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 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 stage 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.

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Before You Write: Understand the Evaluation Criteria

Every Erasmus+ proposal is scored by two independent assessors using the same four criteria. Internalise these before writing a single word — they are not just a scoring rubric, they are the structure of your entire proposal.

Criterion	Points	What Evaluators Look For
Relevance	30	Evidence-based needs, EU priority alignment, clear target groups
Quality of Project Design	30	Coherent work plan, realistic activities, clear methodology
Quality of Partnership	20	Partner profiles, role distribution, consortium added value
Impact	20	Measurable outcomes, dissemination plan, sustainability

Every sentence you write should serve at least one of these four criteria. If you cannot identify which criterion a paragraph is addressing, it probably does not belong in the proposal.

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Step 1 — Confirm Eligibility and Choose Your Key Action

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

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.

Choose your action based on what you actually want to do:

• KA1 — send staff or learners abroad for training, job shadowing or mobility activities
• KA210 — collaborate with 1–2 other organisations on a focused project (lump sum up to €60,000, simpler application, ideal for first-timers)
• KA220 — build a larger international partnership to develop outputs, training materials or systemic change (up to €400,000, more complex)

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Step 2 — Register Your Organisation (OID)

Before submitting any Erasmus+ application, your organisation must hold a valid Organisation ID (OID). This is mandatory — and takes 1–5 working days to process.

Register at the official EU Funding and Tenders portal. 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 also need their own OID before submission.

Register as soon as you decide to apply — even before finalising your project idea. Waiting until the week before the deadline is one of the most common reasons first-time applicants miss the submission window.

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Step 3 — Define Your Project Idea and Needs Analysis

This is the most important step — and the one most applicants rush. The Relevance criterion accounts for 30 points. 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 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 3–5 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 programme prioritises inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and democratic participation. Name the ones your project genuinely 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.”

ErasmusForge helps you build this foundation through a guided project context workflow — prompting you through each element of the needs analysis before generating any proposal sections.

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Step 4 — Build Your Consortium and Assign Partner Roles

For KA210 and KA220, 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 across partners, geographic diversity, a clear role distribution with specific tasks and deliverables for each organisation, and at least one partner with previous Erasmus+ experience. Three well-chosen partners with defined roles will always score higher than six partners with vague contributions.

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Step 5 — Write the Core Application Sections

Once your idea, evidence and partnership are in place, you are ready to write. Here is what each key section requires and the most common mistakes to avoid.

Project Summary — 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.

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.

Objectives — write 3–5 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.

Work Plan and Activities — 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, it signals poor planning. ErasmusForge generates your activities roadmap and connects each activity to your stated objectives automatically.

Dissemination — a website and social media is not a plan. Strong dissemination identifies specific channels, target audiences, and concrete actions — conferences, publications, open-access toolkits — with named responsible partners and timelines.

Sustainability — describe what happens after the grant ends. Institutional embedding (updating curricula, adopting new practices into standard operations) scores significantly higher than vague intentions to “continue collaboration.”

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Step 6 — Plan the Budget

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

• KA1 — unit costs per mobility (travel, individual support, organisational support). Every planned mobility must be individually listed and justified.
• KA210 — fixed lump sum up to €60,000. The form asks you to describe activities; the lump sum is awarded based on quality, not line-item costing.
• KA220 — mix of unit costs for mobilities and lump sum contributions for project management. Budget must match the work plan precisely.

Projects allocating 35–45% of their budget to coordination and 55–65% to direct implementation tend to score higher on budget efficiency. Overloading coordination costs relative to activities is a common evaluator red flag.

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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 5–10 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?
• ✅ 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?
• ✅ Are you submitting before 12:00 midday Brussels time on the deadline day?

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Realistic Timeline for Writing a Proposal

Stage	Time Needed	Notes
OID registration	1–5 days	Do this first, in parallel with everything else
Needs analysis & idea development	1–2 weeks	The most important stage — do not rush it
Partner identification & agreements	2–4 weeks	Start partner search as early as possible
Writing the application form	3–5 weeks	KA220 takes longer than KA1 or KA210
Internal review & consistency check	3–5 days	Never skip this — always catches something
Total (recommended)	8–12 weeks	Start at least 10 weeks before the deadline