Adult Education: Support to the Regional Skills Partnerships in the Pact for Skills

The upcoming Erasmus+ grant opportunity titled "Adult Education: Support to the Regional Skills Partnerships in the Pact for Skills" is set to allow eligible regional partnerships to apply for funding aimed at enhancing adult education and skills development. This specific call, identified as ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T09-ADULT-PS, is scheduled to open on January 6, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 8, 2026. A total budget of €5,000,000 has been earmarked for this initiative, which falls under the broader Erasmus+ programme running from 2021 to 2027.

The primary eligible applicants are existing regional partnerships under the Pact for Skills, comprising a collaboration of local authorities, employers, education and training providers, and other stakeholders. These partnerships may span one region within a country or involve multiple regions across countries, emphasizing multi-stakeholder collaboration.

The funding is allocated as ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants, providing fixed-amount support to simplify project budgeting and reduce administrative burdens. The opportunity requires applicants to represent consortiums composed of multiple stakeholders, reinforcing the collaborative nature of the projects.

Geographically, the Erasmus+ programme covers EU member states and associated countries, endorsing applicants from various nations, including Spain, Italy, Czechia, Romania, Slovakia, Germany, Portugal, and France, among others. The focus of the call is on adult education, particularly aimed at upskilling and reskilling individuals in response to labor market needs, with priorities on digital and green transition skills, inclusivity, and sectoral skills development.

Projects are expected to be in the implementation stage, advancing from planning to concrete activity execution that aligns with regional economic frameworks. There are no reported success rates for this call, nor is there a formal co-funding requirement, although partnerships are encouraged to demonstrate commitment to training investments.

Submitting proposals will be a single-stage process, with all applications evaluated together during the spring and summer of 2026, followed by notifications of the results in October 2026 and anticipated grant agreements by January 2027. It will be essential for applicants to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the EURASMUS Programme Guide and the specific call document for comprehensive requirements and criteria for evaluation.

This grant represents a significant opportunity for regional partnerships committed to fostering skills development amongst working-age adults, enabling them to engage effectively with the evolving labor market conditions across Europe.

The EU funding opportunity is the European policy experimentations under the Erasmus+ Programme, specifically the call ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP. This call aims to support existing regional partnerships within the Pact for Skills to develop and implement activities for training people of working age. These projects are transnational cooperation efforts focused on developing, implementing, and testing the relevance, effectiveness, potential impact, and scalability of activities that address policy priorities across different countries. The goal is to foster mutual learning and support evidence-based policy at the European level through strategic leadership, methodological soundness, and a strong European dimension.

The call includes multiple topics, each with a specific budget and focus:

ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T01-DIGITAL-CONTENT: EUR 2,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T02-DIGITAL-ETHICSAI: EUR 6,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T03-DIGITAL-BS: EUR 5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T04-MICRO-CRED: EUR 3,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T05-SCHOOL-STEM: EUR 6,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T06-SCHOOL-BS: EUR 9,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T07-VET-BS: EUR 5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T08-VET-QUALIFICATIONS: EUR 8,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T09-ADULT-PS: EUR 5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T10-ADULT-EMPOWER: EUR 5,000,000

All topics are Erasmus Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS) and follow a single-stage submission process.

Key dates:

Publication of the call: 22 December 2025
Opening date: 06 January 2026
Deadline for applications: 08 April 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
Evaluation period: April - July 2026
Information to applicants: October 2026
Signature of grant agreement: by January 2027

Conditions for application include:

Admissibility Conditions: The proposal (Part B of the Application Form, Technical Description) has a page limit of 40 pages, including the list of relevant previous projects. The layout must adhere to the Important Notice in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: Eligibility is described in the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions: These are detailed in the call document.
Financial and Operational Capacity and Exclusion: Details are in the call document.
Evaluation and Award:
Submission and evaluation processes are described in the call document.
Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in the call document.
The indicative timeline is provided above.
Legal and Financial Set-up: Not applicable (n/a).

Applicants should refer to the call document for detailed information on eligibility, evaluation criteria, and the submission process.

Available documents and annexes include:

Call document
Standard application form (ERASMUS BB and LSII)
Detailed budget table (ERASMUS LSII)
Erasmus+ Programme Guide, Part C - Information for Applicants
Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (MGA)
ERASMUS+ Work Programme
ERASMUS Regulation 2021/817
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Guidance on managing lump sum grants
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

For help, applicants can contact EACEA-POLICY-SUPPORT@EC.EUROPA.EU or consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and IT Helpdesk.

This funding opportunity supports transnational projects aimed at improving skills and training for people of working age through regional partnerships. It encourages the development, testing, and implementation of innovative activities that can be scaled up and have a significant impact on policy priorities across Europe. The Erasmus+ Programme provides the framework, and the call focuses on lump sum grants to facilitate these policy experimentations.

Eligible Applicant Types: Existing regional partnerships (partnerships at the level of one region within a country or involving more than one region, within one or more countries). The specific types of entities that comprise these partnerships are not detailed in this excerpt but would be defined in the call document.

Funding Type: Grant, specifically an ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant (ERASMUS-LS).

Consortium Requirement: Consortium, as the opportunity is targeted towards existing regional partnerships, implying multiple entities collaborating.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is linked to the regional partnerships, which can be at the level of one region within a country or involving more than one region, within one or more countries. Further details would be in the call document.

Target Sector: Education and Skills. Specifically, the program targets adult education, digital skills, vocational education and training (VET), and school education with focuses on STEM and basic skills.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on regional partnerships within one or more countries, implying a European scope.

Project Stage: The projects should be at a stage where they can develop and implement concrete activities/commitments, suggesting development and implementation stages. The projects should also be able to test the relevance, effectiveness, potential impact and scalability of activities.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €2,000,000 to €9,000,000.
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T01-DIGITAL-CONTENT: €2,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T02-DIGITAL-ETHICSAI: €6,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T03-DIGITAL-BS: €5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T04-MICRO-CRED: €3,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T05-SCHOOL-STEM: €6,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T06-SCHOOL-BS: €9,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T07-VET-BS: €5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T08-VET-QUALIFICATIONS: €8,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T09-ADULT-PS: €5,000,000
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP-T10-ADULT-EMPOWER: €5,000,000

Application Type: Open call, as indicated by the publication of the call and the defined deadline for submission.

Nature of Support: Money, provided through ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants.

Application Stages: 1, Single-stage.

Success Rates: Not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: Not specified in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Erasmus+ program, specifically targeting European policy experimentations. It aims to support existing regional partnerships in developing and implementing activities related to the Pact for Skills, focusing on training people of working age. The call is structured around ten different topics, each with a specific budget allocated as a lump sum grant. These topics cover various aspects of education and skills, including digital content, digital ethics in AI, basic digital skills, micro-credentials, STEM education in schools, basic skills in schools, basic skills in VET, VET qualifications, personal and social development in adult education, and empowerment in adult education.

Eligible applicants are existing regional partnerships, which can be at the level of one region within a country or involve multiple regions across different countries. The call follows a single-stage submission process, with a deadline of April 8, 2026. The evaluation period is scheduled from April to July 2026, and successful applicants will be informed in October 2026, with grant agreements expected to be signed by January 2027.

The call provides detailed information on admissibility conditions, eligible countries, evaluation criteria, and the application process, all of which are further elaborated in the call document and related annexes. Applicants are advised to consult the Erasmus+ Programme Guide and other provided documents for comprehensive guidance. The funding amounts vary from 2 million to 9 million euros depending on the topic. This initiative seeks to foster transnational cooperation, promote mutual learning, and support evidence-based policy in education and skills development at the European level.