European Commission launches call for European Universities with €218.4 million

Applications for higher education alliances are open until March 4, 2027, with funding up to €7.2 million per consortium.

Generic image: symbolizing international academic cooperation.
AI

Generic image: symbolizing international academic cooperation.

The European Commission has launched the call for proposals for the European Universities initiative, under the Erasmus+ programme, with a total budget of €218.4 million. Applications are open until 17:00 CET on March 4, 2027.

The call targets alliances that demonstrate deep transnational institutional cooperation for at least two to three years. The consortium must bring together a minimum of three eligible higher education institutions, based in three different eligible countries, all holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).
Each institution can only be part of one alliance as a beneficiary, although it can associate with other partnerships as an associated entity. The participation of institutions from the United Kingdom and Switzerland remains subject to association agreements with Erasmus+, and the inclusion of entities from the Western Balkans is also foreseen.
Financial support is provided in the form of a lump sum, with an 80% co-financing rate. The normal duration of approved projects is 24 months. The maximum amount granted to each alliance depends directly on the number of beneficiary higher education institutions, ranging up to €7.20 million for consortia with 9 or more institutions.

Consult the Framework and General Objectives in Portuguese.

Based on information from the official source: Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Educação e Formação (04/11/2026)