With the help of the EU, you can study, volunteer and improve your knowledge. So far, over 16,000 students and teaching staff from Serbia have participated in student exchanges through the EU Erasmus+ program. Be one of them!

If you are between 18 and 30 years old and want to study, travel and make friends across Europe, you can take advantage of the following opportunities:

Erasmus+ is one of the largest EU programmes that has been funding mobility and cooperation projects in education, training, youth, and sport since 2014. The programme’s goal is to support the educational, professional, and personal development of individuals through lifelong learning, as well as mobility, cooperation, and innovation in learning across Europe and beyond.

With a budget of €26.2 billion (2021–2027), Erasmus+:

  • Supports mobility of students and teaching staff across Europe and partner countries, enabling them to gain new experiences and skills through stays abroad.
  • Encourages cooperation between educational institutions and the business sector, creating a bridge between theory and practice and better preparing young people for the labor market.
  • Funds youth exchanges and volunteering initiatives that help young people develop social skills, broaden their horizons, and become active members of society.
  • Promotes inclusion, digitalisation, and sustainability in education to ensure everyone has access to quality education, using the latest technologies in classrooms across Europe.

Serbia is a fully associated country to the Erasmus+ programme, meaning that institutions and individuals from Serbia have the same participation rights as EU member states and can fully benefit from Erasmus+ opportunities.

Depending on the funding authority, projects are divided into centralized (submitted to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) in Brussels) and decentralized (submitted to the Tempus Foundation, which acts as the Erasmus+ National Agency in Serbia).

Official Erasmus+ Serbia website: https://erasmusplus.rs/

Tempus Foundation – Erasmus+ National Agency: https://tempus.ac.rs/

What kinds of projects are supported?

The Erasmus+ programme covers mobility, cooperation, inclusion, sport, and is structured around three key actions and one sector:

Key Action 1 (KA1) – Learning Mobility:

  • Mobility of students and staff (higher education, vocational education, school education, adult education)
  • Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
  • Youth exchanges and volunteering (European Solidarity Corps).

Key Action 2 (KA2) – Cooperation for Innovation and Exchange of Good Practices:

  • Partnerships for cooperation (educational institutions, businesses, NGOs)
  • Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects (higher education, youth, vocational education)
  • Cooperation in innovation and strategic initiatives.

Key Action 3 (KA3) – Support for Policy Reform and Cooperation:

  • Encourages evidence-based public policy development in education and youth fields
  • Promotes social inclusion and sustainability in education
  • Supports development of networks and platforms for cooperation.

Erasmus + Sport

  • Funds partnerships in sport
  • Promotes inclusion and equality in sport
  • Fights against doping, violence, and discrimination in sport.

Funding and budget per project:

  • Grants for students and staff: Up to €2,000 per month
  • Cooperation partnerships: €100,000 – €400,000
  • Capacity building projects: €500,000 – €1 million

Who can apply?

Erasmus+ funds projects by various organizations, including:

  • Universities, schools, and vocational education institutions
  • Youth organizations and NGOs
  • Business entities and public institutions
  • Teachers, students, researchers, and youth workers.

Applications are submitted via:

Tempus Foundation and EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Serbia Desk – National Contact Points (NCPs)

Erasmus+ National Agency – Tempus Foundation

Address: Ruže Jovanović 27a, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Email: info@tempus.ac.rs

Phone: +381 11 3342 430 / Web: www.tempus.ac.rs

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s largest research and innovation funding programme, running from 2021 to 2027 with a total budget of €95.5 billion. This programme plays a key role in addressing global challenges and driving technological progress. Its main objectives are:

  • Tackling climate change and global health and social challenges through the development of sustainable solutions and technologies.
  • Promoting scientific excellence and technological advancement, contributing to progress across all scientific fields and fostering innovations that shape the future.
  • Strengthening European industrial competitiveness by supporting European companies to enhance their innovation capacities and compete on global markets.
  • Encouraging collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers, creating synergies that accelerate the transfer of research results into market-ready products and services.

Serbia, as an associated country, has full access to the Horizon Europe programme. This means that researchers, institutions, companies, and innovators from Serbia can apply under the same conditions as those from EU member states. This provides an opportunity to enhance scientific cooperation and develop new technologies with long-term benefits for society and the economy.

What types of projects are supported?

Horizon Europe funds cutting-edge research, the application of science, and innovative projects. The programme is structured around four key areas:

Pillar I: Excellent Science – Supports top-level research, researcher mobility, and infrastructure development:

  • European Research Council (ERC): Funds individual research projects with long-term impact.
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA): Fellowships and training for researchers at all career stages.
  • Research Infrastructures: Supports world-class research centres and ensures open access to scientific resources.

Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness – Funds research and innovation aimed at solving climate, health, and societal challenges. Clusters include:

  • Health
  • Culture, creativity and inclusive society
  • Civil security for society
  • Digital, industry and space
  • Climate, energy and mobility
  • Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment

Pillar III: Innovative Europe – Aims to make Europe a leader in breakthrough innovations that create new markets:

  • European Innovation Council (EIC): Supports startups, SMEs, and deep-tech innovations.
  • European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT): Fosters entrepreneurship and industry-led research.
  • European Innovation Ecosystems: Encourages cross-border cooperation between innovators and investors.

Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (ERA):

  • Supports cooperation, excellence, and knowledge exchange across Europe.
  • Provides assistance to countries with lower participation rates in EU research programmes.

You can browse calls for project proposals HERE.

Funding and project budget

Horizon Europe covers a broad range of activities. Budget allocation depends on the type of project and activity:

  • Research and Innovation Actions (RIA): Usually between €1 million and €10 million per project.
  • Innovation Actions (IA): Focused on commercialization and development, typically €2 million to €15 million per project.
  • Coordination and Support Actions (CSA): Related to policy and networking, usually between €500,000 and €5 million.
  • ERC Grants:
    • Starting Grants (up to €1.5 million)
    • Consolidator Grants (up to €2 million)
    • Advanced Grants (up to €2.5 million)

Who can apply?

Horizon Europe is open to a wide range of applicants, including:

  • Universities and research institutions
  • Companies (including SMEs and startups)
  • Public institutions and policymakers
  • Civil society organisations (CSOs) and NGOs
  • Industry and business associations

Applications for open calls are submitted through EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Serbia Desk – National Contact Points (NCPs)

For guidance and support, contact the national contact points for Horizon Europe in Serbia.

Key resources and useful links

Social sciences or human science, agriculture, health, informatics… You can apply for a scholarship for master’s or doctoral studies in France for a number of fields.

Here’s how you can apply, in three short steps:

  1. Find a suitable study program (More information)
  2. Establish contact with a higher education institution in France, check whether the selected program matches the candidate’s profile
  3. Contact the French Institute for more information on the dates for submission of tender documents.

Austria offers numerous study opportunities at 13 universities, 6 universities of arts, 3 medical universities, 16 private universities, 21 universities of applied sciences, as well as 14 higher education schools. On the website https://www.studienwahl.at/en you can find and choose the appropriate educational institution for you. Studying is possible at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies. For support and scholarships during your studies in Austria, you can consult the website https://grants.at/en/ for more possibilities. You can find out more about international students and support for their life and studies in Austria at https://studyinaustria.at/en/.

The Stipendium Hungaricum program is a scholarship that is awarded every year to 50 young people in Serbia who want to study at Hungarian universities at the level of undergraduate, master’s or doctoral studies. The scholarship includes all tuition fees and free accommodation, as well as support for living expenses in Hungary.

More information can be found at: https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/

There are a number of scholarships available for foreign students in Poland. The most popular is Erasmus+, the EU exchange program for students, teachers and institutions. Other options include scholarships under bilateral agreements funded by either Poland or the government of a foreign partner, often with the aim of improving exchanges within a specific field of study.

See the complete list of available programs at this link.

Studying at Universities in Slovenia is a great way to gain the knowledge, practical experience and skills you need to succeed in your career. Make new friends and feel part of our academic community.

For many, going to university often means the first major separation from home, and this can be a frightening and exciting experience; but – we are committed to ease your transition and help with every challenge.

Veterinary, theological, law, and other faculties are available within the University of Slovenia in four cities: Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, Maribor and Primorska.

DAAD scholarships are meant for students and graduates from Serbia. Today, it is one of the most important financial organizations for the international exchange of students and scientists. DAAD has supported more than 2.6 million young academics in Germany and abroad.

More information

RYCO is an intergovernmental organisation that supports and promotes regional and multicultural cooperation among young people in the Western Balkans. RYCO’s programmes are aimed at creating opportunities for young people to engage in activities that contribute to mutual understanding and reconciliation in the civic, social, educational, cultural, and sports domains. RYCO initiates and participates in policymaking and advocates for reforms. It also supports the development of a political and social environment that empowers and facilitates youth exchange.

The programme promotes cooperation and dialogue through the support and financing of projects that strengthen healthy values ​​and promote the intercultural connection of young people in the Western Balkans.

One of the programmes is “Superschools,” which involves school exchanges in the Western Balkans aimed at supporting the processes of peacebuilding, reconciliation, and intercultural learning and dialogue between schools, students, and their communities. This programme is part of the multi-donor project “Superschools Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme,” jointly financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and RYCO.

All information about open calls is available at the link: https://www.rycowb.org/

Info sessions
“EU Opportunities” podcast
Panel discussion