What Actually Works for Success in Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships (KA220): How National Agency Evaluators Score in 20 Minutes

Free Live Webinar · 13 January 2027

Thousands of KA220 applications are submitted every year, yet in many countries fewer than one in four are funded.

Why do some proposals succeed while others with good ideas are rejected?

National Agency evaluators often have only a limited amount of time to assess each application. What they reward is not simply a good project idea, but a proposal that clearly proves the need, connects priorities to activities, uses the lump-sum budget convincingly, and demonstrates results that will continue beyond the project.

In this practical 60-minute webinar, you will see how these elements are evaluated in practice, including the five most common rejection reasons taken from real National Agency feedback letters.

The session is designed to help you prepare now, ahead of the 2027 KA220 call deadline expected in early March.

Stay for up to 30 additional minutes of open questions with Dr. Nikolaos Floratos.

Webinar Details

Date: Wednesday, 13 January 2027
Time: 11:00–12:00 Brussels time
Open Questions: Until 12:30 Brussels time
Format: Live on Zoom
Price: Free

Reserve Your Free Seat

Why Attend

In this webinar, you will learn what evaluators actually look for when scoring a KA220 proposal.

Needs Analysis and Priorities

Learn how to prove a genuine need with data rather than adjectives, how to select an appropriate horizontal and sectoral priority, and how to demonstrate those priorities through your activities.

You will also learn the difference between a project idea and a convincing project rationale.

Work Packages Under the Lump Sum

Understand how evaluators assess whether the EUR 120,000, EUR 250,000, or EUR 400,000 lump-sum amount is realistic for the proposed activities.

You will also see what can happen when work packages are too vague or insufficiently connected to the budget.

Partnership

Discover why simply stating that partners have worked together before is not enough.

Learn how to demonstrate complementary roles, clear responsibilities, and a partnership structure that makes sense to an evaluator.

Impact That National Agencies Believe

See how to design results that outlive the project, demonstrate transferability, and create a dissemination plan with measurable targets, numbers, and appropriate channels.

The Five Most Common Rejection Reasons

Review five recurring weaknesses taken from real National Agency feedback letters — and learn the questions you should ask about your own draft.

What You Will Walk Away With

01 — The Need in Three Sentences

Learn the exercise for presenting your project's need clearly, with one meaningful number in each sentence.

You will see two examples: one that worked and one that did not.

02 — A Lump-Sum Fit Check

Learn how to test whether EUR 120,000, EUR 250,000, or EUR 400,000 realistically matches your proposed work packages before an evaluator does.

03 — One Objective Rewritten Live

See a weak project objective transformed into a measurable objective with a defined audience, a clear work-package connection, and a specific result.

04 — The Rejection-Reason Checklist

Take away five questions based on the most common rejection reasons — so you can use them to test your own KA220 draft.

Who Runs the Webinar

Dr. Nikolaos Floratos

EU funding consultant since 1997 and European Commission expert evaluator since 2003, with a PhD in student engagement in online courses.

• 50,000+ individuals trained
• Experience across 45+ countries
• Creator of the OpenCosmos platform
• Trainer of ERC, MSCA, Erasmus+ and AI grant-writing courses at the Funding Expert Academy

Who Should Attend

This webinar is designed for:

• Schools preparing a first or second KA220 application
• VET providers
• Adult education organisations
• Youth organisations
• Higher education institutions and research organisations
• NGOs, municipalities and SMEs participating as project partners
• Erasmus+ coordinators in universities and national networks
• Organisations looking to strengthen an existing KA220 proposal

Whether you are coordinating the application or joining as a partner, the session will help you understand what your section needs to demonstrate.

Included With Your Free Registration

Your free registration includes:

• Live webinar access
• Presentation slides
• The lump-sum fit-check exercise
• The rejection-reason checklist
• An introduction to OpenCosmos
• Information on how OpenCosmos members can find partners and obtain external feedback on proposal drafts

After the Webinar: Free 30-Minute Call

Organisations that want support reviewing their draft before the March deadline can book a free 30-minute call with Dr. Nikolaos Floratos after the webinar.

The call can be used to discuss:

• Your KA220 draft
• Proposal weaknesses
• Areas requiring further development
• Consultancy support for your application
• How OpenCosmos can support your proposal-development process

Frequently Asked Questions

I cannot attend live. Will I receive the recording?

Yes. Registrants will receive the recording together with the training slides.

The 2027 call has not been published yet. What can I do now?

A large part of the preparation does not depend on the final call text.

You can already work on your needs analysis, partnership structure, objectives, work-package logic, and project rationale. The webinar explains what you can prepare now and what you should wait to confirm once the 2027 call is published.

Is this also relevant for KA210 Small-scale Partnerships?

Yes, briefly. KA210 follows the same general family of criteria and lump-sum logic, although the main examples and exercises in this webinar focus on KA220 Cooperation Partnerships.

Questions?

Email info@keyinnovations.eu