International cooperation projects within Erasmus+ (KA2)

Erasmus+ consists of several parts:

• KA1: Learning Mobility of Individuals – Handled centrally via the Unit for International Mobility
• KA2: Cooperation projects – Handled on departmental level
• KA3: Support to policy development – Handled by UHR (Swedish Council for Higher Education)

KA1: Learning mobility

• Student exchanges (studies & traineeship)
• Teaching and staff training exchanges
• Student loan guarantee for master studies
• Joint Masters (Erasmus Mundus)
  

KA2: Cooperation projects

• Strategic Partnerships
• Knowledge Alliances
• Capacity Building adjacent to the EU (former Tempus)
• Capacity Building outside the EU
  

KA3: Policy development

• Governing bodies and institutions – tools and methods for European cooperation and development on policy level

This Key Action supports:

• Partnerships for Cooperation, including Cooperation Partnerships and Small-scale Partnerships
• Partnerships for Excellence, including Centres for Vocational Excellence and Erasmus Mundus Action
• Partnerships for Innovation, including Alliances and Forward-looking projects
• Capacity Building projects in the fields of higher education, vocational education and training, youth and sport
• Not-for-profit European sport events

Read all the details on the Erasmus website.

There is also information on UHR:s website (Swedish Council for Higher Education).

KA2 is not handled centrally at Uppsala University (UU), but on departmental level. This means that it is each department that makes a decision about participating in a KA2 project. It is the department that administers the project.

Uppsala University may, via a department, participate in a KA2 project either as a coordinator or as partner.

• Coordinator: UU/the department is responsible for submitting the project application and reporting the project to the EU
• Partner: UU/the department participates in the project as a partner
• Usually, a project needs to have partners from programme countries (= Erasmus country) and partner countries (= country outside the Erasmus programme)
• Financing: The UU department may have to co-fund the project, since the approved funds often do not cover all costs related to the project. It is also important to consider overhead costs that may arise for the department.

These countries are part of the Erasmus programme:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey

To find out more, including information about partner countries outside the Erasmusprogramme, see the website.

The most common KA2 projects are:

• Strategic partnerships
• Knowledge alliances
• Capacity building

Read about the different types on the website.

Strategic partnership

• Structural partnerships between at least 3 organisations from at least 3 programme countries – partner countries may participate if it provides added value
• Focus on innovation and quality. May contain e.g. course development, cooperation with companies, new study forms (virtual mobility)
• Possible cross-sectoral cooperation
• May contain mobilities (long-term mobility and “blended mobility”) if it provides added value
• Project budget: up to 450 000 euro
• Project time: 2–3 years

Knowledge alliances

• Aim to strengthen cooperation between higher education – research – businesses (the knowledge triangle)
• Contains several elements, e.g. creating and implementing new study programmes, new teaching methods, teaching within entrepreneurship, exchange of students/researchers/business staff
• At least 6 organisations from 3 programme countries, at least 2 universities and 2 companies
• Partner countries may participate if there is added value
• Project budget: 500 000 – 1 000 000 euro
• Project time: 2–3 years

Capacity building

1. Partnerships for readjustment within higher education
2. Promoting possibilities for cooperation within higher education
3. Structure reform projects

• Cooperation concerning course development, reforms of government of universities, and strengthening the roles of universities in society
• Contribute to reforms and development of higher education on a national level in partner countries
• At least 1 partner country + 2 programme countries
• Project budget: 200 000 – 1 000 000 euro
• Project time: 2–3 years