Ever-growing popularity

for the ‘Sport Infoday’’s Sixth edition

For the sixth year in a row the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) co-organised the ‘Sport Infoday’ in Brussels on February 5^th, 2019. As in the past, the event allows to inform possible future applicants of the opportunities that are available through the Erasmus+ Sport programme, in sight of the upcoming annual application deadline- April 4^th, 2019. The event equally offers valuable networking to participants, as was particularly the case this year with over 600 participants.

Participants were reminded of some of the programme’s key facts such as the continuous growth in popularity and budget that translates in an increasing application success rate- 36% in 2018, which is a high standard as far as Erasmus+ is concerned. Commissioner Navracsics shared his satisfaction to see Small Collaborative Partnerships have indeed made the programme more accessible, just as he is to witness the popularity the #BeInclusive Awards– an initiative he launched in 2016.

As concerns notable changes for the 2019 call for applications, Serbian stakeholders are now eligible project applicants and partners, while British stakeholders are advised to prepare under the possibility of a no-deal Brexit by securing a partner to  act as their back-up, if they are no longer eligible to receive EU funding- although they are encouraged to continue their participation when possible. On a more positive note, the future seems bright for Erasmus+ Sport with a budget of EUR 48.6 million for 2019, and doubled budget for the 2021-2027 period with an expected Eur 30 billion.