Proposals for Micro-credentials and micro-modules
- Short, focused learning that carries its own certification. Micro-credentials are the alliance's main instrument for reaching learners beyond enrolled students, and the format where working with an industry or societal partner makes the most difference.
IN ONE MINUTE
- Micro-credentials are short certified qualifications, accredited in alignment with the European Approach to micro-credentials, delivered through the framework of one of the partners.
- Micro-modules are other short learning experiences that may not meet those standards but still offer valuable learning. The distinction exists so that every serious proposal finds a route to delivery.
- Both should be co-developed or co-implemented with stakeholders wherever possible.
- Both routes. Fast track by 16 October for delivery February–June 2027; general call by 18 December for 2027/2028.
- Completions carry a European Digital Credential.
AT A GLANCE
| Who can apply | Academic staff at any INGENIUM partner university, together with technical staff and stakeholders (professional not associated with the university). Applications that involve stakeholders in the design, delivery or implementation will have priority and score highest. All applications should incorporate stakeholder engagement component, demonstrating societal relevance. |
| Minimum | Joint design or joint delivery involving at least two INGENIUM partners. |
| Route and dates | Fast track by 16 October 2026. General call: expression of interest by 13 November, application by 18 December 2026. |
| Stakeholders | Co-development with industry or societal partners is expected. Proposals developed by academics alone are possible but must demonstrably take societal needs into account. |
| Funding | Funding can cover teaching and implementation costs of any kind. It can also be used to lower learner fees. Preparatory expenses, such as meetings, can also be incorporated into the budget proposal. |
| Assessment | Relevance 3 + Quality 4 + Impact 3 = 10. Six points to pass. |
| Who decides | Technical review by the mixed transition group with the Secretariat, then endorsement by an INGENIUM committee. |
Engaging with stakeholders
Micro credentials and micro modules are INGENIUM´s flagship format to promote lifelong learning and the acquisition of relevant competences for working life and societal impact.
Proposers can bring on board existing local collaborations with stakeholders of any kind (industry partners, NGOs, public authorities) and use INGENIUM micro credentials to identify common knowledge needs across partners.
If you have an idea but still no concrete stakeholder contacts, get in touch with your INGENIUM local office and with the secretariat at ingenium@uniovi. The networking process will also be used to connect idea proposers with other colleagues and stakeholders.
Certified, quality-assured individually
Micro-credential
A stand-alone offering with its own certification, accredited in alignment with the European Approach to micro-credentials and implemented through the UNIOVI framework or any other partner framework. Requires a defined workload, learning outcomes and assessment.
Lighter, more flexible
Micro-module
Short learning that does not fully qualify under the European standards but is worth delivering: a focused set of sessions, a professional update, a preparatory unit. Recognition is documented through a certificate or badge rather than a formal credential.
Where the stakeholders come from
The strongest micro-credential proposals start from a need somebody has named. The alliance runs a structured dialogue with associate partners, companies, public authorities and civil society organisations, grouped into Knowledge Ecosystems, and the needs collected there are available to proposers as raw material.
If you already work with an organisation that has a skills gap, name it in the proposal: it counts under relevance, and it usually improves the design. If you do not, the networking phase and the ecosystem dialogue are the routes to finding one.
Quality assurance. A micro-credential is a stand-alone offering, quality-assured in its own right, with its own certificate. A collaborative teaching initiative sits inside an existing curriculum and is quality-assured through it. If two colleagues merge parts of their existing courses, that is collaborative teaching. If they build a new certified unit for learners outside those courses, that is a micro-credential.
How to apply
- Before you start
Decide which of the two you are proposing
If you are unsure, submit anyway and say so. Reclassification between the two is normal and happens during the technical review.
- By 16 October 2026
Fast track: apply directly
For units that can be delivered between February and June 2027. Complete and upload the application form; approvals come in early November.
- 13 November, then 18 December 2026
General call: express interest, then apply
The expression of interest feeds the networking phase, where partners and stakeholders are found.
- After selection
Design and accreditation
Selected micro-credentials work through the accreditation route of the partner framework hosting them, and are set up to issue European Digital Credentials on completion.
How your proposal is assessed
Relevance, Quality and Impact, scored out of ten in total. Six points are needed to pass. Assessment in this edition is light and enhancement-oriented: where a proposal falls short on one dimension but is otherwise strong, the feedback says what would fix it.
3
Relevance
Does it advance what the alliance has committed to?
- A demonstrable skills need, ideally named by a stakeholder
- Co-development or co-implementation with industry or societal partners
- Contribution to the European Campus and to jointness in design and delivery
- Connection to the Knowledge Ecosystems and the stakeholder dialogue
4
Quality
Is it well designed, and can it actually be delivered?
- Clear learning outcomes, workload and assessment
- A realistic accreditation route within a partner framework
- Quality of the online or blended design, with no passive formats
- Feasibility of delivery within the timeframe proposed
- Accessibility, multilingualism and inclusion built into the design
3
Impact
What will change, and will it last?
- Expected enrolments, including learners beyond the partner universities
- Reusability across partners rather than delivery at one institution only
- Contribution to the alliance’s objectives for short certified learning
- Prospects for continuing beyond the funded period
The three dimensions are common to the whole call; the points listed under each are the version that applies to this section. A small number of categories may carry a different weighting, which will be published here before the call opens.
Funding & Support
You can request funding for teaching costs and implementation expenses of any kind. Normally, part of the funding will go to lower the tuition fees for participants. The application asks what the money is for and roughly how much goes to each element, not for a formal budget. The final budget for each micro credential will then be developed with the INGENIUM team.
| What is being funded | Usual source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Short staff mobility for preparation of the micro credential or teaching | Erasmus+ KA131 or INGENIUM project funds | Request in the application based on your needs. Preparatory meetings can be funded for strategic proposals. |
| Platforms, tools and materials | INGENIUM project funds or institutional resources | Subject to the purchasing rules of the partner concerned |
| Bringing a stakeholder into the teaching | INGENIUM project funds | State the organisation where it is known |
| Staff time and compensation | Institutional rules apply | Whether staff time can be bought differs by partner. Check the institutional rules published at your own university |
Fast-track application
For initiatives ready to run between February and June 2027. There is no expression of interest: complete the application form, then upload it here with any supporting material. Applications are reviewed as they arrive and approvals are communicated in early November 2026.
Web form with document upload · closes 16 October 2026
Expression of interest
For units launching in 2027/2028. You do not need the accreditation route settled or the stakeholder confirmed at this stage — only the need you have identified and the learning you would build around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
A micro-credential is accredited in full alignment with the European Approach to micro-credentials and carries formal certification. A micro-module is any other short learning experience that may not meet those standards but still offers valuable learning.
Yes, but the proposal must demonstrably take societal needs into account. Co-development with an industry or societal partner is what the category is designed for and it weighs under relevance.
The UNIOVI framework or any other partner framework that can host it. The technical review helps identify the most straightforward route where the proposing team is unsure.
Yes, and it is often the fastest route: a defined part of an existing course, redesigned with its own learning outcomes and assessment, opened to learners outside the degree.
The European standard for issuing a verifiable digital certificate. All completions of INGENIUM micro-credentials carry one, and the infrastructure is handled centrally rather than by each proposing team.
Useful Documents
Documents for this section are in preparation and will be published here before the call opens on 14 September 2026.
Talk to us
| UNIVERSITY | COORDINATOR | |
|---|---|---|
| UNIOVI | Jesús Daniel Santos | ingenium@uniovi.es |
| TUIASI | Irina Lungu | irina.lungu@academic.tuiasi.ro |
| UdA | Marcello Costantini | marcello.costantini@unich.it |
| Xamk | Eeva Kuoppala | eeva.kuoppala@xamk.fi |
| Skövde | Mikael Ejdebäck | mikael.ejdeback@his.se |
| HKA | Melissa Gruber | melissa.gruber@h-ka.de |
| MTU | Michael Hall | michael.hall@mtu.ie |
| Rouen | Ligia Livanu | ligia.livanu@univ-rouen.fr |
| UoC | Georgios Kossioris | kosioris@uoc.gr |
| MUS | Magdalena Kasnakova | m.kasnakova@mu-sofia.bg |
