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Activities in the Programme

Nordplus Adult welcomes applications for the following activities:

Mobility projects

  • preparatory visits
  • exchange of teachers and other adult education staff
  • exchange of adult learners (adult students)

Collaboration projects

  • thematic networks
  • development projects
  • mapping projects

Collectively, these types of activities support different phases and parts of the partnership: From the proactive phase of establishing contacts, to networking and exchange of experiences onto the realisation of mapping and development work.

Mobility projects

Mobility projects must involve cooperation between a minimum of two organisations from at least two programme countries within a period of max 2 years. Preparatory visits have a max. duration of 1 year. The following project types can be applied for:

Preparatory visits

The aim of preparatory visits is to support the preparation and planning of projects and applications for the other activity types in Nordplus Adult.

Grants for travel and subsistence are available for participation in a joint meeting between organisations from at least two different programme countries with a view to clarifying scope for collaboration and/or planning a concrete application for a future Nordplus Adult application deadline.

Grants are offered for one preparatory meeting of a maximum of five days’ duration (including travel time) with the participation of up to two representatives from each traveling organisation.

One of the participating organisations serves as host of the preparatory meeting. Travel and subsistence grants are only available to cover the travel expenses of the visiting organisations. The host organisation is not eligible for a grant.

An application must describe the following elements:

  • A detailed programme for the planned visit
  • The background and motivation as well as general topics and objectives of the future project
  • Each organisation’s contribution and expertise in relation to the future project

Note that grants for general teacher exchange/study visits between organisations not aimed at the development of a joint project must be applied for under “Exchange of teachers and other adult education staff”, which is described below.

Exchange of teachers and other adult education staff

The aim of the exchange is to provide participants with new professional skills and experience of other cultures and learning traditions in order to enhance the quality of adult learning and, more generally, to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between Nordic/Baltic organisations and institutions in adult learning and education.

Grants for travel and subsistence are offered for the participation of teachers and other relevant staff in training courses as well as self-organised study or teaching stays in relevant institutions and organisations in another Nordic/Baltic country. Furthermore, a grant for project management is offered to partnerships that comply with the criteria for grant amount or number of traveling participants. These criteria are explained in more detail in the section “Funding”.

Only teachers, trainers and other relevant staff responsible for the education of adults are eligible to receive support under this project type. Please note that applications for exchange of teachers from higher education or from primary/secondary education must be submitted to the Nordplus Higher Education and Nordplus Junior programme respectively.

Furthermore, applications must comply with the following criteria to be eligible for support:

  • The individual stay(s) must have a duration of minimum of three days, i.e. five full working days, travel excluded.
  • The number of participants in the exchanges should normally not exceed two representatives per organisation unless the need for more participants is specifically argued for.
  • The application as a whole may include the exchange of several people from several participating organisations. However, each stay must be organised on an individual basis and take place within a single partner institution. Study trips involving short visits to a number of institutions and organisations are not prioritised.
  • Applications may include visits and revisit(s); however, revisit(s) are not required in order to qualify for a grant.
  • A detailed programme involving planned trips with clear objectives and expected results must be included in the application.
  • All planned stays must be completed within two years, which is the maximum project period for mobility projects.

Exchange of adult learners (adult students)

The aim of the exchange is to provide participants with new competences and/or professional skills and insight into other cultures and learning environments. Furthermore, the aim is to strengthen cooperation and exchange of experiences between Nordic/Baltic organisations and institutions in adult learning and education.

Grants for travel and subsistence are offered for the exchange of adult learners (adult students) between Nordic/Baltic institutions and organisations. Additionally, a grant for project management is offered to partnerships that comply with the criteria for grant amount or number of traveling participants. These criteria are explained in more detail in the section “Funding”.

Adult learners participating in continuing vocational training (CVET) are also eligible participants in this project type while applications for exchange of students in vocational education and training (VET) should be submitted to Nordplus Junior.

The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible for a grant:

  • The individual stay(s) must have a duration of minimum 3 days, i.e. three full working days, travel excluded.
  • The stay must be organised as an exchange in an educational institution and/or a work placement in a company, where adult learners take part in learning activities with the host organisation together with learners from the host country.
  • A detailed programme with clear objectives and expected results must be included in the application.
  • Applications may include visits and revisit(s); however, revisit(s) are not required in order to qualify for a grant.
  • The application as a whole may include the exchange of several adult learners from several participating organisations. However, each stay must be organised on an individual basis and take place within a single institution/company. Study trips involving short visits to a number of institutions/companies are not eligible.
  • All planned activities must be completed within two years, which is the maximum project period for mobility projects.

Please note that it is possible to apply for grants for accompanying teachers when traveling with adult learners/adult students.

Furthermore, it is possible to apply for coverage of costs related to participants with special needs – read more about „Participants with special needs“ in the section Funding.

Collaboration projects

Collaboration projects must involve cooperation between at least three organisations from at least three different programme countries within a maximum period of two years. The following activities can be applied for:

Thematic networks

The purpose of thematic networks is to provide organisations, institutions, associations, etc., with an opportunity to form networks across the Nordic and/or Baltic countries. The idea of thematic networks is to form new, permanent relations and partnerships.

In thematic networks, the participating organisations work with a shared theme in the form of an issue, a topic or a challenge. The process is based on the exchange of knowledge and experience on the selected theme, which subsequently forms the basis of new knowledge and proposals for new initiatives.

The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible for a grant:

  • The network must exchange knowledge and experience in relation to a specific topic, issue or challenge shared by all the involved organisations.
  • A detailed work schedule with clear aims and expected outcomes must be presented in the application.
  • The network activity must lead to new knowledge and ideas on the chosen theme or challenge.
  • Priority is given to applications based on new constellations and partnerships, in which different types of organisations and institutions in adult learning and education are represented.

The network activity may also lead to new proposals within other parts of the Nordplus Adult programme.

Development projects

The aim of development projects is to give Nordic and Baltic organisations and institutions the opportunity to carry out joint development work within adult learning. Development projects must lead to the development of one or more “products”, e.g. new teaching material, (online) courses, modules, methods, platforms etc. The aim is to improve adults’ access to learning, improve the quality of adult learning or meet new or changing needs. The programme also supports the development of training opportunities for teachers, mentors and other relevant staff in adult learning.

The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible for a grant:

  • A development project should be based on collected existing knowledge and experience in the relevant field. Previous projects are not to be duplicated.
  • A detailed work plan with clear aims and expected outcomes has to be presented in the application.
  • A development project must be product-oriented, meaning that one or more fully developed and accessible product(s) must be created during the project period. The product(s) must be made freely accessible to the wider public at the end of the project period. Furthermore, all products funded by Nordplus grants must carry the Nordplus logo.  

Mapping projects

With mapping projects, the programme supports the collection, identification and analysis of existing knowledge on adult learning. The mapping project is a study and often involves descriptions of and statistics on specific traditions or sectors within adult learning. The study might take form of comparisons between specific countries or areas/sectors within adult learning.

The aim of mapping projects is to take stock, define development needs, make recommendations for future initiatives, and hereby create the basis for new projects.

The following criteria must be met in order to be eligible for a grant:

  • A mapping project should be based on existing knowledge and research in order to avoid duplication of previous research and mapping projects.
  • A mapping project must have general relevance, and the results should be useful beyond the circle of participating organisations.
  • A detailed work plan with clear aims and expected outcomes has to be presented in the application.
  • A mapping project will usually involve a combination of practitioner organisations and research-based institutions with experience and expertise in adult learning – high priority is given to projects involving different types of organisations/institutions.
  • The outcomes of a mapping project are to be made public. It is therefore essential that the application gives details on how the acquired knowledge will be published, e.g. in the form of a report etc.  Reports, analyses etc. must carry the Nordplus logo.