Small scale partnerships

1. Eligible countries: as described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

EU Member States take part in the Erasmus+ Programme. In addition, in accordance with article 16 of the Erasmus+ Regulation, the following third countries are associated to the programme (subject to the signature of the Association Agreements between the European Union and those countries):

- members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA): Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein;

- acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates: Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Turkey and Republic of Serbia;

The EU Member States and the above mentioned third countries associated to the programme will be hereafter called “Programme Countries”.

2. Eligibility and admissibility conditions: as described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Who can apply

Any participating organisation established in a Programme Country can be the applicant. This organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project.

Which types of organisations are eligible to participate in the project?

Any public or private organisation (For the purpose of this Action, informal groups of young people are not to be considered as an organisation, and are therefore not eligible to participate (neither as applicants nor as partners), established in a Programme Country (see section "Eligible Countries" in Part A of this Guide) can participate in a Small-scale Partnership.

Irrespective of the field impacted by the project, Small-scale Partnerships are open to any type of organisation active in any field of education, training, youth, sport or other socio-economic sectors as well as to organisations carrying out activities that are transversal to different fields (e.g. local, regional and national authorities, recognition and validation centres, chambers of commerce, trade organisations, guidance centres, cultural and sport organisations).

Depending on the priority and the objectives addressed by the project, Small-scale Partnerships should involve the most appropriate and diverse range of partners in order to benefit from their different experiences, profiles and specific expertise.

Number and profile of participating organisations

A Small-scale Partnership is transnational and involves minimum two organisations from two different Programme Countries. 

There is no maximum number of participating organisations in one partnership.

All participating organisations must be identified at the time of applying for a grant.

Priorities addressed

To be considered for funding, Small-scale Partnerships must address either:

• at least one horizontal priority 

and/or

• at least one specific priority relevant to the field of education, training, youth and sport that is mostly impacted.

Venue(s) of the activities

All the activities of a Small-scale Partnership must take place in the countries of the organisations participating in the project.

In addition, if duly justified in relation to the objectives or implementation of the project, activities can also take place at the seat of an Institution of the European Union (Seats of the Institutions of the European Union are Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and The Hague), even if in the project there are no participating organisations from the country that hosts the Institution. 

Duration of project

Between 6 and 24 months.

The duration has to be chosen at application stage, based on the objectives of the project and on the type of activities planned over time.

In exceptional cases, the duration of a Small-scale Partnership may be extended, upon request of the beneficiary and with the agreement of the National or Executive Agency. In this case, the total grant will not change.

ADMISSIBILITY CONDITIONS

Admissibility criteria

Applications must be sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications as indicated in the call.

For actions managed by the Executive Agency, applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System: https://ec.europa.eu/info/fundingtenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home. Applications (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided in the Submission System. 

The applications must be readable and accessible.

Applications must be complete containing all parts and mandatory annexes. Only clerical errors can be corrected after the submission deadline upon request of the managing agency.

FUNDING RULES

The proposed funding model consists of a menu of two possible lump sums, corresponding to the total grant amount for the project. Applicants will choose between the two pre-defined amounts according to the activities they want to undertake and the results they want to achieve:

Single lump sum amounts:

• 30 000 EUR
• 60 000 EUR

Requirements

Considering that small-scale partnerships are an instrument for inclusion and access of newcomers and less experienced organisations to the programme, the level of information required to apply for a grant under this action will be simple, while ensuring compliance with EU Financial Regulation rules. Therefore, the project description shall include:

• Objectives
• Proposed activities
• Expected results

Objectives, activities and intended results must be clearly linked to each other and presented in a coherent way. Applications shall also include a general project timeline with the expected date for completion of the main milestones.

Applicants should provide sufficient information on the budget plan so that evaluators can assess the appropriateness of each activity, as well as the coherence of each activity with the other ones.

The project budget must list the planned project activities and indicate the portion of the grant allocated to each activity.

4. Evaluation: Evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold and process are described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

Relevance of the project (maximum score 30 points)

The extent to which:

• the project proposal is relevant to the objectives and the priorities of the Action. In addition the proposal will be considered as highly relevant if:
  • it addresses the priority "inclusion and diversity";
• the profile, experience and activities of the participating organisations are relevant for the field of the application;
• the proposal brings added value at EU level by building capacity of organisations to engage in cross-border cooperation and networking.

Quality of the project design and implementation (maximum score 30 points)

The extent to which:

• the project objectives are clearly defined, realistic and address the needs and goals of the participating organisations and the needs of their target groups;
• the activities are designed in an accessible and inclusive way and are open to people with fewer opportunities.
• the proposed methodology is clear, adequate and feasible:
  • the project work plan is clear, complete and effective, including appropriate phases for preparation, implementation and sharing project results;
  • the project is cost-effective and allocates appropriate resources to each activity;
• the project incorporates the use of digital tools and learning methods to complement their physical activities, and to improve the cooperation with partner organisations
  • If applicable: the extent to which the project makes use of Erasmus+ online platforms (eTwinning, EPALE, School Education Gateway, European Youth Portal, EU Youth Strategy Platform) as tools for preparation, implementation and follow-up of the project activities.
• The project is designed in an eco-friendly way and incorporates green practices in different project phases.

Quality of the partnership and cooperation arrangements (maximum score 20 points)

The extent to which:

• the project involves an appropriate mix of participating organisations in terms of profile.;
• the project involves newcomers and less experienced organisations to the Action;
• the proposed allocation of tasks demonstrates the commitment and active contribution of all participating organisations;
• the proposal includes effective mechanisms for coordination and communication between the participating organisations.

Impact (maximum score 20 points)

The extent to which:

• the project proposal includes concrete and logical steps to integrate the project results in the regular work of participating organisation;
• the project has the potential to positively impact its participants and participating organisations, as well as the wider community;
• the project proposal includes an appropriate way to evaluate the project outcomes;
• the project proposal includes concrete and effective steps to make the results of the project known within the participating organisations, to share the results with other organisations and the public, and to publicly acknowledge the European Union funding.

To be considered for funding, proposals must score at least 60 points. Furthermore, they must score at least half of the maximum score points in each of the categories of award criteria mentioned above (i.e. minimum 15 points for the categories "relevance of the project" and "quality of the project design and implementation"; 10 points for the categories "quality of the project team and the cooperation arrangements" and "impact").

For Small-scale Partnerships managed by the Executive Agency, in ex aequo cases, priority will be given to highest scores for "relevance of the project" and then “impact”.

5. Indicative timetable for evaluation and grant agreement: as described in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

Publication of the call:  25/03/2021

Indicative timeline for notification of the grant award decision and signature of the grant agreement: the notification of the award decision will take place, indicatively, 6 months after the submission deadline and the signature of the grant agreement will take place, indicatively, 9 months from the submission deadline.