The Erasmus+ Programme remains one of the European Union’s most influential initiatives, fostering collaboration in education, training, youth, and sport. With the release of the 2025 Call for Proposals, Key Action 2 (KA2)—Cooperation for Innovation and Exchange of Good Practices—has been refined to reflect the EU’s shifting priorities, emphasising innovation, sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation.
This article provides a detailed overview of all KA2 actions for 2025, highlighting changes from 2024 and guiding applicants on how to maximise their participation.
What is Key Action 2?
Key Action 2 focuses on fostering transnational cooperation among organisations to enhance education and training systems, support innovation, and exchange good practices. It is designed to address shared challenges across the EU by enabling organisations to develop impactful solutions together.
KA2 is structured into three primary strands:
- Partnerships for Cooperation: Aimed at strengthening partnerships and enhancing organisational capabilities.
- Partnerships for Excellence: Focused on creating and sustaining high-quality learning environments.
- Partnerships for Innovation: Dedicated to fostering transformative ideas and practices across sectors.
In the following sections, we will look in more detail at the priorities of each of these actions in the 2025 call, which will help you to identify how your project can be aligned with their strategic objectives.
1. Partnerships for Cooperation
Cooperation Partnerships
Cooperation Partnerships remain a cornerstone of KA2, facilitating collaboration between organisations to develop impactful and sustainable solutions. The 2025 programme refines its priorities in alignment with EU goals:
- Inclusion and Diversity: Projects targeting marginalised groups, including migrants and individuals with disabilities, are strongly encouraged.
- Green Transition: Emphasis on environmental sustainability, including projects promoting green skills and behaviours aligned with the European Green Deal.
- Digital Transformation: Support for initiatives leveraging digital tools to enhance learning and reduce digital disparities.
- Youth Engagement: Focus on empowering young people through entrepreneurship, active citizenship, and participation in democratic processes.
Small-scale Partnerships
Designed to make Erasmus+ more accessible, Small-scale Partnerships cater to grassroots organisations and first-time applicants. Key features for 2025 include:
- Simplified funding mechanisms and administrative requirements.
- Prioritisation of projects fostering inclusion, particularly in rural or economically disadvantaged areas.
- Encouragement of innovative yet straightforward projects that can deliver tangible results within limited budgets.
2. Partnerships for Excellence
Partnerships for Excellence are high-impact initiatives aimed at elevating the quality of education and training in Europe. For 2025, this strand focuses on the following actions:
Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE)
CoVEs connect vocational education providers with industry stakeholders to create regional and international skills ecosystems. The 2025 updates include:
- Support for green and digital skills development, particularly in sectors like renewable energy and AI.
- Enhanced focus on upskilling and reskilling workers in response to labour market shifts.
- Greater encouragement for cross-border collaborations to share best practices.
Erasmus+ Teacher Academies
Teacher Academies aim to improve the quality of teacher training across Europe. For 2025, priorities include:
- Integration of digital tools and methods into teacher education.
- Promoting multilingualism and cultural exchange in teaching practices.
- Expanding professional development opportunities for educators to address new challenges, such as managing diverse classrooms and integrating sustainability into curricula.
Erasmus Mundus Action
This action supports joint Master’s programmes delivered by consortia of higher education institutions. Key updates for 2025 include:
- Expanded funding for innovative course design, with a focus on interdisciplinarity.
- Inclusion of sustainability and digital skills in curricula.
- Enhanced accessibility measures to ensure participation from underrepresented groups.
3. Partnerships for Innovation
Partnerships for Innovation are the most forward-looking component of KA2, focusing on the development and implementation of innovative practices. The 2025 programme builds on previous years with the following priorities:
Alliances for Innovation
These alliances connect education and training institutions with businesses, research centres, and other stakeholders. Updates for 2025 include:
- Stronger focus on preparing the workforce for emerging sectors such as robotics, AI, and sustainable energy.
- Encouragement of interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle global challenges like climate change and digital inequality.
- Development of innovative curricula and training programmes that respond to labour market needs.
Forward-looking Projects
These projects explore cutting-edge ideas with the potential to transform education and training systems. Highlights for 2025 include:
- Emphasis on scalability, ensuring that successful pilot projects can be implemented widely.
- Support for initiatives promoting behavioural change in sustainability and digital literacy.
- Targeted funding for projects addressing the socio-educational impacts of crises, such as displacement due to conflict.
Additional Opportunities in KA2
Capacity Building Projects
Capacity Building initiatives support organisations in non-EU countries, fostering international collaboration and development. In 2025, these projects continue to prioritise:
- Strengthening educational systems in third countries, particularly in vocational education and youth sectors.
- Addressing global challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, and socio-economic inequality.
- Expanding opportunities for mutual learning and cultural exchange between EU and non-EU organisations.
Not-for-Profit European Sport Events
This KA2 action promotes collaboration in the sports sector, focusing on grassroots initiatives. The 2025 updates include:
- Greater emphasis on inclusion, particularly for underrepresented groups in sports.
- Support for environmentally sustainable practices in event organisation.
- Enhanced funding for projects promoting health and well-being through sports.
Important Dates for 2025 KA2 Applications
Mark these key deadlines for submitting your KA2 proposals:
- Cooperation Partnerships: 5 March 2025
- Small-scale Partnerships: 5 March 2025
- Centres of Vocational Excellence: 11 June 2025
- Teacher Academies: 26 March 2025
- Alliances for Innovation: 6 March 2025
- Capacity Building Projects: Various deadlines in February and March 2025
Full details are available in the 2025 Erasmus+ Programme Guide and in the 2025 annual work programme for the implementation of Erasmus+.
The Erasmus+ 2025 call is an opportunity to contribute to Europe’s vision of a more inclusive, sustainable and innovative future. With refined priorities, Key Action 2 aims to help organisations address global challenges through cooperation and innovation.
If you have a project idea or need guidance on how to submit a strong proposal, please fill in our contact form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
