The Erasmus+ work programme 2023 places a focus on refugees from Ukraine and introduces the seal of excellence to facilitate synergies between Union programmes.
The 2023 annual work programme for Erasmus+ was published on 25 August 2022 and gives us an outline of the priorities of next year’s programme. The programme guide 2023, which provides participating organisations and individuals with a comprehensive list of opportunities supported by the programme, will be published later this year. The maximum Union contribution for the programme’s implementation in 2023 is almost €4,2 billion, which is approximately €270 million higher than the amount in the 2022 annual work programme.
Green and Digital Erasmus, as well as participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement, will remain main programme priorities. The focus on inclusion now also actively mentions the integration of refugees. This adjustment is explained by the ongoing war in Ukraine but is not limited to the refugees from Ukraine. Furthermore, in the selection process, a particular focus will be given in 2023 to projects aiming at addressing the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Erasmus+ will for example support the schooling of refugee pupils, integrate refugee teachers, and support teachers in host countries. The programme will also support promoting common European values or the fight against disinformation and fake news.
Despite the various possibilities to support the refugees from Ukraine, the 200 million increase in the programme budget for 2023 to support Ukraine announced by Mariya Gabriel in April 2022 is not included in this work programme yet. It is expected that the work programme will be amended in the coming months in this regard. A special call in support of education for Ukraine would be launched on this basis. However, the demand to increase the funds for students affected by the war remains, as a recent joint statement by the European Students’ Union, the European University Foundation, and the Erasmus Student Network shows. In their statement, they call on the European Commission to increase the funds for the Erasmus+ programme for the academic year 2022/2023 in order to accommodate the request for scholarships from students fleeing Ukraine.
In line with the priorities of the Commission and the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU, the 2023 work programme aims to enhance the opportunities for synergies with other EU funding instruments. Therefore, the work programme includes specific provisions aiming to facilitate the alternative funding of project proposals that have passed the quality assessment under a given Call for proposals but that cannot be financed due to budgetary constraints through the Seal of Excellence award. The Seal of Excellence is a quality label that recognises the value of a proposal and helps other funding bodies take advantage of the Commission evaluation process. Officially launched by commissioners Moedas and Cretu in 2015 to maximise synergies between Horizon 2020 and Structural Funds, the EU uses the Seal of Excellence in various programmes. The programme continues to focus on the so called flagship initiatives. The European Universities alliances, which now include four Swiss universities (see SwissCore article), will receive €384 million and thus more than in the year before (€272 million in 2022). The Centres for Vocational Excellence (CoVE) will also continue to receive financial support (€52 million), but this does not differ significantly from the previous year. Unlike the other two programme actions, no funding is foreseen for the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies initiative, as it will be paused to evaluate the two pilot calls in 2021 and 2022. The eligibility criteria for the European Universities and the CoVEs remain the same as in the previous year and are open for the participation of education institutions from Switzerland as associated partners.