How to write an Erasmus+ proposal step by step

Writing an Erasmus+ proposal for the first time can feel overwhelming. The application form is long, the evaluation criteria are specific, and the competition is tougher than ever. But the good news is that there is a clear, repeatable process behind every successful proposal — and once you understand it, the form becomes far more manageable.

This guide walks you through every step of writing an Erasmus+ proposal from scratch — from your first project idea to the moment you click Submit. It applies to all Key Actions: KA1 mobility projects, KA210 small-scale partnerships, and KA220 cooperation partnerships — though as you’ll see below, the exact scoring rules differ between them.

Before You Write: Understand the Evaluation Criteria

Every Erasmus+ proposal is scored by independent expert evaluators against a fixed set of criteria. Before writing a single word, you need to internalise these — because they are not just a scoring rubric, they are the structure of your proposal.

Important: the exact weighting differs by Key Action. The table below shows the KA210 (Small-Scale Partnerships) breakdown, which is the most common starting point for first-time applicants.

Step 1 — Confirm Your Eligibility and Choose Your Key Action

Before investing time in writing, confirm that your organisation is eligible to apply and that you are targeting the right Key Action for your project idea.

Check your eligibility

• Your organisation must be legally established in an EU member state or Erasmus+ programme country
• Individuals cannot apply — only organisations submit proposals
• Some actions require a minimum number of partners from different countries (e.g. KA220 requires at least 3 partners from 3 countries; KA210 requires at least 2 partners from 2 countries)
• Use the free Erasmus+ Eligibility Checker to confirm your eligibility in minutes

Choose the right Key Action

• KA1 — your organisation wants to send staff or learners abroad for training, job shadowing or mobility activities
• KA210 — you want to collaborate with 1–2 other organisations on a small, focused project (lump sum of €30,000 or €60,000, simpler application)
• KA220 — you want to build a larger international partnership to develop outputs, training materials, or systemic change (lump sum of €120,000, €250,000 or €400,000)

Step 2 — Register Your Organisation (OID)

Before you can submit any Erasmus+ application, your organisation must be registered in the EU’s Organisation Registration System and hold a valid Organisation ID (OID). This is mandatory and takes 1–5 working days to process, so do not leave it until the last minute.

• Register at the official Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps platform
• You will need your organisation’s legal name, address, VAT number, and a legal representative contact
• Once approved, your OID never expires and can be reused for all future applications
• All partner organisations in your consortium also need their own OID before submission

Step 3 — Define Your Project Idea and Needs Analysis

This is the most important step and the one most applicants rush. The Relevance criterion carries one of the highest weightings in the evaluation rubric for every Key Action. Evaluators are looking for a clearly documented problem, backed by evidence, that your project will address.

Answer these four questions before writing anything:

1. What specific problem or gap does your project address? Be precise — “improving digital skills” is too vague; “lack of structured digital competence training for youth workers in rural areas” is specific.
2. What evidence proves this problem exists? Use external sources — Eurostat data, national reports, sector surveys, or published research. Proposals referencing documented evidence consistently score higher on Relevance.
3. Which EU priorities does your project align with? The 2026 Erasmus+ programme prioritises inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and participation in democratic life. Explicitly name the ones your project addresses.
4. Who are your target groups? Define them specifically — not “young people” but “unemployed young people aged 18–25 in urban areas with limited access to formal education.”

Step 4 — Build Your Consortium and Assign Partner Roles

For KA210 and KA220 projects, your partnership is evaluated as a standalone criterion worth up to 20 points. Evaluators are not just counting partners — they are assessing whether each partner genuinely contributes something the others cannot.

What makes a strong consortium:

• Complementary expertise — each partner brings a distinct skill set or sector perspective
• Geographic diversity — partners from different countries strengthen the European dimension
• Clear role distribution — every partner has specific tasks, deliverables and responsibilities assigned in the application
• A mix of experience levels — evaluators explicitly score proposals higher when the consortium includes newcomers and less experienced organisations alongside more established partners, not just “usual suspects”
• Quality over quantity — a few well-chosen partners with clear roles score higher than many partners with vague ones

Step 5 — Write the Core Sections of the Application Form

Once your idea, evidence and partnership are in place, you are ready to write. The application form has several mandatory sections — here is what each one requires and the most common mistakes to avoid.

Project Summary (Abstract)

Always write in English, even if the rest of the form is in another language. Keep it concise. Summarise the problem, your approach, the partnership, and the expected impact in plain language. This is what appears in the public project database if funded — write it for a general audience, not just evaluators.

Context and Rationale

Expand your needs analysis here. Present your evidence, name your EU priority alignments explicitly, and describe your target groups in detail. Avoid generic statements — every claim should be backed by a specific source or piece of organisational evidence.

Objectives

Write objectives that are specific, measurable and realistic. Vague objectives like “improve skills” will cost you points. Strong objectives name who benefits, what specifically changes, and by how much — for example: “By the end of the project, participating youth workers will demonstrate measurable improvement in digital facilitation competencies.”

Work Plan and Activities

Structure your activities into logical work packages (for KA220) or a clear activity timeline (for KA1 and KA210). Each activity must directly connect to at least one objective. Evaluators check for internal consistency — if an activity appears in the work plan but not in the budget, or vice versa, it signals poor planning and costs points.

Dissemination and Exploitation

This section is where many applicants lose easy points. A website and a social media page is not a dissemination plan. Strong dissemination identifies specific channels, target audiences beyond the project, and concrete actions — conferences, publications, policy briefs, open-access toolkits — with named responsible partners and timelines.

Sustainability

Evaluators want to know what happens after the grant ends. Describe how the project’s results will be maintained, who will take ownership, and how the partnership will continue. Institutional embedding (updating curricula, adopting new practices into standard operations) scores significantly higher than vague intentions to “continue collaboration.”

Step 6 — Plan the Budget

Erasmus+ uses simplified cost models — most costs are calculated using fixed unit rates or lump sums rather than actual receipts. However, budget planning still requires precision, because evaluators check whether the budget is proportionate to the proposed activities.

• KA1 — budget is calculated by unit costs per mobility (travel, individual support, organisational support). Every planned mobility must be individually listed and justified.
• KA210 — fixed lump sum of €30,000 or €60,000. The form asks you to describe activities; the lump sum is awarded or not based on quality, not line-item costing.
• KA220 — fixed lump sum of €120,000, €250,000 or €400,000, split across work packages. Budget must match the work plan precisely.

Step 7 — Review, Check Consistency, and Submit

Before submitting, run through this checklist. Inconsistencies between sections are one of the most reliable ways to lose points on an otherwise strong proposal.

• ✅ Does every activity in the work plan appear in the budget?
• ✅ Do your objectives connect directly to your identified needs?
• ✅ Does each partner have specific, named tasks — not just “will contribute to activities”?
• ✅ Are your dissemination activities concrete, with responsible partners and dates?
• ✅ Does your sustainability section describe institutional change, not just intentions?
• ✅ Is the project summary written in English?
• ✅ Have all partner OIDs been entered correctly in the form?
• ✅ Have you submitted before 12:00 midday Brussels time on the deadline day?

Realistic Timeline for Writing a Proposal

How long does it actually take? Here is a realistic breakdown for a first-time applicant working backward from the deadline:

When to Get Professional Help

Following this guide will put you in a much stronger position than most applicants. But there are situations where professional support makes a decisive difference: