Erasmus+ is the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport
Erasmus+ started on 1 January
2014 and replaces current funding programmes run y the European Commission in
the area of education, training, youth and sport, including The Lifelong
Learning Programme, Comenius, Leonardo, Erasmus,Grundtvig andTransversal), Youth in Action and
other international programmes including Jean Monnet and Erasmus Mundus. The
Erasmus+ programme will run from 2014-2020 and supports activities in
education, training, youth and sport across all sectors of lifelong learning
including Higher Education, Further Education, adult education, schools and
youth activities.
Aims and objectives of Erasmus+
Erasmus+ aims to boost skills and
employability as well as modernise education, training, and youth work across
Europe. It has abudget of
approximately 14.7 billion euros across Europe and will, over the next seven
years, provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain
work experience and volunteer abroad and will also support transnational
partnerships between education, training and youth organisations, as well as
support grassroots sport projects.
A new approach to funding for
education and training
A new structure has been proposed
for the Erasmus+ programme to reflect a need for greater simplification and
streamlining. By bringing together a range of different programmes and
initiatives the European Commission hopes to make their funding
opportunities more efficient and more accessible.
Erasmus+ will be an integrated
programme which means that it will be based around Actions. Some activities
funded under the Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action Programmes will
disappear; others will be translated into the new Erasmus+ structure.
Member States of the European
Union plus some non-EU Programme Countries can apply for Erasmus+ funding and
can fully take part in all any Erasmus+ funded project or activity. Other
countries, known as Partner Countries, can participate in some Erasmus+ actions
as partners but please check the eligibility criteria for each activity before
applyinhttp://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/index_es.htmg.
Erasmus+ is divided in diferents
key actions and programmes:
· - Sport
The project Entrepreneurship and Youth is project co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme under the Key Action 2: Transnational youth initiative.
KEY ACTION 2
Strategic Partnerships
The projects funded under this
Key Action will focus on sharing, developing and transferring innovative
practices between participating countries.
Strategic partnerships foster
cooperation between organisations in different countries engaged
in youth work and non-formal learning for young people.
By working together, the
organisations involved will develop new approaches to youth work and encourage
cooperation over longer periods.
Young people benefitting from the
projects will learn about social entrepreneurship and be encouraged to take a
more active role in their local economy and society.
To be eligible for funding, strategic partnerships for youth should last from 6 months to 36 months and involve partners from at least two different countries. They should foster:
- Development, testing, and/or implementation of innovative practices in the field of youth;
- Recognition and validation of skills and competences;
- Cooperation between regional authorities to promote the development of education, training, and youth systems and their integration in local and regional development;
- Transnational youth initiatives, jointly carried out by groups of young people, encouraging entrepreneurial mind-sets and skills to boost active citizenship and entrepreneurship.
Who can take part?
Youth organisations based in and
outside the EU as well as other stakeholders involved in youth issues. Informal
groups of young people are also eligible to apply for funding for transnational
youth initiatives. 7,000 strategic partnership projects are expected
to benefit in the period 2014-2020.
More information: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/programme/partnerships/strat_partnerships_en.htm