Alliance for Innovation

The aim of these projects is to strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity through the cooperation and knowledge flow of higher education institutions (HEs) or organisations active in vocational education and training (VET) with a wider socio-economic environment, including research.

The projects are designed to stimulate creativity, initiative, employability and entrepreneurship within the EU. Also strengthen the provision of new skills and address skills mismatches, for example by designing new curricula for higher education and vocational education and training.

What are the types of activities and how to get involved?

The objectives of Alliance for Innovation can be achieved using one or both of the following groups, and the organisation can be involved in several proposals:

• Lot 1: Alliances for Education and Enterprise
• Lot 2: Alliance for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills (carrying out a “Blueprint”) – only for organisations that are involved in the large-scale skills partnerships under the Pact for Skills

• Lot 1: Alliances for Education and EnterpriseThese projects bring together businesses and higher education and vocational education and training providers to work together.They operate in one or more different sectors of the economy and involve addressing societal and economic challenges such as climate change, changing demographics, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and rapid employment changes. They may focus, for example, on promoting new innovative approaches to teaching, supporting the development of deep tech skills, promoting corporate social responsibility, fostering a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial spirit, and other topics. Hide

Terms of Engagement

• Any institution established in an EU Member State or in a third country associated to the Programme can apply for a two-year or three-year project. Any institution from any country of the world (with the exception of Belarus and the Russian Federation) can be a partner in the project.
• Partnerships must involve at least 8 partners from 4 different countries associated to the Programme, including at least 3 labour market entities (businesses or companies or representative intermediary organisations such as chambers, trade unions or trade associations) and at least 3 education and training providers (vocational education and training institutions and higher education institutions).
• At least one higher education institution and one vocational education and training provider should be a full partner in each project.
• The maximum grant is €1 million (for two-year projects) or €1.5 million (for three-year projects) and is financed in a lump sum.
• Applicants must describe the budget in detail in the application and organise it into individual work packages (for example, divided into ‘project management’, ‘training’, ‘organisation of events’, ‘preparation and implementation of mobility’, ‘communication and dissemination’, ‘quality assurance’, etc.).

• Lot 2: Alliance for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills (Conducting Blueprint)The Alliances for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills aim to develop new strategic approaches and cooperation for concrete solutions for skills development – in the short and medium term – within the framework of the Pact for Skills. The aim of the Alliances is to build bases for partnerships under the Pact for Skills and to define the path that should continue after the completion of the project.More information

Terms of Engagement

• A wide range of institutions based in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme can apply for a four-year project, provided that the institutions are partners in the large-scale skills partnerships under the Pact for Skills. At the same time, the project coordinator must coordinate a large-scale skills partnership under the Pact.
• Partnerships must involve at least 12 partners from 8 different countries associated to the Programme, including at least 5 labour market actors (companies or representative intermediary organisations such as chambers, trade unions or trade associations) and at least 5 education and training providers (vocational education and training institutions and higher education institutions).
• At least one higher education institution and one vocational education and training provider should be a full partner in each project.
• The maximum grant is €4 million, with funding in the form of a lump sum.
• Applicants must describe the budget in detail in the application and organise it into individual work packages (for example, divided into ‘project management’, ‘training’, ‘organisation of events’, ‘preparation and implementation of mobility’, ‘communication and dissemination’, ‘quality assurance’, etc.).
• Only one project per industrial ecosystem will be funded at a time.
• Priority will always be given to ecosystems in which there are no related Blueprint Alliances or ecosystems where implemented Alliances will end by the end of 2023 (currently: mobility-transport-automotive, textiles, renewable energies, electronics, retail, construction, aerospace and defence, low-carbon energy-intensive industries).

How to apply?

The application process takes place via the portal Funding and Tenders Opportunities (FTOP). Current calls and deadlines, necessary documents, forms, model grant agreements and other requirements are published here.

Applications can be searched on the Portal directly according to their codes:

ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PI-ALL-INNO-EDU-ENTERP – Education and Enterprise Alliance

ERASMUS-EDU-2023-PI-ALL-INNO-BLUEPRINT – Alliance for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills (implementing Blueprint)