Central European Joint Infodays 2025 Focused on Strengthening Success in Erasmus+ Centralised Actions
On 1–2 December, the annual CEJI, focusing on the international dimension of the Erasmus+ programme, took place in Brno.
The 15th edition of the Central European Joint Infodays (CEJI) was framed within the context of the Erasmus+ 2026 Call and focused on the international dimension of the programme – specifically on actions supporting cooperation between Programme and Partner Countries in higher education: Erasmus Mundus (Joint Master’s Degrees and Design Measures), Capacity Building in Higher Education, and Jean Monnet Actions.
The two-day programme successfully combined an informative component with a practical, project-oriented focus. In addition to joint sessions providing up-to-date information on the conditions of the upcoming call, the event offered ample opportunities for networking and expert workshops. These allowed participants to focus on specific types of projects in line with their interests and project ideas. A new feature of this year’s edition was targeted networking – pre-arranged bilateral meetings between participants from different countries and higher education institutions, enabling institutional representatives to discuss concrete project ideas and explore potential cooperation.
CEJI is traditionally organised by Erasmus+ National Agencies, namely the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS) and its CZELO office, the Austrian OeAD – Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation, the Hungarian Tempus Public Foundation, and the Slovak SAAIC – Slovak Academic Association for International Cooperation. This year, the Slovenian National Agency CMEPIUS also joined as a guest organiser. The international dimension of the event was further strengthened by the participation of representatives from higher education institutions in Colombia, Kosovo and Malaysia.
In 2025, the event celebrated its 15th anniversary. Since its inception in 2012, CEJI has welcomed more than 800 participants from over 30 countries. The programme therefore also reflected on the history of CEJI and the key achievements the event has delivered over the years.
The 2026 Call and Planned Changes
The conference, moderated by Lenka Procházková (DZS | CZELO), was opened by Roman Klepetko (DZS), who emphasised the importance of connecting and sharing know-how at the international level. He also reminded participants that the Erasmus+ programme will enter a new programming period in the coming years, including discussions on its priorities and budget.
“We welcome the proposed increase by the European Commission, but experience shows that if the programme is to continue growing and remain accessible, its funding will need to be significantly strengthened – at least doubled compared to the current proposal. Only then can Erasmus+ fulfil the ambitions set by the European Union in the areas of quality, inclusion, digitalisation and global partnerships.”
Updates to the programme were presented by Savino Rua and Amelie Wendlinger (European Commission, DG EAC). The 2026 Programme Guide introduces mostly partial adjustments, while among the more significant strategic changes is, for example, a closer alignment of Erasmus+ projects with the objectives and investment priorities of the Global Gateway strategy. In practice, this means that for some projects a strong academic idea alone is no longer sufficient – applications must convincingly demonstrate how they contribute to systemic transformation and development priorities in regions outside the EU.
The presentation also highlighted specific updates particularly relevant to Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects. Special attention in the upcoming call will be given to the Southern Mediterranean priority focused on the development of innovative joint curricula “on both sides of the Mediterranean”. In addition, a new limit has been introduced whereby one organisation may coordinate no more than two applications. A specific opportunity was also presented for Moldova under support for structural reforms focused on the teaching of Master’s programmes in European Affairs.
The Commission demonstrated that centralised actions are becoming increasingly attractive, but also significantly more competitive. The trend indicates a growing number of applications submitted; however, due to financial constraints, the number of funded projects is unfortunately not increasing accordingly. Selection often depends on a clearly described project logic and methodology, a realistic work plan, and partnerships with genuine capacity to deliver results.
How to Increase the Chances of Success
In her contribution on how to write a successful project application, Martina Friedrich from the Austrian National Agency OeAD emphasised that preparedness and precision are decisive. It is essential to work with the current English version of the Programme Guide and to verify key conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (FTOP), including regional specificities and priorities relevant to certain types of projects (such as CBHE). Particular attention should be paid to the structure of the application itself: writing “according to the evaluation criteria”, respecting the set length limits, and ensuring the text is understandable even to evaluators outside a narrow academic specialisation.
Before starting the actual writing, she recommended conducting a “reality check” – reviewing already funded projects and clearly arguing what makes the proposed project new and why it is not merely a variation of existing solutions. A number of very practical organisational recommendations were also shared: involving broader internal teams (especially finance and project management) from the outset, allowing sufficient time for collecting inputs from partners, and not underestimating formal requirements, which can unnecessarily jeopardise even high-quality content.
In conclusion, she stressed that a partnership must function as a team. Based on her experience, “sleeping” partners usually reveal themselves already during the preparation phase – if a partner does not communicate or deliver inputs, it is better to address the situation early rather than enter implementation with unresolved risks. It is also helpful when partners’ commitments are confirmed at the institutional level and roles are set realistically, with clear responsibility for individual outputs.
Erasmus Mundus as the „Flagship“ of Joint Master’s Programmes
Bettina Ugrósdy-Beregi (Tempus Public Foundation, Hungary) presented Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees (EMJM) as a flagship format of joint, accredited Master’s programmes with high demands on quality and coordination. Key features of EMJM include a joint curriculum, joint degrees (one or more degrees – a “joint degree” or “multiple degree”), mandatory mobility, and the ambition to attract top students from around the world. In practice, however, this format places significant demands on aligning academic calendars, admission procedures, credit systems and accreditation processes across partner institutions. One of the key recommendations therefore was to devote maximum attention during preparation to processes and institutional arrangements, not only to the academic content of the programme.
EMJM is complemented by Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM) – a smaller instrument that helps consortia develop the concept and framework of a future joint programme. “The Commission sees it as a first step for those who, for example, aim to implement an EMJM but do not yet have a joint programme in place,” explained Lucie Münchová (DZS | CZELO). EMDM offers a grant of EUR 60,000 for 15 months, allowing consortia to prepare curricula, internal processes and quality assurance of a future joint programme, including programme accreditation, prior to submitting a full EMJM application.
Supporting European Studies and Development in Non-EU Countries
Martina Friedrich (OeAD) also presented Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects, which focus on developing cooperation in non-EU countries through three so-called “strands”. Their main objective is to support improvements in the quality of education, including skills development and labour market relevance, ranging from smaller, simpler partnerships to large-scale systemic projects that must also involve relevant ministries in non-EU countries.
Last but not least, support for European Studies also has its place within the Erasmus+ programme through Jean Monnet (JM) Actions – from smaller projects to institutional Centres of Excellence. The core JM actions include Modules, Chairs and Centres of Excellence (typically funded for three years). In the presentation by Katarína Lee from the Slovak National Agency SAAIC, Jean Monnet Networks were also introduced – projects requiring a broad consortium (at least 12 partners) and predefined priorities, which for the 2026 call include the themes “EU–India” and “A resilient Single Market to boost EU competitiveness”.
Perspectives Beyond the EU: National Focal Points as an Entry Point to Cooperation
The international dimension of CEJI was strengthened by the participation of colleagues from Partner Countries outside the EU. Their presentations showed that Erasmus+ National Focal Points (ENFPs) can serve as a practical “entry point” for European higher education institutions – helping them identify interested institutions, understand national priorities, and explore complementary instruments that can be combined with Erasmus+ projects.
Colombia was presented by Sebastián Fajardo Serna (ICETEX, Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Colombia). He highlighted opportunities to connect European partners with Colombian institutions not only through Erasmus+, but also via national schemes supporting internationalisation. He also outlined the size and structure of the higher education sector and the national internationalisation framework – from strengthening governance structures and intercultural and international curricula to linking internationalisation with territorial development, inclusion, and support for women in science and technology.
The representative from Malaysia, Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan (UTM International, Erasmus+ National Focal Point for Malaysia), presented the higher education sector in his country and drew attention to partnerships supporting internationalisation and transnational education. He highlighted strong interest in involving Malaysian higher education institutions in Erasmus Mundus consortia and in developing cooperation within other Erasmus+ projects. Malaysia emphasised the readiness of its institutions to engage in international partnerships and the alignment of national needs with EU priorities, such as the green and digital transitions and, more broadly, linking education with societal needs.
Expert Workshops and Practical Examples
The second day of CEJI, in addition to morning targeted networking, offered two rounds of practical workshops. Participants were able to choose two out of four centralised actions according to their interests and gain more in-depth insight into them. The workshops covered not only details of application procedures, including evaluation criteria, but above all examples of good practices from higher education institutions in Czechia, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia that have already successfully implemented these projects. University representatives presented their projects and shared practical experience with application preparation and key pitfalls to avoid. The workshops also focused on other practical aspects of project preparation and implementation, partnership setup, and how to convincingly describe the overall project design, methodology, management and impact in an application.
More information about the event is available on its website. The next edition will take place at the end of 2026 in Budapest. Further details will be shared on our website and social media channels throughout the coming year.
