Boosting Digital Skills of young pupils, in particular girls
Small grants for grassroots coding projects in Belgium and the Netherlands that promote digital skills, computational thinking, and gender diversity in STEM education for young pupils, particularly girls.
Details
Agency
EU Commission
Status
Upcoming
Language
English
Funding Type
Grant
Deadline
2026-03-15
Open Date
2026-01-15
=== ELIGIBILITY === Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organizations,Public and private schools,Community centers,Libraries,Universities and research institutions,Consortia of the above entities, provided the lead applicant is a non-profit or educational institution. Geographic Focus: Projects must be implemented in Belgium or the Netherlands. Target Groups: Projects must target young pupils (ages 6-18), with a particular focus on girls and underrepresented groups in STEM. Project Duration: Projects must be completed within 12 months of the grant agreement signature. Exclusions: For-profit entities are not eligible as lead applicants. Projects that do not align with EU Code Week’s objectives or lack a clear focus on coding and digital skills will not be considered.
=== FUNDING DETAILS === Total Budget: EUR 200,000 Grant Amount: EUR 5,000 to EUR 20,000 per project Number of Grants: Approximately 15-20 projects will be funded. Funding Rate: 100% of eligible costs, with no co-funding required. Eligible Costs: Personnel costs, equipment, materials, travel, and dissemination costs directly related to the project. Ineligible Costs: Overhead costs exceeding 7% of the total grant amount, costs incurred before the grant agreement signature, and costs unrelated to the project.
=== FOCUS AREAS === Key Themes: Coding and computational thinking,Integration of coding into formal and non-formal education,Gender-inclusive STEM education,Community engagement and collaboration,Scalability and replicability of project outcomes. Supported Activities: Workshops, hackathons, and coding clubs,Development of educational materials and resources,Teacher training and capacity-building,Awareness campaigns and outreach activities,Collaborative projects involving multiple stakeholders.
=== APPLICATION PROCESS === Process: Single-stage application process. Portal: Applications must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Evaluation Criteria: Relevance to EU Code Week’s objectives (30%), Innovation and impact (30%), Feasibility and sustainability (20%), Quality of the consortium and partnership (20%). Notification: Applicants will be notified of the evaluation results within 3 months of the submission deadline.
=== POST-AWARD OBLIGATIONS === Reporting: Grantees must submit a final technical and financial report within 2 months of project completion. Dissemination: Grantees are required to share project outcomes and best practices through EU Code Week’s platforms and networks. Visibility: Grantees must acknowledge EU funding in all project-related communications and materials.
=== KEY DATES === Open Date: 2026-01-14 Deadline: 2026-03-14 Evaluation Period: March to May 2026 Notification: June 2026 Project Start: No later than September 2026
=== NOTES === Additional Requirements: Projects must participate in EU Code Week (October 2026) and align activities with the initiative’s annual campaign. Exclusions: Projects that do not target young pupils or lack a gender-inclusive approach will not be considered. Overhead costs are capped at 7% of the total grant amount.