Funding programme

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) aims to support member states and regions to improve employment and education opportunities, to enhance social inclusion and to tackle poverty.

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Call overview

This call supports transnational projects that aim to transfer or scale up social innovations referenced in the Disability Employment Package.

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Call detail

The goal is to improve the labour market outcomes of persons with disabilities by providing guidance and good practices for employers, employers’ associations, and public authorities, as well as by raising awareness about persons with disabilities and by combating stereotypes.

This call will support transnational projects that are based on one or more practices from the Disability Employment Package and demonstrate their potential to foster employment inclusion by addressing unmet social needs and systemic barriers.

Specific practices to be transferred or scaled up are presented in six thematic deliverables of the Disability Employment Package:

• strengthening the capacities of employment and integration services,  
• promoting hiring perspectives through affirmative action, and combating stereotypes, 3) ensuring reasonable accommodation,  
• securing health and safety at work in case of chronic diseases, work accidents or disabilities,  
• ensuring vocational rehabilitation schemes, and  
• exploring quality jobs in sheltered employment and pathways to the open labour market.

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Eligibility

Eligible participants include a wide range of entities such as ministries, public employment services, authorities at all levels, vocational and educational institutions, NGOs, labour market bodies, trade unions, consultancy services, funders, and both public and private companies, particularly those involved in employment and social inclusion of persons with disability.

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Consortium composition

Only consortia are eligible.  

The consortium shall comprise a minimum of three eligible entities established in at least two different eligible countries, of which at least one entity should be a public authority. This public authority should:

• be established in the same country as the applicant or one of the co-applicants, and  
• be responsible for implementing policies relevant to the objectives of the call, particularly in the areas of employment and disability.

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Duration

‍The expected duration of a project is 18-24 months.

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Budget

EUR 10 million

The estimated size of a grant is between EUR 500,000 to 1,000,000 per project (but this does not preclude the submission/selection of applications requesting other amounts), constituting not more than 80% of the project’s total budget. A co-financing of at least 20% must thus come from other resources than the EU budget.

The form of grant: a lump sum grant.