Annual work programme of Erasmus+ 2021-2027 adopted with a budget of €26.2 billion.

Adoption of the first annual work programme of Erasmus+ 2021-2027

The Commission today adopted the first annual work programme of Erasmus+ 2021-2027. With a budget of €26.2 billion, (compared to €14.7 billion for 2014-2020), complemented with about €2.2 billion from EU’s external instruments.

2021 annual work programme – “Erasmus+”: the Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport

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It will seek to be even more inclusive and to support the green and digital transitions, as set out in the European Education Area. Erasmus+ will also support the resilience of education and training systems in the face of the pandemic.

Today’s adoption of the annual work programme paves the way for the first calls for proposals under the new Erasmus+, also published today. Any public or private body active in the fields of education, training, youth and sport can apply for funding, with the help of Erasmus+ national agencies based in all EU Member States and third countries associated to the programme.

In addition to mobility, which counts for 70% of the budget, the new Erasmus+ also invests in cross‑border cooperation projects. These can be between higher education institutions (e.g. the European Universities initiative); schools; teacher education and training colleges (e.g. Erasmus+ Teacher Academies); adult learning centres; youth and sport organisations; providers of vocational education and training (e.g. Vocational Centres of Excellence); and other actors in the learning sphere.

The main features of the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 programme are:

• Inclusive Erasmus+: providing enhanced opportunities to people with fewer opportunities, including people with diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds, and people living in rural and remote areas. Novelties include individual and class exchanges for school pupils and mobility for adult learners. It will be easier for smaller organisations, such as schools, youth associations and sports clubs to apply, thanks to small-scale partnerships and the use of simplified grants. The programme will also be more international, to cooperate with third countries, building on the successes of the previous programme with exchanges and cooperation projects around the world, now also expanding to sport and the vocational education and training sectors.
• Digital Erasmus+: The pandemic highlighted the need to accelerate the digital transition of education and training systems. Erasmus+ will support the development of digital skills, in line with the Digital Education Action Plan. It will provide high-quality digital training and exchangesvia platforms such as eTwinning, School Education Gateway and the European Youth Portal, and it will encourage traineeships in the digital sector. New formats, such as blended intensive programmes, will allow short-term physical mobility abroad to be complemented with online learning and teamwork. The implementation of the programme will be further digitalised and simplified with the full roll-out of the European Student Card.
• Green Erasmus+: In line with the European Green Deal, the programme will offer financial incentives to participants using sustainable modes of transport. It will also invest in projects promoting awareness of environmental issues and facilitate exchanges related to mitigating the climate crisis.
• Erasmus+ for young people: DiscoverEU now becomes an integral part of Erasmus+ and gives 18 year-olds the possibility to get a rail pass to travel across Europe, learn from other cultures and meet fellow Europeans. Erasmus+ will also support exchange and cooperation opportunitiesthrough new youth participation activities, to help young people engage and learn to participate in democratic life, raising awareness about shared European values and fundamental rights; and bringing young people and decision-makers together at local, national and European level.

The Erasmus+ resilience effortin the context of the pandemic will mobilise hundreds of thousands of schools, higher education institutions, vocational training institutes, teachers, young people, youth and sport organisations, civil society and other stakeholders. The programme will help accelerate new practices that improve the quality and relevance of education, training and youth systems across Europe, at national, regional and local level.

Source: European Comission Press release “Erasmus+: over €28 billion to support mobility and learning for all, across the European Union and beyond“.