Erasmus+ is the European Union's funding programme for education, training, youth and sport, and its Key Action 2 (KA2) strand supports cooperation projects between organizations across Europe.2 The programme is evolving, and organizations that run KA2 projects are being asked to adapt their strategies to new priorities.1
Navigating change in Erasmus+ KA2 means understanding that Cooperation Partnerships have functioned for years as a core format for cross-border collaboration.1 That format is now shifting toward a stronger emphasis on innovation within the same funding structure.1
What KA2 cooperation actually funds
Key Action 2 projects bring organizations together to exchange good practice, test new technologies, and build shared tools and activities at local, regional, national or European level.2 In the youth field specifically, KA2 projects aim to develop innovative teaching and learning methods and support non-formal learning.2
One current KA2 example is a Cooperation Partnership in the youth sector called Youth Voices Rising: Empowering Through Local and EU Advocacy, which runs from April 1, 2025 to May 31, 2027.2 It is designed to equip young people with skills to influence policy-making and strengthen their civic participation, with a focus on those with fewer opportunities.2
The strategic partnership funding structure
Within KA2, Strategic Partnership funding covers the production of project outcomes and the activities needed to share results and promote a project's impact.4 This structure gives organizations a clear opportunity to work together toward shared, measurable outputs rather than one-off exchanges.4
Consultancy groups that specialize in Erasmus+ proposal writing describe having been involved in KA2 projects both completed and ongoing, supporting organizations through the application and delivery process.3 That kind of support matters because Erasmus+ funding rules and priorities are not static from one cycle to the next.3
Erasmus+ cooperation beyond KA2
Key Action 1 (KA1) covers individual mobility, and a recent call funds mobility for adult learners and staff in adult education, with EU funding covering 80% of eligible costs.6 Short KA1 projects can run from six to eighteen months, while accredited projects run for fifteen months with an option to extend to twenty-four.6
At a higher level, Erasmus has also driven the growth of European university alliances since a 2019 launch, a project supporting internationalization of European higher education and long-term institutional transformation.7 There are now more than 65 of these alliances, involving over 570 higher education institutions and 11 million students across Europe.7
These alliances are described as flagships of the European University Initiative, aiming to improve the international competitiveness of higher education in Europe.7 Cooperation on research and innovation has also been running in parallel since 1984 through framework programmes that evolved into the Horizon research funding programmes.
Why this shift matters for applicants
Organizations applying for KA2 funding now need to read priorities as a moving target rather than a fixed checklist.1 A project strategy built around straightforward cooperation may need reframing around demonstrable innovation to stay competitive.1
Consultancy providers position themselves as being able to support organizations in proposal writing or to involve them in projects written on behalf of national clients, pointing to expertise in both compliance and successful evaluation outcomes as central to KA2 success.3 For organizations new to the programme, understanding how KA2 cooperation and innovation now intersect is the first step before drafting an application.1