In 2026, Erasmus+ will go beyond being just an educational programme and will be positioned more clearly as a tool for community development. For Mykolaiv, this opens up practical opportunities to attract European resources to restore human capital, support vulnerable groups, and strengthen the capacity of municipal and community institutions. These include educational, youth, sports and rehabilitation projects that can be implemented directly in the community with the participation of local institutions, organisations and specialists.
Ukraine has the status of an associated country in the Erasmus+ programme. This means that Ukrainian organisations can not only participate in projects as partners, but also act as applicants and coordinators, receiving funding directly from the European Union.
Competitions with deadlines at the beginning of the year, in particular by 5 March 2026, deserve special attention. They are the most accessible for communities and municipal institutions, as they provide for a simplified application procedure, fixed funding and no co-financing requirements from the local budget.
Key areas of Erasmus+ relevant to Mykolaiv:
- Adult Education. This area is particularly relevant for communities working with internally displaced persons, veterans, women and the unemployed. Projects can focus on retraining, developing basic and digital skills, and increasing the civic and economic capacity of the adult population.
- Youth. The programme supports initiatives that promote youth participation in community development, volunteering, psychosocial support, and civic engagement. For Mykolaiv, this is an opportunity to involve young people in the city’s recovery processes and strengthen local youth structures.
- Vocational education and training (VET). This area focuses on adapting professional skills to the needs of the labour market, developing dual education, and cooperation between educational institutions and businesses. It can be used to support the economic recovery of the community and the development of in-demand professions.
- Sport. The sports component of Erasmus+ in 2026 focuses on mass and amateur sports, physical activity as a tool for social integration and recovery. Priority is given to projects related to the rehabilitation of veterans and people with disabilities, the integration of IDPs, the development of inclusive and health-promoting practices, and the improvement of the qualifications of coaches and sports managers.
Programmes with a deadline of 5 March 2026: a key opportunity to get started
Small-scale Partnerships are particularly important for cities, as they involve a simplified application procedure, fixed funding amounts and are accessible to communities, municipal institutions and civil society organisations.
The deadline for applications is 5 March 2026 at 12:00 (Brussels time). Funding is provided in the form of a fixed grant of €30,000 or €60,000. Applications are submitted through the National Erasmus+ Agency.
A separate category, Small-scale Partnerships in Sport, has the same deadline (5 March 2026, 17:00 Brussels time), similar funding amounts, and focuses on sports and rehabilitation initiatives. Applications are submitted directly to the European Commission through the EACEA executive agency.
Erasmus+ projects can target:
- young people aged 14–30;
- internally displaced persons;
- veterans and their families;
- people with disabilities;
- trainers, teachers, social and youth workers;
- the community at large.
This approach allows educational, social and sporting components to be combined within a single project.
The process of participating in Erasmus+ consists of several consecutive steps:
- Defining the idea and direction of the project (education, youth, sport, VET).
- Forming a partnership (usually 2-3 organisations from different countries).
- Registering the organisation in the EU Login system and obtaining a PIC code.
- Prepare an application describing the problem, objectives, activities and expected impact.
- Submit the application online: through the National Agency for education, youth and VET; through the EU Funding&TendersPortal for sports projects.
- Evaluate the application for quality, relevance to priorities and realism.
The significance of Erasmus+ for the city of Mykolaiv
For Mykolaiv, participation in the Erasmus+ programme in 2026 is an opportunity to attract funding without burdening the city budget, develop international partnerships and implement practical solutions in the fields of education, youth policy and sport. In the post-war context, the programme can become one of the tools for the systematic restoration of the community and increasing its resilience.
| Programme name | Sphere | Deadline | Brief description | Type of Ukraine’s participation | Where to apply / links |
| Small-scalePartnershipsinSport (ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SSCP) | Sport | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Small international partnerships in the field of mass sports, physical activity, social integration, rehabilitation of veterans, inclusion, and professional development of coaches and sports managers. Fixed grants of €30,000 or €60,000. | Applicants and partners (Ukraine – associated country) | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SNCESE?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| Not-for-profitEuropeanSportEvents (ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SNCESE) | Спорт | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Support for the organisation of European non-profit sporting events (European Local Events Type I and II, European-wide Events) aimed at social integration, volunteering, healthy lifestyles (HEPA), inclusion and combating discrimination. Funding of up to 80% of eligible costs. | Applicants / coordinators of international consortia (Ukraine – associated country) | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SNCESE?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| CooperationPartnershipsinSport (ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SCP) | Sport | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Medium- and large-scale international partnership projects in the field of sport. Aimed at developing innovation, improving the quality of sports management, inclusion, healthy lifestyles, combating discrimination and supporting EU policies in the field of sport. No fixed budget, co-financing (up to 80%). | Applicants / coordinators of international consortia (Ukraine – associated country) | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SCP?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| CapacityBuildingintheFieldofSport (ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-CB) | Sport (capacity building) | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Projects aimed at developing the institutional capacity of sports organisations through international partnerships. Focused on strengthening sports governance, developing mass sports, social integration, promoting European values and cooperation between EU countries and partners. Involves a multilateral consortium and co-financing (not a fixed grant). | Applicants / coordinators of international consortia (Ukraine – associated country) | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-CB?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| PartnershipsforCooperation – EuropeanNGOs (ERASMUS-YOUTH-2026-PCOOP-ENGO) | Youth | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Partnership projects of European youth networks (ENGOs) aimed at developing youth policy, youth participation, civic engagement, inclusion and cross-sectoral cooperation at EU level. | Applicants / coordinators of European youth networks | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-YOUTH-2026-PCOOP-ENGO?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| EuropeanUniversitiesInitiative (ERASMUS-EDU-2026-EUR-UNIV) | Higher education | 5 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Formation and development of transnational university alliances (European Universities) aimed at integrating education, research and innovation, joint programmes and long-term strategic partnerships. | Applicants / coordinators of university alliances | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-EDU-2026-EUR-UNIV?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=2&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
| PartnershipsforExcellence: EuropeanUniversities – EuropeanDegreeExploratoryAction (ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED) | Higher education | 17 March 2026, 17:00 (Brusselstime) | Support for universities in the development, adaptation and implementation of innovative joint transnational programmes at bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level in accordance with the Joint European Degree Label criteria. This involves the creation of models for the introduction of the European degree and the experimental implementation of the European Degree. The funding format is a LumpSumGrant. | Applicants / coordinators of university alliances (Ukraine – associated country) | https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PE-EUED?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43353764&order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate |
Notes on submitting applications
Small-scale Partnerships are part of the decentralised actions of the Erasmus+ programme. This means that applications are submitted and evaluated through the National Agency for Erasmus+ in the applicant’s country, rather than directly through the European Commission. For Ukrainian organisations, this is the National Agency Erasmus+ in Ukraine, which also provides advisory support to applicants. A general description of the competitions, requirements and application forms are available in the official Programme Guide Erasmus+.
Information specifically for Ukrainian applicants, contacts of the National Agency and explanations on submitting applications are available on the website: https://erasmusplus.org.ua
Partnership projects in the field of sport (Sport Partnerships), in particular Small-scale Partnerships in Sport, are part of the centralised actions of the Erasmus+ programme. In this case, applications are submitted directly to the European Commission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, where the organisation is registered, the application form is completed and all documents are submitted online.
Official portal for submitting applications
On this portal, applicants select the relevant Erasmus+ competition in the field of sport, fill in the electronic application form and submit it by the deadline.
Erasmus+ sports projects aim to develop mass and amateur sports, physical activity, rehabilitation and inclusion, with a particular focus on social integration, healthy lifestyles and the involvement of vulnerable groups.
Documents for submitting Erasmus+ applications
- Project application form (ApplicationForm)
The application form is the main document of the application. It is not created as a separate file, but is filled in directly in the electronic system. The form describes the problem that the project addresses, its objectives, target groups, partnership, action plan and expected impact. The quality of the completed form is a key evaluation criterion.
A description of the structure of the application form and the requirements for its content can be found in the official Erasmus+ Programme Guide
For decentralised competitions (Small-scale Partnerships in the field of education, youth and VET), applications are submitted through the National Agency Erasmus+ in Ukraine
For sports projects, the form is submitted through the European funding portal
- Registration of the organisation (EU Login and PIC)
Before submitting an application, the organisation must be registered in the European participation system. To do this, an EU Login account is created and a unique organisation identification code — PIC (Participant Identification Code) — is obtained. The organisation’s founding documents (statutes, registration extract) are used during registration, but they are not attached to the application separately.
- Creating an EU Login account
- Registering an organisation and obtaining a PIC code
- Explanation for Erasmus+ participants
- Declaration on Honour
The Declaration on Honour confirms that the organisation meets the requirements of the competition, has no conflict of interest and is not in a state of bankruptcy or violation of the law. For Erasmus+ competitions with a deadline of 5 March, this document is not prepared separately — it is integrated into the electronic application form and confirmed during submission.
- Information about project partners
Each partner involved in the project must have their own PIC code. When submitting an application, the applicant enters these codes and basic partner details without having to upload contracts or letters of support. For Small-scale Partnerships, formal partnership agreements are not required at the application stage.
Instructions for registering partner organisations
Description of partnership requirements in Erasmus
- Funding and budget (lump sum grant)
For competitions with a deadline of 5 March, the lump sum grant principle applies. The applicant chooses one of the proposed funding amounts — €30,000 or €60,000 — and explains how these funds relate to the planned activities. No separate budget or financial table is submitted, and co-financing is not mandatory.
Explanation of the lump sum grant principle
- Documents that do NOT need to be prepared
For Small-scale Partnerships, there is no requirement to prepare team CVs, financial reports, bank references, letters of support or co-financing confirmations. This is explicitly stated in the Programme Guide and is one of the reasons why these competitions are accessible to communities and municipal initiatives.
Summary
All documents for submitting an Erasmus+ application by 5 March are created and confirmed in electronic systems. Applicants should focus not on collecting references, but on providing a high-quality description of the idea, the logic of the project and its benefits for the community.
This publication was prepared as part of the project to establish the Office of European Integration, implemented by the NGO “Centre for Adult Learning and Education “Pivden” in cooperation with the Mykolaiv Development Agency and with the support of ULEAD with Europe / ULEAD with Europe, funded by the European Union and its member states — Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Poland and Slovenia.
