Introduction
If you’re an educator, NGO leader, vocational trainer, or small university team looking to scale collaborative learning across borders, the Erasmus+ Partnership Grants 2025 are one of the most practical—and high-impact—funding routes available. These grants fund partnerships that co-create curricula, pilot inclusive practices, develop digital tools, train teachers, and build vocational capacity. In short: if your organisation wants to solve a shared education or training challenge together with partners abroad, Erasmus+ can pay for it.
This long-form guide (3,000+ words) breaks everything down: what the Partnership Grants are, why the 2025 call matters, how to choose the right partnership type, how to structure a competitive proposal, and practical examples focusing on Asia, the Middle East and Africa. I’ll also include a comparison table, a concise Statement of Purpose template (SOP) you can adapt, common mistakes to avoid, FAQs, and a clear call to action at the end.
I used official Erasmus+ resources to verify the 2025 call dates, budget, deadlines and application rules. For the most authoritative and current information, check the Erasmus+ 2025 call announcement and the Erasmus+ Programme Guide (both linked in appropriate places below).
Overview of Erasmus+ Partnership Grants 2025
Erasmus+ (2021–2027) is the European Union’s education, training, youth and sport programme. It supports mobility, cooperation and innovation across Europe and beyond. Within Erasmus+, Key Action 2 (KA2) supports Cooperation Partnerships (large-scale collaborations) and Small-scale Partnerships (simpler, accessible projects).
The 2025 Erasmus+ call opened on 19 November 2024 with a budget of nearly €5 billion to support mobility and cooperative projects across all sectors. The main submission deadline for partnerships in education, training, youth and sport was 5 March 2025 at 12:00 CET (midday Brussels time)—with a possible second round on 1 October in some National Agencies.
Two partnership types you’ll most often use:
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Cooperation Partnerships — larger, multi-partner projects aiming to develop, test and scale innovative educational practices or tools. They require a minimum of three organisations from three different Erasmus+ Programme Countries (unless specific exceptions apply), and project durations typically range from 12 to 36 months.
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Small-scale Partnerships — designed to lower the administrative barrier for newcomers and smaller organisations. They require at least two organisations from different Programme Countries and have shorter, simpler application and reporting requirements.
Quick reference: read the Erasmus+ official call announcement for 2025 here (detailed budget and opening date).
Check the full Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025 for eligibility rules, evaluation criteria, and funding models.
(I linked the official Erasmus+ 2025 call page and the Programme Guide so you can go straight to source details.)
Why Erasmus+ Partnership Grants 2025 matter
There are several practical reasons these grants are worth your time:
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They fund collaborative impact—not isolated projects.
Erasmus+ Partnership Grants require transnational cooperation, which forces thinking about transferability, cultural adaptation, and sustainability. Outputs are designed to be shared and reused across contexts. -
They support a wide range of sectors and organisations.
Schools, NGOs, vocational colleges, universities, local authorities, chambers of commerce and even sport or cultural organisations can apply—making the programme flexible for small grassroots actors and larger institutions alike. Erasmus+ -
They’re aligned with global priorities.
Erasmus+ emphasises inclusion, digital transition, climate/green skills, lifelong learning and democratic engagement. Projects that match these priorities score better in evaluation. -
Budget in 2025 is sizeable, but competition is real.
The 2025 call brought nearly €5 billion in total resources for mobility and cooperation activities. That’s a lot—but specific lines (for example, some higher-education cooperation windows) have tighter allocations and correspondingly stronger competition. Erasmus++1 -
Small organisations can start small.
If your organisation is new to Erasmus+, the Small-scale Partnerships route is a realistic entry point: less bureaucracy, smaller consortia, and quicker turnarounds while still delivering international learning and capacity-building.
In short: Erasmus+ Partnership Grants are tools for learning systems change. They reward good partnership design, practical impact, and diligent dissemination.
Key Importance — deadlines, budget and who can coordinate
A few practical facts every applicant must know:
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Opening date (2025 call): 19 November 2024. The call remained open for application preparation until the deadline. Erasmus+
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Main deadline: 5 March 2025, 12:00 CET for most partnerships (check your National Agency and the opportunity page—sport actions sometimes close at different times). A possible second round may be organised by some National Agencies, usually with a 1 October deadline for later project starts. Erasmus++1
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Budget snapshot (2025): nearly €5 billion across Erasmus+ actions in 2025. This includes mobility, cooperation, and sport funding. Erasmus+
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Who can be coordinator: The coordinator must be a legal entity established in an Erasmus+ Programme Country (an EU Member State or associated countries). Partners may include organisations from non-Programme Countries (including many in Asia, Middle East and Africa) but those partners often participate with different administrative rules and cannot coordinate. Erasmus+
Why dates and coordination rules matter: late submissions are not accepted; non-Programme Country organisations cannot be the lead applicant; and many National Agencies require internal checks—so start early and secure a coordinator from a Programme Country.
Picking the right partnership type: cooperation vs small-scale
Choosing the correct pathway is your first strategic decision.
Cooperation Partnerships (KA220-Cooperation Partnerships)
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Scale: medium-to-large; encourages innovation, systemic change, and longer-term collaboration.
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Partners: minimum three organisations from three Programme Countries (more partners often increase impact but add complexity).
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Outputs: prototypes, curricula, MOOCs, policy recommendations, toolkits, teacher training modules.
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Duration: typically 12–36 months.
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When to choose: when you aim to create transferrable innovation that requires piloting across contexts and robust testing.
Small-scale Partnerships (KA220-Small-scale Partnerships)
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Scale: small, accessible, lower administrative burden.
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Partners: minimum two organisations from different Programme Countries.
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Outputs: pilots, pilot toolkits, small training modules, community exchange activities.
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Duration: usually 12–24 months.
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When to choose: when you’re piloting an approach or testing adaptation in a few contexts and want quicker, simpler reporting.
Decision checklist: If your idea needs wide piloting, multiple rounds of validation, and policy reach—use Cooperation Partnerships. If you’re testing feasibility, starting a new collaboration, or scaling a successful local pilot to one or two countries—use Small-scale Partnerships.
Building an excellent partnership: practical partner mapping
A strong Erasmus+ partnership blends complementary skills, clear roles, and geographic diversity. Here’s a practical partner map you can adapt:
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Coordinator (Programme Country) — project management, financial reporting, dissemination lead.
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Academic partner (Programme Country) — curriculum design, research/evaluation.
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Local implementing partner (Asia/Africa/Middle East) — field testing, local adaptation, stakeholder engagement.
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Policy partner (government or agency) — endorsement, pathway to scale and sustainability.
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Private sector or VET centre — practical labs, apprenticeships, job-matching.
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NGO or youth organisation — outreach, inclusion, community mobilisation.
Tip: Include at least one partner who can guarantee access to beneficiaries (schools, trainees, youth centres) and one partner with dissemination or policy channels (education ministry, VET authority).
Table — Evaluation criteria at a glance
| Evaluation area | What reviewers look for | Practical tips |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Alignment with Erasmus+ priorities & needs analysis | Provide data showing the problem and why transnational work is needed |
| Quality of project design | Clear objectives, activities, milestones | Use Gantt charts, risk registers and measurable KPIs |
| Quality of partnership | Complementarity, roles, management structure | Include letters of commitment and partner responsibilities |
| Impact & dissemination | Sustainability, transferability, policy uptake | Plan open resources, policy briefs and training packages |
| Budget & cost-effectiveness | Realistic, justified costs | Provide line item budgets and matching of tasks to costs |
These are the standard scoring dimensions in the Programme Guide; strong proposals score consistently across all areas. Erasmus+
Designing project activities that score highly
Funders want projects that are:
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Evidence-based: show baseline data or needs assessment that proves the issue is real.
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Transnationally relevant: explain why cross-border collaboration is necessary.
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Resource-efficient: use funds for activities that directly support outcomes (teacher training, piloting, toolkit development).
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Sustainable: show how resources will be used after project end—local capacity building, open licensing, policy integration.
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Inclusive: reach underserved groups (rural learners, refugees, persons with disabilities).
Suggested activity types:
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Joint curriculum development workshops (hybrid + in-person).
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Teacher exchange and secondments across partner institutions.
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Co-created open educational resources (OER) with multilingual versions.
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Policy roundtables with ministries and employer organisations.
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Local pilots with robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks.
Budgeting basics and eligible costs
Erasmus+ uses unit cost models for some actions and real costs for others—check the Programme Guide and the specific opportunity page. Common eligible costs include:
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Staff costs (project management, trainers, experts)
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Travel & subsistence (for transnational meetings and mobility)
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Learning, teaching & training activities (workshops, piloting costs, training fees)
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Equipment and consumables (limited, justified for project outputs)
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Subcontracts (for external expertise)
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Indirect costs/overheads (where applicable, consult Programme Guide)
Practical tip: Keep the budget simple and directly tied to activities. Use line-by-line justification in an annex to make reviewer assessment easier.
Monitoring, evaluation & quality assurance (M&E)
Funders expect measurable results. A good M&E plan includes:
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Baseline indicators: what does “before” look like?
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Output indicators: resources created (curriculum, OER, toolkits).
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Outcome indicators: improved teacher competencies, learner attainment, employer engagement.
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Impact & sustainability indicators: policy adoption, institutional uptake, replication.
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Methods: mixed methods—quantitative (surveys, pre/post tests) + qualitative (focus groups, case studies).
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Quality assurance: third-party evaluator or peer review, iterative feedback loops for continuous improvement.
Include a short logical framework (logframe) or results chain in your application for clarity.
Real-world examples: three project summaries (Asia, Middle East & Africa focus)
These are realistic, anonymized examples to spark ideas.
Example A — “Digital Teachers for Rural Schools” (Indonesia, Poland, Nigeria)
Type: Small-scale Partnership
Problem: Teachers in rural areas lack digital pedagogy skills and culturally-relevant digital content.
Activities: Teacher training bootcamps, co-creation of 30 OER modules translated into local languages, two teacher exchanges, and pilot in 20 schools.
Impact: Improved digital lesson planning, increased student engagement, toolkit adopted by local education authority.
Example B — “Green Vocational Pathways” (Jordan, Spain, Kenya, India)
Type: Cooperation Partnership
Problem: Vocational training institutions lack standardized green skills curricula for solar and sustainable agriculture.
Activities: Co-develop VET curricula, create mobile green labs, run joint internships with local green SMEs, host policy roundtables with ministries.
Impact: Nationally-accredited green modules, private sector apprenticeships, 500 trained technicians in year two.
Example C — “Youth Civic Sport” (Egypt, France, South Africa)
Type: Small-scale Partnership (sport + youth)
Problem: Youth civic disengagement and fragmentation across urban peripheries.
Activities: Community sports festivals, civic dialogue workshops, youth leader training, and local campaigns.
Impact: Youth networks formed, local councils adopted youth participation processes, cross-border exchange of best practices.
Each project includes a clear logic: problem → partnership activity → measurable output → sustainable pathway.
Practical application timeline & internal checks
A suggested 12-week timeline from concept to final submission:
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Week 1–2: Finalise concept; identify coordinator and core partners.
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Week 3–4: Draft objectives, activities, impact logic, and rough budget.
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Week 5: Collect partner letters of commitment and CVs for key staff.
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Week 6–7: Draft detailed work packages, Gantt chart and M&E plan.
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Week 8: Finalise budget with line items and justification.
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Week 9: Internal review (legal, finance, quality) and edits.
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Week 10: Integrate partner comments and finalise annexes.
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Week 11: Final proofreading and upload to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
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Week 12: Submit ahead of deadline and confirm receipt (do not wait until last minute).
Many proposals fail on avoidable admin issues—use an institutional checklist and allow time for portal quirks.
Your Statement of Purpose — a simple, strong structure (for Erasmus+ partnership lead)
Use this 350–600 word SOP template and adapt to your organisation and project.
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Opening (1–2 sentences): Who you are and your organisation’s mission.
“We are [Organisation], a Nairobi-based NGO delivering vocational training to young women in peri-urban communities.” -
Problem statement (2–3 sentences): Present a clear, data-backed need.
“Only 28% of our trainees find sustainable employment within 12 months; employers report skills gaps in digital literacy and green practices.” -
Project vision (3–4 sentences): Describe the partnership and innovation.
“In partnership with technical colleges in Spain and Jordan, we will co-create a green-skills VET curriculum and pilot mobile green labs in three regions.” -
Roles & delivery (2–3 sentences): Who does what and how outputs will be developed.
“The Spanish partner leads curriculum design; Jordan provides employer networks; we coordinate pilots and community outreach.” -
Impact & sustainability (2–3 sentences): How outcomes will be sustained and scaled.
“Outputs will be accredited locally, published as open resources, and introduced to national VET bodies via policy briefs.” -
Closing (1 sentence): Affirm readiness and alignment with Erasmus+ priorities.
“We are ready to lead this transnational effort to advance green skills and inclusion, aligned with Erasmus+ priorities on the green transition and lifelong learning.”
Make it concrete and aligned with evaluation criteria: relevance, quality, partnership, impact.
Common mistakes — and how to avoid them
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Weak needs analysis.
Fix: Provide baseline data or a short needs assessment to show the problem is real and transnational. -
Vague partnership roles.
Fix: Add a partner responsibilities table and signed letters of commitment. -
Overambitious scope without resources.
Fix: Scale the plan to match the budget and timeline; prioritise a few high-value outputs. -
Poor M&E design.
Fix: Use SMART indicators and combine quantitative and qualitative methods. -
Ignoring sustainability.
Fix: Show how outputs will be institutionalised, adopted by ministries or shared openly. -
Late or incomplete submission.
Fix: Start early, run internal checks, and submit at least 48 hours before the portal deadline.
Avoid these common traps by building the application around clarity, evidence, and realistic implementation.
FAQs (concise but useful)
Q: Can organisations from Africa or Asia apply?
A: Yes—organisations from non-Programme Countries can participate as partners (or affiliated entities), but the project coordinator must be established in a Programme Country. Check the Programme Guide for specific rules on partner contributions. Erasmus+
Q: What is the main application deadline in 2025?
A: The principal deadline for Partnerships was 5 March 2025 at 12:00 CET, with a possible second round announced by some National Agencies on 1 October for later project starts. Confirm with your National Agency.
Q: Are Erasmus+ grants reimbursing or unit cost?
A: Erasmus+ uses a mix of unit costs and real cost models depending on action type; always check the Programme Guide and the specific call for the exact funding model.
Q: Do I need to register in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal?
A: Yes—applications are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Organisations will need PIC numbers and finance/legal validations. Start registration early.
Q: How big should my budget be?
A: There’s no fixed cap for Cooperation Partnerships, but budgets must be proportional and justified. Small-scale Partnerships have smaller budgets; consult the call annexes and Programme Guide.
How to increase your chances — practical tips
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Start with a one-page concept and send it to your National Agency contact or the EACEA for early feedback.
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Pilot locally before scaling—a tested local product is easier to adapt in other countries.
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Prioritise open resources—Erasmus+ values reuse and scaling.
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Align with national priorities in partner countries—this helps with uptake and sustainability.
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Plan for visibility—dissemination, policy briefs, webinars, and open toolkits help demonstrate impact.
Impact pathways: from Erasmus+ grant to longer-term scale
Think about the pathway beyond project end:
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Institutional adoption: integrate curriculum into partner institutions and national frameworks.
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Policy influence: present evidence and policy briefs to education ministries.
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Private sector uptake: partner with employers for internships and job placements.
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Funding leverage: use Erasmus+ outputs to attract bilateral or national funding to scale pilots.
Successful projects often map 1–2 year immediate outcomes and 3–5 year scale plans.
Conclusion — your roadmap to action
Erasmus+ Partnership Grants 2025 open a world of collaborative learning and practical change—but they reward careful design, meaningful partnerships, and clear pathways to sustainability. Whether you’re piloting a teacher training module with partners in Indonesia and Poland, creating green vocational curricula in Jordan and Kenya, or building youth civic engagement through sport across Egypt and France, Erasmus+ funding can amplify what you do best.
Recap
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Choose Cooperation Partnerships for larger, systemic projects and Small-scale Partnerships to pilot and learn.
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Key dates: 2025 call opened 19 Nov 2024; main deadline 5 March 2025; possible second round 1 October (check your National Agency).
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Use the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2025 for full rules and evaluation criteria.
Call to action
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Read the official Erasmus+ 2025 call and the Programme Guide (links embedded earlier). Erasmus++1
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Draft a one-page concept note and recruit a coordinator in an Erasmus+ Programme Country.
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Use the 12-week application timeline above and involve partner organisations in co-design from week 1.
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Get in touch with your National Agency or EACEA for clarification and targeted feedback.
“Partnerships are the engine of scale—build the right partners, then build something the world can reuse.”
