European Universities

In addition to EU Member States and third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme, higher education institutions (applicants - beneficiaries and affiliated entities) can be established in Western Balkans third countries not associated to the programme (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo*).

Higher education institutions established in other third countries not associated to the Erasmus+ programme, and only if they are part of the European Higher Education Area (Bologna Process) can participate as associated partners. This means they can participate in the activities of the alliance at their own costs, without EU funding.

* (This designation is without prejudice to positions on status,and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.)

The template for Part B of the application includes a non-binding recommendation to limit the number of deliverables to max 10-15 for the entire project. However, the applicants are invited to define a number of deliverables in line with the actual tasks and extent of activities, but also ensure a proper, continuous and efficient monitoring of the project progress and its key results throughout the entire implementation period.

There is no standard template for the joint mission statement, however footnotes 6 and 7 on page 7 of the call text outline the content/expectations for such a mission statement (see section: ‘Themes and priorities (scope)’).

United Kingdom (UK) or Switzerland (CH) higher education institutions can currently only participate as associated partners. At this stage they cannot be included in the consortium as beneficiaries as they do not comply with the eligibility criteria, including ‘holding ECHE’.

All higher education institutions wishing to participate as applicants receiving funding or being eligible to receive funding (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) in a European Universities alliance must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

The general rule is that no legal commitments can be entered into with the concerned Hungarian entities once the Council Implementing Decision took effect (i.e. as of 16 December 2022). Entities concerned are listed in Annex I of the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 either by name (usually higher education institutions) or by category (e.g. research centers/institutes, farms/agricultural companies, museums, etc.). The current indicative list of affected entities (i.e. public interest trusts and entities maintained by them) is available under urldefense.com.

A consortium may decide to include a Hungarian Higer Education Institution (HEI) currently impacted by the Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506 (i.e. maintained on the list mentioned above) as a beneficiary at the application stage. However, as a consequence of the Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506, no legal commitments will be undertaken with this institution as a beneficiary (with or without funding) in case the current measures have not been lifted for such an institution by the time of the Grant Agreement preparation and signature.

The maximum grant amount awarded will be based on the number of Higher Education Institutions included as beneficiaries that can enter into the legal commitment with the Agency (refer to the call document - table under the section 10: “Legal and financial set-up of the Grant Agreements - Form of grant, funding rate and maximum grant amount”). The concerned Hungarian entity may remain in the project as an associated partner not receiving funding, as not requiring to enter into legal commitments.

As specified in the Call for Proposals, under the section 6-eligibility, the associated partners can be:

- Any Higher Education Institution holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) established in an EU Member State or a third country associated to the programme;

- Any public/private organisation from an EU Member State, third country associated to the programme or Western Balkans third country not associated to the programme, active in the field of education and training, research and innovation or in the world of work;

- Any higher education institution established in a third country not associated to the programme that is part of the European Higher Education Area (Bologna Process) or in Western Balkans third country not associated to the programme. Based on that, we confirm that societal partners not in education be associated partners.

The Erasmus+ Programme, Partnerships for Excellence – 2026 European Universities Call specifies that the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be:

- Higher Education Institutions holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) and entities affiliated to them, or

- Any other organization consisting of the above-referred higher education institutions specifically set up with the purpose of implementing deep institutional transnational cooperation, including joint educational activities.

The call also states that "Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, in this specific context the call stipulates the following: “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).

Affiliated entities are entities linked to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations as the beneficiaries. In case they are higher education institutions, they must hold a valid ECHE.

According to the call document (see section 6. ‘Eligibility’, subheading ‘Consortium composition’), a higher education institution may participate as a beneficiary in only one European Universities alliance, funded by the Erasmus+ programme at the same time. In addition, higher education institution may only participate as a beneficiary in one single European Universities application/proposal; it may participate in other applications (alliances) only as associated partners.

The expectations regarding societal impact in the context of Erasmus+ Programme, Partnerships for Excellence – 2026 European Universities Call are aligned with the European Innovation Agenda. The alliances are expected to play a significant role in fostering innovation, enhancing skills, and contributing to the broader societal and economic goals of the European Union. This aligns with the European Innovation Strategy, the Union of Skills, the Commission Communications ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU,’ and the EU Preparedness Union Strategy.

Societal impact is a fundamental element of the European Universities Alliances. It is linked to the way the alliances cooperate with their ecosystem, for example, through cooperations with industrial partners, civil society, etc. Each alliance has the flexibility to showcase and demonstrate this societal impact in the context of prioritised and mainstreamed activities over the next two years.

The estimated budget must comply with the basic eligibility conditions for EU actual cost grants (see AGA Annotated Grant Agreement, art 6PDF). For the cost categories relating to travel, accommodation and subsistence, these costs must be calculated in accordance with the methodology set out in the DecisionPDF C(2023)4928.

The funding rate at the proposal stage is set to 80% of the total estimated budget. The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, on the basis of the estimated project budget and applied an 80% funding rate.

The maximum EU grant amount that can be requested by applicants is based on the number of higher education institutions participating as beneficiaries (see table on maximum EU grant amounts on page 23 of the call document). For example, in case there are 9 or more HEIs involved as beneficiaries, the maximum EU grant amount could be up to EUR 7.2 million. At the proposal stage the budget is determined by the applicants on the basis of the actual costs and extent of activities to be actually performed.

It is up to the consortium to decide about the content of the joint mission statement. It must be (for the purpose of application) recently endorsed by the relevant decision-making bodies. In general, it is signed by the beneficiaires with whom the legal commitment will be made. In case it is signed by other type of partners, the contribution to and use of Erasmus+ grant should be clearly contextualized to avoid any confusion and meet the Erasmus+ legal and financial framework (e.g. eligibility to participate, eligibility for funding, etc.).

According to the 2026 call for proposals, European Universities alliances are expected to address all objectives while they may consider prioritising specific areas of activities. This focus should be clearly justified, demonstrating that the prioritised areas align with the alliance's long-term strategy and will contribute to future developments and measurable outcomes within the duration of the grant agreement. Therefore, it is not a contradictory but rather a balanced approach to ensure comprehensive progress towards objectives while concentrating efforts on areas with the most significant impact or the greatest need for implementation.

The reporting and payment arrangements are described in the section 10 of the call document. After grant signature, a first prefinancing will be made to start working on the project. There will be no interim payments. The payment of the balance will be calculated at the end of the project.