The difference between partnership and hosting in EU and Erasmus+ projects

Why the distinction between roles matters

In EU programmes the same organisation can be the applicant in one project, a partner in another and, in a third, only the organisation that hosts participants. In everyday language these roles are often confused, but each has its own meaning in the programme rules, its own responsibilities and its own documents to sign.

Using Erasmus+ terminology, this guide explains the difference between a partner organisation and a hosting (receiving) organisation, and how Montenegro's status in the programme affects these roles. The information is based on the European Commission's official Erasmus+ Programme Guide pages. Programme rules are updated every year; always rely on the guide for the year of application.

Basic roles: applicant, partner, associated partner

According to the Programme Guide glossary, the applicant is the organisation that submits the grant application; when it applies on behalf of other organisations it is also called the coordinator. A partner organisation is formally involved in the project but does not take the role of coordinator, and the glossary describes partners as co-beneficiaries. A beneficiary is the person or entity with whom a grant agreement has been signed.

Associated partners are public or private entities that contribute to the implementation of specific project tasks or activities. According to the glossary they are not considered beneficiaries for contractual management purposes, do not receive any funding from the programme as part of the project and cannot charge costs. So before listing an organisation as a “partner”, clarify its role: is it a partner that receives budget, or an associated partner that contributes without receiving budget?

What does a hosting organisation do?

Hosting is a role specific to mobility activities. According to the glossary, the hosting organisation provides learning content to participants using its own resources and expertise. Together with the sending organisation it defines the expected learning outcomes and the methods to achieve them, then delivers the learning programme and provides monitoring and mentoring during the activity. The sending organisation is the one that sends one or more participants to the activity.

A mobility or learning agreement is concluded between the sending organisation, the hosting organisation and the participant, setting out the aims and content of the mobility. In school education mobility, for example, job shadowing requires a clearly identified main mentor at the hosting organisation, and no more than two participants may shadow the same mentor at the same time.

Who signs what?

According to the school, adult education and VET mobility pages, the applicant organisation drafts and submits the application, signs the grant agreement, implements the activities and reports to the national agency; once the agreement takes effect it becomes the “beneficiary” of an EU grant. In these actions the applicant is also the sending organisation: it selects participants and sends them to a hosting organisation abroad. In VET, the national agency may also require the beneficiary to sign an agreement with each participant.

These pages identify the applicant as the party that signs the grant agreement, while the hosting organisation's role is defined through the learning agreement and the content of the programme. In some actions, such as the mobility of youth workers, each participating organisation signs a mandate to the applicant; it is provided at application stage and no later than the signature of the grant agreement. Which document is required from whom depends on the action; rely on the relevant section of the Programme Guide for the year of application.

Responsibilities in partnership projects

In Key Action 2 projects such as Cooperation Partnerships, the coordinator applies on behalf of all participating organisations. According to the Programme Guide, the partnership must include at least three organisations from three different EU Member States or third countries associated to the programme; there is no maximum number of organisations. The same consortium can submit only one application, and to one agency only, per deadline.

In a partnership project each partner is responsible for part of the activities and results. Unlike hosting, partnership therefore means taking part in designing the project, carrying out one's own tasks within the agreed budget and timetable, contributing to reporting and helping to disseminate the results. Clarify roles and budget shares in a written division of tasks before applying.

Which roles can an organisation in Montenegro take?

According to the Programme Guide, Montenegro is a third country not associated to the programme, in the Western Balkans group (Region 1), while Türkiye is a third country associated to the programme. Organisations in non-associated countries can take part in Erasmus+ actions only in duly justified cases and in the Union interest, under the conditions of each action. The role must therefore be checked action by action:

• Cooperation Partnerships: an organisation in Montenegro can only be a partner; it cannot be the applicant or coordinator, and it must bring essential added value to the project.
• School and adult education mobility: activities take place in an EU Member State or a third country associated to the programme, in the country where the hosting organisation is legally established. In these actions an organisation in Montenegro cannot be the host.
• VET mobility: only organisations holding an Erasmus accreditation may send staff for job shadowing and teaching or training assignments, and learners for short-term mobility, ErasmusPro and skills competitions, to non-associated third countries. The share of the grant that can go to these activities is limited.
• Mobility of youth workers: organisations from non-associated countries neighbouring the EU (Regions 1–4) can take part provided the activity also involves at least one organisation from an EU Member State or associated country. The activity takes place in the country of one of the participating organisations; the application is submitted by an organisation in an EU Member State or associated country to its own national agency.

Questions to ask when choosing roles

For actions not listed here, the rules must be checked separately. If you plan to work with an organisation in Montenegro, first choose the action, then search that action's page for “third countries not associated to the Programme” and “Region 1”. Then answer the following questions for each organisation:

• Who is designing the project and who submits the application?
• Will the organisation receive budget, or contribute without receiving budget?
• Does the organisation send participants, host them, or both?
• In which country will the activities take place, and is that country eligible for the action?
• Does the organisation have an OID or PIC?
• Which document will the organisation sign: grant agreement, mandate or learning agreement?

Keep service providers separate from programme roles

A company that provides services such as accommodation, transport, interpreting or programme organisation under a contract does not thereby become a partner or hosting organisation in the programme. The programme role is defined in the application and programme documents; the service relationship is set up through a separate commercial contract between the parties. Keeping the two apart makes both reporting and budget control easier.

Invest Consulting provides content, institutional visits and local organisation support for training and hosting programmes in Montenegro, and also works with organisations on preparing EU and Erasmus+ applications. Its role in each project is decided together with the applicant and in line with the programme rules. Evaluation and the decision lie with the relevant agency; approval is not guaranteed.