Strand 1 Small-scale capacity-building projects

In addition to what is common to all capacity-building projects, projects in this strand must aim to establish cooperation, share knowledge and build capacity and competence in international cooperation in countries not associated to the Erasmus+ programme.

Scope and duration

The project must last two or three years.

Participants

• Only institutions that have not previously participated in a capacity-building project can apply under this strand. 
• At least one higher education institution (HEI) from a minimum of two Erasmus+ countries, i.e., one HEI from each of the two countries (EU, EFTA, Turkey, North-Macedonia and Serbia). 
• At least two HEIs from a non-Erasmus+ country.
• The number of HEIs from Erasmus+ countries must not be higher than the number of HEIs from non-Erasmus+ countries. This means that if more HEIs from Erasmus+ countries are to be included, the number of HEIs from non-Erasmus + countries must also increase.
• If your project is to include more non-Erasmus+ countries, the requirement for the number of HEIs will increase.
• Additional criteria also apply to non-Erasmus+ countries in specific EU-defined regions of the world. 
• Organisations, companies, research institutes and others may also participate.
• You or your academic group can be the coordinator, a partner or associate partner in the project. 
• Associate partners, such as stakeholder organisations that contribute user perspectives and help disseminate the project, do not receive any funding through Erasmus+. The inclusion of these is however, recommended to ensure a wider impact and better quality of activities within the project. 

You apply under Strand 1 for projects involving one or more countries within the same region, or across regions. 

You can apply for funding to part-finance various activities that support the objectives of the project. These can be project meetings, information material, network meetings, workshops for employees and/or students, developing curricula, organising seminars carrying out interviews and more. 

Budgeting

You have to write a budget based on actual costs. The costs must relate to the activities you are planning and the goals you want to achieve.

The budget is organised into work packages. Typical work packages include 'project management', 'training', 'organisation of events', 'communication and dissemination', 'quality assurance', 'equipment', 'mobility preparation and implementation' etc.

Estimated costs may include travel and accommodation, salary, equipment, translation and publishing expenses and more.

If the application is successful, you will receive a grant set within the limits of a project in this strand: EUR 200,000–400,000.

Erasmus+ funding is only intended to part-finance projects. You can only receive funding to cover up to 90 per cent of the costs. The remaining costs must be covered by the unit at which you work and by the partner institutions. 

• Calls for proposals are published once a year, usually in October.
• The call will, as a rule, only be adjusted from year to year so that it is possible to start work on the application well in advance. 
• The application deadline is usually in February of the following year. 
• The coordinating institution applies for funding by the application deadline on behalf of the consortium (partnership). 
• If you wish to develop a project application for a call for an Erasmus+ capacity-building project, you can apply to the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HR-dir) for project establishment support (erasmuspluss.no).
• See the HK-dir website for more information about the call for proposals and the application process (erasmuspluss.no). 
• We recommend attending HK-dir's applicant seminar, especially if you intend to coordinate a project application.
• Fill in information about OsloMet in the application. 
• Register your application in P360.
• We recommend starting the process well in advance, at least one year before the application deadline.
• The application will be evaluated in a two-step process.

For more information, please contact the Erasmus+ team at the Department of Academic Affairs.