If you have seen 1 October 2026 listed somewhere as a deadline for Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships (KA220), it is worth checking with your own National Agency before you plan a project timeline around it. That second round is optional, not guaranteed, and in several countries it simply does not exist for KA220.
What KA220 is, and when it is actually due
Cooperation Partnerships (KA220) are one of the main Key Action 2 actions in Erasmus+, open to organisations in school education, adult education, higher education, vocational education and training, and youth. The standard deadline for Call 2026 is 5 March at 12:00 Brussels time, for projects starting between 1 September and 31 December 2026.
The Erasmus+ Programme Guide also describes a possible second round, with a deadline of 1 October 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time, for projects starting between 1 January and 31 August 2027. The wording matters here: the Guide says National Agencies “may organise” a second round, and that they will announce it through their own websites if they do. It is not a fixed, EU wide date that applies automatically everywhere.
A concrete example: what actually happens in Italy
The Italian National Agencies’ own deadlines page shows this clearly. For 2026, the 1 October second round exists only for Small scale partnerships (KA210) in vocational education and training, managed by INAPP. For KA220 Cooperation Partnerships, in every sector (school education, adult education, higher education through INDIRE, vocational education and training through INAPP, youth through AIG), there is a single deadline: 5 March. If your organisation is based in Italy and you were counting on an October window for a KA220 project, that window is not there this year.
Who can apply, regardless of the round
A Cooperation Partnership needs a minimum of three organisations from three different countries taking part in the Programme, and the applicant organisation must have been legally established for at least two years before the deadline. Any type of public or private organisation active in education, training, youth, sport, or a related field can take part, not only schools or universities.
Budget: how the grant is calculated
Cooperation Partnerships are funded through three fixed lump sums: 120,000 EUR, 250,000 EUR, or 400,000 EUR. You choose the amount that matches the scale of your planned activities, not a percentage of real costs, so the application needs to justify the chosen amount through the work plan rather than a detailed budget spreadsheet.
Why this matters if you do not have a dedicated EU office
Generic funding calendars circulating online often list “Erasmus+ KA220, 1 October” as if it were a universal date, because it is technically written into the Programme Guide as a possibility. For an organisation planning its first Erasmus+ application, that single line can shape months of preparation around a deadline that may never open in their country. The only way to know for certain is to ask.
What to do next
Before building a project timeline around the 1 October date, contact your own National Agency directly: in Italy, that means INDIRE for school education, adult education and higher education, INAPP for vocational education and training, and AIG for youth. Ask specifically whether a second round is planned for KA220 in your sector this year, not just for KA210. If it is not, 5 March 2027 will most likely be the next opportunity for a Cooperation Partnership application.