PEO: €26.28 million for universities training early-years educators for disadvantaged children

The Education and Employment Programme (PEO) 2021–2027 has opened a competitive call worth EUR 26,275,200 from the ESF+ for training educators who work with children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Public or private universities with bachelor's or master's programmes in early childhood education can apply, as can structures subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Research, including the Teaching Staff Training Centres (Casele Corpului Didactic). Funding applications must be submitted in MySMIS2021 by 29 October 2026, 16:00.

In brief

• Programme: Education and Employment Programme 2021–2027, Priority 5, action 5.f.3 – developing initial and continuing training of teaching staff for early childhood education and care (ÎETC)
• Authority: Managing Authority for PEO, Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Beneficiaries: public or private higher education institutions with bachelor's or master's programmes in ÎETC specialisations, accredited or provisionally authorised; structures subordinate to or coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC), including the Teaching Staff Training Centres (Casele Corpului Didactic)
• Total budget: EUR 26,275,200, ESF+, for the less developed regions
• Project duration: maximum 30 months, not exceeding 31 December 2029
• Submission period: 1 September 2026, 16:00 – 29 October 2026, 16:00, in MySMIS2021/MySMIS2021+
• Status: call open, based on the final guide published on 1 September 2026

Who can apply, and with whom?

The call is intended for training providers, not companies. Two categories of applicants can apply:

• public or private universities that have bachelor's and/or master's programmes in ÎETC specialisations, that is, programmes that train teaching staff for the early years (under-3s) and pre-school levels (for example, Primary and Pre-school Education Pedagogy or Early Childhood Education). Following the public consultation, programmes provisionally authorised to operate were also accepted, not only accredited ones;
• structures, agencies and bodies subordinate to or coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research. The Teaching Staff Training Centres (Casele Corpului Didactic) are explicitly named as eligible applicants and partners.

What activities does the call fund?

According to the Managing Authority's responses to the public consultation, reflected in the final guide, projects are built around three activities:

• Activity 1 (mandatory): new modules, courses, subjects and educational resources, integrated into existing study programmes, plus continuing training and professional conversion programmes for teaching staff in pre-university education. School mediators have been included in this activity. The modules focus on intercultural skills relevant to understanding Roma communities;
• Activity 2: training for the teaching and auxiliary staff in universities involved in preparing ÎETC students, as well as for pre-university teaching staff who directly organise or coordinate their teaching practice;
• Activity 3: support for students, aimed at facilitating their employment in disadvantaged areas. Subsidies are granted only to students who take part in at least 50% of the teaching practice.

What target group targets must be met?

• Students: at least 60 per project (indicator EECO09). The target is cumulative, so successive cohorts from the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 academic years can be counted;
• Teaching and auxiliary staff: the Managing Authority kept the minimum threshold of 128 people (EECO05). To make it achievable, associate teaching staff and hourly-paid collaborators have been included in the target group, as well as teaching and care staff in pre-university ÎETC. Persons with PFA status are not eligible.

A “disadvantaged environment” unit is a state or private kindergarten or school with under-3s or pre-school groups that meets at least one of the following conditions: it is located in a rural area or a small town (under 20,000 inhabitants), in an isolated or segregated area, or has a significant proportion of children at risk of exclusion. Status is proven with a certificate from the county school inspectorate (ISJ/ISMB) or from the local authority (UAT), or with an extract from SIIIR/INS.

How and by when do you apply?

The application must be submitted exclusively in MySMIS2021/MySMIS2021+ by 29 October 2026, 16:00. The call is competitive, so projects are ranked by score. The minimum and maximum value per project is set out in section 5.4 of the final guide, published as an archive on the ministry's page. If the final guide differs from the document of consultation responses, the final guide applies.

What this means for your business

The call does not fund SMEs directly, but it is of interest to private universities, the Teaching Staff Training Centres (Casele Corpului Didactic) and, indirectly, town halls that run kindergartens in rural areas. Our recommendation:

• start with the target group now. The threshold of 128 teaching staff is high, so partnerships with inspectorates and kindergartens in disadvantaged areas need to be discussed before the application is drafted;
• gather the ISJ or UAT certificates for the practice units early. Without them you cannot prove disadvantaged-environment status;
• align the timetable with admissions: implementation takes place in the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 academic years, and the final deadline of 31 December 2029 is fixed;
• the modules developed must be used in the existing accredited programmes after the project ends as well, so obtain the faculty's agreement early.

For other funding suited to your organisation, use the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can a private university apply?

Yes. Both public and private universities can apply, provided they have bachelor's or master's programmes in early childhood education specialisations, accredited or provisionally authorised to operate.

Can hourly-paid teaching staff take part?

Yes. Associate teaching staff and collaborators who work under a collaboration contract, agreement or hourly pay and directly train ÎETC students are part of the target group. Persons with PFA status are not eligible.

How long can a project last?

Maximum 30 months, not exceeding 31 December 2029. Activities take place in the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 academic years.

Does a new study programme have to be set up?

No. Following the consultation, the phrase “initial training programmes” was removed. Projects develop modules, courses and resources integrated into existing study programmes.

What condition must students meet to receive support?

The subsidies under Activity 3 are granted to students who take part in at least 50% of the teaching practice.

Official sources

• MIPE – Applicant's Guide, Specific Conditions “Educators for children from disadvantaged backgrounds” (final version)
• AM PEO – Responses to proposals and questions from the public consultation
• EU Opportunities – PEO has launched the guide “Educators for children from disadvantaged backgrounds”

Information checked on 28 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.