PEO “Open Universities”: €40 million for universities, submission until 27 November

On 30 September 2026 the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE) launched the competitive “Open Universities” calls under the Education and Employment Programme (PEO) 2021-2027. The budget is 40 million euro from the ESF+. Accredited higher education institutions, whether public or private, can apply. Funding applications must be submitted in MySMIS2021 by 27 November 2026, 16:00.

In brief

• Programme: Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, Priority 7, actions 7.e.5 and 7.e.6
• Authority: the Managing Authority for PEO, within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Beneficiaries: accredited higher education institutions, public or private
• Total budget: 40,000,000 euro (ESF+)
• Submission period: 30 September 2026, 12:00 – 27 November 2026, 16:00, in MySMIS2021
• Status: call launched, with the final guide (the consultation version was published on 16 July 2026)

What do the calls fund?

The guide combines two actions from Priority 7 of the PEO:

• Action 7.e.5: university programmes developed at the request of businesses and research, development and innovation organisations. This includes the green and digital transition.
• Action 7.e.6: the internationalisation of higher education.

According to the PEO Managing Authority's (AM PEO) answers to the public consultation, activity 1 (mandatory) covers bachelor's, master's and teaching master's programmes. It also includes professional doctorates carried out in collaboration with businesses and interdisciplinary doctoral schools linked to the socio-economic environment. The final guide also provides for:

• student mobilities within European university networks, as an activity complementary to the Erasmus+ programme;
• a mandatory sub-activity on equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity. Options include courses that build cultural competences adapted to Roma communities.

Who belongs to the target group?

The target group has four categories: students, pupils, postdoctoral researchers and teaching staff in higher education. The final guide also added auxiliary teaching staff.

• For Romanian students and pupils, the region is determined by their domicile. For foreign students and postdoctoral researchers, residence in Romania is taken into account.
• Teaching staff are eligible if they are employed by the university involved in the project. Domicile does not matter.
• Student status can be proved with the student record book, an extract from RMUR or a certificate issued by the university.
• Postdoctoral researchers prove their status with a postdoctoral researcher certificate, a research contract or an extract from the university's records.

How many projects can a university submit?

The calls are separate: one for the less developed regions and one for the developed region of Bucharest-Ilfov. A university can submit and implement no more than 5 projects in each call, as an applicant or as a partner. It can therefore have distinct projects for both types of region, depending on the students' domicile.

The announcement does not specify how the 40 million euro is split between the calls, nor the minimum or maximum value of a project. This information is in the call documents (the ZIP archive on the MIPE page) and should be checked there before you build the budget.

What this means for your university and partner companies

Our recommendation: two months is short for a project that requires updated study programmes, agreements with employers and a documented target group. It is worth starting now with three things:

1. Written requests from the business environment. Action 7.e.5 starts from the demand of businesses. Letters or agreements with companies in the programme's field show the evaluator that the need exists. For scoring, stakeholders do not have to be formal partners. Companies can collaborate with the university without a budget in the project.
2. Alignment with smart specialisation. AM PEO has not annexed a list of fields. Alignment is justified directly against the National Strategy for Research, Innovation and Smart Specialisation 2022–2027.
3. Target group by region. Count your students by domicile early. A university with many students from other regions may need separate projects under the two calls.

A common pitfall is double funding. The same participants cannot receive the same type of course, in the same field and at the same level, from another PEO project. The responsibility for checking this lies with the beneficiary.

Frequently asked questions

Can private universities apply to “Open Universities”?

Yes. The guide admits accredited higher education institutions, public or private, as applicants.

What is the submission deadline?

The MySMIS2021 application accepts applications from 30 September 2026, 12:00, until 27 November 2026, 16:00. The call is competitive, so projects are evaluated after the call window closes.

Can companies take part in the project?

Companies are not eligible applicants. However, programmes funded under action 7.e.5 are developed at the request of businesses, and professional doctorates are carried out in collaboration with them. The exact role of a company, as partner or as stakeholder, should be checked in the final guide.

How many projects can a university have?

No more than 5 projects in each call, as an applicant or as a partner: 5 in the call for the less developed regions and 5 in the call for Bucharest-Ilfov.

Are student mobilities abroad eligible?

Yes. The final guide explicitly includes student mobilities within European university networks, complementary to the Erasmus+ programme and without double funding.

Official sources

• MIPE announcement: PEO launches the “Open Universities” calls
• The “Open Universities” competitive calls page on mfe.gov.ro
• “Open Universities” Applicant's Guide – consultation version and associated documents
• AM PEO's answers to the comments from the public consultation

Information verified on 30 September 2026. The conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.