LINGUA 2

What is Lingua 2?

Objectives

• to help raise the standards in language teaching and learning by ensuring the availability of sufficient language learning instruments and tools for assessing linguistic skills acquired;
• to encourage the development of new materials and a wider dissemination of existing methods which represent best practice and provide European added-value.

More specifically, this action aims to:

• encourage innovation in the development of language learning and teaching tools;
• encourage the sharing of best practices;
• provide a wider variety of language teaching materials to more clearly defined target groups;
• encourage the production of language tools for the less widely used less taught languages;
• support educational approaches which are commercially under-represented or difficult to market on a large scale;
• encourage the acquisition of sufficient knowledge of foreign languages to meet the requirements of particular situations and contexts, provided that these measures are not linked to a specific profession (this would fall more within the scope of the Leonardo da Vinci programme);
• improve the distribution and availability of products.

What kinds of projects are funded?

The Commission will provide co-financing for projects which create, adapt, refine or exchange one or more of the following products:

• educational media and materials for foreign language teaching, as well as for raising awareness of languages;
• methods and tools designed to recognise and evaluate language skills;
• teaching and study programmes.

NOTE: the products developed under Lingua Action 2 are essentially aimed at language learners (and not at the training of language teachers – see Comenius action 2).

For materials developed under the previous Lingua Programme and under Lingua action D, please see the Lingua Catalogue.

Which languages are eligible?

• All of the official Community languages as well as Irish and Luxemburgish.
• The national languages of the EFTA/EEA countries and of the pre-accession countries participating in the Socrates programme.
• Particular attention is paid to the development of skills in the less widely used and less taught official Community languages (the "LWULT" languages).

Who can participate?

The following types of organisation are eligible under Lingua:

• schools, adult education establishments, open and distance learning centres;
• universities, centres providing initial or continuing training for language teachers, language resource centres, centres for research into language education;
• establishments developing curricula, issuing diplomas or devising methods for testing and evaluating knowledge;
• local or regional authorities;
• local, regional, national or European associations active in the field of language teaching or learning;
• cultural and language support associations, including national associations;
• language schools;
• international associations of language teaching establishments;
• radio, television or media companies with an Internet presence;
• publishing houses and software producers or distributors.

Writing your proposal

If you decide to submit an application for funding you need to bear in mind several requirements. The project should:

• include at least one institution in each of at least three participating countries;
• include at least one institution in the European Union;
• involve at least one institution from the countries where the target languages are spoken;
• involve at least one educational establishment;
• relate to eligible language(s) being taught as foreign languages (and not taught as second languages to immigrants, for example);
• have an impact in several European countries;
• be for a maximum of three consecutive years.

Projects should:

• have well-defined educational objectives;
• demonstrate a need for the product(s) or activity(ies) proposed;
• clearly define both their target public and the situations to be covered;
• show a consistent approach to teaching issues;
• describe the phases of the project and its concrete outcomes;
• describe how project results/products will be widely disseminated, taking into account the desired target audiences;
• describe how the project will be evaluated.

Good advice for making a successful project proposal:

• have a mixed partnership between universities, other educational establishments and organisations with expertise in other important aspects of the project, for instance, software producers or distributors and/or publishing houses;
• have a clear working plan and division of tasks between the co-ordinating institution and its partners;
• have clear working rules/clear sharing of budget resources between the co-ordinating institution and its partners;
• have a real European dimension with regard to content, results and dissemination;
• pay particular attention to dissemination/marketing strategies;
• have a clear strategy for evaluation.

How to apply

The selection process is in two phases. First, partnerships submit an outline application (a "pre-proposal"). This contains, for example, the main ideas of the project, the partners involved, and an outline budget.

If your pre-proposal is accepted, you will be asked to work up your idea in more detail and submit an application to the second stage of selection.

To be sure that you have met all our requirements you should read the Guidelines for Applicants, which give a complete list of rules and criteria.

The Call for Proposals contains additional information relating to the latest rules and priorities.

Application forms

Contacts

European Commission

National Agencies responsible for Socrates – Lingua