PEO Schools for the Future – ITI Jiu Valley: guide in consultation until 30 October

The Managing Authority for the Education and Employment Programme (PEO) within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects published the Applicant's Guide with Specific Conditions "Schools for the Future – ITI Jiu Valley" for public consultation on 12 October 2026. It is a competitive call funded by the ESF+, aimed at schools in the Jiu Valley integrated territorial investment micro-region, namely Petroșani, Petrila, Aninoasa, Lupeni, Vulcan and Uricani. Comments on the guide can be sent until 30 October 2026, and project submission will only begin after the final guide is published.

In brief

• Programme: Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, Priority 7, specific objective ESO4.5, action type 7.e.3 (making training opportunities more flexible and diverse, and developing pupils' key competences)
• Authority: AM PEO, Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Beneficiaries: education stakeholders from the six localities of ITI Jiu Valley; the exact categories of applicants and partners are those set out in the guide under consultation
• Total budget: the allocation dedicated to the Jiu Valley was not published in the consultation announcement
• Value per project: to be confirmed in the final guide
• Submission period: not announced; the public consultation ends on 30 October 2026
• Status: guide under public consultation (subject to change)

What is the "Schools for the Future" call and why is there a version for the Jiu Valley?

"Schools for the Future" is the family of competitive calls through which PEO funds, from the European Social Fund Plus, functional literacy and STEAM performance programmes in pre-university education. The national call has already been launched: the MySMIS2021 system opened on 30 September 2026 at 18:00 and closes on 27 November 2026 at 16:00, with an allocation of 52,853,355 euro.

The Jiu Valley has ITI territory status, based on the Jiu Valley Economic, Social and Environmental Development Strategy 2022-2030, approved by HG 901/2022. The strategy lists six urban administrative-territorial units: the municipality of Petroșani, the town of Petrila, the town of Aninoasa, the municipality of Lupeni, the municipality of Vulcan and the town of Uricani, with a population of 132,294 inhabitants in 2020. The first pillar of the strategy focuses precisely on modernising education in the region and investing in skills. For this reason, the PEO Managing Authority (AM PEO) has prepared a separate guide with specific conditions for the Jiu Valley, rather than leaving schools here to compete only in the national call.

Who can apply?

The consultation announcement does not list the categories of applicants; these can be found in the guide published in the archive on the MIPE website. As a reference point, under the national call, accredited state or private pre-university education institutions with primary, lower-secondary or upper-secondary classes, county school inspectorates and county resource and educational assistance centres (CJRAE) may submit projects. The official fact sheet for the national call also mentions the Romanian Academy, NGOs and cultural operators, and collaborative activities may involve local entrepreneurs, museums and cultural institutions.

For the Jiu Valley version, we recommend checking in the guide under consultation whether the list of applicants and partners is the same, whether schools must be based in the six localities, and what role town halls may have, since they do not appear among the applicants for the national call.

Which activities are funded?

The structure of the national call, on which the ITI version is based, groups activities into two categories:

• Mandatory activities: functional literacy programmes and/or the development of advanced competences in STEAM fields, accompanied by complementary measures (catering, transport, counselling). These must represent at least 50% of the total eligible budget.
• Optional activities: participatory curricular innovation, collaborative community programmes with local entrepreneurs and cultural institutions, impact assessment and analysis of the potential for scaling up.

Results are measured through an initial assessment, periodic assessments and a final assessment, based on national assessment standards. If the guide for the Jiu Valley keeps this logic, the project must be built around a measurable package of teaching interventions, not around equipment.

What has changed compared with the national call?

The essential difference is competition. Under the national call, schools in the Jiu Valley would compete with all schools in the less developed regions for an allocation of 47,536,745.15 euro, while only projects from ITI Danube Delta receive additional points. The "ITI Jiu Valley" version creates a separate call in which only stakeholders from the six localities can apply. The allocation for this call, the minimum and maximum value per project and the minimum number of pupils were not communicated in the announcement and will be confirmed in the final guide.

How and by when do you apply?

Nothing can be submitted yet. The current stage is public consultation: proposals and comments on the guide should be sent to consultare.peo@mfe.gov.ro by 30 October 2026. After this date, AM PEO will publish the responses to comments and the final guide, and then announce the submission period in MySMIS2021. For the national call, about six weeks passed between the publication of the guide for consultation (18 August 2026) and the opening of submission (30 September 2026); this is a reasonable planning reference, not an official deadline.

What this means for your business

For schools, the inspectorate and the Hunedoara CJRAE, as well as for NGOs and companies that deliver educational services in the Jiu Valley, this is the time to prepare, not to wait. Our recommendations:

• Send comments on the guide by 30 October. This is the only opportunity to ask for clarification on eligible partners, project ceilings and catering and transport costs before the rules become final.
• Build the partnership now. A consortium made up of a coordinating school, other institutions from the six localities, the University of Petroșani and an NGO with experience in education covers both the literacy and the STEAM components.
• Prepare the baseline data: pupils' results in national assessments, the graduation rate and the number of pupils with learning difficulties. Evaluators will ask for a measurable starting situation.
• Common pitfall: budgets dominated by equipment. The rule requiring at least 50% for mandatory activities in the national call shows that the project must be about pupils and teachers, not about equipment.

If you are not sure that your organisation qualifies, you can start with the eligibility check, and our team can support you in structuring the partnership and the budget.

Frequently asked questions

Can a school in the Jiu Valley also apply to the national "Schools for the Future" call?

The national call is open until 27 November 2026 at 16:00 for schools in all regions. The ITI Jiu Valley version is still under consultation, so there is as yet no official rule on combining or excluding applications. Check in the final guide for the ITI call whether submitting the same project to both calls is prohibited.

When will it be possible to submit a project for ITI Jiu Valley?

The submission period has not been announced. The public consultation ends on 30 October 2026, after which AM PEO will publish the final guide and the call schedule in MySMIS2021.

Which localities are eligible under ITI Jiu Valley?

According to the Jiu Valley Development Strategy approved by HG 901/2022 and published by MIPE, the micro-region comprises the municipality of Petroșani, the town of Petrila, the town of Aninoasa, the municipality of Lupeni, the municipality of Vulcan and the town of Uricani.

What budget does the call for the Jiu Valley have?

The dedicated allocation was not published in the consultation announcement of 12 October 2026. The figure will be confirmed in the final guide. For comparison, the national call has an allocation of 52,853,355 euro.

What types of activities are mandatory in a "Schools for the Future" project?

Under the national call, functional literacy programmes and/or STEAM competence development programmes are mandatory, together with complementary measures such as catering, transport and counselling, which must add up to at least 50% of the eligible budget. The guide for the Jiu Valley is expected to confirm whether it keeps the same structure.

Official sources

• MIPE – Applicant's Guide with Specific Conditions "Schools for the Future – ITI Jiu Valley" (public consultation, 12–30 October 2026)
• MIPE – Public consultation announcement for the ITI Jiu Valley call
• MIPE – Applicant's Guide "Schools for the Future" (national call, open 30 September – 27 November 2026)
• oportunitati-ue.gov.ro – "Schools for the Future" call fact sheet
• MIPE – Jiu Valley Initiative (strategy and ITI localities)
• ADR Vest – press release on the six localities of ITI Jiu Valley

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.