For UK schools, colleges and organisations planning a Key Action 1 mobility project, the application window is expected to open in November 2026 and close in February 2027. This is the route most institutions will use to send students and staff abroad, or host European participants, from the 2027/28 academic year onwards. Here is what that timeline means in practice and what to do before it opens.

This article is part of IBD’s series on Erasmus+ funding in the UK. For the full process from eligibility through to submission, see our step-by-step guide to applying for Erasmus+.

When does the KA1 application window open?

Erasmus+ Key Action 1 funds mobility: individuals and groups going abroad for structured educational activity. For UK institutions, the KA1 application window for the 2027 cycle is expected to open in November 2026 and close in February 2027.

This is the route covering work placements, study visits, job shadowing for staff, and short-term group exchanges. It applies to:

• Schools of all types, including faith schools
• Independent schools
• Academy schools, free schools and multi-academy trusts
• FE colleges, sixth forms, VET providers and apprenticeship organisations
• Youth organisations, sports clubs and community organisations
• Adult education and community learning providers

If this describes your institution, November 2026 is the date to plan around. The window is expected to stay open for around three months, which sounds like a reasonable amount of time, but most of the work that determines whether your application is strong happens before the window opens, not during it.

Why November 2026 specifically

The UK formally becomes a full Erasmus+ participant in January 2027. Erasmus+ runs on an annual cycle in which each year’s funding call opens several months before the academic year it funds, giving institutions time to apply, get assessed, and prepare before mobilities begin. For the UK’s first cycle as a returning participant, that means the call aligned with January 2027 participation opens in the autumn beforehand, in November 2026.

The British Council has been confirmed as the UK National Agency, the body that will administer KA1 applications, assess them and manage grant agreements. The British Council held this role previously from 2014 to 2020, during which it managed over 8,000 projects, supported more than 580,000 participants and awarded around €1.1 billion in funding. Full KA1 guidance, application forms and the exact opening date are expected to be published in summer or autumn 2026.

What happens after the window closes in February 2027

A common assumption is that UK participation beginning in January 2027 means projects start immediately. They don’t. The sequence for KA1 follows the standard Erasmus+ pattern:

• November 2026 to February 2027 — KA1 application window open
• Spring to summer 2027 — Applications assessed, results communicated, grant agreements issued
• Second half of 2027 — First funded KA1 mobilities begin

For most institutions applying in the first window, the realistic timeline for an actual mobility is autumn 2027 or as part of the 2027/28 academic year. Institutions hoping to send or host a group in early 2027 should plan instead for later in the year. The funding becomes available from January 2027; the mobilities themselves follow once applications are approved and grant agreements are issued, typically several months later.

What European institutions should know

For institutions in EU member states and other Erasmus+ programme countries, the UK becomes an eligible KA1 destination from January 2027 onwards. European institutions follow their own national agency’s standard annual cycle, which aligns with the same broad timeline. The practical change for 2027 is that the UK now appears as an eligible destination option within that existing KA1 application process.

European coordinators planning 2027 KA1 projects that include UK destinations should confirm their UK hosting partner as early as possible, since partnership quality is assessed as part of the application. IBD Partnership Group operates hosting destinations in Portsmouth, London, Brighton, Southampton, Cork, Limerick and Valencia and is ready to receive KA1 groups from January 2027.

What to do before the window opens

Three things are worth doing now, regardless of exactly when the window opens.

Register or check your Organisation ID. Every KA1 applicant needs an active OID on the EU Funding and Tenders portal. If your institution applied before 2021, check whether your existing OID is still active. If not, registration takes two to three weeks to process and is required before any application can be submitted.

Identify your partner organisation. Every KA1 application requires a named partner abroad, whether that is a host school for a study visit, an employer for a work placement, or a partner institution for staff job shadowing. The quality of that partnership is assessed as part of your application. A confirmed partner identified months in advance produces a stronger application than one named at the last minute.

Define your project and learning objectives. Who is going, where, for how long, to do what, and what they will learn. KA1 applications are assessed on the quality of learning objectives, not just the activity itself. The clearer this is before the window opens, the less pressure during the application period.

If you are unsure whether KA1 is the right route for your institution, or want help thinking through what a KA1 project could look like for your students or staff, IBD Partnership Group can point you in the right direction. We have been working with UK schools, colleges and organisations on international mobility funding since 2005. Get in touch here.

A note on accreditation and other routes

The November 2026 to February 2027 window is the standard KA1 mobility project route, and it is the one most institutions will use. A separate route, KA1 Accreditation, exists for organisations planning sustained multi-year programmes rather than a single project, with its own earlier deadline of 29 September 2026. Higher education institutions also follow a different route involving the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, with a 2027 cycle deadline that has already passed. Neither of these affects the standard KA1 route described in this article, which remains open to schools, FE/VET providers, youth organisations and adult education providers without any prior charter or accreditation.

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