Cooperative partnership in the direction of education, training, youth and sports
{Last Update: 24.12.2025}
The main goal of cooperative cooperation is to increase the relevance and quality of their activities, to develop and strengthen their partnerships, to increase their capacity to work at the transnational level, to increase the degree of internationalization of their activities through the creation and/or sharing of best practices.
Their aim is to support the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices, as well as the implementation of joint initiatives that promote cooperation, peer learning and exchange of experiences at the European level.
The results should be reusable, transferable, scalable and, if possible, have a strong transdisciplinary dimension. Selected projects will be required to share the results of their activities at local, regional, national and transnational levels.
The cooperative partnership program must be in line with the policy priorities of the Erasmus+ program, both at European and national level.
Depending on the project content and the type of applicant, Cooperative Partnership programmes may be managed by the EACEA or by National Agencies. (For more information, see the Programme Guide – “Eligibility Criteria”)
Objectives of the initiative
The cooperative partnership has the following objectives:
- to improve the quality of institutions, work, activities and practices involved in the project, to welcome new actors;
- improve the ability of organizations to work at transnational and inter-sectoral levels;
- to cover the common needs in the field of education, training, youth and sports;
- To enable transformation and changes that promote improvement, the formation of new approaches.
Criteria for participation in the cooperative partnership program
In order for an organization to be able to participate in a cooperative partnership, it must meet the following criteria:
Who can apply? | Any participating organization that is based in an EU member state or a third country associated with the program. The coordinator submits the application on behalf of all participating organizations of the project. To apply, the applicant organization must have 2 years of operating experience. In case the application is made by a European NGO and the project is managed by the EACEA, the coordinator must be a European NGO operating in the education, training and youth sector. |
Which organizations can participate in the project consortium? | Any public or private organisation established in the European Union, or in a third country associated with the Programme, or in a third country not from a region associated with the Programme 1, 2, 3 (See also the Programme Guide – Eligible Countries for Cooperative Partnerships) Exception: organizations from Belarus (region 2) are not eligible to participate in the program. Organizations from EU countries or third countries associated with the program can participate as coordinators and partners. Organizations from third countries that are not associated with the program cannot be coordinators. Regardless of the field in which the project is implemented, any organization from education, training, youth, sports and other socio-economic sectors, as well as those organizations operating at the trans-sectoral level (local, regional and national decision-makers) may be involved in the cooperative partnership. , accreditation centers, chambers of commerce, trade organizations, consulting center, cultural and sports organizations). Depending on the priorities and goals of the project, cooperative partnership initiatives should include as many relevant and diverse partners as possible, so that they can benefit from each other's experience and be able to achieve better results. |
Profile and number of participating organizations | Cooperative partnership is a transnational project and it must unite at least 3 organizations from EU member states or third countries associated with the program. Regarding the number of participants in the project, there is no upper limit. In grant applications submitted to national agencies in the areas of school, vocational education and training, adult education and youth, the same organizations (with the same OID) cannot be involved in more than 10 applications. In general, the cooperative partnership initiative aims to deepen the partnership between EU member states and third countries associated with the program. however, Organizations from third countries that are not associated with the program can participate in the project as partners if their involvement adds significant value to the project and also the basic requirements of the consortium are met. |
priorities | To be considered for funding, cooperative partnerships must focus on:
Projects made in the field of sports can cover only one priority. |
Place of activities | Activities may take place in any country from which the partners or the coordinator are represented. Besides:
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Duration of the project | From 12 months to 36 months The duration of the project should be determined during the application period, depending on the objectives and results of the project. The duration of cooperative partnership projects may be extended, if justified, on the basis of a formal agreement. |
Where to apply? | For partners in the fields of education, training and youth, submitted by any organization active in these fields, excluding European Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs):
Projects by European non-governmental organizations in the education, training and youth sector:
In the sports sector, in case of partnership
The same consortium can submit only one project application. |
When is the application submitted? | For projects created in the field of education, training and youth and in which European NGOs do not participate:
Possible additional deadlines
For partnerships in the education, training and youth sector, submitted by a European NGO:
For partnership in the field of sports:
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Funding rules
Projects are financed according to the principle of 3 "lamp-three" budgets, the budgets of which are as follows: 120 euros, 000 euros and 250 euros. Applicants should select the amount of the budget taking into account the expected activities and results.