Organisation of high-quality master, post-graduate or bachelor courses offering conference interpreter training in Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albania...

European Parliament call EP-LINC-SUBV funds the organisation or strengthening of bachelor, postgraduate or master courses in conference interpreting with Ukrainian, Montenegrin or Albanian as A language, targeting higher education institutions and consortia registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania. The indicative budget for this topic is €150,000 with up to 75% co-financing of eligible costs and a required minimum 25% co-financing from other sources; payments include a 70% pre-financing and a balance after final reporting. Projects must run in the 2026–2027 academic year (not starting before submission) and comply with defined quality, ECTS and practical training requirements; eligible costs cover staff, travel, equipment (depreciation rules), consumables and limited general costs. Applications are single-stage electronic submissions via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 7 May 2026 (17:00 Brussels time) following the call templates and annexes.

Organisation of courses offering conference interpreter training in Ukrainian, Montenegrin and Albanian (2026-2027)

What this funds

Co-financing for activities that strengthen university-level conference interpreter training (master, postgraduate or bachelor components) including promotion of quality and linguistic diversity, establishment of postgraduate centres of excellence, cooperation between programmes, regional university cooperation and integration of ICT and virtual training tools. Projects must support producing qualified conference interpreters with Ukrainian, Montenegrin or Albanian as A language.

Who can apply

Higher education institutions, universities, university institutes, consortia and associations of universities or institutes registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania that offer or coordinate master, postgraduate or bachelor courses with conference interpreting components; associations/consortia whose mission is to support interpreter training may also apply under the topic.

Deadlines and key dates

Call opens 19 March 2026. Single-stage submission deadline 07 May 2026 (Brussels time). Evaluation June–July 2026; grant agreements concluded July–October 2026; projects normally end by 31 August 2027 unless justified.

Funding available:EP-LINC-SUBV has an indicative contribution of €150,000; related topics in the same 2026 programme have indicative budgets of €450,000 and €150,000 respectively — awards are competitive and final grant amounts are set after project completion ¹.

1. 1What is funded: course organisation, pedagogy (including trainers and virtual tools), mobility/cooperation and limited equipment if integral to the course
2. 2Who is eligible: HEIs, university institutes, consortia and recognised bodies registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania offering the specified interpreting courses
3. 3How funding works: co-financing principle, EP typically funds up to 75% of eligible costs; final grant is calculated after project completion and reporting

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the specific topic entry; follow the application form, annexes and page limits in the call documents and the Guide for Applicants.

Footnotes

1. 1Topic page, call documents, timetable and webinar link: EP-LINC-SUBV-2026-CONF-INT on the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page.

Organisation of high-quality master, post-graduate or bachelor courses offering conference interpreter training in Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albanian (2026-2027)

Programme: European Parliament — Financial Support for Training in Conference Interpreting (EP-LINC-SUBV-2026-CONF-INT). Topic ID: EP-LINC-SUBV. Type of action: EP-PJG EP Project Grants. Model Grant Agreement: EP Action Grant Budget-Based [EP-AG]. Opening date: 19 March 2026. Deadline: 07 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission model: single-stage, via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Official topic page and submission: EP-LINC-SUBV-2026-CONF-INT-03 Topic Page. Call documents: Call for Proposals, application templates and annexes, model grant agreement, guide for applicants, and tools are available via the topic page and the European Parliament grants site.

Purpose, Objectives and Expected Outcome

Purpose: To ensure a sufficient pipeline of qualified conference interpreters with Ukrainian, Montenegrin or Albanian as A language for the European Parliament and, increasingly, for other EU institutions and bodies, thus enabling multilingual proceedings across the EU’s activities worldwide.

Expected Outcome: Strengthened, high-quality interpreter training capacity in Ukraine, Montenegro, and Albania; new cohorts of interpreters with Ukrainian, Montenegrin or Albanian A language trained to standards consistent with professional accreditation, supporting recruitment by EU institutions as staff or accredited freelances.

Objectives: Promote quality and linguistic diversity in conference interpreter training; establish and support postgraduate centres of excellence and related research; foster cooperation among European, candidate and third-country programmes; stimulate regional university cooperation; and integrate modern ICT (e.g., virtual classes, remote simultaneous interpreting platforms, digital speech repositories) into interpreter training.

Scope and Thematic Focus

Scope: Financial support to Higher Education Institutions, universities, university institutes, consortia and associations of universities or institutes registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania that offer or coordinate master, postgraduate or bachelor courses with conference interpreting components in the academic year 2026-2027. The funded actions must deliver interpreter training with Ukrainian, Montenegrin and/or Albanian as A language.

• Course levels: bachelor, postgraduate, or master
• Language orientation: A language must be Ukrainian, Montenegrin or Albanian
• Training content: practical interpreter training (consecutive and simultaneous), theory of interpreting and complementary modules (public speaking, knowledge of international/EU institutions, basic economics and law), substantial self-training components
• Use of ICT: virtual classes, e-learning, digital speech banks, RSI platforms, and other innovative tools are encouraged

Budget and Funding Modality

Co-financing rate: up to 75% of total eligible costs. Payment structure: a single pre-financing of 70% after signature by both parties; balance after approval of the final technical and financial reports. Indirect costs: flat rate up to 7% of eligible direct costs (A–F). Non-profit and non-cumulative: the grant cannot generate profit and the same costs cannot be financed twice from the EU budget.

Reference model grant and general conditions: Draft Grant Agreement (EP 2026-2027) and Annex II General Conditions. Guide for Applicants (financial rules, eligible costs, budgeting and reporting): Guide for Applicants 2026-2027. Tools: Staff cost hourly rate template (XLSX), Model timesheet (XLSX).

Who Should Apply

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants for Topic 3 are higher education institutions, universities, university institutes, and consortia or associations of universities or institutes that offer or coordinate master, postgraduate or bachelor courses with conference interpreting components, and are registered in Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania. Teaching establishments must be approved by their national authorities as public or private bodies charged with a public task of teaching and organising courses at master or postgraduate level in conference interpreting. Non-teaching applicants must have a mission aligned with the programme’s objectives and be recognised by the national authorities where established.

Consortia are allowed. Associations and bodies that support cooperation and best practice dissemination in conference interpreter training may be relevant to other EP-LINC topics, but for Topic 3 the applicant must be a qualifying HEI entity registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania coordinating eligible courses.

Eligibility, Selection and Award Criteria

Geographic eligibility of applicants:For Topic 3, the applicant institution must be registered in Ukraine, Montenegro or Albania. In general, EP-LINC grant applicants must be legally established in EU Member States, EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) or EU candidate countries; Topic 3 narrows the scope to the three target countries for registration of the teaching establishment.

Selection criteria (capacity):Financial capacity: stable and adequate resources for the project duration; organisational capacity appropriate to the scale, duration and planned expenditure. Technical/operational capacity: professional skills and qualifications to provide specialised interpreter training; qualified trainers; proven project management; adequate logistical infrastructure and financial controls. Consortia/associations must show capacity to manage multi-partner projects.

Award criteria for Topic 3 (maximum 100 points):1) Relevance to priority needs for Ukrainian, Montenegrin and Albanian (35 points). 2) Implementation quality and compliance with accepted conference interpreting training standards (25 points), including: a) Duration and credits: postgraduate/master 1–3 academic years and 30–60 ECTS; bachelor level 80–120 ECTS; b) Minimum 100 hours of training, of which at least 50% practical interpreter training; c) Minimum 50 hours of self-training; d) Inclusion of theory and complementary modules (public speaking, international institutions, basic economics and law). 3) Track record and contribution to EU interpreter pool (15 points). 4) Technical operational capacity and use of innovative technologies (15 points). 5) Cooperation with other universities (5 points). 6) Project management quality and budget appropriateness (5 points). Threshold for acceptance: 60% of maximum points.

Timeline and Process

Submission is fully electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Application consists of Part A (online administrative and summary budget) and Part B (downloadable narrative application with detailed budget and annexes, re-uploaded as PDF).

Funding, Costs and Payments

• Co-funding: European Parliament contribution up to 75% of eligible costs; beneficiaries must secure the remaining financing (own resources, public support, direct income such as fees)
• Eligible direct costs: project staff (internal and external) dedicated to the action; travel and subsistence related to the action; equipment depreciation or rental proportionate to project duration and use; consumables and supplies; direct costs of conferences, seminars, workshops; subcontracts (limited, justified, and procured at best value for money); financial support to third parties if foreseen (not typical for this topic)
• Indirect costs: flat rate up to 7% of eligible direct costs (A–F)
• Ineligible costs: return on capital; debt service; provisions; interest; doubtful debts; exchange losses; bank transfer costs charged by beneficiary bank; costs financed by another EU grant; contributions in kind (allowed only as co-financing not counted as eligible costs, with specific conditions); excessive or reckless expenditure; deductible VAT
• Payments: pre-financing 70% after both signatures; balance within 60 days after approval of final reports and cost claim
• Non-retroactivity: costs incurred before application submission date are ineligible; selected actions may include certain pre-signature costs if linked to programme cycle and accepted in the agreement (e.g., aptitude tests, course preparation)

What You Will Deliver

• Design and implement an academically structured interpreter training programme at bachelor or postgraduate/master level with Ukrainian, Montenegrin and/or Albanian as A language
• Provide a minimum number of taught hours with a strong emphasis on practical consecutive and simultaneous training, documented self-training, theory of interpreting, and complementary skill modules
• Use of professional interpreters as trainers and inclusion of external assessors in final examination juries where feasible
• Integrate modern ICT and innovative pedagogical tools (virtual classes, digital speech banks, RSI exercises, VLEs) and describe concrete platforms/tools
• Coordinate selection processes (aptitude tests), course delivery schedule, interim and final exams, external juries, and optional mobility/cooperation activities
• Ensure quality monitoring (student evaluations, peer reviews, benchmarking, exam pass rates, graduate outcomes) and provide final implementation and financial reports

Categorisation and Structured Information

Eligible Applicant Types:Higher Education Institution, university, university institute, consortium or association of universities or institutes registered in Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania that offers or coordinates master, postgraduate or bachelor courses with conference interpreting components. Public or private teaching establishments must be nationally approved for a public teaching task in conference interpreting at master/postgraduate level. Non-teaching bodies are not eligible for Topic 3 unless they are HEIs/universities/university institutes or their consortia/associations meeting the Topic 3 scope.

Funding Type:Grant (EP Action Grant, budget-based). Co-financing up to 75% of eligible costs; single pre-financing of 70%; final balance upon approval of reports.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicants are eligible. Consortia/associations of universities or institutes are allowed but not mandatory. Where multiple partners are involved, roles, work plans and budget contributions must be clearly defined; a multi-beneficiary agreement may be required for major multi-partner arrangements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):For Topic 3 only: applicant institutions must be registered in Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania. In the general EP-LINC grants framework, applicants may be established in EU Member States, EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) or EU candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine). Topic 3 limits eligibility to the three target countries for institutional registration.

Target Sector:Education and training in conference interpreting; language services and multilingual communication; culture and public administration support. Strong innovation component in pedagogical technologies (virtual classes, RSI, digital resources) within interpreter training.

Mentioned Countries:Ukraine; Montenegro; Albania; Iceland; Liechtenstein; Norway; Switzerland; Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Georgia; Moldova; Montenegro; North Macedonia; Serbia; Türkiye; Ukraine.

Project Stage:Implementation and delivery of academic courses (design finalisation, delivery, assessment and reporting) during the 2026-2027 academic cycle; includes development of content and validation/assessment through aptitude, interim and final exams.

Funding Amount:Indicative total budget for Topic 3 is €150,000. Individual grant sizes vary by proposal scope and approved eligible costs. As an empirical reference, grants awarded under Topic 3 in 2025-2026 to Ukrainian universities ranged approximately from €37,700 to €59,300 per project ¹.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Part A (online) and Part B (narrative PDF with detailed budget and annexes) must be completed.

Nature of Support:Financial grant (money). The Directorate-General for Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences may also provide professional support (e.g., participation of EP representatives in exam panels, pedagogical exchanges) aligned with project needs.

Application Stages:1 stage: submission and evaluation. Evaluation by a committee of at least three DG LINC officials; ranked lists per topic; minimum score 60/100 to be considered.

Success Rates:Not disclosed. Selection is competitive and based on thresholds, ranking against award criteria, and available budget. Budget may be reallocated among topics if funding remains.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Maximum EP co-financing is 75% of total eligible costs. At least 25% must be covered by the beneficiary and/or other sources. Grants are non-profit and non-cumulative.

Evaluation and Reporting

• Evaluation: award criteria as above; committee may reduce or reject budget items considered irrelevant or excessive
• Quality standards: practice-based training by professional conference interpreters; external assessors in final juries where feasible; minimum practical and self-training hours
• Reporting: Final Technical Report (Annex IV A) and Final Financial Statement (Annex IV B) within 60 days after project end; retain supporting documents (invoices, timesheets) for up to five years (three years if maximum grant amount ≤ €60,000)
• Publicity: beneficiaries must acknowledge EP co-funding using the prescribed wording and visual identity

Templates and Application Structure

Applicants must prepare Part A (online forms) and Part B (narrative PDF) using the call-specific templates. For Topic 3, use the dedicated Part B template and annexes available through the portal: Application Form Topic 3 (2026-27). Budgeting and staffing must be prepared with the provided spreadsheets and timekeeping model.

Part B — Topic 3 structure (outline):Section I. Identification: legal representative; coordinator; finance officer; VAT status; partner institutions (if applicable) including tasks and budget contributions. Section II. Project Description: project title; duration and schedule; languages and combinations (A/B/C, retour); course organisation (type, students, fees, semesters, ECTS); teaching staff profiles and CVs; access and selection (aptitude tests, criteria, jury composition); course plan (practical training by semester, self-training, theory/other subjects); final examination modalities and juries; graduate outcomes; technical capacity (facilities, booths, virtual classes, RSI platforms, speech banks, VLEs, tools to be developed); cooperation and mobility; project management (admin staffing, hours, quality monitoring); innovations and risks. Project Description – Course Plan table: per module list teachers, hours/ECTS per semester, equipment and pedagogical approach. Section III. Budget: Table 1 (overview of expected expenditure A–G); Table 2 (income and requested EP grant, student fees, other sources); Table 3 (partner contributions if any); Table 4 A–G (detailed costs: staff, travel/subsistence, equipment with depreciation, consumables, events, other direct, general costs). Section IV. Annexes: Annex I Financial Identification Form; Annex II National recognition; Annex III CVs; Annex IV Financial capacity; Annex V Detailed hourly rate calculations (Excel). Section V. Declaration on Honour.

Mandatory tools and templates:Staff costs hourly rate calculation (Excel) to compute on-payroll, complementary and external staff rates and total hours; Model Timesheet (Excel) for monthly hour tracking by task category (coordination, teaching internal/external, speakers, examiners, other project tasks); Final Implementation Report template for Topic 3 (Annex IV A) capturing student numbers, exams, pedagogical inputs, visits and outcomes; Final Financial Statement (Annex IV B) with itemised costs and invoices; Declaration on Honour; Financial Identification Form and guide.

Key Documents and Support

• Call for Proposals 2026-2027 (full rules, topics, criteria): PDF
• Language priorities for 2026-2027: PDF
• Guide for Applicants 2026-2027: PDF
• Questions & Answers from previous calls: PDF
• Work Programme 2026 (objectives, budget): PDF
• Model Grant Agreement and General Conditions: Grant Agreement; Annex II General Conditions
• Application and budget templates: Topic 3 Application, Staff costs hourly rate, Model timesheet
• Portal Online Manual: Funding & Tenders Online Manual
• Helpdesk: linc.grants@europarl.europa.eu (EP-LINC grants). Technical portal issues: Funding & Tenders IT Helpdesk via the Portal.

Compliance, Publicity and Data Protection

• Exclusion grounds: bankruptcy, tax/social breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, criminal offenses, irregularities, conflicts of interest, or restrictive measures — see Call sections 6–7 and Annex II
• Procurement and subcontracting: best value for money; avoid conflicts of interest; limited and justified; major contracts may require specific procedures
• Publicity: beneficiaries must acknowledge EP co-funding using required wording and EP visual identity and logo; EP publishes grants awarded
• Data protection: personal data processing complies with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; see Privacy Statement for DG LINC grants

General Summary

This European Parliament call targets higher education providers registered in Ukraine, Montenegro and Albania to organise and deliver high-quality bachelor, postgraduate or master courses in conference interpreting for the 2026-2027 academic year. The strategic goal is to expand the pool of interpreters with Ukrainian, Montenegrin and Albanian A languages to meet EP and EU institutional needs. Projects must provide a substantial volume of practice-oriented training in both consecutive and simultaneous modes, include self-training and theory, use professional interpreters as trainers, and assess students through structured interim and final examinations. Innovative pedagogy and technology integration (virtual classes, RSI platforms, speech repositories, VLEs) are encouraged, as is cooperation and mobility among universities. Funding is provided as a grant co-financing up to 75% of eligible costs, with a 70% pre-financing and balance on acceptance of final reporting. Applications are submitted in one stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using call-specific templates for narrative, budget and annexes, including staff cost calculations and timesheets. Projects are evaluated against relevance to language priorities, training quality standards, track record and impact on the EU interpreter pool, operational capacity and innovation, cooperation, and sound project management. The total indicative budget for this Topic is €150,000, and individual awards will align with approved eligible budgets and the non-profit principle. Institutions should carefully design the curriculum, staffing, infrastructure, and quality assurance to match EP standards and document all costs and outputs for compliant reporting.

Footnotes

1. 1As an indication of scale only: 2025-2026 Topic 3 awards to Ukrainian universities ranged from approximately €37,700 to €59,300 per grant. See: Grants Awarded 2025-2026.

Funding Opportunity Analysis: Conference Interpreter Training in Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albanian

Opportunity Overview

This is a European Parliament grants program aimed at establishing or strengthening master, postgraduate, or bachelor courses offering conference interpreter training specifically for Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albanian languages. The Directorate-General for Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences (DG LINC) seeks to ensure the availability of qualified conference interpreters with these languages as their active working language (A language) to support EU institutions.

Program Details:Call Code: EP-LINC-SUBV | Type: Call for Proposals | Opening Date: 19 March 2026 | Application Deadline: 7 May 2026 (17:00 Brussels time) | Single-stage submission process

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are higher education institutions, universities, university institutes, and consortia of universities or institutes that are legally established in Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania and offer or coordinate master, postgraduate, or bachelor courses with conference interpreting components. Teaching establishments must be approved by their national authorities as public or private bodies charged with a public task of teaching and organizing courses in conference interpreting.

Geographic Scope:Applicants must be registered in Ukraine, Montenegro, or Albania. The primary aim is to develop conference interpreter training capacity in these three countries specifically for their respective languages.

Funding Information

Total Budget Available:€150,000 allocated for Topic 3

Funding Rate:Maximum 75% of total eligible costs. Applicants must secure the remaining 25% co-financing through other sources such as student fees, public funding, or institutional contributions.

Payment Schedule:Pre-financing payment of 70% of the awarded grant amount will be made within 30 days after both parties sign the grant agreement. The balance is paid upon completion of the action and after European Parliament approval of final technical and financial reports, typically within 60 days of receiving the cost claim and supporting documents.

Project Duration and Timeline

Projects should run during the 2026-2027 academic year. The start date must not be earlier than the date of application submission, though costs relating to immediate course preparation may be eligible. The project end date cannot exceed 31 August 2027, except when duly justified by the applicant and accepted by the European Parliament.

Evaluation Timeline:Proposals will be evaluated from June to July 2026. Results will be notified to applicants by the end of July 2026. Grant agreements are expected to be concluded between July and October 2026.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applicants must meet financial and technical operational capacity requirements. They must demonstrate stable and adequate financial resources to maintain activities during project implementation, possess professional skills and qualifications necessary for specialized training, and have appropriate human resources including professionally qualified trainers with proven project management capacities.

Teaching establishments must have logistical infrastructure necessary to complete the project including appropriate financial controls. If an applicant is not a teaching establishment, its mission must nonetheless be aligned with program objectives and be recognized by national authorities where established.

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Proposals are evaluated by an Evaluation Committee composed of at least three independent officials. To proceed to further evaluation, proposals must satisfy all exclusion, eligibility, and selection criteria. The committee then assesses proposals against specific award criteria.

Scoring Breakdown (Maximum 100 Points):

• Relevance to priority needs for Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albanian languages at the European Parliament and EU institutions: maximum 35 points
• Implementation of conference interpreting training requirements meeting quality standards: maximum 25 points
• Experience in the field and employment record of graduates for EU Interpretation Services: maximum 15 points
• Technical operational capacity and use of innovative technologies for training: maximum 15 points
• Cooperation with other universities: maximum 5 points
• Quality and efficiency of project management including budget appropriateness: maximum 5 points

For newly established courses, criterion 3 will not be applied, resulting in a maximum of 75 points. Applications must achieve a minimum of 60% of maximum possible points to be accepted. Even if this threshold is met, proposals may not be selected if budget is exhausted by higher-scoring applications.

Key Quality Requirements for Training Programs

For postgraduate or master level courses, programs should last between one and three academic years and award between 30 and 60 ECTS credits. Bachelor level programs should award between 80 and 120 ECTS credits. Students must receive a minimum of 100 hours of training, with at least 50% devoted to practical interpreter training. Self-training should represent a minimum of 50 hours.

Courses must include tuition in theory of interpreting and other subjects such as public speaking, knowledge about international institutions, and basic background knowledge in economics and law. The final diploma or certificate should only be awarded if the candidate demonstrates competence in both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, as assessed by professional standards.

Budget and Eligible Costs

Eligible costs include staff costs for coordination, administration, internal teachers, external teachers, speakers, and examiners. Preparation time is eligible within the limit of maximum one hour of preparation for each hour of teaching. Travel and subsistence costs for staff and participants, equipment costs (following depreciation rules), consumables and supplies directly related to the action, and general costs (maximum 7% of direct costs A-F) are all eligible.

Costs must be directly connected with the project, necessary for implementation, reasonable and justified, generated during the project lifetime, and actually incurred by the beneficiary and recorded in accounts. Non-eligible costs include return on capital, debt service charges, VAT (unless non-recoverable), provisions for future losses, exchange losses, and any costs already supported by another EU-financed action.

Important Financial Principles:The grant may not produce a profit for the beneficiary. Expenditure and income must be in balance. If pre-financing payments exceed the final grant amount determined after project completion, the excess must be returned. The final grant amount is only established after analysis and approval of final reports.

Application Process and Requirements

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants must confirm they have the mandate to act for the applicant and that all information is correct and complete. Paper submissions are not accepted.

The application must include Part A (administrative information and budget summary completed online) and Part B (narrative description and detailed budget as PDF upload). All mandatory annexes must be completed: financial identification form, curriculum vitae of key staff, Declaration on Honour, proof of national authority recognition, and financial capacity documentation.

Application Components:

• Completed application form with project description covering course structure, teaching methodology, student selection criteria, quality assurance measures
• Detailed course plan indicating hours per semester for each subject, teaching staff names and qualifications
• Budget overview table and detailed budget breakdown for all cost categories
• Financial identification form with bank account details and supporting documentation
• Curriculum vitae of key project personnel
• Declaration on Honour confirming accuracy of information and compliance with all conditions
• Proof of national authority approval of the teaching establishment

Important Conditions and Restrictions

Applicants must immediately inform the European Parliament of any changes occurring after application submission or after agreement signature. Applications must be submitted in an official EU language, though English or French are strongly recommended for efficiency. Applicants are subject to EU exclusion criteria regarding bankruptcy, tax compliance, professional misconduct, fraud, and corruption.

Double financing is prohibited. The same action cannot receive grants from multiple EU sources. Applicants must declare whether the proposal or any part has received or is being sought from other EU institutions. Beneficiaries must allow European Parliament representatives to participate in examination panels and project-related meetings and must organize the project accounting for Parliament's activity calendar.

Publication and Visibility Requirements:Beneficiaries must acknowledge European Parliament contribution in all publications and activities funded by the grant using the statement: This project is co-funded by the European Parliament's 2026 Annual Work Programme for financial support in conference interpreting training. The official European Union emblem must display appropriate prominence in all materials.

Reporting and Compliance

Beneficiaries must submit final technical reports on action implementation and final financial statements within 60 days after project completion. These reports must be accompanied by supporting documents including invoices and timesheets. The European Parliament may conduct technical and financial checks, audits, and evaluations during implementation and for five years after the final payment.

Beneficiaries must maintain all original accounting documents for five years starting from the date of the final payment and make them available on request. Staff timesheets documenting hours worked on the project must be maintained monthly, validated by staff members and countersigned by responsible university personnel.

Contact and Support Information

For questions related to EP-LINC grants, contact LINC.grants@ep.europa.eu. For technical assistance with the submission portal, contact the IT Helpdesk. Questions must be submitted no later than 22 April 2026. The European Parliament will publish questions and answers received to ensure equal treatment of applicants.

Comprehensive guidance is available in the Guide for Applicants, the online manual, the call for proposals document, and the model grant agreement template. A webinar was held on 20 March 2026 to provide information on the call. Applicants are advised to review all documentation carefully before submitting.

Strategic Context and Expected Outcomes

This funding initiative supports the European Parliament's strategic objective to ensure qualified conference interpreters are available in Ukrainian, Montenegrin, and Albanian languages. These three languages have been identified as priority needs for EU institutions. The program aims to produce new generations of qualified conference interpreters who may subsequently be recruited by the European Parliament and other EU institutions as officials or accredited conference interpreting agents.

Results are measured by the rate and number of graduates who participate in EU accreditation tests and their success rates. Supported programs contribute to maintaining a sufficient pool of qualified interpreters for the EU Interpretation Services, ensuring proper functioning of EU institutions in a context of linguistic diversity.