Following the publication of the Erasmus+ call for proposals in October 2014, interested stakeholders can now submit proposals in seven eligible sectors using electronic eForms, which have been available since the start of January 2015.
The seven sectors for which proposals can be submitted are: manufacturing and engineering, commerce, ICT, environmental technologies (eco-innovation), cultural and creative sectors, healthcare, and tourism. Of these, two in particular will be of interest to stakeholders in the energy community - manufacturing and engineering (i.e. transfer of know-how to improve production, key-enabling technologies etc.) and environmental technologies (eco-innovation: renewables or energy efficiency technologies).
The Erasmus + Programme in the field of Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances aims to support actions in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the period 2014-2020. The programme supports organisations in setting up transnational partnerships and sharing innovative practices in the fields of education and training, which is something that may be of interest to energy stakeholders wishing to address skill shortages and build links between academia/research and industry.
Stakeholders are aided in their search for potential partners by the Erasmus+ partner search tool, which allows interested parties to create and register a profile and conduct a search for partners in a specific country or sector.
Erasmus + provides grants for a wide range of actions and activities and gives opportunities to students, trainees, staff and volunteers to spend a period abroad to increase their skills and employability. The new programme replaces seven programmes and brings together The Lifelong Learning Programme, The Youth in Action programme, and five international cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries).