Jean Monnet Network on External Policy EU-INDIA

The grant opportunity presented is the Jean Monnet Network on External Policy EU-India under the Erasmus+ Programme. This initiative aims to support large thematic networks in higher education that focus on EU-India relations, as well as broader themes related to European integration. It provides financial funding structured as an Erasmus Lump Sum Grant, with a maximum contribution of €1,200,000 per network.

Eligible applicants are primarily higher education institutions (HEIs) established in EU Member States, third countries associated with Erasmus+, and India. However, Indian institutions can only participate as consortium partners, not as coordinators. All participating institutions need to hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) certificate.

The application must be a consortium comprising at least 12 entities, with at least 6 from India, and the coordinator must be based in the EU. The geographical scope for activities includes EU Member States, associated third countries, and India, emphasizing a collaborative international approach.

This grant focuses specifically on higher education sectors related to EU studies, covering areas like economic studies, political studies, legal studies, international relations, and governance. The projects are expected to produce and disseminate research that contributes to policy-making in areas relevant to EU-India relations.

The application process is a single-stage submission with an open call format, closing on February 3, 2026. Proposals must meet the minimum scoring threshold of 70 out of 100 points across evaluation criteria such as project design and implementation quality, partnership quality, and expected impact.

Co-funding is required, with applicants needing to secure 20% of total project costs from non-EU sources. The funding also allows for financial support to third parties, capped at €60,000. Successful grant awards will be announced in June-July 2026, after evaluations conducted between February and May.

This initiative seeks to bolster academic collaboration between European and Indian institutions while enhancing the understanding of EU policies and supporting evidence-based discussions on EU external relations, ultimately aligning with the EU's strategic interests in fostering global partnerships.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Erasmus+ Programme, specifically the Jean Monnet Policy Debate (ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS). The call, identified as 2026 – EAC/A12/2025, focuses on Jean Monnet Networks. The type of action is ERASMUS-LS, Erasmus Lump Sum Grants, with the model grant agreement being the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant [ERASMUS-AG-LS].

The call is open for submission with a deadline of 3 February 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The opening date for submissions was 27 November 2025.

The scope of the call is to support large thematic networks in Higher Education. Indicatively, one network on internal EU issues and one network on foreign policy issues addressing specific priorities will be supported this year. The primary objective of these networks is to collect, share, and discuss research findings, course content, experiences, and products such as studies and articles among the partners. Each network is expected to establish a tool for partners to share their academic work and conduct peer review exercises, including commenting on posted documents. The coordinator of each network will regularly select the most innovative and interesting results to be provided to the Commission.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout requirements, which are detailed in the call document and the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, as well as in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Applicants must complete and submit the templates available in the Submission screen, specifically the Application Form Part B (ERASMUS LS JMO) and the Detailed budget table (ERASMUS LSII). The page limit for proposals is 70 pages. Supporting documents can be provided as annexes and do not count towards the page limit. The minimum font size is Arial 9 points, the page size is A4, and margins must be at least 15 mm on all sides (excluding headers and footers).

Eligible countries and other eligible conditions are described in the call document and the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026. Applicants must also demonstrate financial and operational capacity, and must not be subject to exclusion criteria, as detailed in the call document and the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026.

The evaluation and award process, including submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring, thresholds, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, are described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026. The publication of the call was on 25 November 2025. The evaluation period is scheduled for February to May 2026, with information to applicants provided in June to July 2026, and the signature of the grant agreement in August to September 2026.

The legal and financial set-up of the grants is not applicable (n/a).

The call document and annexes include the call document itself, application form templates (Standard application form (ERASMUS LS JMO) and Detailed budget table (ERASMUS LSII)), guidance documents (Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026), Model Grant Agreements (MGA) including the Lump Sum MGA, the ECHE Charter Certificate, the 2026 Annual Work Programme, ERASMUS Regulation 2021/817, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, the Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview includes three topics: ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-HEI-EU with a budget of 1,000,000 EUR, ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-HEI-NON-EU-INDIA with a budget of 1,200,000 EUR, and ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-SCHOOLS with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR. All topics are single-stage applications with the same opening and deadline dates.

There are four partner search announcements related to this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To start the submission process, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirm their choice of action type and model grant agreement, and log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal to access existing draft proposals.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact eacea-ajm@ec.europa.eu. Additional support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this Erasmus+ Programme call invites higher education institutions and schools to form thematic networks to share research, course content, and experiences related to EU internal issues and foreign policy, particularly with a focus on EU-India relations. The call provides funding through lump sum grants, and the application process involves detailed guidelines regarding proposal format, eligibility, and evaluation criteria, all of which are thoroughly documented in the provided annexes and guides. The goal is to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing within the European higher education landscape and beyond, with the ultimate aim of informing the European Commission with innovative and interesting results.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is targeted towards large thematic networks in Higher Education and schools. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and schools are therefore eligible applicant types.

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

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is designed for large thematic networks, implying a consortium of multiple applicants is required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): There are three specific topics: one for networks focusing on internal EU issues, one for networks focusing on foreign policy issues addressing specific priorities with non-EU countries, specifically India, and one for networks in schools. Therefore, the geographic eligibility varies depending on the specific topic. One topic is focused on EU internal issues, another on EU and India, and the third is for schools, presumably within the Erasmus+ program's scope. The eligible countries are described in the call document and the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026.

Target Sector: The program targets the education sector, specifically higher education and schools, with a focus on thematic networks that address internal EU issues and foreign policy issues. Thematic areas include research, course content, and experiences related to EU internal and external policies.

Mentioned Countries: India, EU

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on establishing and operating thematic networks, which implies a stage of development and implementation rather than early-stage research or idea generation. The networks are expected to collect, share, and discuss research findings, content of courses, and experiences.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic: ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-HEI-EU has a budget of €1,000,000, ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-HEI-NON-EU-INDIA has a budget of €1,200,000, and ERASMUS-JMO-2026-NETWORKS-SCHOOLS has a budget of €2,000,000.

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 a lump sum grant.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Erasmus+ Programme, specifically the Jean Monnet Policy Debate, aimed at supporting large thematic networks in higher education and schools. The call, EAC/A12/2025, offers lump sum grants to networks focusing on internal EU issues, EU foreign policy with a focus on India, and networks in schools. The primary objective of these networks is to facilitate the collection, sharing, and discussion of research findings, course content, and experiences among partners. The networks are expected to establish tools for sharing academic works and conducting peer reviews. The coordinator of each network will select the most innovative and interesting results to be provided to the European Commission. The call is structured as a single-stage application process with a deadline of February 3, 2026. The available budget varies by topic, with €1,000,000 allocated to networks focusing on internal EU issues, €1,200,000 for networks focusing on EU-India foreign policy, and €2,000,000 for networks in schools. Applicants are required to submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to specific page limits and formatting guidelines. The evaluation process will take place between February and May 2026, with grant agreements expected to be signed between August and September 2026. The call emphasizes the importance of consulting the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 for detailed information on eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, and legal and financial aspects.