recognition and fair recognition practices for the qualifications of third-country nationals. They should aim to address the gaps identified in the Commission’s report to the Council on the implementation of the 2018 Council Recommendation on automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad, as well as the Bologna Process Implementation Report 2024, and full implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
Call objectives
The action will support projects working on the following themes and priorities:
- Higher Education - Reaching automatic recognition:
- Supporting the achievement of automatic recognition of academic qualifications;
- Transparent and fair recognition of qualifications of third-country nationals.
- Upper Secondary Education and Training (General School Education / Vocational Education and Training)
- Supporting the automatic recognition of qualifications;
- Transparent and fair recognition of qualifications of third-country nationals.
- Improving coordination and networking among the centres;
- Supporting capacity building activities for NARIC centres, including extension of competencies for VET qualifications.
Expected effects and impacts
- More consistent implementation of automatic recognition of qualifications, including micro-credentials, as an essential element of the European Education Area and the European Strategy for Universities;
- Improved links between quality assurance and recognition and fewer obstacles to the recognition of joint degrees;
- Broader application of automatic recognition of upper secondary qualifications including user- friendly online information service of upper secondary qualifications as well as extension of NARIC capacity and role to upper secondary education and training;
- Better equipped NARICs for designing and applying automatic recognition practices;
- More effective use of digital technologies, including artificial technology, to promote and improve automatic recognition practices;
- Improved cooperation between ENIC-NARIC centres on tools and working methods;
- Improved links and dialogue with policy-makers, higher education institutions and relevant stakeholders for accelerating automatic recognition;
- Smoother recognition of third-country qualifications, through a more even application of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, the UNESCO Global Convention of recognition of qualifications and the recognition of qualifications of refugees.
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Expected results
The activities that can be eligible for funding concern four types of projects. However, each submitted proposal can cover only one type of projects. Applicants are requested to mention inside their Application Form part B (under 1.1 section - Relevance – Background and general objectives) the type of project they are applying for.
Type 1 – Transnational cooperation projects: Achieving fair and transparent recognition procedures, especially automatic recognition (Higher Education and Upper Secondary Education and Training – School Education / VET)
Relevant activities included in this category of projects:
- Common guidelines and tools;
- Development of online and digital tools and learning material;
- Exploring the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence for credential evaluation and recognition;
- Countering diploma and accreditation mills, fraudulent qualifications and academic cheating services;
- Adaptation and use of existing EU tools including European Digital Credentials for Learning and European Qualifications Framework (e.g. for comparability statements);
- Development of interoperable databases on the comparability of qualifications, including third-country qualifications. Databases should be able to generate a statement of comparability free of charge, and where possible indicate procedures for recognition of qualification. To ensure interoperability, databases should follow the standards of the European Learning Model;
- Training seminars, conferences and meetings (online, physical and hybrid);
- Peer-learning activities; mobile taskforces with focus on specific issues;
- Working groups on medium- and long-term issues and prospects;
- Studies, research activities and reports;
- Information and dissemination seminars, promotion and other activities;
- Staff mobility;
- Information provision on VET qualifications.
Type 2 – Capacity building of the centres of the NARIC Network
This type of project will support the capacity building of one centre of the NARIC network that has been less active in cooperation projects to implement automatic recognition, to build competences in the upper secondary education and training school education and VET fields where appropriate.
Relevant activities included in this category of projects:
- Training seminars, conferences and meetings (online, physical and hybrid)
- Peer-learning activities
- Mobile taskforces with focus on specific issues
- Studies, research activities and reports
- Information and dissemination seminars, promotion and other activities
- Staff mobility
Type 3 - Annual joint ENIC-NARIC network meetings
Hosting the annual joint ENIC-NARIC networks meeting in 2026 and 2027
The action will support two NARIC centres in the organisation of the two Joint ENIC-NARIC annual meetings (one in 2026 and one in 2027).
The annual ENIC-NARIC networks meetings will bring together over 120 participants from the ENIC-NARIC networks in 2026 and 2027, respectively. They are hosted and organised by one of the NARIC centres (different each year), decided by the ENIC Bureau and the NARIC Advisory Board (EB/NAB). The meetings may include a two-day meeting programme, a presentation of the higher education system of the organising country, and preparatory meetings (EB/NAB and ELCORE).
Relevant activities include:
- Hosting of the events (venue, catering, reception, social programme strictly related to the meeting objectives);
- IT tools and digital coverage of the events (enabling hybrid meetings, recording, transmission of the event in social media, video, electronic voting).
Type 4 - “Technical Support Team” - Technical support and assistance to the ENIC Bureau (EB), the NARIC Advisory Board (NAB), to ELCORE and to the ENIC-NARIC Co-Secretariats
The Technical Support Team will be at the service and under the guidance of the EB/NAB, ELCORE and the ENIC-NARIC Co-Secretariats in the facilitation of new network activities that are in line with the priorities of the current call for proposals (topic 2) and with the new recognition initiatives. It will be responsible for developing training activities and regular upgrading and maintaining of the website of the network.
The Technical Support Team is not involved in any strategic decisions or policymaking, as this remains a competency of the EB/NAB, ELCORE and Secretariats. It will be in regular contact with the EB/NAB and will participate in the EB/NAB and in the ELCORE meetings. The work of the Technical Support Team will be guided by the EB/NAB, ELCORE and Secretariats and it will report on its work regularly at the EB/NAB and ELCORE meetings. At the first EB/NAB and ELCORE meeting after the establishment of the Technical Support Team, the Team should agree with EB/NAB, ECLORE and the Secretariats on the working methods, as well as on the annual work plan of the Team. The Technical Support Team will be accountable to the Commission through the grant agreement established with EACEA.
Once every year, the work of the Technical Support Team is internally evaluated by the EB/NAB and the Secretariats. The EB/NAB and ELCORE may propose adjustments of the work plan and working methods of the Technical Support Team within the limits of the grant agreement with EACEA. The selected NARIC responsible for the management of the Technical Support Team will share with EACEA and the Commission the result of the evaluation. The continuation of the work of the Technical Support Team will be decided based on the assessment of EB/NAB and the Secretariats.
Relevant activities of the Technical Support Team should include:
- Supporting the EB/NAB to build on the results of different ENIC-NARIC initiatives (project results etc.) to make these sustainable and widely used by the different centres, not only by those that were partners in the projects. It includes, among others, dissemination, keeping track of implementation – by collecting information, on the basis of which the EB/NAB may formulate suggestions and encourage future action;
- Maintenance and regular update of the ENIC-NARIC website so that it better reflects the priorities of NARICs and the objectives of the Council Recommendation on automatic recognition and the overall objectives of the ENIC-NARIC network (action foreseen may include elaborating a new concept and appropriate architecture for the website, creating a new visual identity, graphic layout, a new restricted area, new databases and other services);
- Developing (in cooperation with and under the strategic guidance of EB/NAB) web-based training activities for the ENIC-NARIC network and for credential evaluators at education institutes, disseminate and regularly update it;
- Updating of tools that facilitate the work and communication among ENIC/NARIC centres;
- Organising and hosting trainings, workshops and events to support the network, and improve recognition practice;
- Providing administrative and logistic support for the organisation of online training courses;
- Ensuring the daily management and maintenance of the revamped website;
- Gathering, organising and disseminating information about recognition (projects, databases, events, etc.);
- Disseminating of the results of relevant NARIC projects financed so far in the framework of Erasmus+;
- Supporting under the guidance of the EB/NAB, ELCORE and Secretariats the organisation of the ENIC-NARIC Annual joint meeting and of the Annual NARIC meeting. This will imply also preparation of documents, minutes taking, logistics arrangements.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Andorra, Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Liechtenstein, Montenegro (Црна Гора), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
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
No
Project Partnership
Eligible applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities, if applicable):
In order to be eligible, applicants must be public or private legal entities, representing:
- the European Network of Information in the European Region (ENIC) or the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) in all eligible countries where they are located;
- Organisations established in EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme contributing to the promotion and implementation of fair, transparent or automatic recognition, including of upper secondary education and training qualifications – general school education and VET, for example Quality Assurance Agencies.
Eligible coordinators:
NARIC centres
Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions, etc. Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
Proposals must be submitted in line with the following conditions:
- Type 1 (transnational cooperation projects): Minimum three NARIC centres;
- Type 2 (capacity building): It may involve only one NARIC centre;
- Type 3 (joint ENIC-NARIC annual meetings): One NARIC centre for the organisation of each ENIC-NARIC Annual Meeting (in 2026 and 2027), as decided by the ENIC Bureau and the NARIC Advisory Board (EB/NAB);
- Type 4 (technical support team): minimum two NARIC centres.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases
Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self-employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible).
Countries currently negotiating association agreements — Beneficiaries from countries with ongoing negotiations for participation in the programme (see list of participating countries above) may participate in the call and can sign grants if the negotiations are concluded before grant signature and if the association covers the call (i.e. is retroactive and covers both the part of the programme and the year when the call was launched).
Maximum EUR 300 000 per project (Type 1 – Transnational cooperation projects, indicative number of projects to be funded: 6)
Maximum 100 000 EUR per project (Type 2 - Capacity Building, indicative number of projects to be funded: 4)
Maximum EUR 100 000 per project (Type 3 - Annual ENIC-NARIC meetings, number of projects to be funded: 2)
Maximum EUR 500 000 per project (Type 4 - Technical Support Team, number of projects to be funded: 1)
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 months
Additional Information
Proposals must be submitted before the call deadline (see timetable section 4).
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the: Topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section. Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System ( NOT the documents available on the Topic page — they are only for information).
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 — contains additional project data and the project’s contribution to EU programme key performance indicators (to be filled in directly online)
- − mandatory annexes and supporting documents (templates available to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded):
- detailed budget table
- CVs (standard) of core project team
- activity reports of last year: not applicable
- list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years) (template available in Part B)
- Designation letter (applicable only for topic 1, where needed, as specified in section 6)
Your application must be readable, accessible and printable. Proposals are limited to maximum 70 pages. Evaluators will not consider any additional pages.
Call documents
ERASMUS-EDU-2024-EHEA-NARIC Call documentERASMUS-EDU-2024-EHEA-NARIC Call document(587kB)
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