Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Virtual exchanges projects consist of online people-to-people activities that promote intercultural dialogue and soft skills development and make it possible for every young person to access high-quality international and cross-cultural education without physical mobility.
Proposals can be submitted under the following calls:
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in SubSaharan Africa
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Western Balkans
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in SouthMediterranean Countries
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Neighbourhood East
Detailed Call Description
While virtual debating or training does not fully replace the benefits of physical mobility, participants in virtual exchanges ought to reap some of the benefits of the international educational experience. Digital platforms represent a valuable tool in partially answering the global constraints on mobility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual exchanges also help spreading European values. Moreover, in some cases, virtual exchanges can give ideas and prepare the ground for future physical exchanges not funded under this action.
Virtual exchanges in higher education and youth take place in small groups and are always moderated by a trained facilitator. They should be easily integrated into youth (non-formal education) projects or higher education courses. Virtual exchanges can draw participants from both sectors, even if, depending on specific projects, they could involve participants from either only one of them or from both. All projects under this call will involve organisations and participants coming from both EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme, and third countries not associated to the Programme in eligible regions.
OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION – The action will aim to:
- encourage intercultural dialogue with third countries not associated to the Programme and increase tolerance through online people-to-people interactions, building on digital, youth-friendly technologies;
- promote various types of virtual exchanges as a complement to Erasmus+ physical mobility, allowing more young people to benefit from intercultural and international experience;
- enhance critical thinking and media literacy, particularly in the use of internet and social media, such as to counter discrimination, indoctrination, polarization and violent radicalisation;
- foster the digital and soft skills development of students, young people and youth workers, including the practice of foreign languages and teamwork, notably to enhance employability;
- promote citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education;
- strengthen the youth dimension in the relations of the EU with third countries.
The Virtual Exchanges should be organised in one or more of the following thematic areas, which correspond to the priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme:
- Inclusion and diversity;
- Digital transformation;
- Environment and fight against climate change;
- Participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement.
Projects will be funded based on work plans that integrate online cooperation activities, including:
- Online-facilitated discussions between young people of youth organisations based in different countries as part of youth projects. They could include role playing simulations;
- Training for youth workers willing to develop a virtual exchange project with colleagues from other countries;
- Facilitated online discussions between students of higher education institutions based in different countries as part of higher education degrees;
- Training for university professors/staff willing to develop a virtual exchange project with colleagues from other countries;
- Interactive open online courses including traditional course materials such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets (like the well-known MOOCs, Massive Open Online Courses, but putting an emphasis on interactive user forums in small groups to support community interactions among students, professors, teaching assistants, young people and youth workers).
SETTING UP A PROJECT – All virtual exchange projects need to be:
- Moderated by trained facilitators;
- Secure and protective from the perspective of participants and hosts, in full compliance of the EU data protection rules;
- Politically sound and culturally relevant: virtual exchange activities must be firmly embedded in the youth and higher education sectors and be up to date with young people’s online and offline cultures in the participating countries;
- Open and accessible at user experience and interaction level. Registration and interactions with peers, facilitators, administrators, and other stakeholders should be straightforward and easy;
- Mainly synchronously, with possible asynchronous components (e.g. readings, videos);
- Finally, they must foresee a method of recognition of participation and learning outcomes for young people at the end of the exchange.
Proposals can be submitted under the following calls:
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in SubSaharan Africa – ERASMUS-EDU-2025-VIRT-EXCH-SSA
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Western Balkans – ERASMUS-EDU-2025-VIRT-EXCH-WB
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in SouthMediterranean Countries – ERASMUS-EDU-2025-VIRT-EXCH-SMC
- Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Neighbourhood East – ERASMUS-EDU-2025-VIRT-EXCH-NE
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The EU grant per project will be of a maximum of €500.000, with €200.000 as maximum investment to organisations per participant (i.e. a project of €500.000 would have to reach at least 2500 participants).
This action follows a lump sum funding model. The lump sum value will be limited to a maximum of 95% of the estimated budget determined after evaluation.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Environment and Climate Change
- Information Technology
- Public Administration
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Youth
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Educational Institutions
- International Organisations
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- Natual person / Citizen / Individual
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
The applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities, if applicable) must be legal entities (public or private bodies) and may fall under the following categories:
- entities active in the field of higher education or youth (non-formal education)
- youth organisations
- higher education institutions, associations or organisations of higher education institutions, as well as legally recognised national or international rector, teacher or student organisations.
Applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities, if applicable) must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- an EU Member State
- a third country associated to the Programme or
- a third country not associated to the Programme from an eligible region. The eligible regions covered by this action are Regions 1, 2, 3 and 9 (see section ‘Eligible countries’ in Part A of this Guide).
The coordinating organisation must be a youth organisation or higher education institution and be legally established and located in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme. The coordinating organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project. It cannot be an affiliated entity.
Organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme cannot be coordinators.
Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners.
Exception: organisations from Belarus and Russia are not eligible to participate in this action as associated partners.
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 4 applicants (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities), which complies with the following conditions:
- Minimum 4 independent entities (beneficiaries, not affiliated entities) from 4 different eligible countries;
- Minimum 2 higher education institutions or youth organisations from 2 EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme and 2 higher education institutions or youth organisations from 2 eligible third countries not associated to the Programme belonging to the same eligible region;
- Organisations from different eligible regions cannot participate in the same project. Cross-regional projects are not eligible;
- The number of organisations from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme must not be higher than the number of organisations from third countries not associated to the Programme.
Only beneficiaries (not affiliated entities) count for the consortium composition. Associated partners do not count for the consortium composition.
Geographic location: Activities must take place in the countries of the participating organisations.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Foundation for the Management of European (EU) Lifelong Learning Programmes
Website: Erasmus+ – IDEP
Website with Contact details: Εpikoinonia – Erasmus+ – IDEP
Address: Prodromou & Dimitrakopoulou 2, Nicosia 1090, Cyprus
Τelephone: +357 22448888
Email: info@idep.org.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: EACEA-EPLUS-VIRTUAL-EXCHANGES@ec.europa.eu