Erasmus+ is organised around Key Actions — structured funding streams that target different kinds of cross-border learning, cooperation, and policy change. Find the one that's right for you.
The most well-known strand of Erasmus+. KA1 funds individuals — students, trainees, volunteers, staff, and youth workers — to spend time abroad for learning, training, or teaching purposes.
Higher education students can study abroad for 3–12 months at a partner university, with all tuition waived and a monthly grant to cover living costs.
Gain work experience at a company or organisation in another country. Available to current students and recent graduates up to 12 months after graduation.
Short-term (10–89 days) and long-term (3–12 months) placements for vocational learners and apprentices to upskill in real-world environments abroad.
Teachers and school staff can participate in job shadowing, training courses, and teaching assignments at partner schools in Europe and beyond.
Groups of young people (13–30) meet counterparts from other countries for 5–21 days, sharing cultures and working on a joint non-formal learning project.
Youth workers and leaders participate in training, seminars, and study visits abroad, improving their professional competences in non-formal education.
KA2 funds partnerships between organisations — schools, universities, NGOs, companies — to develop innovative practices, share knowledge, and build capacity across borders.
Smaller-scale projects (up to €60,000) for organisations to share and exchange practices, develop materials, or run mobility activities together.
Larger projects (up to €400,000) to develop, transfer, or adapt innovative practices — typically resulting in tangible outputs like curricula, tools, or methods.
Large-scale European alliances between higher education and businesses to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and new curricula addressing skills gaps.
Projects with partner countries outside Europe to modernise higher education, vocational training, and youth sectors through transnational cooperation.
A quality label enabling organisations to host or send learners and staff repeatedly over several years under a simplified, streamlined process.
Blended intensive programmes and virtual exchanges that combine digital collaboration with short-term physical mobility for students and youth groups.
KA3 is the policy engine of Erasmus+. It funds activities that shape education, training, and youth policy at European level — from open dialogue with young people to recognition frameworks and evidence building.
Structured dialogue between young people and policy-makers. Youth conferences inform EU priorities and give young citizens a direct voice in shaping policy.
Country-level peer learning, mutual recognition, and benchmarking activities to align national policies with EU-wide education and training goals.
Studies, surveys, and analyses — such as the European Youth Report — that provide evidence to improve EU policies and youth strategy outcomes.
Operating grants to large European NGOs and networks that promote civic engagement, democratic participation, and lifelong learning across the continent.
Named after one of the EU's founding fathers, Jean Monnet Actions promote excellence in teaching, learning, and researching European integration topics at universities and higher education institutions worldwide.
Short teaching programmes (min. 40 teaching hours/year for 3 years) focused on EU studies — available at universities globally, not just in Europe.
A prestigious teaching post for a professor specialising in European integration, supporting in-depth EU studies at their institution over three years.
Networks of universities and research centres worldwide that foster academic debate, share knowledge, and produce research on EU integration topics.
Innovative activities — conferences, lectures, policy debates — to raise awareness of EU topics among academia, civil society, and public authorities.
Erasmus+ Sport funds transnational projects that tackle challenges facing the sport sector — from grassroots participation and social inclusion to good governance, health, and integrity in sport.
Transnational cooperation projects between sport organisations to develop innovative approaches, tackle shared challenges, and promote good practices.
European sporting events that promote EU values, volunteering, social inclusion, and the educational dimension of grassroots sport participation.
Support for sport organisations in partner countries to improve governance, training, and management aligned with European standards and values.
Lighter-touch projects (up to €60,000) for grassroots sports clubs and smaller organisations to cooperate and share methods across borders.
Quick reference
| Key Action | Focus | Who applies | Duration | Typical funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
KA1 · Mobility | Individual learning abroad | Institutions on behalf of individuals | 2 days – 12 months | Travel + daily allowance + grant |
KA2 · Cooperation | Transnational projects & innovation | Organisations (min. 3 countries) | 12 – 36 months | €10,000 – €400,000+ |
KA3 · Policy | EU-level policy support | European bodies & networks | Varies | Operating & project grants |
Jean Monnet | EU integration teaching & research | Higher education institutions (global) | 3 years (modules/chairs) | Up to €50,000 per module |
Sport | Grassroots sport & inclusion | Sport organisations (min. 3 countries) | 12 – 24 months | Up to €400,000 |
After completing a KA1 youth activity or volunteering project, you're entitled to a Youthpass — a free EU certificate that documents your non-formal learning experience and the competences you've developed. Recognised by employers and institutions across Europe.