European Degree Exploratory Action

Call ERASMUS-EDU (Erasmus+) funds consortia of higher education institutions to create, adapt and implement transnational joint bachelor, master and doctoral programmes aligned with the Joint European Degree Label. Eligible applicants are legal entities in Erasmus+ Programme Countries submitting a consortium of at least two beneficiaries from two different eligible countries and projects should normally last at least 24 months. The single-stage electronic call opens 5 November 2026 with a deadline of 18 February 2027, an indicative total budget of €14 million and uses the ERASMUS lump sum grant model with an 80% funding rate. Supported activities cover three themes with maxima of €100,000 per new programme (theme 1), €70,000 per adapted programme (theme 2) and €600,000 per programme for student support and institutional implementation (theme 3).

What it funds

Scope

Grants to support higher education institutions in designing, adapting and implementing innovative, inclusive transnational joint bachelor, master or doctoral programmes aligned with the Joint European Degree Label criteria. Activities include creation of new joint programmes, adaptation of existing joint programmes, and student support measures (scholarships, mobility grants, services, and institutional implementation support).

Who can apply

Consortia of legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible Erasmus+ programme countries. Lead applicants and beneficiaries are normally higher education institutions (HEIs) holding a valid ECHE where required; other organisations active in education, training or employment may participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities or associated partners. Minimum consortium: 2 applicants from 2 different eligible countries.

Key dates & submission

Practical notes

Proposals must be submitted online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Two-factor authentication is mandatory for portal access. Applications must follow the call document templates and page limits; financial support to third parties (students) is allowed under defined rules. Evaluations use relevance, quality and impact criteria with thresholds.

Award & budget specifics

The grant is a lump sum ERASMUS-LS type. Maximum per-theme ceilings are cumulative if a proposal covers multiple themes; final awarded amounts may be lower than requested and are fixed during grant preparation.

Applicants should consult the Call document, Erasmus Programme Guide and Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement provided on the Portal for full eligibility, admissibility, evaluation and contractual rules.

Footnotes

1. 1Operational guidance for the Joint European Degree Label is published by the European Commission (Operational guide for the Joint European Degree Label, Publications Office, 2026) and should be consulted when preparing proposals: data.europa.eu

Purpose and objectives

The action supports creation of genuinely new joint programmes, adaptation of existing joint programmes to the Joint European Degree Label criteria, and student support measures (scholarships, mobility grants, tuition-fee offsets, mentoring, accessibility services and institutional coordination). Expected thematic attention includes strategic fields such as AI and digital technologies, clean and circular technologies, bioeconomy, transport, energy, water resilience, healthcare, aerospace and defence, New European Bauhaus interdisciplinary areas, teacher education and sport-related disciplines. Proposals may address one or more themes and are encouraged to cover replicable and innovative institutional models.

Key administrative facts

Eligibility and who should apply

Eligible activities and themes

Three main themes can be addressed (applicants may cover more than one):

For each proposed programme (new or adapted) applicants must provide programme concept, participating partner list and roles, expected learners/capacity, learning outcomes, rationale against Joint European Degree Label criteria and accreditation pathway/timeline. Projects must also detail student selection and management procedures where financial support to third parties is foreseen.

Funding amounts and per-theme ceilings

This call uses lump sum funding with fixed maximum amounts per programme and per theme and an overall funding rate of 80%. Maximum request rules per theme (applicants must justify and reflect these maxima in the Detailed budget table in the Submission System):

Application procedure and required documents

Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (Topic page). Paper submissions are not accepted. Create an EU Login, register your organisation in the Participant Register (obtain PIC), enable two-factor authentication and prepare the mandatory forms and annexes in the Submission System. Two-factor authentication is mandatory for access, editing and submission.

Evaluation, award and timeline

Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Proposals are first checked for admissibility and eligibility then evaluated by independent experts and an evaluation committee. Evaluated proposals are ranked and, subject to available budget and panel decisions, invited to grant preparation. Invite does not equal award — legal and financial checks (legal entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion checks) are performed during grant preparation before signature of the Grant Agreement.

Eligibility, capacity checks and exclusions

Eligible participants must be legal entities established in eligible countries (Programme countries and associated countries as defined in the Erasmus+ rules). HEIs participating as beneficiaries must hold a valid ECHE. Minimum consortium: at least two beneficiaries from two different eligible countries. Financial capacity checks normally apply to coordinators unless public bodies or if grant amount ≤ €60,000. Operational capacity is assessed through the Quality award criterion (team profiles, experience, past projects). Grounds for exclusion include bankruptcy, fraud, grave professional misconduct, tax/social security breaches, and EU restrictive or conditionality measures.

Selection and legal-financial conditions

Application form structure and templates (how to prepare Part B and annexes)

Application Form structure (templates provided in the Submission System):

Application stages, evaluation steps and likely number of stages

Success rates and competition

Success rates are not published in the call documentation and depend on the number and quality of proposals and the available budget. The call documentation indicates the overall available budget (€14,000,000) and the maximum amounts per programme/theme; this allows applicants to estimate competitiveness but no deterministic success-rate figure is provided by the Agency. Applicants should assume competitive selection based on strict award criteria and thresholds.

Geographic and beneficiary scope — eligible countries and partners

Target sectors and project stage

Nature of support, eligible costs and financial arrangements

Beneficiaries will receive financial support (lump sum grants). The Action allows the management of Financial Support to Third Parties for direct student support (scholarships, mobility grants, tuition-fee offsets) subject to a maximum per third party generally set at €60,000 unless otherwise justified in the call. The call requires transparency and objective selection procedures for student financial support. The grant follows lump sum rules and payment schedule described in the Model Grant Agreement; prefinancing is normally paid to start the project (float usually 70% of the maximum grant amount), additional prefinancing and interim/final payments follow reporting and acceptance of periodic reports and deliverables. Payments are made to the coordinator who must distribute funds to beneficiaries without undue delay.

Templates, forms and practical submission guidance

Key templates and documents available from the Funding & Tenders Portal (Topic page and Submission System): Call document / Call fiche (detailed Call document), Application Form templates (ERASMUS Standard application form for BB and LSII), Detailed budget table (ERASMUS LSII) used to calculate lump sums, ERASMUS Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreement (ERASMUS MGA and Lump Sum MGA), Guidance documents and Online Manual. Applicants must use the forms provided inside the Submission System; templates on the Topic page are for information only. Mandatory annexes include the Detailed budget table and CVs of core project team members.

Applicants should provide a clear work package structure with deliverables and milestones (WP1: management & coordination; WPs per theme, final WP on impact and dissemination). For student financial support, applicants must detail selection mechanisms, payment rules, unit cost methodology and ensure compliance with transparency, equal treatment and conflict-of-interest rules.

Evaluation award criteria and thresholds (detailed)

Legal, ethics and data protection

Projects must comply with high ethical standards, applicable EU, international and national law, and EU values. Personal data processing must follow Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 (for EU institutions) and GDPR (for beneficiaries). Sensitive information and classified information rules apply as set out in the Model Grant Agreement. The call references the Operational Guide for the Joint European Degree Label as a key document for alignment and implementation 1.

Practical tips and mandatory actions before submission

Eligible Applicant Types

Funding Type

Consortium Requirement

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Target Sector

Mentioned Countries

Countries and regions explicitly mentioned or referenced in the opportunity material include: EU Member States, EEA countries, countries associated to the Erasmus+ Programme, and members of the European Higher Education Area such as Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Holy See, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine (note mention in the call document that Belarus and the Russian Federation have suspended status). For precise eligibility check the Erasmus+ participating countries list and the call document.

Project Stage

Funding Amount

Application Type

Open call (calls for proposals) with a single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Applicants choose the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS) model when starting submission. The submission session must be selected carefully because the model cannot be changed once chosen.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive monetary support (lump sum grants). Additionally, non-monetary support includes access to the Joint European Degree Label guidance and opportunities for policy visibility, dissemination and networking through Erasmus+ channels.

Application Stages

Success Rates

Success rates are not provided in the call documentation. Actual success probability depends on proposal quality, alignment with award criteria and available budget. Applicants should design high-quality proposals that meet thresholds and clearly justify costs and impact to be competitive.

Co-funding Requirement

Templates and application form outline

The application is structured around the Portal Application Form templates. Part B narrative template headings and structure (applicants MUST use the template provided in the Submission System) include: Project summary, Relevance (background, needs analysis, objectives and KPIs), Quality (concept and methodology; management and QA; project team; cost effectiveness and financial management; risk management), Partnership and cooperation (consortium set-up, management), Impact (ambition, dissemination, sustainability), Work plan and WPs (objectives, tasks, milestones, deliverables, WP budget and timing), Staff effort, Subcontracting details, Events/mobility plan, Ethics & Security, Declarations, Annex list (Detailed budget table, CVs, list of previous projects). Part B must not exceed 70 pages.

Final summary and how to interpret this opportunity

This call is a targeted Erasmus+ lump-sum grants competition to embed and scale the Joint European Degree Label by enabling HEIs and consortia across the Erasmus+ eligible area to create genuinely new joint degrees, adapt existing joint programmes to meet label criteria and to support students in those programmes, with a strong focus on inclusiveness, cross-border mobility, innovative curriculum integration and accreditation pathways. Applicants must present concrete programme designs or adaptation plans, clear consortium roles, robust management and quality assurance arrangements, and measurable KPIs tied to the award of the Joint European Degree Label and student outcomes. Financial support uses predefined maxima per programme/theme and a lump-sum approach; applicants must complete the Detailed budget table and justify unit costs for student support. The selection is competitive and based on relevance, quality and impact with strict thresholds and a single-stage submission. Successful proposals will enter grant preparation and formal legal/financial checks before signature.

Use the Submission System templates, ensure ECHE status where required, register early in the Participant Register, enable two-factor authentication on your EU Login, respect the 70-page limit for Part B, and include clear evidence of accreditation pathways and student support mechanisms for any direct financial support. For operational detail and contractual terms refer to the Model Grant Agreement and the Call document on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

For the Joint European Degree Label criteria and operational guidance applicants should consult the Operational Guide for the Joint European Degree Label (European Commission, DG EAC, 2026) referenced in the call documentation 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Operational guide for the Joint European Degree Label. European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Publications Office of the European Union, 2026. Available at data.europa.eu

European Degree Exploratory Action

Opportunity overview

The European Degree Exploratory Action is an Erasmus+ call designed to help higher education institutions and eligible consortia create, adapt and implement innovative and inclusive transnational joint programmes at bachelor, master and doctoral level. Projects must be aligned with the criteria for the Joint European Degree Label and should contribute to deeper European cooperation in higher education. 1 2

The opportunity is particularly relevant to higher education institutions that already cooperate across borders or are preparing a new integrated joint educational offer. It is not limited to European Universities alliances. Consortia outside the European Universities initiative may also apply if they satisfy the eligibility and consortium requirements.

The action provides an experimental pathway towards the Joint European Degree Label. It supports programme design and adaptation, accreditation and recognition preparation, mobility, student inclusion and the practical institutional arrangements needed to deliver joint programmes.

Key facts

The call page and call document are the controlling sources for the deadline, budget and conditions. 1 2

What the funding supports

Applicants may address one or more of the following themes. Proposals covering multiple themes are encouraged where the combination is coherent and proportionate.

For projects covering more than one theme, the maximum requested amount is the sum of the applicable theme ceilings. The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested. The overall call budget is €14 million and the call authority may decide not to allocate the full amount.

Theme 1 requires a genuinely new programme. A programme whose concept, initial activities or development has already been supported under another Erasmus+ action, including European Universities alliances or Erasmus Mundus, will not normally qualify as genuinely new. Applicants must declare that the proposed programme has not previously been initiated or developed under another Erasmus+ action.

Theme 2 concerns an existing joint programme and requires a clearly evidenced adaptation process. The application should explain the current accreditation and implementation position, including any student enrolment, and identify the changes required for alignment with the Joint European Degree Label criteria.

Theme 3 is intended to reduce barriers to participation and enable students to complete joint programmes. It may include scholarships, mobility grants, support for tuition fee differences, accessibility and inclusion measures, mentoring, guidance, language support, digital tools, outreach, joint admissions and selection, programme coordination and academic and administrative support.

For Theme 3, student services and institutional support for programme implementation should normally not exceed 20 percent of the overall amount requested for student support. The application must explain the methodology used to calculate student support unit costs in the detailed budget table.

Strategic priorities and subject areas

Joint programmes may cover any discipline. However, applicants are encouraged to address areas of strategic relevance for Europe, including digital technologies and artificial intelligence, clean and circular technologies, bioeconomy, transport, energy, water resilience, healthcare, aerospace and defence.

Other highlighted areas include interdisciplinary New European Bauhaus combinations involving architecture, design, arts and culture, engineering, environmental and sustainability studies, urban and regional planning and social sciences. Teacher education, pedagogy, educational psychology, digital and STEM education, inclusive and special education, language education and educational leadership are also relevant. Sport sciences, physical education, health and wellbeing, coaching and sport management are included as potential areas.

The strategic areas are priorities rather than an exclusive subject list. A proposal in another discipline can still be eligible if it clearly addresses the action objectives, demonstrates European added value and satisfies the Joint European Degree Label requirements.

Expected outputs and impact

For a new programme, the consortium should produce a complete programme design, explain its alignment with the Joint European Degree Label criteria and provide evidence of steps taken towards accreditation and award of the label.

For an adapted programme, the consortium should provide evidence that the programme has obtained the Joint European Degree Label. If accreditation or label award is not completed during the project, the final report must explain the stage reached, the work undertaken and the obstacles that prevented completion.

Expected wider impacts include greater visibility and understanding of the Joint European Degree Label, more joint programmes aligned with or awarded the label, improved accessibility and inclusion, increased student participation in cross-border education and greater attractiveness of European joint programmes. 2 3

Who can apply

Eligible applicants must generally be legal entities, public or private, established in an Erasmus+ Programme Country. This includes EU Member States and their overseas countries and territories, EEA countries listed as participating countries and countries associated to Erasmus+.

Higher education institutions must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. An organisation specifically established by eligible higher education institutions for deep institutional transnational cooperation and joint educational activities may also participate. Such an organisation does not require an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education but cannot act as coordinator.

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least two beneficiaries from two different eligible countries. Affiliated entities do not count towards this minimum consortium requirement.

Other organisations may participate as associated partners, subcontractors or providers of in-kind contributions. Associated partners may include public or private bodies active in education, training or employment, including accreditation and quality assurance agencies. Their geographical range may extend to third countries not associated with Erasmus+ if those countries are part of the European Higher Education Area.

All universities involved in a joint programme do not have to be beneficiaries or associated partners, but all relevant universities must be clearly identified in the proposal. This is important for demonstrating the partnership structure and enabling broader student support.

International organisations are eligible and are not subject to the ordinary eligible-country rule. Natural persons are not eligible, except self-employed persons or sole traders where applicable. EU bodies generally cannot participate, other than the European Commission Joint Research Centre as specifically provided by the rules.

All beneficiaries and affiliated entities must be registered in the Participant Register before submission and must undergo legal entity validation. Participants must provide evidence of legal status and country of establishment.

Consortium design considerations

The strongest consortia are likely to combine complementary academic expertise, established transnational governance, experience with joint curricula and accreditation, student support capacity and access to relevant national or regional quality assurance systems.

The consortium should identify the role, responsibilities, resources and decision-making rights of every beneficiary. A written consortium agreement is required or strongly expected for the practical management of internal responsibilities, intellectual property, financial distribution and dispute handling.

Quality assurance and accreditation agencies may be valuable associated partners, especially where the project depends on complex national accreditation or recognition pathways. Associated partners do not receive grant funding and normally bear their own costs.

Eligible activities and delivery expectations

Eligible activities include the creation of new joint programmes, adaptation of existing joint programmes and student support measures linked to labelled or label-seeking programmes. Activities must take place in eligible countries and comply with EU policy interests, EU values, ethical standards and applicable national, international and EU law.

New joint programmes should demonstrate a genuinely integrated curriculum rather than a collection of existing courses. They should combine complementary institutional strengths, respond to educational, societal or labour market needs, offer a meaningful international or transnational learning experience, include suitable mobility opportunities and use innovative teaching, learning or assessment approaches where relevant.

For every proposed new programme, the application should describe the subject area, partner universities and roles, programme concept, target learners, expected first-cohort enrolment, learning outcomes, rationale against the Joint European Degree Label criteria and planned accreditation pathway.

For every adapted programme, the application should provide the programme name, all participating universities, current implementation and accreditation status, current enrolment where relevant, the precise adaptations required and the pathway towards accreditation or reaccreditation and the Joint European Degree Label.

Student support may be provided as financial support to third parties. The application must define eligible student categories, selection criteria, publication arrangements, transparency safeguards, equal treatment, conflict of interest controls, confidentiality procedures and expected results.

A student receiving a full EU scholarship for the same programme and period cannot receive additional financial support under this action. The maximum financial support to an individual third party is €60,000, although student-level amounts should be proportionate and justified by the proposed support model.

Duration

Projects should normally last at least 24 months. The precise starting date and duration will be established in the grant agreement. Extensions may be possible where duly justified and formalised through an amendment.

The expected grant agreement signature date is November 2027. Activities should not normally begin before the grant agreement enters into force. A retroactive start may be authorised exceptionally for duly justified reasons, but it cannot precede the proposal submission date.

Funding model and financial conditions

The action uses a lump sum grant. The lump sum is fixed by the granting authority on the basis of the estimated project budget and an 80 percent funding rate. It is not a reimbursement of every actual cost item and payment is linked to completion of the agreed action and reporting requirements rather than reimbursement of individual invoices.

The detailed budget table is nevertheless critical because it supports the calculation of the lump sum. Estimated costs must comply with the basic eligibility conditions applicable to actual cost grants. Ineligible, excessive or inadequately justified costs can lead to a reduction of the grant, including during or after project implementation.

Purchasing and subcontracting must respect best value for money or, where appropriate, the lowest price, and must be free from conflicts of interest. Subcontracting should remain limited, must concern specific action tasks rather than core coordination and requires justification where it exceeds 30 percent of total eligible costs.

The project budget must be balanced and applicants must demonstrate sufficient resources to complete the work. Grants may not generate profit, and the same costs cannot be declared under more than one EU grant. Combination with an operating grant may be possible only where activities and accounting are clearly separated.

Payments and financial management

A prefinancing payment of normally 70 percent of the maximum grant amount may be made after grant signature, subject to the grant agreement and any required financial guarantee. Prefinancing is normally paid within 30 days of entry into force of the agreement or receipt of the financial guarantee, whichever is later.

A mid-term progress report is required but is not normally linked to a payment. The balance is calculated at the end of the project. If earlier payments exceed the final grant amount, the coordinator may be required to repay the difference.

Payments are made to the coordinator, which is responsible for distributing funds within the consortium according to the grant agreement and internal arrangements. The granting authority may offset payments against outstanding debts owed to the EU.

Financial capacity may be assessed, normally for coordinators, subject to exemptions for public bodies, international organisations, certain publicly funded education and training organisations and applications requesting no more than €60,000. The authority may request additional information, instalments, a prefinancing guarantee, reduced or no prefinancing, replacement of an applicant or rejection.

Operational capacity is assessed through the competence and experience of the consortium and project team, available human and technical resources, the participant descriptions and the list of key projects delivered in the previous four years. Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempt from the operational capacity check.

Evaluation and scoring

The call uses a one-stage submission and one-step evaluation procedure. Proposals are first checked for admissibility and eligibility. Eligible proposals are then assessed against operational capacity and the award criteria by an evaluation committee assisted by independent experts.

Relevance assesses alignment with the call themes and objectives, the needs analysis, measurable targets, scale of proposed activities, justification of student support, European added value and respect for shared EU values.

Quality of project design and implementation assesses coherence between objectives, activities, timeline and results, realism of the work plan, accreditation and assessment management arrangements, resource allocation and value for money.

Quality of partnership and cooperation arrangements assesses complementary expertise, the role and commitment of each organisation and the effectiveness of communication, decision-making and problem-solving procedures.

Impact assesses communication and dissemination, benefits for target groups, monitoring of results, long-term sustainability and the ability to maintain results after the EU-funded period.

A proposal must pass every individual threshold and the overall threshold of 60 points. Passing the thresholds does not guarantee funding because proposals are ranked and funded within the available budget. Ties may be resolved first by the relevance score, then quality and impact, followed by portfolio and thematic or geographical balance considerations.

Application requirements

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted. All participants need an EU Login account and must register in the Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code before submission.

The application consists of Part A administrative information, Part B technical description, Part C additional project data and the mandatory annexes. Required annexes include the detailed budget table, standard CVs of core project team members and a list of key previous projects from the last four years. Activity reports for the previous year are not applicable under the call.

Part B is limited to 70 pages. Evaluators will disregard pages beyond the limit. The proposal must be readable, accessible and printable, and documents must be uploaded in the correct portal categories.

The project abstract or summary should be in English even where the full proposal is submitted in another official EU language. The Commission advises applicants to use English for the complete application for efficiency.

Applicants must confirm that they have authority to act for all applicants, that the information is complete and correct, that all participants satisfy eligibility and exclusion conditions and that proposed activities have not started prematurely. False statements or missing participant support can lead to rejection.

Use of generative artificial intelligence in proposal preparation does not transfer responsibility to the tool provider. Applicants remain responsible for accuracy, citations, intellectual property compliance, disclosure of sources and transparent acknowledgement of relevant AI use.

Key compliance risks

The principal compliance risks are an ineligible consortium, failure to hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education where required, insufficient differentiation between new and previously funded programmes, weak evidence of accreditation feasibility, inadequate student support rules, unsupported unit cost calculations, double funding and late or technically invalid submission.

Entities subject to EU restrictive measures, EU conditionality measures or exclusion grounds under the EU Financial Regulation cannot participate in funded roles. Applicants must also comply with tax and social security obligations, anti-fraud rules, procurement principles, ethical requirements and EU values.

The application should clearly separate activities supported by this action from activities funded through European Universities, Erasmus Mundus, national funding or other EU programmes. Any overlap may result in rejection or recovery of funding.

Recommended application strategy

Overall assessment

This is a targeted capacity-building and policy experimentation opportunity for consortia that can convert transnational cooperation into concrete joint degree provision. Its strongest applications will combine a credible academic proposition with a detailed accreditation pathway, clear institutional governance, robust student inclusion measures and measurable progress towards the Joint European Degree Label.

The funding is comparatively modest for full programme implementation, particularly for Theme 1 and Theme 2, so applicants should frame the grant around design, adaptation, accreditation preparation, label alignment and targeted student support rather than the complete long-term operating cost of a joint degree.

The lump sum and 80 percent funding rate provide flexibility but do not remove the need for a reliable cost methodology. Applicants should prepare a defensible budget based on eligible estimated costs, identify complementary institutional resources and ensure that the proposed activities can be delivered within at least 24 months.

The official topic page, call document and Joint European Degree Label guidance should be reviewed together before finalising the proposal. 1 2 3 4

Footnotes

1. 1Primary official topic page: European Degree Exploratory Action, Funding and Tenders Portal. The topic page identifies the action as ERASMUS-EDU under Erasmus+, using the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant model.
2. 2Official call document: Call document ERASMUS-EDU-2026-EUED.
3. 3European Commission operational guidance: Operational guide for the Joint European Degree Label.
4. 4General submission and grant management guidance is available through the Funding and Tenders Portal, the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the ERASMUS Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement and the EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement. Applicants should use the documents and forms generated within the live submission system because portal templates may be updated.