How to Write an Erasmus+ KA1 Project That Actually Gets Funded
Most rejected applications don’t fail on logistics — they fail because the project itself isn’t clearly defined. Here’s how to write an Erasmus+ KA1 project that assessors actually want to fund.
Quick answer: A National Agency assesses a defined professional development project tied to your school’s improvement priorities — not a request for a funded trip. Start with the need your school is trying to address, build the group around a shared goal, and plan for dissemination from the outset.
What Does a National Agency Actually Assess?
It’s easy to treat a KA1 application as a logistics exercise: pick a destination, pick some staff, fill in the form. In practice, assessors evaluate something different. They want to see whether the mobility serves a genuine, defined professional development need connected to your school’s own improvement plan. A strong Erasmus+ KA1 project answers that question clearly, before it says anything about flights or dates.
In the UK, for example, the British Council administers this assessment as National Agency — but the underlying evaluation criteria are consistent across participating countries.
Start With the Need, Not the Destination
Before anything else, identify what your school is actually trying to improve. Common priorities include behaviour management, digital teaching, SEND provision, or staff wellbeing — ideally one already named in your school improvement plan. That need is the starting point of a strong application. “We’d like to send some staff to Croatia” is not.
Build the Group Around a Shared Goal
A project built around a small group of staff working toward a common objective reads far more coherently to an assessor than a scattered list of unconnected individual requests. Picture three teachers all developing inclusive classroom practice, rather than three teachers chasing three unrelated interests. A shared goal also makes the eventual dissemination plan more credible, since the group can genuinely collaborate on sharing what they learn.
Plan for Impact and Dissemination From Day One
A National Agency typically wants to see how the learning reaches staff who didn’t travel — not just a report filed and forgotten. Assessors usually score this explicitly, so it’s worth having a concrete answer before you apply. That might mean a staff INSET session, updated schemes of work, or a specific, observable change in classroom practice.
When Should This Conversation Happen?
- Hold it as a staff group, well before your application deadline — not after you’ve already chosen a route and destination. Treating project design as an afterthought to logistics is one of the most common ways strong candidate schools submit weak Erasmus+ KA1 project applications.
Weak vs Strong: A Quick Comparison
| Approach | Weak Application | Strong Application |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Chosen destination or course | Named school improvement need |
| Staff group | Unconnected individual requests | Small group with a shared objective |
| Dissemination plan | Added after the mobility, if at all | Defined before the application is submitted |
| Timing | Project design follows logistics | Project design happens before logistics |
Frequently Asked Questions
Applications that start from a destination or course rather than a genuine school improvement need tend to score poorly, even when the logistics are well organised.
Yes. National Agencies generally score dissemination explicitly, so schools need a concrete plan for sharing learning with staff who didn’t travel, not just a general intention to do so.
Each country’s designated National Agency assesses applications against the criteria set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide — in the UK, this is the British Council.