To stimulate and support the bottom-up cooperation between the ENLIGHT university communities, ENLIGHT launched a first set of calls for joint initiatives in the framework of the ENLIGHT Erasmus+ European University project in April 2024 .
The ENLIGHT+ call is open for new proposals until 30 September 2024. The calls for ENLIGHT Incubator Grants and ENLIGHT Thematic Networks are closed. New calls will be opened as from Spring 2025.
Each call targets joint proposals for specific types of actions involving at least three ENLIGHT instutions.
- Call for ENLIGHT Incubator Grants: to support joint future-proof education projects and stepping-stones for international learning across the six ENLIGHT focus areas
- Call for ENLIGHT Thematic Networks: to support interdisciplinary academic networks for developing joint challenge-based activities linking education, research and outreach across the six ENLIGHT focus areas
- ENLIGHT+ call: to foster new emerging joint (small-scale, inclusive and/or sustainable) initiatives across disciplines
Please check the specific aims for each call below together with the specific deadlines and forms. Questions? Check the below FAQ section
Looking for ENLIGHT peers and matching interests to submit a joint application in one of the calls? Post your request in our partner search tool or contact your institutional ENLIGHT coordinator.
ENLIGHT+ call
Download the full guidelines below (see heading 'How to apply')
About
The aim of the call is to facilitate the organisation of joint small-scale projects, collaborative events, or workshops, while also encouraging initiatives that actively contribute to the advancement of sustainability practices and the promotion of inclusivity within our academic ecosystem.
Academics, administrative staff members, PhD candidates, and students from ENLIGHT universities can apply.
The proposed initiatives involve colleagues from at least three ENLIGHT universities. Outputs (courses, events) should be open for participation of staff and students of all ENLIGHT universities.
Funding
The maximum funding amount and deadlines for implementing the proposed measures may vary depending on your university. See application guidelines (annex 1)
Eligible for funding are organizational costs and mobility (travel and accommodation).
Deadlines
30 September 2024, 31 January 2025
Selection criteria
Eligibility criteria
- Involvement of min. 3 ENLIGHT universities
- Institutional affiliation with an ENLIGHT university
- Alignment with ENLIGHT+ objectives
Quality
- Quality
- Feasibility
- Accessibility to the target groups
Specific criteria
- Conformity of the proposal with the specific criteria of the applicant’s home university
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted by the main applicant using the destined form.
Available for download are:
Please upload your completed application form (as a single .pdf file) via https://enlight-eu.org/index.php/university-about-us/funding/proposal-submission-form
Evaluation process
The evaluation is conducted by the applicant's home university.
Results are communicated no later than 6 weeks after the application deadline.
Reporting
Each project is required to provide a short report upon completion.
Questions
Please check the below FAQ. Contact your institutional ENLIGHT Coordinator
ENLIGHT Incubator Grants
Download the full guidelines below (see heading 'How to apply')
About
The aim of the call is to stimulate the design and upscaling of joint educational initiatives across all three study cycles, in one (or more) of the six ENLIGHT focus areas.
Education initiatives involve colleagues from at least three ENLIGHT universities in case of physical and blended initiatives, and from at least two ENLIGHT universities for virtual exchange and microcredential programmes (cluster of programmes).
Educational initiatives may include various formats with specific and measurable outputs and delivery dates. Examples are blended intensive programmes, blended mobility, living labs, winter/summer schools, VE/COIL, joint minors, joint programmes, co-teaching formats for larger groups of students, but other formats are welcome.
In the framework of this 1st call around 10 education projects will be selected. A 2nd and 3rd call is planned in Spring 2025 and in Spring 2026.
Funding
A selected Incubator project will receive a max. budget of 30.000 €
Eligible for funding are development of initiatives, personnel costs, purchase costs, travel costs, organization of physical meetings (venues etc.).
Duration
Projects define an own timeline, but must be completed by 30 June 2027 the latest
Deadline for Application
30 June 2024. Call closed
Selection criteria
Eligibility criteria
- Involvement of min. 3 ENLIGHT universities (min. 2 for virtual exchange and microcredential programmes (cluster of programmes))
- Alignment with ENLIGHT’s six focus areas
- Award of Transcript of Records (ECTS credits)
- Innovative approaches in teaching and learning
Evaluation criteria
- Quality
- Feasibility
- Proposed output
- Added value
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted by the Coordinator of the educational activity using the destined form.
Available for download are:
Please submit your completed application form (as a single .pdf file) before the deadline via https://enlight-eu.org/index.php/university-about-us/funding/proposal-submission-form
Please abide the max. word count. Incomplete or fragmentary forms will not be considered for selection.
Evaluation process
After screening of the eligibility criteria, the proposals will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of the above evaluation criteria by a joint selection committee consisting of representatives from all ENLIGHT universities.
Results will be published by 1 November 2024.
Reporting
Each project is required to report at mid-term and deliver an end-report upon completion.
Download the report templates for activity report and end report.
Questions
Please check the below FAQ. Contact your institutional ENLIGHT Coordinator
ENLIGHT Thematic Networks
Download the full guidelines below (see heading 'How to apply')
About
The aim of the call is to stimulate the creation of interdisciplinary cooperation networks of academics from at least three ENLIGHT universities, who join forces around a specific societal relevant theme, in one (or more) of the six ENLIGHT focus areas to develop joint challenge-driven activities in education, research and service to society.
Each ENLIGHT Thematic Network (ETN) is expected to set up an own coordination structure and become a catalyst for long-term cooperation leading to various outputs, such as joint seminars, summer courses, thematic conferences, Bachelor (BA) Master (MA) or PhD courses and programmes, co-supervision of PhDs, citizen science initiatives, mobility programmes, knowledge transfer programmes, leadership and entrepreneurship programmes, spin-off projects etc.
In the framework of this 1st call a max. total of 10 ETN will be selected. A 2nd call is planned in Spring 2025.
Funding
A selected ETN will receive a max. budget of 150.000 €.
The budget is meant to cover the coordination and activities of the ETN. Eligible for funding are personnel costs, travel costs, subsistence, costs for hosting events (conferences, seminars,..).
Duration
36 months. Selected projects are supposed to start as from 1 November 2024.
Deadline for application
30 June 2024. Call closed.
Selection criteria
Eligibility criteria
- Involvement of min 3 ENLIGHT universities
- Alignment with ENLIGHT’s six focus areas
Evaluation criteria:
- Quality and Relevance
- Network and Team composition
- Feasibility
- Expected outputs and desired impact
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted by the Coordinator of the ETN using the destined form.
Available for download are:
- the Full ETN Guidelines
- the Application form
Please submit your completed application form (as a single .pdf file) before the deadline via https://enlight-eu.org/index.php/university-about-us/funding/proposal-submission-form
Please abide the max. word count. Incomplete or fragmentary forms will not be considered for selection.
Evaluation process
After a screening on formal eligibility criteria, the proposals will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of the above evaluation criteria by a joint selection committee consisting of representatives from all ENLIGHT universities.
Results will be published by 1 November 2024.
Reporting
Each ETN is required to report about progress and planning every 18 months.
Download the report template.
Questions
Please check the below FAQ. Contact your institutional ENLIGHT Coordinator
FAQ
Does your question not appear in the FAQ? Please write your institutional ENLIGHT Coordinator
Help! I cannot submit. The online form does not work.
Can my proposal involve colleagues from more than 3 ENLIGHT universities?
Yes, your proposal can involve as many ENLIGHT institutions as needed. 3 was set as a minimum in all calls.
Please note that the max budget still applies, regardless of the amount of partners involved in your application.
How many people can submit a joint proposal?
Each proposal requires a main applicant to submit it. Multiple applicants from the same university can be involved in an application, as long as there are colleagues involved from at least three partner universities (or two partner universities in the case of virtual exchange) collaborating on the initiative.
Can I fund research activities?
Please note that this is an Erasmus+ call in the frame of European Universities - this implies that activities should be targeted towards education, research and service to society. Pure research projects are not eligible, as there are other funding mechanisms for that. Research should be valorised in education and service to society. We quote from the European Universities call: "The European Universities call targets the strategic transformation of European Universities across all their missions. However, it is not designed to fund the research activities per se - e.g. life science research, applied research and/or social sciences research and humanities research - where ethic approvals are required and should be obtained from ethics committees. Ethics does not apply to this call. The proposals have not been ethically screened (as is the case for the research-related EU grants) - due to the fact that research activities raising ethics issues are not the eligible type of activities to be funded. There are specific funding programmes/mechanisms (eg. Horizon Europe) designed for this purpose."
Applicants should note the main objectives of an alliance:
- Promote common European values and a strengthened European identity by bringing together a new generation of Europeans who are able to cooperate and work within different European and global cultures, in different languages, and across borders, sectors and academic disciplines.
- Reach a substantial leap in quality, performance, attractiveness and international competitiveness and enable deep institutional transformation of involved European higher education institutions and contribute to the European knowledge economy, employment, creativity, culture and welfare by making best use of innovative pedagogies and striving to make the knowledge square4 a reality. European Universities will be key drivers to boost the quality of higher education and where possible to strengthen its links to the research and innovation landscape in Europe and its outreach towards the society and economy.
With this call, ENLIGHT aims to achieve the following specific objective:
Build European knowledge-creating teams (“challenge-based approach”) of students and academics, possibly together with researchers, entrepreneurs, companies, local and regional actors, and civil society actors – depending on the overall strategy and vision of the alliance – working together to address societal and other challenges of their choice in an inter-disciplinary approach through:
- Challenge-based approaches combining shared education, teaching and learning, pedagogical innovation, research and innovation and allowing involved parties to work jointly and across disciplines through investigation and invention, thus reinforcing excellence in education and research and engagement with citizens.
- Innovative learning and training that develop knowledge and equip students, lifelong learners and researchers with critical thinking, entrepreneurial, creative and transversal skills, and innovative spirit relevant for a fast-changing labour market and profound structural transition-driven changes in markets, technologies and society, including through the transfer of research results back into education e.g. in teaching, re-skilling, through student traineeships in research teams.
- Innovative solutions adaptable to different regions in Europe.
The budget is lump sum funding. How can I make sure that costs are eligible?
The budget is lump sum funding: this implies that you must provide a realistic cost estimation for your budget. The total amount per partner you propose in the application form is a lump sum: you can spend this lump sum as you see fit, provided the project is carried out as described in your proposal. The records and supporting documents must show that the action tasks have been carried out as described, and by whom. The actual costs of the work are not relevant. The European Commission will not focus on financial and budgetary aspects but on output, results, activities and content reporting. You should however follow your internal/national financial regulations. The budget share of each partner will be granted by the home university.
In the application form, we only ask for a total amount per beneficiary. The type of costs you can use to calculate your total budget are:
- personnel costs
- purchase costs: travel, accommodation, subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services (consumables, supplies), communication; dissemination costs..
- other costs: internally invoiced goods and services
- subcontracting (limited)
Research activities per se are not funded, as this is Erasmus+ funding there must be a link with education and service to society. See FAQ: https://enlight-eu.org/index.php/university-about-us/funding/1072-enlight-calls-spring-2024#can-i-fund-research-activities
General principles for eligible costs: they must be in line with your normal practices, reasonable/not excessive, in line with and necessary for the activities proposed. Double funding is not allowed: a cost item cannot be declared more than once in the budget and a cost cannot be declared under another EU grant.
Having doubts? Please reach out to your institutional ENLIGHT office for assistance.
Is the University of Bern eligible for funding within the ENLIGHT calls?
Yes, the University of Bern is eligible for funding, but they will be funded with their own internal Swiss Movetia funding, as Switzerland is not part of the Erasmus+ programme. Each partner will be funded by their home university, so the same applies for Bern. In the application, you will have to divide the budget among the partners. Each partner will receive that share from their home university. In this case, Bern will receive it from Movetia funds. For example: when you apply with 4 partners for a Thematic Network, including Bern, then you can divide the maximum budget of 150.000€ among the 4 partners. Each partner receives it share from the home university.
Can external, non-ENLIGHT partners take part in a proposal?
Yes, colleagues from non-ENLIGHT universities can take part in a project proposal and in the proposed activities. However, external partners cannot be granted any ENLIGHT budget and will have to take part on their own expense.
Who is allowed to submit? Can PhD students, postdocs apply, or only professors?
Any member of the ENLIGHT community, professor, postdoc, administrative staff member, (PhD) student can submit a project as coordinator, as long as this person is entitled to manage a budget at his/her university and remains in position for the duration of the proposed project.
Please note that regulations differ between the ENLIGHT universities. Please contact your ENLIGHT coordinator in case of doubt.
Can activities take place outside the EU?
Activities funded with the Erasmus+ grant can only take place in eligible countries:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)).
- Non-EU countries: third countries associated to the Erasmus+ Programme (including EEA countries: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement to the Erasmus+ programme and where that agreement enters into force before the grant signature (North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey) and
- Non-EU countries: Western Balkans third countries not associated to the programme: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo (This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.)
Are parallel applications eligible? Is it allowed to submit at the same time an Incubator Grant, an ETN, an ENLIGHT+ proposal?
Please note that all three calls have different purposes. In general, different types of activities are targeted.
Colleagues can be involved in similar proposals and quality will be the first criterion for selection. However, we do not recommend parallel applications in different calls, if they are submitted by the same group of people about the very same topic and proposing the same activities. In any event, same activities will not be double funded.
Further, ENLIGHT+ applications are preferably not used with the only direct purpose to develop another application for one of the ENLIGHT calls (Incubator Grant or ETN). Applicants are encouraged to show ambition, but this ambition should not be to apply only for other ENLIGHT funding.