Tuesday, 3 November 2026 · 12:00–15:30 Tbilisi (09:00–12:30 Brussels, CET) · Online on Google Meet
Register here
Event description
Erasmus+ projects are built by consortia. A Georgian university, research institute or company can take part in almost every action of the program, but almost always as a partner within an international consortium rather than alone. The obstacle is rarely the idea or the capacity. It is not known who to apply with.
Partnerships form between people who have already met, and Georgian organizations are frequently absent from the informal European networks where those introductions happen. This event exists to close that gap. It is not a training and not a conference. Nobody is taught how to write a proposal.
The day is built around two activities: each participant introduces their organization and says exactly what kind of partner they need, and then participants are helped to identify and contact the right counterparts.
Success is measured in one way only — the number of concrete partner contacts that exist at the end of the day and did not exist at the beginning.
Who should take part?
The event is open to three closely related groups, chosen because they look for the same kind of partners and apply to the same actions:
- Higher education institutions — universities and other HEIs, whether or not they already hold an Erasmus Charter.
- Research institutions — institutes, laboratories and research centers, including those attached to universities.
- Private sector organizations — companies, business associations, innovation hubs and consultancies. Enterprise involvement strengthens applications in several actions, so the private sector is a full participant here rather than an observer.
Participants are welcome both from Georgia and from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Program.
Objectives
- Give each participating organization a clear, structured opportunity to present its profile and its partner requirements to an international audience.
- Produce at least one concrete partner contact for every Georgian participant.
- Clarify which Erasmus+ actions are genuinely open to Georgian higher education institutions, research institutions and companies, and under what conditions in 2026.
- Create a written record of all participant profiles and agreed contacts that remain available after the event and can be used for future calls.
- Connect the academic and business sides of the group, since several Erasmus+ actions specifically reward consortia that combine universities, research capacity and enterprises.
In Erasmus+ centralized actions, Region 2 is the target, not an extra
Capacity Building is built around the needs of third countries not associated to the Program. Georgia sits in Neighborhood East (Region 2) alongside Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine, and all five regional priorities apply to this region: the Green Deal,
digital transformation, migration, governance and peace, and growth and jobs. A Georgian partner does not dilute a proposal's fit with the action — it establishes it.
A ring-fenced budget and a smaller field
The Capacity Building budget is divided into separate regional envelopes, and proposals are ranked within their own region. A consortium including Georgian partners competes inside the Neighborhood East envelope, not against applications from every region of the world.
Across the same period, 518 Capacity Building proposals involving Georgian institutions were submitted, and Georgia's share of mobility within the Neighborhood East region rose from 26.1% to 33.6%.
Higher education in Georgia
Georgia has been part of the European Higher Education Area since joining the Bologna Process in 2005. Degrees are structured in three cycles, credits are expressed in ECTS, and every institution that awards a state-recognized diploma has passed a national authorization procedure. For a European partner, the qualifications, credit values and quality assurance arrangements are already familiar.
One-cycle and integrated programs: Medicine 360 ECTS, Dentistry at least 300 ECTS, Veterinary Medicine 300 ECTS, and integrated bachelor and master teacher training 300 ECTS.
Institutions. Colleges deliver bachelor programs only. Universities deliver programs across the cycles together with scientific research. Both may be public or private legal
entities.
Quality assurance. Authorization is carried out by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement. The state recognizes diplomas only from authorized institutions.
Admission. Entry to bachelor, one-cycle and integrated programs is through the Unified National Examinations. Entry to master's programs is through the Common Master's Examination, with further conditions set by each institution. Doctoral admission is set by the
institution.
Teacher training. A separate 60 ECTS program leads to a teacher preparation certificate, and can be taken on its own or integrated into a bachelor program.
Eligibility note
Under the 2026 Erasmus+ Program Guide, direct financial assistance from the program to Georgian authorities is no longer considered to be in the Union's interest, following the Council conclusions of 19 December 2024 and on the basis of Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2021/817. For this purpose, Georgian authorities are defined as central government, local authorities, agencies and state-owned enterprises, and they are not eligible under any action of the guide.
Opportunities remain available for students, academic and administrative staff, schools, vocational education and training providers and other educational organizations, within the program's eligibility criteria. Georgia continues to take part in mobility and cooperation activities.