Knowledge alliances are transnational and result-driven activities between higher education institutions and businesses. Another beneficiary of this type of grant accessible under Erasmus+ programme umbrella can be an organisation active in the field of education, training and youth or an an intermediary or association which represents education, training or youth organisations. Seems like Knowledge Alliances target cooperation only between organisations established in Programme Countries. Organisations from Partner Countries may also participate as partners (not as applicants) if they bring an essential added value to the project. So, the projects are open to any discipline, sector and to cross-sectoral cooperation.
Knowledge Alliances aim at strengthening Europe’s innovation capacity and at fostering innovation in higher education and business. The maximum funding for a two-year project is €700,000, and the maximum funding for a three-year project is €1,000,000.
Lines of actions for Knowledge Alliances
Furthermore if you have in mind a project who aim to:
* develop new, innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning;
* stimulate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills of higher education teaching staff and company staff;
* facilitate the exchange, flow and co-creation of knowledge.
Activities supported by Knowledge Alliances who are:
1) Boosting innovation in higher education, business and in the broader socio-economic environment:
* developing and implementing new learning and teaching methods (like new multidisciplinary curricula, learner-centred and real problem-based teaching and learning)
* organising continuing educational programmes and activities with and within companies
* jointly developing solutions for challenging issues, product and process innovation (students, professors and practitioners together)
2) Also, developing entrepreneurial mind-set and skills: * 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 * 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 * opening up new learning opportunities through the practical application of entrepreneurial skills, which can involve and/or lead to the commercialisation of new services, products and prototypes, to the creation of start-ups and spin-off
3) Similarly, stimulating the flow and exchange of knowledge between higher education and enterprises: * study field related activities in enterprises which are fully embedded in the curriculum, recognised and credited * set-ups to trial and test innovative measures * exchanges of students, researchers, teaching staff and company staff for a limited period * involvement of company staff into teaching and research
For that reason Knowledge Alliances may organise learning mobility activities of students, researchers and staff. They support/complement the other activities of the Alliance and bring added value in the realisation of the project’s objectives. Seems like mobility activities do not constitute the main activities of a Knowledge Alliance; extending and scaling-up these activities would need to be supported via the Key Action 1 of this Programme or other funding instruments.
Beneficiaries of Knowledge Alliances
First of all, a participating organisation can be any public or private organisation established in a Programme Country or any Partner Country Hence, such an organisation can be: * A higher education institution * Also, a public or private, small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises) * A research institute * Certainly a public body at local, regional or national level * An organisation active in the field of education, training and youth * Even more, an intermediary or association which represents education, training or youth organisations * An intermediary or association which represents enterprises * Also, an accreditation, certification or qualification body