Erasmus+ Frequently Asked Questions October 2013 1. Why is there a need for a new programme? Why are the current programmes disappearing? 2. Why is Erasmus+ at proposal stage? What does this mean? 3. Why is it called Erasmus+? Who proposed the name? 4. What consultations have taken place? 5. Will there be a UK consultation on the proposals? How can I register my view? 6. Is the programme just for Higher Education (HE) like the current Erasmus programme? 7. Which countries will be eligible to participate in Erasmus+? 8. What sort of projects will be funded under the new programme? 9. What are the different Key Actions? 10. Who will be eligible to apply for funding? 11. How will the funds be allocated? 12. Will there be support for adult education? 13. Will there be support for Schools? 14. Will there be support for Vocational Education and Training (VET)? 15. Will there be support for Higher Education? 16. Will there be support for Youth organisations? 17. Will there be support for Continuing Professional Development? 18. Will there be support for policy reform? 19. What is happening to Youth in Action? 20. I am currently running a project funded through the Lifelong Learning Programme, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? 21. I am going to apply for funding in 2013, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? 22. I am going to apply for funding in 2014, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? 23. Will I be able to apply for Preparatory Visits funding for activities under the new programme? 24. What will happen to the current UK National Agencies? Are Ecorys and the British Council in charge of Erasmus+ in the UK?
1. Why are the current programmes disappearing? Why is there a need for a new programme? The current funding programmes run by DG Education and Culture, such as the Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action and other international programmes 1 have approval to run from 2007 to 2013 under the European Union budgetary period. As the current budgetary period comes to an end, DG Education and Culture have been reviewing the programmes that support education, training, youth and sport and investigating developments that could make them more effective and beneficial. As a result a proposal to radically change the structure of the programmes has been devised. This will ultimately create a more streamlined approach and simplify access to funding. The current title of the proposed programme is Erasmus+. Erasmus+ will replace seven existing programmes with one. A single programme will result in simpler application rules and procedures, as well as avoiding fragmentation and duplication. The main actions of the existing programmes will continue (i.e. learning mobility, co operation projects and support for policy reform) but activities will be strengthened. There are also a number of new innovative proposals, such as an Erasmus Master's degree student loan guarantee scheme, the knowledge alliances and sector skills alliances. 2. Why is Erasmus+ at proposal stage? What does this mean? Erasmus+ has not yet been formally adopted at European level. The programme needs to be agreed by the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament before it comes into force. These institutions have reached agreement in principle on the proposed legal basis but the European Parliament needs to ratify this agreement in plenary. We expect this will happen in November 2013 and that the programme will be approved in December 2013. In line with this expected approval date, we expect the first Call for Proposals to be published in December. The Call will contain all application information. 3. Why is it called Erasmus+? Who proposed it? Originally the European Commission proposed to name the programme Erasmus for All in order to unify the programme under one recognisable brand name. However this was rejected by the European Parliament and the new name agreed is Erasmus+. It is not yet clear if, under the current proposal, the sub programme names will continue. We recognise the widespread respect and affection felt for the current programmes across Europe, as well as the significant contribution to education, training and learning that they have made over the years. 1 The full list of programmes is: Lifelong Learning Programme (including Jean Monnet); Youth in Action; Erasmus Mundus; Tempus; Alfa; Edulink; bilateral co-operation programmes with industrialised countries; Sport preparatory actions.
4. What consultations have taken place? A range of evaluations and consultations on the current European education, training and youth programmes have taken place across Europe over the past two years. In addition, a series of working groups have been taking place made up of key stakeholders and National Agency representatives. The purpose of these groups has been to explore how the programmes could be improved and developed to further benefit organisations and individuals. 5. Will there be a UK public consultation on the proposals? How can I register my view? The UK government has no current plans for a public consultation on the Erasmus+ programme. The Department for Education and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills who are the National Authorities responsible for the programmes in the UK and for the management of the UK National Agencies (Ecorys and the British Council) are currently reviewing the proposal. 6. Is the programme just for Higher Education like the current Erasmus programme? No. The programme is open to a wide range of organisations across all sectors of education, training and youth. Any public or private organisation actively involved in these areas can apply for funding through the Erasmus+ programme. For example, schools, Higher Education, Further Education, adult education, youth organisations, charities, SMEs etc, as well as informal groups of young people. 7. Which countries will be eligible to participate in Erasmus+? The programme will be open to: Member States Acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) Other countries will be able to take part, although the extent to which this will be supported is not clear at the current time. This is classed as co operation with partner countries and will almost certainly include those countries known as neighbourhood countries 2. 2 Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. Additionally, for activities in the youth field, Russia is considered a neighbourhood country.
8. What sort of projects will be funded under the new programme? A range of different types of projects will be funded through the new programme. Erasmus+ will have three Key Actions: Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals Key Action 2: Co operation for Innovation and Good Practices Key Action 3: Support for Policy Reform Each Key Action will be open to organisations active in education, training and youth work and will provide opportunities for staff, learners and beneficiaries to get involved. Each Action will support both formal and non formal learning experiences and activities. It will also have an additional two strands: Sport Youth These two strands will be treated as separate components within the Erasmus+ programme with their own budget. They will focus on specific activities to encourage EU level co operation in the field of sport, and to encourage EU level co operation in the youth field respectively. The youth component will include the same three Key Actions described above. More detail needs to be provided on these strands before we can give a clear picture of the final programme structure. However, the diagram below demonstrates the proposed new structure:
9. What are the different Key Actions? Who will they be for? Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals Transnational learning mobility has the potential to improve people s skills, personal development and employability. The Commission want to increase significantly the amount of mobility taking place across participating countries. Within the proposed budget they estimate that 5 million people could take part in this action between 2014 and 2020. This Action will support four different kinds of activities across the formal and non formal education sectors: Staff mobility (all sectors of lifelong learning; education and training professionals including youth workers involved in education, training or youth non formal learning) Mobility for HE and VET students (study, work based learning, traineeships) Mobility for Masters students (student loan guarantee scheme) Youth exchanges and youth volunteering Key Action 2: Co operation for Innovation and Good Practices Transnational co operation projects encourage transparency, innovation and the exchange of best practice across Europe. This Action will support four different kinds of activities: Strategic partnerships (small scale partnerships and large scale transnational projects), including youth initiative projects and youth sector cooperation Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances (structured partnerships between HE and business, and VET and business respectively) IT platforms (three platforms built on the etwinning model) Capacity building (HE projects with third countries) Key Action 3: Support for Policy Reform The aim of this Action is to strengthen support to activities which help to steer the EU agenda for education and training. This Action will support three different kinds of activities: Open Method of Co ordination and the European Semester (linked to Education and Training 2020, Europe 2020) EU Tools (valorisation and implementation tools) Policy dialogue (with stakeholders, third countries, and international organisations) including youth structured dialogue
10. Who will be eligible to apply for funding? Organisations across all sectors actively involved in delivering formal and non formal education, training and youth work will be able to apply for funding for their staff and learners. Full eligibility criteria have not yet been published by the European Commission. N.B. Additional information for Higher Education Institutions All Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must be awarded the new Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) to be eligible for funding in the new programme. Please see www.britishcouncil.org/erasmuscharter.htm for more information. The deadline for applications for 2014/15 has now passed; institutions will be able to apply for future participation in the next Call. Please contact the British Council with any queries regarding the ECHE and note that this requirement applies to HEIs only and awards are for the ECHE only, not for programme funding. 11. How will the funds be allocated? Although the programme is integrated and will not have separate sub programmes for the different sectors of lifelong learning and youth development, there will be some provisions to ensure the programme is run fairly and that all target groups can access relevant support. This takes the form of a minimum allocation of funds per sector. The figures below are drawn from the European Commission s original proposal and will be subject to change. Minimum allocation of funds: Higher Education 25% of programme budget VET 15% of programme budget School education 7% Adult education 2% Youth (TBC) (NB these are minimum percentages so don t add up to 100%!) 12. Will there be support for adult education? Yes. Adult education will be supported. Staff, learners and organisations involved in adult education will benefit from the new programme. 13. Will there be support for Schools? Yes. Schools will be supported. Staff, pupils and organisations involved in school or teacher development will benefit from the new programme.
14. Will there be support for Vocational Education and Training? Yes. Vocational Education and Training will be supported. Staff, learners and organisations involved in vocational education and training will benefit from the new programme. 15. Will there be support for Higher Education? Yes. Higher Education will be supported. Staff, students, universities and other organisations involved in Higher Education will benefit from the new programme. Masters students will also continue to be able to access funding from the programme, including a loan scheme proposed by the European Commission. Please note the requirement outlined above (question 10) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to hold an ECHE in order to access funds under the new programme. You can find more details at http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus charter.htm. 16. Will there be support for youth organisations and youth services? Yes. Staff, young people and organisations involved in youth work will benefit from the new youth strand which is specifically designed to meet their needs. 17. Will there be support for Continuing Professional Development? Yes. A range of activities will continue to support professional development across the education and training sector. 18. Will there be support for policy reform? Yes. A range of activities will continue to support policy reform across education and training. Policy reform for the youth sector will be funded under the youth strand. 19. What is happening to Youth in Action? It is proposed that Youth in Action will no longer be a separate programme and will integrate into Erasmus+. The European Council have decided to include a separate strand for youth in the new programme in order to better meet the needs of young people. This will be structured in the same way as the main programme with three key actions but will have its own budget, yet to be confirmed. There are active discussions taking place currently to ensure that some of the avenues open to young people with fewer opportunities, and the supportive approach provided, under the current Youth in Action Programme are maintained within Erasmus+.
20. I am currently running a project funded through the Lifelong Learning Programme, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? If you have a current project that will continue after 2013, the contract will remain active and will be managed under the new programme, and you will be able to deliver your activity as planned. Even if the National Agencies (Ecorys and the British Council) change as of January 2014 your contract for any activity agreed under the old programmes will remain valid. A full transition process will be put in place to ensure a smooth handover of any projects affected in this way and you will be provided with detailed information about this transition period. 21. I am going to apply for funding in 2013, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? Applications will continue as normal for the Lifelong Learning Programme and Youth in Action in 2013. You will be able to apply for funding across all the programmes and actions. 22. I am going to apply for funding in 2014, what does the introduction of Erasmus+ mean for me? Due to the current proposal being under review and negotiations, we are not yet in a position to provide information about applying for funding in 2014. However, please note the requirement outlined above (question 10) for Higher Education Institutions to hold an ECHE in order to access funds under the new programme. You can find more details at http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus charter.htm. 23. Will I be able to apply for Preparatory Visits funding for activities under the new programme? The UK National Agency is not yet in a position to provide information about Preparatory Visits funding for applications in 2014. This applies to funding for meeting prospective partners and for attending a Contact Seminar. Funding opportunities for 2014 will be subject to further notice from the European Commission. 24. What will happen to the current UK National Agencies? Are Ecorys and the British Council in charge of Erasmus+ in the UK? Ecorys and the British Council are the UK National Agencies for the Lifelong Learning Programme and Youth in Action for the current funding period 2007 2013. At this stage we do not know if we will be responsible for managing the Erasmus+ programme. The UK Government will be responsible for defining the UK National Agency system for Erasmus+. However, as the current National Agencies we aim to support and guide you through the transition period from now until the official launch of the new programme on 1 January 2014. We will be updating this information on an ongoing basis as we receive more details about the new programme. If you have any questions that we haven t answered, please let us know and we will include them in future releases.