Erasmus+ dissemination obligations: what you must do and when

Dissemination is not optional in Erasmus+. It is a contractual obligation — one that appears in your grant agreement from the moment you sign it, and one whose non-compliance can lead to your grant being reduced.

Yet most funded organisations approach dissemination as an afterthought — something to think about in the final months of the project rather than a planned, documented activity that begins the day the grant agreement enters into force. This guide covers every dissemination and visibility obligation for funded Erasmus+ projects — what the Programme Guide and grant agreement require, what must be done and when, which platforms are mandatory for which action types, and what the consequences are of non-compliance.

The legal basis: what the Programme Guide says

The 2026 Programme Guide is unambiguous on dissemination obligations. Under the Visibility of Union Action section, it states:

“Beneficiaries must clearly acknowledge the European Union’s support in all communications or publications, in whatever form or whatever medium, including the Internet, or on the occasion of activities for which the grant is used. This must be done according to the provisions included in the call and the grant agreement. If these provisions are not fully complied with, the beneficiary’s grant may be reduced.”

Two things stand out in this statement. First: the obligation is not limited to final reports or project outputs — it applies to all communications and publications related to the project, in any medium, at any point during or after implementation. Second: non-compliance can reduce your grant — not as a minor administrative correction but as a financial consequence.

The specific requirements are detailed in your grant agreement. This guide covers the standard obligations that apply to most KA1 and KA2 actions — but always read your grant agreement for the exact conditions that apply to your project.

Obligation 1: EU funding acknowledgement on all materials

Every piece of communication, publication or material produced in connection with your project must acknowledge EU funding. This includes:

• Project website (homepage and all project pages)
• Social media posts about the project
• Outputs produced — training materials, curricula, reports, toolkits, guides, videos
• Presentations at conferences or events
• Newsletters and email communications about the project
• Press releases and media coverage you generate
• Printed materials — brochures, posters, flyers
• Meeting agendas, participant handouts, workshop materials

The required acknowledgement wording

The standard funding acknowledgement for Erasmus+ projects is:

The EU emblem: how to use it correctly

The EU emblem (the 12-star flag) must appear on all materials alongside the funding acknowledgement. The emblem is available for download from the European Commission’s website in multiple formats (PNG, SVG, EPS). Key rules:

• The emblem must not be altered, deformed or combined with other logos in a way that changes its appearance
• The emblem must be clearly visible — not reduced to a tiny footnote or placed on a background that makes it illegible
• It must appear alongside your organisation’s own logo, not replace it
• On digital materials it must link to the relevant EU page where possible
• The disclaimer “Co-funded by the European Union” must appear in the same visual area as the emblem

Obligation 2: Publication on the Erasmus+ Results Platform (EPRP)

For KA220 Cooperation Partnership projects, publication on the Erasmus+ Results Platform (EPRP) is a grant condition. The EPRP is the European Commission’s public database of all Erasmus+ funded projects and their outputs — it is the primary channel through which the programme makes funded projects visible to the public, policymakers and potential replicators across Europe.

EPRP publication is typically required before or alongside your final report submission — not as an afterthought after the report is approved. Check your grant agreement for the exact timing requirement.

What to publish on the EPRP

Every funded KA220 project must publish:

• Project summary — title, description, objectives, partner organisations, funding amount
• All intellectual outputs and other significant project results — with working URLs or file uploads
• Results summary — a plain-language description of what the project achieved and who can use the results

The EPRP is not a formality — it is actively searched by organisations looking for project models, tools and methodologies to adapt for their own work. A well-written EPRP entry with accessible outputs genuinely extends the reach and impact of your project beyond the consortium.

What happens if EPRP publication is missing

If your final report claims outputs that cannot be found on the EPRP — or if outputs listed on the EPRP are not publicly accessible via working links — the assessor will flag the discrepancy. This can delay your balance payment or, in cases where outputs were required to be published as a grant condition, trigger a grant reduction. Publish outputs to the EPRP and test all links before submitting your final report.

Obligation 3: EPALE publication (education, VET and adult learning)

For projects in the fields of school education, vocational education and training and adult education, EPALE — the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe — is the primary EU dissemination platform. The Programme Guide explicitly names EPALE as a priority channel for projects in these fields.

EPALE is not just a repository — it is a community platform with thousands of education and training professionals across Europe. Publishing your project on EPALE reaches an audience that cannot be reached through your own website or social media channels alone.

What to do on EPALE

• Register your organisation on EPALE (epale.ec.europa.eu) if not already registered — free, takes a few days for account approval
• Publish a project description — include your project title, objectives, partner countries, target group and a description of your outputs and results
• Upload or link your outputs — training materials, curricula, guides and toolkits can be uploaded directly or linked from your project website
• Write a results article — a blog-style article describing what your project achieved, for whom and what practitioners can do with the results. This is the highest-visibility format on EPALE and reaches the most users
• Timing — publish during the project (to build awareness and find secondary users) and update with final results at project close

Obligation 4: European Youth Portal (youth projects)

For projects in the youth field (KA152, KA153, KA154, KA210 and KA220 youth), the European Youth Portal (europa.eu/youth) is the priority dissemination platform. The Programme Guide explicitly encourages youth projects to use it to share results.

The European Youth Portal hosts a section specifically for Erasmus+ youth project results and news. Organisations working in the youth field should register on the portal and publish project news, results articles and output links there throughout the project lifetime.

Obligation 5: Open licensing for intellectual outputs

Intellectual outputs produced with Erasmus+ funding must be made publicly available under an open licence. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood dissemination obligations — and one with significant implications for how you publish and protect your project outputs.

What counts as an intellectual output

The Programme Guide defines intellectual outputs as tangible products directly linked to project objectives — training curricula, educational materials, toolkits, methodologies, guides, e-learning modules, videos and digital tools. Outputs that are significant and targeted in terms of their scope, their value and the contribution they make to the objectives of the project.

What open licensing means in practice

Open licensing means that other organisations can access, use, adapt and redistribute your outputs without seeking explicit permission from your organisation, provided they acknowledge the source. The standard open licence recommended for Erasmus+ outputs is Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) or a similar CC licence.

The specific CC licence you choose determines what others can do with your output:

For most Erasmus+ educational outputs, CC BY or CC BY-SA is the most appropriate choice — it maximises reach and use while ensuring attribution. Your grant agreement may specify which licence type is required. If no specific licence is required, CC BY is the standard recommendation.

The open licence statement must appear on the output itself — typically on the cover page or in the copyright notice — and on every platform where the output is published.

Dissemination timeline: what must happen when

What counts as dissemination evidence

Every dissemination activity must be documented — not just described in the final report but evidenced with records you can produce if audited. Standard evidence for each dissemination channel:

• EPALE / Youth Portal publications — URL of the publication, screenshot with date, number of views where available
• EPRP — URL of project page, screenshot with outputs listed
• Social media — screenshots of posts with dates and engagement metrics; URL of post if still live
• Presentations and events — event programme with your presentation listed, presentation slides, photos from the event, estimated audience numbers
• Newsletter or email — screenshot or PDF of the communication, date sent, recipient list size
• Project website — URL with EU emblem and acknowledgement visible; screenshot with date
• Multiplier events — invitation list, event agenda, attendance list, photos, feedback forms from participants
• Media coverage — URL or clipping of any press coverage generated

Keep a running dissemination log throughout the project — a simple spreadsheet recording date, channel, description and evidence link for each activity. This makes the final report dissemination section straightforward to write and provides everything needed if an audit request is made.

The multiplier event: what it is and why it matters

A multiplier event is a specific dissemination activity designed to present your project’s outputs and results to an audience beyond the consortium — practitioners, policymakers, sector organisations or community members who were not involved in the project but can benefit from its results.

The multiplier event is the most effective dissemination activity for a KA220 project and is explicitly valued by assessors reviewing final reports. It demonstrates that dissemination was a strategic choice rather than an administrative obligation. Key characteristics of an effective multiplier event:

• Audience is external — not just consortium members and existing contacts, but new organisations and practitioners
• Outputs are presented, demonstrated or piloted — not just described
• Participants are given access to outputs and encouraged to use them
• The event generates documented evidence — attendance list, feedback forms, photos, follow-up commitments from attendees
• It is timed for when outputs are finalised — not before they exist and not after the project officially closes

Multiplier events do not need to be large or expensive. A 3-hour workshop for 25 practitioners from relevant organisations in your sector, presenting two finalised outputs and collecting feedback, is more valuable as a dissemination activity than a 200-person conference where your project gets a 15-minute slot.

Common dissemination mistakes and how to avoid them

Not acknowledging EU funding from day one. The obligation begins when your grant agreement is signed — not when your outputs are published. Any project communication produced before the formal acknowledgement system is in place (project website, social media profiles, meeting materials) that lacks the EU emblem and funding statement is technically non-compliant.

Planning EPALE publication for the final month. EPALE account approval takes several days. If you plan your first EPALE activity for the final week before the final report deadline, you risk missing the publication window. Register on EPALE in Month 1 and publish an initial project description immediately — you can update it throughout the project.

Publishing outputs without the open licence statement. An output uploaded to EPALE or the EPRP without a visible CC licence statement does not satisfy the open licensing obligation. Every output file should include the licence notation on the document itself — in the footer, cover page or copyright notice — not just on the platform where it is published.

Not documenting dissemination activities during the project. Many coordinators do their dissemination activities but do not document them — no screenshots, no attendance lists, no event records. When it comes to writing the final report dissemination section, they have to reconstruct activities from memory. Keep a running log from Month 1.

Broken links in the final report. Any URL cited in the final report — project website, EPALE publication, EPRP entry, output file — must be live and working at the time of assessment. Test every link immediately before submitting the final report.

Frequently asked questions

When must I add the EU emblem to project materials?

From the date your grant agreement enters into force — which is typically the date the last party signs it. All communications and materials produced after this date in connection with the project must carry the EU emblem and funding acknowledgement. Materials produced before the grant agreement was signed (pre-project communications, application materials) do not need to be retrofitted.

Is EPALE publication mandatory for KA210 projects?

EPALE publication is strongly encouraged for KA210 projects in the relevant fields but may not be a strict grant condition in the same way as for KA220. Check your grant agreement for the exact dissemination requirements. For KA210, EPRP publication is the primary mandatory requirement — EPALE is additional and strongly recommended.

Can I use a CC BY-NC licence to prevent commercial use of my outputs?

Yes — CC BY-NC is an acceptable open licence that restricts commercial use while still meeting the open access requirement. However, your grant agreement may specify a particular licence type. Some national agencies and EACEA require CC BY (full open) rather than non-commercial variants. Check your grant agreement before finalising your licence choice.

What if a partner organisation produced an output — who is responsible for open licensing?

The coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all outputs produced within the project — including those produced by partner organisations — are made publicly available under an open licence. This should be agreed with all partners at the start of the project and written into the partnership agreement. Partners who contribute to intellectual outputs must agree to open licensing as a condition of their participation.

How long must we keep our project results publicly accessible after the project ends?

There is no specific time limit stated in the Programme Guide for public accessibility of outputs — but the Programme Guide requires that outputs “can be used, reproduced and distributed free of charge by other organisations.” As a practical minimum, keep outputs accessible for at least 3–5 years after project closure. This also coincides with the audit retention period (3 years for grants ≤€60,000; 5 years for larger grants).

All dissemination and visibility obligations cited in this article are based on the official Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 (Version 1, published 12 November 2025), pages 239–240 (KA220 horizontal aspects including digital and dissemination), page 439 (Visibility of Union Action) and pages 430–431 (cost eligibility including project websites). Open licensing requirements reflect standard Erasmus+ grant agreement provisions — verify specific licence requirements with your National Agency or grant agreement. GrowthProjects.eu is an independent consultancy and is not affiliated with any National Agency, the European Commission or EACEA.