Path2EU4AE aims to empower access to EU funding opportunities for adult learning and education (ALE) organisations and promotes the professionalisation of adult educators and project staff in this sector. The project is based on the observation and evidence from the ALE sector that a relatively large number of organisations do not participate in EU projects for various reasons, although this could help them with innovation and programme development. On the other hand, there is a lack of structural financial support in this sector in particular, which makes EU funding instruments very attractive.
Low level of awareness of EU funding opportunities in the sector
Despite intensive promotion of EU funding instruments by the European Commission and national agencies, a survey of European ALE organisations conducted as part of the project revealed that the sector still has a low level of awareness of several key initiatives:
While the Erasmus+ programme was known to most ALE organisations, other programmes relevant to the sector and its objectives, such as CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Creative Europe, EU4Health and the LIFE programme, were far less well-known: more than 50% of respondent said that they did not know CERV, Creative Europe, and LIFE at all. The figure for the EU Health Programme was even higher: 6 out of 10 respondents were not familiar with the programme. The Horizon Europe and AMIF programmes were slightly better known, with more than 30% having never heard of Horizon Europe and more than 40% having never heard of AMIF.
Path2EU4AE gives quick and easy access to information
The Path2EU4AE tool is quick and easy to use: In the online questionnaire, ALE organisations can go through their self-assessment of operational capacity and funding needs. They will then receive automated feedback on the organisations’ eligibility and tips from EU funding experts. The questionnaire is completely anonymous and the results are not cached or passed on to third parties.
Are you working on ALE projects or are interested in doing so in the future? If so, we would be very happy to receive your feedback about the Path2EU4AE tool through this survey. Even though our Path2EU4AE project is coming to an end, we aim to continue improving the user experience so that as many ALE organisations as possible can benefit from it, and that we can contribute to increasing participation in and quality of ALE projects.