Partnerships for Excellence: European Universities – European Degree exploratory action

The "Partnerships for Excellence: European Universities – European Degree exploratory action" (ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED) is a notable EU funding opportunity under the Erasmus+ program aimed at enhancing higher education through collaborative efforts. This initiative targets higher education institutions eligible for participation in the Erasmus+ program, specifically universities and similar institutions skilled in developing and implementing joint educational programs across multiple countries.

The financial mechanism for this opportunity is the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants, which means participating institutions receive predetermined funding amounts rather than reimbursement for incurred costs. The total budget for this action in 2025 is €14 million, which will be distributed among various funded projects. The application process follows a single-stage submission method, requiring comprehensive proposals to be submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal between December 17, 2025, and March 17, 2026, with later evaluation and grant agreement stages planned for 2026.

A significant aspect of this funding opportunity is the requirement for consortium arrangements. Applicants must form partnerships with multiple higher education institutions from different countries to design and implement transnational joint programs leading to the joint European degree label. The project's focus includes higher education sectors with an emphasis on engineering, fostering innovative and inclusive degree programs across Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels.

The geographic eligibility covers all EU Member States and associated countries participating in the Erasmus+ framework. While the specific countries eligible for participation are detailed in the official documentation, the overarching aim is to support interconnected European education systems.

While the exact success rates of applications are not provided, it is anticipated they may fall within typical competition ranges for similar funding opportunities. The initiative does not appear to have explicit co-funding requirements, as the lump sum grants generally serve as the primary funding source.

In summary, this call for proposals encourages higher education institutions to work collaboratively to develop practical models and evidence supporting the broader acceptance of the joint European degree label, particularly in engineering education. Interested institutions must ensure their proposals align with the eligibility and evaluation criteria outlined in the detailed call documents, which provide comprehensive guidance on submission, evaluation processes, and necessary legal and financial regulations.

The Partnerships for Excellence: European Universities European Degree exploratory action, call ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED, is an EU funding opportunity under the Erasmus Programme. It aims to foster excellence in higher education by supporting higher education institutions in the design, adaptation, and implementation of innovative and inclusive transnational joint programmes at bachelor, master, or doctoral levels. These programmes should align with the criteria for the joint European degree label, as outlined in Annex II of the Council Recommendation on a European Quality Assurance and Recognition System in Higher Education (C/2025/3006). The action seeks to generate practical models and evidence to inspire broader adoption of the joint European degree label across Europe and encourages targeted exploration of the concept of a European degree in engineering.

The call for proposals was published on 17 December 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is 17 March 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation period is scheduled for late March to June 2026, with information to applicants expected in September 2026. The signature of the grant agreement is planned for December 2026.

The call utilizes the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants (ERASMUS-LS) type of action and the ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant [ERASMUS-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The total budget allocated for this topic in 2025 is 14,000,000 EUR. The call follows a single-stage submission process.

The admissibility conditions, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring and thresholds, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, as well as the legal and financial set-up of the grants, are all described in detail within the call document.

Applicants are advised to consult the call document and its annexes for comprehensive information. Key documents include the Call Document, Standard Application Form (ERASMUS BB and LSII), Detailed Budget Table (ERASMUS LSII), and the ERASMUS Programme Guide. Additional documents such as the ERASMUS+ Work Programme, ERASMUS Regulation 2021/817, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement are also available.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides access to the Electronic Submission Service. Applicants must select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed via the My Proposals page in the My Area section of the portal.

For assistance, applicants can contact EACEA-PE-EUED@ec.europa.eu. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and the IT Helpdesk are also available for technical support. The Online Manual offers a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

The call encourages partner searches, allowing LEARs, Account Administrators, self-registrants, and users with active public Person profiles to publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics. There are currently 5 partner search announcements related to this topic.

In summary, this Erasmus+ call aims to promote excellence and innovation in higher education by supporting the development and implementation of transnational joint degree programmes. It encourages higher education institutions to align their programmes with the European degree label criteria and to explore the concept of a European degree, particularly in engineering. The call provides funding and resources for institutions to create practical models and evidence that can inspire the broader adoption of joint European degrees across Europe. Applicants should carefully review the call documents and guidelines to ensure their proposals meet the eligibility and evaluation criteria.

Eligible Applicant Types: Higher education institutions are explicitly mentioned as eligible applicants. Other eligible applicant types are described in the call document.

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

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the focus on transnational joint programmes suggests a consortium of multiple applicants is likely required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in the call document. The focus on the joint European degree label suggests a European scope.

Target Sector: The target sector is education, specifically higher education, with a focus on transnational joint programmes and the European degree label. It also encourages targeted exploration of the concept of a European degree in engineering.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on Europe, as indicated by the emphasis on the "joint European degree label."

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on the design, adaptation, and implementation of programmes, suggesting a development and implementation stage.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED - ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants is EUR 14,000,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by "Open For Submission."

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

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not specified in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity, "Partnerships for Excellence: European Universities European Degree exploratory action (ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED)," is an EU grant call under the Erasmus+ programme. It aims to foster excellence in higher education by supporting higher education institutions in designing, adapting, and implementing innovative and inclusive transnational joint programmes at the bachelor, master, or doctoral levels. These programmes should align with the criteria for the joint European degree label. The call encourages the development of practical models and evidence to promote the broader adoption of the European degree label across Europe and specifically encourages exploration of the concept of a European degree in engineering. The call was published on December 17, 2025, with a submission deadline of March 17, 2026. The evaluation period is expected to run from late March to June 2026, with information to applicants in September 2026 and grant agreement signature in December 2026. The funding mechanism is an ERASMUS Lump Sum Grant, with a total budget of EUR 14,000,000 for the ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED - ERASMUS-LS topic. The application process is single-stage and is managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Higher education institutions are the target applicants, and collaboration through consortia is implied by the nature of transnational joint programmes.