Centres of Vocational Excellence

The ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE call, part of the Erasmus+ Programme, aims to establish and develop Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE). This initiative is designed to reform the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, ensuring the provision of high-quality skills and competencies that lead to employment and career opportunities. The program addresses challenges faced by sectors affected by economic and societal changes, including climate issues, digitalization, and the integration of migrants.

Eligible applicants include a range of local and regional stakeholders such as VET institutions, employers, authorities, higher education institutions, and research institutes. A strong emphasis is placed on public-private partnerships, requiring applicants to form consortia that include at least eight organizations from a minimum of four different EU Member States or associated countries.

The funding mechanism for this call is through ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants, with a total budget of €68 million allocated for 2026. The grants simplify financial management by providing a fixed amount rather than reimbursements based on actual costs. Projects under CoVE are expected to develop innovative VET practices, such as the use of digital technologies and applied research, while promoting mobility for learners and staff.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with proposals due by September 3, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation of applications will occur from September 2026 to March 2027, and grant agreements are expected to be signed by June 2027. Successful projects will focus on two levels: national partnerships to foster local innovation and transnational networks addressing shared challenges.

The call is part of broader EU strategies and policies, including the European Green Deal and the Union of Skills initiative. The goal is to create durable networks for vocational excellence that adapt effectively to evolving labor market needs.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 for comprehensive details on eligibility, evaluation criteria, and submission guidelines.

The ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE call, part of the Erasmus Programme, focuses on establishing and developing Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE). These CoVEs aim to drive reforms in the Vocational Education Training (VET) sector, ensuring high-quality skills and competences that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities. This initiative addresses the needs of an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy while contributing to solving challenges in key economic sectors. The call is for ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS).

The main objective is to create transnational collaborative networks that unite local and regional VET stakeholders, including VET institutions, companies, social partners, authorities, higher education institutions, and research institutes. These networks should form strong and broad public-private partnerships, fostering comprehensive skills ecosystems for innovation, regional development, and social inclusion. The initiative adopts a bottom-up approach, enabling VET institutions to adapt skills provisions rapidly to evolving economic and social needs as identified by project partners. It complements and synergizes with other Pact for Skills initiatives.

The CoVE initiative is anchored in EU policies such as the Union of Skills, the European Education Area, the 2020 Council Recommendation on VET, the Osnabrück Declaration, the Herning Declaration, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Green Deal, the new Digital Strategy, the Industrial and SME Strategies, the Council Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’, the STEM Education Strategic Plan, and the Clean Industrial Deal.

The objectives of the action are to ensure high-quality skills through flexible and learner-centered VET provisions, support local and regional development, innovation, and social inclusion, contribute to upward convergence on VET excellence, and ensure the outputs and results have an impact beyond the project partners and the project period.

The scope of the action involves CoVEs developing innovative VET practices, such as using digital technologies like AI, contributing to VET attractiveness and inclusion, promoting applied research and innovation, facilitating mobility and apprenticeships, supporting professional development for teachers and trainers, and collaborating on joint VET provisions, including micro-credentials.

The Centres of Vocational Excellence operate at two levels:

1. National Level: Involving a wide range of local stakeholders to create skills ecosystems for local innovation, regional development, and social inclusion, while collaborating with CoVEs in other countries through international networks.

2. Transnational Level: Bringing together CoVEs that share common interests in specific sectors, innovative approaches to tackle economic and societal challenges (e.g., climate change, digitalisation, AI, SDGs, integration of migrants, upskilling low-qualified individuals), or innovative approaches to enhance the outreach, quality, and effectiveness of existing CoVEs.

Conditions for application include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limits and layout are described in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026 and Part B of the Application Form.

2. Eligible Countries: Eligibility is described in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: As described in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Details are in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are detailed in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in the Erasmus + Programme Guide 2026.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement:

 Publication of the call: 27 November 2025.

 Deadline for submitting applications: 3 September 2026, 17:00 (Brussels time).

 Evaluation period: September 2026 March 2027.

 Information to applicants: March 2027.

 Signature of grant agreement: June 2027.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Not applicable.

Application form templates include:

 Standard application form (ERASMUS BB and LSII)

 Detailed budget table (ERASMUS LSII)

 Information on Partnerships and Activities (ERASMUS COVE)

Guidance documents include:

 ERASMUS Programme Guide

 Model Grant Agreements (MGA)

 Lump Sum MGA

Additional documents include:

 Call document (Official Journal of the European Union)

 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

 Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

 Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

 Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

 How to manage your lump sum grants

The budget for the ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE ERASMUS-LS call is 68,000,000 EUR. It is a single-stage application process. The planned opening date is 4 December 2025, and the deadline for applications is 3 September 2026.

For partner search announcements, LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header. For help, contact the COVE functional mailbox: eacea-eplus-vet@ec.europa.eu. The deadline for queries is 20 August 2026. Additional support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and the IT Helpdesk.

In summary, this call aims to foster excellence in vocational education and training by establishing transnational networks of vocational centers. These centers should be innovative, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of the economy and society. The call encourages the use of digital technologies, promotes mobility and apprenticeships, and supports the professional development of educators. By creating strong partnerships between educational institutions, businesses, and other stakeholders, the initiative seeks to enhance the quality and relevance of VET programs across Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include local and regional VET stakeholders such as VET institutions, companies and other employers, social partners, authorities, higher education institutions, and research institutes. The call emphasizes strong and broad public-private partnerships.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically an ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant (ERASMUS-LS).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants to form transnational collaborative networks. The call emphasizes strong and broad partnerships.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated but is implied to be within the Erasmus+ program's scope, which generally includes EU member states, EEA countries, and associated countries. Further details can be found in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026.

Target Sector: The target sector is Vocational Education and Training (VET). The program aims to reform the VET sector by ensuring high-quality skills and competences that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities. It also targets sectors facing economic and societal challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and integration of migrants.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call operates within the framework of the Erasmus+ program and EU policies, implying eligibility for EU member states and associated countries. The Berlin Declaration on Education for SDG is mentioned.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on development and implementation. The call aims to establish and develop transnational collaborative networks and implement innovative VET practices. The projects should ensure that outputs and results are taken into use and have an impact beyond the project partner organizations and beyond the project period.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the call is EUR 68,000,000. The funding is provided as ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants. The indicative number of grants is not specified.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE call, under the Erasmus+ program, aims to establish and develop Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) through transnational collaborative networks. The primary goal is to reform the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, ensuring that it provides high-quality skills and competences that lead to quality employment and career-long opportunities. The initiative seeks to address the needs of an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable economy while tackling key economic and societal challenges.

Eligible applicants include local and regional VET stakeholders such as VET institutions, companies, social partners, authorities, higher education institutions, and research institutes. Strong and broad public-private partnerships are essential. The funding mechanism is an ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant, with a total budget of EUR 68,000,000 for the call.

The CoVEs are expected to develop innovative VET practices, including the use of digital technologies like AI, to enhance the attractiveness and inclusiveness of VET, promote applied research and innovation, facilitate mobility and apprenticeships, and support the professional development of teachers and trainers. The call encourages collaboration on joint VET provisions, including micro-credentials.

The Centres of Vocational Excellence operate at two levels: national, involving local stakeholders to create skills ecosystems, and transnational, bringing together CoVEs with shared interests in specific sectors or innovative approaches to address economic and societal challenges.

The application process is a single-stage open call. The call was published on 27 November 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is 3 September 2026, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The evaluation period will run from September 2026 to March 2027, with information to applicants provided in March 2027, and the signature of grant agreements expected in June 2027.

Applicants should consult the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 for detailed information on admissibility conditions, eligible countries, evaluation criteria, and the legal and financial setup of the grants. Application form templates, including the standard application form, detailed budget table, and information on partnerships and activities, are available in the Submission System. Additional documents such as the call document from the Official Journal of the European Union, the Erasmus+ Work Programme, and relevant EU regulations are also provided for guidance.