European Universities

The ERASMUS-EDU Erasmus+ call funds established European Universities alliances to deepen institutionalised transnational cooperation and deliver institutional transformation. The single-stage submission is via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal with a deadline of 4 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time and projects normally run for 24 months. The indicative call budget is €218.4 million, grants use a lump-sum model with an 80 percent funding rate and maximum awards range from €1.62 million for 3 HEI beneficiaries up to €7.20 million for 9 or more. Eligible applicants are consortia of at least three higher education institutions from three different eligible countries holding a valid ECHE and proposals must evidence existing deep cooperation and include a joint long-term mission statement.

What it funds

Purpose and scope

Supports highly integrated transnational alliances of higher education institutions (European Universities) to deepen institutional cooperation, upscale joint curricula and mobility, develop inter-university campuses and advance institutional transformation. Grants follow a bottom-up approach aligned with European Education Area priorities.

Who can apply

Consortia of higher education institutions (HEIs) established in eligible Erasmus+ programme countries; applicants must be legal entities and HEIs must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE). Minimum consortium: at least 3 HEIs from 3 different eligible countries. Associated partners, affiliated entities, subcontractors and third parties may participate under the rules in the call document.

Key financial facts

Proposals must respect the application templates, page limits (Part B up to 70 pages) and eligibility, capacity and exclusion checks described in the call documentation. Two-factor authentication is required to access the submission system.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document, application templates and full conditions are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ERASMUS-EDU-2027-EUR-UNIV — Topic page.

Overview and Objective

This Erasmus+ call ERASMUS-EDU funds European Universities alliances to progress deep institutional transnational cooperation between higher education institutions, making cooperation systemic, structural and sustainable. The call supports alliances that demonstrate an existing high level of cooperation and wish to take it to the next level through long-term mission statements and concrete steps towards institutional transformation. Funding is available for a 24-month Erasmus+ grant period for selected alliances, managed as ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS) under an ERASMUS Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (ERASMUS-AG-LS). The call opened 29 October 2026 and the submission deadline is 04 March 2027 17:00 Brussels time. The total indicative budget for 2027 is €218,400,000, inclusive of €2,400,000 from IPA III for Western Balkans participation. The call is single-stage and uses the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Applicants must enable two-factor authentication on the Portal prior to submission. Evaluations are scheduled March–July 2027; grant signatures are planned for October–November 2027. 1

Who can apply and eligible participants

Eligibility is focused on higher education institutions and entities established in eligible countries. Applicants must be legal entities and, in practice, the core eligible participant types and roles are specified below.

Funding model and financial arrangements

The call uses ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS) and a Model Grant Agreement tailored to lump sums (ERASMUS-AG-LS). Grants are fixed lump sums determined at grant preparation on the basis of an estimated project budget provided in the mandatory detailed budget table. The funding rate for cost-based calculations is 80% for the estimation process; the grant is paid as lump sums through the coordinator. Payments include an initial prefinancing (typically 80% of the maximum grant amount unless otherwise decided), no interim payments for some lump-sum modalities, and a final payment after reporting and verification. Prefinancing guarantees may be required depending on financial capacity checks. Payment and reporting schedules follow the Data Sheet and the Grant Agreement; beneficiaries must comply with continuous reporting/deliverable upload through the Portal. VAT rules, lump sum calculation rules and eligibility conditions must follow the AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement and the Erasmus Programme Guide.

Consortium composition and required project team

Consortia must include a minimum of three eligible higher education institutions from three different eligible countries. Each participating HEI (beneficiary) must hold a valid ECHE or be an entity affiliated to an HEI specifically created to implement institutional transnational cooperation. Any institution may participate only once as a beneficiary or affiliated entity in a European Universities alliance at the same time; it can participate as associated partner in other alliances.

Activities that can be funded and expected project stage

The call finances implementation and scaling up of transnational institutional cooperation, focused on education but also addressing links with research, innovation and service to society. Activities must be aligned with the alliance’s long-term mission statement (endorsed by institutional decision-making bodies) and designed to generate measurable progress within a 24-month grant period. Funded activities are bottom-up but expected to prioritise upscaling of joint educational activities, inter-university campus development, mobility (physical, virtual and blended) and institutional governance transformation.

Assessment, award criteria and evaluation process

Evaluation is single-stage. Proposals are first checked for admissibility and eligibility then evaluated by independent experts and an evaluation committee. Award criteria are Relevance (max 25 points), Quality (max 50 points — subdivided into Project design and implementation 25 and Partnership and cooperation arrangements 25) and Impact (max 25 points). Individual threshold per criterion is 17/25; overall threshold is 80/100. Tie-breaking rules and portfolio balance rules apply when proposals have equal scores. Proposals that pass thresholds but cannot be funded due to budget limits may receive a Seal of Excellence.

Application process, templates and submission

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not allowed. Submission is a single-stage process using the Portal submission system and the template forms available inside that system. You must register your organisation in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC; LEARs or equivalent must make the organisation valid in the Portal before submission. Two-factor authentication is mandatory for Portal access. Required submission documents and structure are detailed below.

Evaluation scoring and thresholds (detailed)

Financial and operational capacity checks; exclusion and auditing

All beneficiaries must be registered in the Participant Register and will undergo legal entity validation; the coordinator (and in some cases other participants or affiliated entities) will be subject to financial capacity checks based on uploaded financial statements and other documents. Public bodies and certain education institutions may be exempt from detailed financial checks. Exclusion grounds are aligned with the EU Financial Regulation and include bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud and other grounds. The granting authority retains audit and investigation rights (including OLAF, EPPO and ECA) and can extend findings across grants.

Co-funding, income and no-profit rule

The grant is designed as an EU lump sum contribution normally covering 80% funding-rate proxy for the estimated eligible costs used to fix the lump sum. Beneficiaries must demonstrate stable and sufficient resources to implement projects. The no-profit rule applies where indicated in the Data Sheet; revenues generated by an action must be declared and may reduce the final grant amount if they create profit for beneficiaries that are profit-making legal entities. Any other contributions (financial or in-kind) should be declared in the budget where requested. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call.

Success rates and application stages

The call document does not publish historical success rates for this specific 2027 call; success rates vary by year and by topic and depend on the quality of proposals and available budget. The selection process for this call is single-stage (one submission) followed by one-step evaluation and grant preparation. Applicants that pass evaluation will be invited to grant preparation; invitation does not constitute a formal commitment to fund until legal and financial checks are completed and the grant agreement is signed.

Templates and structure of application forms

Application templates must be used from the Submission System. Key templates and their structure include:

Key application and implementation requirements

Applicants must submit complete proposals through the Portal before the deadline, ensure proposals are readable and printable, confirm mandates and declarations of honour, and include all required annexes. Proposals must be in an official EU language; project abstract must be in English. Two-factor authentication must be active on the Portal. The Part B page limit is strictly enforced and excess pages will be disregarded. Associated partners do not receive funding under this grant and must be clearly indicated. Subcontracting should be limited and justified; subcontracting beyond 30% of total eligible costs must be justified within the proposal.

Eligibility, exclusions, and sanctions

Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or exclusion grounds under EU Financial Regulation are not eligible to participate. Exclusion grounds include bankruptcy, bribery, fraud, grave professional misconduct and other defined situations. The awarding authority will perform legal entity validation and exclusion checks. Non-compliance can lead to rejection of costs, grant reduction, suspension, termination and recovery of funds and other administrative sanctions as set out in the Grant Agreement and EU Financial Regulation.

Target sectors, cross-cutting priorities and thematic focus

Mentioned countries and regions (explicit in call text)

Project stage and expected maturity

Application type and submission mode

Nature of support and types of beneficiary assistance

Application stages and decision process

Co-funding, financial guarantees and certificates

How to prepare a competitive proposal — key practical points

Summary: What this opportunity is about

This 2027 Erasmus+ call funds European Universities alliances to institutionalise and deepen transnational cooperation between higher education institutions across Europe. It supports alliances that already demonstrate mature cooperation and encourages them to implement concrete measures that increase integrated European inter-university campus features, mainstream innovative teaching and learning, expand flexible and inclusive learning pathways and upscale institutional governance transformation. Funding is provided as ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants for a 24-month period, with an indicative call budget of €218,400,000. Eligible applicants are HEIs holding ECHE and affiliated entities established in Erasmus+ programme countries and selected Western Balkans third countries for IPA III support. Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal before 04 March 2027 17:00 Brussels time, use the Portal templates (Part A, Part B, Part C and annexes), include a joint long-term mission statement endorsed by decision-making bodies and follow award criteria focused on Relevance, Quality and Impact. The evaluation is single-stage; successful applicants will enter grant preparation where final legal and financial checks determine signature and lump sum fixation. The call places strong emphasis on sustainability, mainstreaming, inclusiveness, digital and green priorities, and on transforming higher education institutions to deliver a European Education Area outcome through systemic, structural and sustainable cooperation.

For full official details, documentation, templates and submission access use the topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Call Document and Annexes available there. The Portal contains the official Application Form templates (ERASMUS BB and LSII), Detailed Budget Table, Model Grant Agreement, Erasmus Programme Guide and related legal references. 1

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates and submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: European Universities (ERASMUS-EDU-2027-EUR-UNIV) Topic Page.

Opportunity identification

The European Universities call is an Erasmus+ Partnerships for Excellence action supporting established alliances of higher education institutions. It is intended to deepen institutionalised transnational cooperation and make that cooperation systemic, structural and sustainable, while improving the quality, attractiveness, performance and international competitiveness of European higher education institutions. The call is managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. 1

The opportunity is primarily designed for existing alliances with substantial evidence of cooperation already in place. It is not a conventional project development grant for newly formed partnerships. Proposals must demonstrate deep institutional transnational cooperation and present a credible plan for taking the alliance to the next level.

Key opportunity facts

Summary

Strategic purpose and expected contribution

The call seeks to support alliances that contribute to a more integrated European Education Area and strengthen links between education, research, innovation and service to society. It also supports European competitiveness, social cohesion, digital and green transitions, employability, lifelong learning and respect for common European values.

Applicants should demonstrate how their alliance will promote European identity, multilingual and intercultural cooperation, academic values, inclusion, equality, diversity, geographical balance and democratic participation. The proposal should show how institutional cooperation will continue beyond the funded period and influence the wider European higher education sector.

The joint long term mission statement should describe the alliance’s fundamental purpose and have a time horizon of at least 10 years after the alliance is launched. It must be endorsed by the relevant decision making bodies of every member institution, such as the rector or president. 2

Main activity areas

European inter university campuses

Projects should develop integrated European inter university campuses and expand inclusive physical, virtual and blended mobility. Relevant measures include automatic recognition of credits, agreed grading conversion, short mobility leading to micro credentials, wider mobility at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels, joint course catalogues, joint enrolment and increased use of European Student Card infrastructure.

The call refers to an ambition for at least 50 percent of students within an alliance to benefit from physical, virtual or blended mobility. Applicants should provide a credible baseline and measurable pathway showing how mobility will be increased.

Joint and innovative education

Alliances should upscale joint, high quality and innovative educational activities and embed successful methods into partner curricula. Activities may include joint educational programmes, innovative pedagogies, research informed and challenge based learning, interdisciplinary and cross sectoral education, open science, open education, open data, STEAM approaches and the use of digital technologies.

Applicants should explain how students, academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, companies, public authorities, local and regional actors and civil society can work together on societal challenges. Activities may cover all three higher education cycles and should support flexible, student centred and logically structured learning pathways.

Flexible and inclusive learning

The alliance should improve access for under represented, disadvantaged, non traditional, part time, adult and lifelong learners. Proposed activities may include flexible learning pathways, micro credentials, alternative routes into higher education, work based learning, traineeships, external mentoring and cooperation with employers and innovation ecosystems.

Deep institutional cooperation and capacity

Proposals should consolidate joint governance and management structures, improve pooling of human, financial, digital, physical, intellectual and administrative resources, reduce administrative barriers and strengthen institutional capacity. Applicants may address common quality assurance, a possible common legal status, digital interoperability, European Degree label implementation, automatic recognition, multilingualism, sustainability and cooperation with national authorities.

Expected impact

Funded alliances are expected to generate benefits for participating higher education institutions, students, staff, researchers, lifelong learners, higher education systems and surrounding communities. Expected impacts include stronger transnational cooperation, improved quality and inclusion, enhanced employability and skills, more effective links between education and research, greater innovation capacity, improved regional development and a stronger European identity.

Alliances should also act as role models. Proposals must explain how results, methods and good practices will be communicated, disseminated and adopted by higher education institutions beyond the alliance. Sustainability after the EU funded period is a central requirement.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants are legal entities that are higher education institutions holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, or entities affiliated to such institutions. An organisation specifically established to implement deep institutional transnational cooperation, including joint educational activities, may also be eligible where it meets the conditions in the call document.

Applicants must be established in an eligible Erasmus+ country. This includes EU Member States, including their overseas countries and territories, countries associated with Erasmus+, the United Kingdom and Switzerland where the relevant association conditions apply, and Western Balkans third countries not associated with the programme.

The Western Balkans countries specifically identified for this call are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo. Participation by institutions from these countries is supported through additional Instrument for Pre Accession Assistance funding, subject to the applicable conditions.

Consortium requirements

The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least three applicants. The minimum composition is three eligible higher education institutions from three different eligible countries.

Each eligible higher education institution, and each entity affiliated to it, may participate as a beneficiary in only one European Universities alliance at the same time. An institution may participate in other applications only as an associated partner.

The proposal must demonstrate existing deep institutional transnational cooperation for at least two to three years. The partnership should have clear institutional commitment, complementary expertise, effective governance and meaningful participation by every beneficiary. The evaluation places emphasis on geographical coverage across North, South, East and West Europe.

Associated partners and other roles

Associated partners may participate without receiving EU funding. They can include higher education institutions, public or private organisations active in education and training, research and innovation or the world of work, and certain higher education institutions from countries outside the programme that are part of the European Higher Education Area.

Associated partners may contribute to activities, expertise, dissemination, innovation ecosystems and work based learning, but their role and costs must be clearly described. Subcontractors and entities providing in kind contributions may also participate subject to the grant rules. Associated partners do not count towards the minimum consortium requirement and do not receive a share of the EU grant directly.

Important exclusions and special cases

Natural persons are not eligible, except self employed persons where the business has no separate legal personality. EU bodies generally cannot participate, apart from the European Commission Joint Research Centre. International organisations may participate as associated partners. Entities without legal personality may participate only where their representatives can undertake legal obligations and provide equivalent protection for EU financial interests.

Entities subject to applicable EU restrictive measures or EU conditionality measures cannot participate in a funded role. Applicants must also satisfy financial capacity, operational capacity and exclusion requirements.

Funding available

The estimated Erasmus+ call budget is €216 million. A further €2.4 million is available through the Instrument for Pre Accession Assistance for participation of higher education institutions from eligible Western Balkans countries not associated with Erasmus+, giving a total indicative budget of €218.4 million. The budget remains subject to final adoption of the 2027 EU budget and the granting authority may decide not to distribute all available funds.

Maximum grant amounts

The calculation is based on the number of higher education institutions acting as beneficiaries. Affiliated entities do not count towards the consortium number for determining the maximum grant. The total amount may be distributed between beneficiaries according to the consortium’s internal arrangements, and the final grant may be lower than the amount requested.

Funding rate and lump sum conditions

The grant is a lump sum contribution calculated from the estimated project budget and an 80 percent funding rate. The detailed budget table is used to calculate and fix the lump sum. Although actual costs are not reimbursed individually, the estimated costs must comply with the basic eligibility principles applicable to EU actual cost grants.

The budget must be realistic, balanced and cost effective. Purchases and subcontracting must respect best value for money or, where appropriate, the lowest price, and must be free from conflicts of interest. Ineligible or excessive costs can result in a reduction of the grant, including during or after implementation.

Financial support to third parties is not allowed. Applicants must provide sufficient own or other resources to complete the action and must avoid profit, double funding and the declaration of the same cost under more than one EU grant.

Payment arrangements

A prefinancing payment normally equal to approximately 80 percent of the maximum grant may be provided after the grant agreement enters into force, subject to any required financial guarantee. There are normally no interim payments. The balance is paid after the project and final reporting have been assessed.

Payments are made to the coordinator, which is responsible for distributing funds internally. If earlier payments exceed the final grant amount, the difference may be recovered. The granting authority may offset payments against outstanding debts owed by consortium members to EU institutions or bodies.

A prefinancing guarantee may be required, particularly where the financial capacity assessment identifies risk. The guarantee is normally provided by the coordinator on behalf of the consortium and must generally be issued by an approved financial institution established in an EU Member State.

Project duration and implementation

Projects should normally last 24 months. An extension may be possible where duly justified and approved through an amendment. The starting date will normally be after grant signature. A retroactive starting date may exceptionally be authorised for duly justified reasons, but not earlier than the proposal submission date.

The grant agreement will define the final start date, duration, milestones, deliverables, reporting, payment arrangements, liability regime, rights of use, access to results for policy purposes, communication and visibility obligations.

Application requirements

Applications must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper applications are not accepted. All beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners should be registered in the Participant Register before submission, and beneficiaries and affiliated entities must complete the required legal entity validation.

The submission consists of the following elements:

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

The coordinator must have a mandate to act for all applicants. Each participant remains responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its own information. Before grant signature, beneficiaries and affiliated entities will generally need to confirm compliance through a declaration of honour and may be asked for further legal, financial or banking documentation.

Evaluation and award criteria

Eligible proposals are assessed under the operational capacity requirements and three award criteria. Each individual criterion has a minimum threshold of 17 points out of 25, and the overall minimum score is 80 points out of 100.

Relevance considerations

A strong proposal should present an ambitious and relevant joint long term mission statement, an evidence based needs analysis, clear baselines and achievements, a credible response to the specific objectives, strong European added value and explicit alignment with common EU values.

Quality considerations

Evaluators will examine the feasibility of the methodology, work plan, work packages, tasks, deliverables, milestones, timelines, indicators, quality assurance, monitoring, risk management, resources and cost effectiveness. They will also assess whether the consortium has mature governance, clear roles, high level institutional commitment, complementary expertise, effective decision making and sufficient geographical coverage.

Impact considerations

Applicants should quantify expected progress, explain how alliance results will benefit institutions beyond the consortium, provide a practical communication and dissemination plan and demonstrate how activities and outcomes will be maintained after EU funding ends.

Financial and operational capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to implement the action and contribute their share. A financial capacity check may examine accounts, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, business plans, audit reports, dependence on EU funding and previous deficits or revenues.

The financial capacity check normally applies to coordinators, subject to exemptions for public bodies, international organisations, public legal entities and certain education and training organisations receiving more than 50 percent of annual revenue from public sources. It may also be waived where the requested grant does not exceed €60,000.

Operational capacity is assessed through the competence and experience of the project team, the consortium description and the human, technical and other resources available. Applicants should provide profiles of staff responsible for managing and implementing the project and show relevant experience with projects of comparable size and complexity.

Key applicant risks and compliance points

Recommended proposal strategy

Submission and support

Applications must be submitted through the official Funding and Tenders Portal topic page before 4 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. The official call fiche, templates and portal guidance should be checked regularly because the call page may publish updates or clarifications before the deadline.

Non technical questions are directed to EACEA-EUROPEAN-UNIVERSITIES@ec.europa.eu. Technical questions about portal access, roles, registration or submission should be addressed through the Funding and Tenders Portal support services.

The official call page is available at European Universities 2027 call page. The official call fiche is available at European Universities 2027 call fiche. 3

Overall assessment

This is a large scale, highly competitive institutional transformation opportunity for mature European higher education alliances. Its strongest fit is an alliance that already has several years of operational cooperation, formal governance, institutional leadership support, evidence of joint education and mobility, a clear geographical rationale and a credible plan to mainstream successful practices across all participating institutions.

The principal success factors are strategic coherence, demonstrable existing cooperation, measurable implementation within 24 months, high level institutional commitment, cost effective lump sum budgeting, strong inclusion and mobility outcomes, geographical balance, and a convincing sustainability and wider sector impact plan.

The call fiche and portal conditions should remain the controlling documents for final eligibility, budget and submission decisions because the 2027 call is subject to final EU budget adoption and possible official updates.

Footnotes

1. 1Official European Commission and Funding and Tenders Portal information: European Universities 2027 opportunity.
2. 2The joint long term mission statement requirement and its institutional endorsement conditions are set out in the official 2027 European Universities call fiche: Call fiche.
3. 3The call fiche is the principal source for the detailed eligibility, consortium, evaluation, funding, payment and grant implementation conditions. The portal topic page remains the authoritative submission interface and source for topic updates.