Erasmus+
Knowledge Alliances
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What is a Knowledge Alliance?
Timetable
Key features of a Knowledge Alliance
What do Knowlegde Alliances support?
Priorities adressed in 2014 Call
Topics adressed in 2014 Call
What are the goals of Knowledge Alliances?
Who can benefit?
Partnership composition and the roles of the participating organizations
What financial support is available?
How to write a successful proposal
Projects selected in 2014 Call
How to apply? – KTH internal procedures
How are proposals selected?
Grading
Award criteria
What else to know about Knowledge Alliances?
What happens if your proposal is selected?
More info and contact
What is a Knowledge Alliance?
Knowledge Alliances are transnational, structured and resultdriven projects, notably between higher education and business.
Knowledge Alliances are open to any discipline, sector and to
cross sectorial cooperation. The partners share common goals
and work together towards mutually beneficial results and
outcomes.
Knowledge Alliances are meant to have a short and long-term
impact on the wide range of stakeholders involved, at individual,
organizational and systemic level.
Knowledge Alliances target the cooperation between
organizations established in Programme Countries. However,
organizations from Partner Countries can be involved in a
Knowledge Alliance as partners (not as applicants) if their
participation brings an essential added value to the project.
Timetable
Step
Date
Publication of the call for
proposals
October 2014
E-form Guidelines published
December 2014
Deadline for submission
26 February 2015
Evaluation period
5 months
Information to applicants
July/August 2015
Start date of action
1 November 2015
Key features of a Knowledge Alliance:
Innovation in higher education and innovation through higher
education in enterprises and their socio-economic environment:
innovation is considered as state-of-the-art project-specific and
related to the partnerships context and analyzed needs.
Sustainability of university-business cooperation. A strong and
committed partnership with a balanced participation from
enterprises and higher education institutions are pivotal for the
success of Knowledge Alliances. The role and contribution of
each participating organization and associate partner have to be
specific and complementary.
Impact going beyond the project's lifetime and beyond the
organizations involved in the Alliance. It is expected that
partnership and activities persist. Changes in higher education
institutions and enterprises have to be measurable. Results and
solutions have to be transferable and accessible to a broader
audience.
What does it support?
Knowledge Alliances implement a coherent and comprehensive set
of interconnected activities which are flexible and adaptable to
different, current and future, contexts and developments across
Europe. The following list provides examples of group of activities:
Boosting innovation in higher education, business and in the
broader socio-economic environment;
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Jointly developing and implementing new learning and teaching
methods (like new multidisciplinary curricula, learner-centered
and real problem-based teaching and learning)
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Organizing continuing educational programmes and activities
with and within companies
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Jointly developing solutions for challenging issues, product and
process innovation (students, professors and practitioners
together).
What does it support? ctd.
Developing entrepreneurship mind-set and skills;
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Creating schemes of transversal skills learning and
application throughout higher education programmes
developed in cooperation with enterprises aiming at
strengthening employability, creativity and new professional
paths;
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Introducing entrepreneurship education in any discipline to
provide students, researchers, staff and educators with the
knowledge, skills and motivation to engage in entrepreneurial
activities in a variety of settings;
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Opening up new learning opportunities through the practical
application of entrepreneurial skills, which can involve and/or
lead to the commercialization of new services, products and
prototypes, to the creation of start-ups and spin-offs.
What does it support? ctd.
Stimulating the flow and exchange of knowledge between
higher education and enterprises;
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Study field related activities in enterprises which are fully
embedded in the curriculum, recognized and credited;
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Set-ups to trial and test innovative measures;
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Exchanges of students, researchers, teaching staff and
company staff for a limited period;
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Involvement of company staff teaching and research.
Knowledge Alliances may organize mobility activities of
students, researchers and staff in so far as they
support/complement the other activities of the Alliance and bring
added value in the realization of the project's objectives.
Priorities adressed in 2014. OBS! Old call!
Horizontal priorities Knowledge Alliances:
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Fostering the assessment of transversal skills
Promoting the take-up of practical entrepreneurial experiences in
education, training and youth work
Promoting the professional development of staff and youth workers
in ICT methodologies
Supporting the production and adoption of Open Educational
Resources in diverse European languages
Facilitating the validation of non-formal and informal learning and its
permeability with formal education pathways
Sectoral priorities Knowledge Alliances:
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Contributing to the modernization of Europe’s higher education
systems as outlined in the 2011 EU Modernization Agenda
Developing partnerships between education and employment
Topics adressed in 2014. OBS! Old call!
In the 2014 Call there were 46 topics (out of which 3 to
adress in the proposal).
For a full list of these topics please see;
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eaceasite/files/documents/instructions_eplus_ka_en.pdf
What are the goals of Knowledge Alliances?
The purpose of Knowledge Alliances is to strengthen Europe’s
innovation capacity by fostering innovation in higher education
via balanced, two-way knowledge exchange with enterprises
and across the broader socio-economic environment. They
implement a coherent and comprehensive set of interconnected
activities through transnational structured partnerships,
Knowledge Alliances will:
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Develop new, innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to
teaching and learning;
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Stimulate entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial skills of
students, academics and company staff;
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Facilitate the exchange, flow and co-creation of knowledge.
What are the goals of Knowledge Alliances?
ctd.
In addition, in line with the annual Work Programme adopted by
the Commission, priority will be given to projects that contribute
to the modernization of Europe's Higher Education Systems as
outlined in the 2011 EU Communication on the Modernization
Agenda for Higher Education.
Knowledge Alliances aim to:
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Increase attainment levels;
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Improve the quality and relevance of higher education;
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Strengthen quality through mobility and cross-border
cooperation;
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Make the knowledge triangle (research, education,
innovation) work; improve governance and funding
Who can benefit from it?
A participating organization can be any public or private organization
established in a Programme Country or in any Partner Country of the
world. For example, such an organization can be:
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A higher education institution
A public or private, small, medium or large enterprise (including
social enterprises)
A research institute
A public body at local, regional or national level
An organization active in the field of education, training and youth
An intermediary or association which represents education, training
or youth organizations
An intermediary or association which represents enterprises
An accreditation, certification or qualification body
Higher education institutions established in a Programme Country must
hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).
Partnership composition and the roles of
the participating organizations
A minimum of 6 organizations from at least 3 Programme Countries, of
which there must be a minimum of 2 higher education institutions and a
minimum of 2 independent enterprises as full partners.
Applicant/coordinator: a participating organization that submits the
project proposal on behalf of all the partners. The coordinator has the
full responsibility to ensure that the project is implemented in
accordance with the agreement. Its coordinating covers the following
duties:
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Represents and acts on behalf of the Alliance towards the European
Commission;
Bears the financial and legal responsibility for the proper operational,
administrative and financial implementation of the entire project;
Coordinates the Alliance in cooperation with project partners.
Partnership composition and the roles of
the participating organizations ctd.
Full partners are those participating organizations which
contribute actively to the achievement of the Knowledge
Alliance's objectives. Each full partner must sign a mandate to
confer to the coordinating organization the responsibility of
acting as main beneficiary and act in his name during the
implementation of the project. If relevant, the same applies for
partners from Partner Countries.
Associated partners (optional): Knowledge Alliances can
involve associated partners who contribute to the
implementation of specific project tasks/activities or support the
dissemination and sustainability of the Alliance. For contractual
management issues, “associated partners” are not considered
as part of the project partners, and they do not receive funding.
However their involvement and role in the project and different
activities have to be clearly described.
What financial support is available?
• Maximum EU contribution awarded for a 2-year
Knowledge Alliance: 700 000 EUR
• Maximum EU contribution awarded for a 3-year
Knowledge Alliance: 1 000 000 EUR
• Financial contributions from the EU are calculated using
fixed scale of unit costs.
• These unit costs have been calculated in a way that the
co-funding is inherent to them, i.e. already incorporated.
What financial support is available? ctd.
Implementation support (such as project meetings,
conferences, travel, tools, analyses etc.):
Unit costs for Sweden (amounts in Euro per day)
Manager
Teacher/Trainer
/Researcher/
Technician
Administrative
staff
353
289
228
189
* Staff must have a signed contract with the employee and
must be listed in the application.
For other Programme and Partner countries please see
Programme guide pp. 130-131
What financial support is available? ctd.
Additional funding rules for mobility activities realized within a
knowledge alliance (optional funding);
Travel:
• For distances between 100 and 1999 KM: 275 EUR per participant
• For distances of 2000 KM or more: 360 EUR per participant
Subsistence costs for staff:
• Activities up to the 14th day of activity: 100 EUR per day per
participant
• Between the 15th and 60th day of activity: 70 EUR per day per
participant
Subsistence costs for learners:
• Activities up to the 14th day of activity: 55 EUR per day per
participant
• Between the 15th and 60th day of activity: 40 EUR per day per
participant
How to write a successful proposal:
Knowledge Alliances are a highly competitive part of Erasmus+.
Common attributes of successful proposals are:
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Reliable relations between higher education institutions and
enterprises: Knowledge Alliances have to demonstrate the
commitment and added value of all partners, whereby strong
and balanced involvement from both the business and higher
education sectors is essential. A well designed proposal is
the result of close cooperation between the prospective
partners;
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Their innovative and transnational character, visible across
all criteria.
A proper needs-analysis clarifies the rationale, influences the
selection of partners, makes the proposal specific, helps to raise
the potential for impact and ensures that end-user and target
groups are well involved in the project activities.
Tips from Infoday in Brussels Nov. 12th –
How to impress selection experts?
• Coherent issues, solutions, target groups, activities,
budget.
• Evidence-based needs analysis.
• Clear objectives, solutions, outputs.
• Rigorous planning; what, when, how long, with what
resources.
• Explicit; no information taken for granted.
• Concise; efficient, more is not always better!
• Circumscribe; focus on a specific issue
Tips from Infoday in Brussels Nov. 12th –
Recurrent weaknesses to avoid
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Objectives; lack of information on how the proposal is
meeting the KA objectives. If they are there – they should not
come from the HEI only.
Consortium composition; too few companies actively
involved. Involved companies show too little committment to
be able to set up a long lasting alliance.
Needs analysis; lack of adequate, detailed and convincing
explanation.
State-of-the-art innovation; lack of information on
innovation. Information should not be based on the lead
partner’s own experience.
Impact sustainability; don’t underestimate the importance of
defining proper impact and a sustainability strategy.
Exploitation of results; should not be weak or undefined.
Sustainability; don’t forget review of project results, update
conclusions and maintain project web site.
Projects slected in the 2014 Call
Country
Applicant organisation
Project title
Maximum
EU
grant €
ITALY
UNIVERSITA DI PISA
European Network of Design for
Resilient Entrepreneurship
695.277
CYPRUS
GRANTXPERT CONSULTING
LTD
A European University-Business Alliance
aiming to foster young SCIEntists’
ENTrepreneurial spirit
991.778
FRANCE
CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET
DE L'INDUSTRIE DE VAUCLUSE
European Foodbusiness Transfer
Laboratory for stimulating
entrepreneurial skills, for fostering
innovation and for business creation in
the Food Sector
999.888
Projects slected in the 2014 Call ctd.
Country
Applicant organization
Project title
Maximum
EU
grant €
AUSTRIA
UNIVERSITAET FUER
BODENKULTUR WIEN
European Food Studies &
Training
Alliance
988.081
IRELAND
LOUTH COUNTY ENTERPRISE
BOARD
SME and Higher Education
Institutes in
Innovation Partnerships
563.362
AUSTRIA
WIRTSCHAFTSUNIVERSITAT
WIEN
Competencies for A sustainable
Socio
Economic development
909.418
FINLAND
TURUN
AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
Framework for Innovation
Competencies Development and
Assessment
991.859
Projects slected in the 2014 Call ctd.
Country
Applicant organisation
Project title
Maximum
EU
grant €
ITALY
LINK CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY
Textile and Clothing Knowledge
Alliance. Future textile and clothing
managers for export, marketing,
innovation, sustainability and
entrepreneurship oriented companies.
620.431
LITHUANIA
VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETAS
PROMOTE - Promoting and Validating
Key Competences in Mobility and
Traineeships in Europe
699.913
Interested ? – contact us asap
– December/January: hands on sessions for the support
of specific project proposals
– Contact with KIR for routines and further support
– Different levels of support
– Approval from school level + Project abstract
How are propsoals selected?
All project proposals are assessed by the Executive Agency receiving the
application, exclusively on the basis of the criteria described in the ERASMUS+
Programme Guide
The assessment implies:
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A formal check to verify that the eligibility and exclusion criteria are respected
A quality assessment to evaluate the extent to which the participating
organisations meet the selection criteria and the project meets the award
criteria. Such quality assessment is carried out with the support of
independent experts.
The quality of eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following
criteria:
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Relevance of the proposal
Quality of the project design and implementation
Quality of the project team and the cooperation arrangements
Impact and dissemination.
Grading of proposals
Max points
Min threshold
Relevance of the proposal
25
13
Quality of the project design
and implementation
30
16
Quality of the project team
and the cooperation
arrangements
25
13
Impact of the dissemination
20
11
Total
100
70
*Last year proposals in the range of 81-96 points were selected
for funding
Award criteria - Relevance
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Purpose: the proposal is relevant to the objectives of the
Action (see section "What are the aims and priorities of a
Knowledge Alliance");
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Consistency: the objectives are based on a sound needs
analysis; they are clearly defined, realistic and address
issues relevant to the participating organizations and to the
Action;
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Innovation: the proposal considers state-of-the-art methods
and techniques, and leads to project-specific innovative
results and solutions;
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European added value: the proposal demonstrates clearly
the added value generated through its trans nationality and
potential transferability;
Award criteria - Quality of the project
design and implementation
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Configuration: the proposed Knowledge Alliance involves an
appropriate mix of higher education and business partners with the
necessary profiles, skills, experience, expertise and management
support required for its successful realization;
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Commitment: each participating organization demonstrates full
involvement corresponding to its capacities and specific area of
expertise;
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Partnership: contributions of higher education and business partners are
significant, pertinent and complementary;
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Collaboration/Team spirit: the proposal includes clear arrangements
and responsibilities for transparent and efficient decision-making, conflict
resolution, reporting and communication between the participating
organisations;
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Involvement of Partner Countries: if applicable, the involvement of a
participating organization from a Partner Country brings an essential
added value to the project (if this condition is not fulfilled, the project will
not be considered for selection).
Award criteria - Impact and dissemination
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Exploitation: the proposal demonstrates how the outcomes will be used by
the partners and other stakeholders. It provides means to measure
exploitation within project lifetime and after;
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Dissemination: the proposal provides a clear plan for the dissemination of
results, and includes appropriate activities, tools and channels to ensure that
the results and benefits will be spread effectively to the stakeholders and nonparticipating audience within and after the project’s lifetime;
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Impact: the proposal shows societal and economic relevance and outreach. It
provides pertinent measures to monitor progress and assess the expected
impact (short and long-term);
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Open access: If relevant, the proposal describes how the materials,
documents and media produced will be made freely available and promoted
through open licenses, and does not contain disproportionate limitations;
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Sustainability: the proposal includes appropriate measures and resources to
ensure that the partnership, project results and benefits will be sustained
beyond the project lifetime.
What else to know about Knowledge
Alliances?
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Quality assurance must be an embedded project component to
ensure that Knowledge Alliances successfully deliver the expected
results and achieve an impact going far beyond the partner
organisations themselves.
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Knowledge Alliances are required to accomplish targeted
dissemination activities which reach out to stakeholders, policy
makers, professionals and enterprises. Along the way Knowledge
Alliances should deliver publications such as reports, handbooks,
guidelines, etc. Where appropriate, results should be made available
as open educational resources (OER) as well as on relevant
professional, sectorial or competent authorities' platforms.
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Knowledge Alliances should generate new ways and instruments to
facilitate their collaboration and ensure that the partnership between
higher education and business persists.
What else to know about Knowledge
Alliances? ctd.
• Knowledge Alliances are a recent and ambitious Action;
they are subject to a particular monitoring which requires
active participation from all participants and stakeholders.
• Knowledge Alliances should foresee their participation in
thematic clusters to support cross-fertilization, exchange
of good practices and mutual learning.
• Knowledge Alliances should budget for the presentation of
their project and the results at the University-Business
Forum and/or other relevant events (up to four during the
project duration).
What happens if your proposal is selected?
All applicants will receive a written notification of the outcome
of the selection procedure as well as feedback on the
evaluation of their application. For applications that have
been selected for EU co-financing the EACEA will contact the
applicants if any further action is required before awarding
the contract. EACEA will produce a grant agreement
detailing the conditions and the level of co-funding.
For further details please refer to Part C of the ERASMUS+
Programme Guide
Internal KTH Handläggningsordning for implementation
support
Further info and contacts
Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances call for proposals:
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/knowledgealliances-sector-skills-alliances-2015_en
Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2015:
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmusplus/documents/erasmus-plus-programme-guide_en.pdf
KTH Contact person:
Mette Svensson; mettesv@kth.se