Why do so many people look for a PIF example before writing their own?
An invented scene, but a familiar one. A teacher has just been invited into a partnership by a school she met at a contact seminar. The coordinator's email is friendly and short: "Please send us your PIF by Friday." She opens a blank form with boxes for an OID, a legal name, a public body question and three empty text areas. She has no idea how long the answers should be, so she searches for an example, finds a university's eleven-page profile, and closes it again.
Her problem is not the form. It is that the examples online were written by other kinds of organisation. A youth association, a primary school, a VET college, a university department and a small company answer the same boxes in very different ways, and a coordinator reads each one looking for something different.
First, what a PIF is and is not. The Partner Identification Form is the informal profile organisations exchange when they look for Erasmus+ partners. It is common practice, not an official Erasmus+ form: the Programme Guide 2026 does not use the term. The official document with a similar name is the Identification Form that applicants upload to the Organisation Registration System, where it is validated by the National Agencies (Programme Guide 2026, p. 415). The Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2027 had not been published when we checked on 11 November 2026: the Commission's Programme Guide page still gave version 1 of 12 November 2025 as the current version, so the rules below come from the 2026 Guide.
Want to see a whole PIF before the short examples? Our free template comes with a complete filled-in example for a fictional NGO. See the PIF template and example
What does a good partner identification form example contain?
Coordinators use their own templates, so field names vary. The public templates we opened share a common core, and it mirrors what the official application form later asks about each participating organisation.
| PIF section | Typical fields | Seen in | Why a coordinator needs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner organisation | OID, PIC if you have one, legal name in the national language and in Latin characters, acronym, national ID, department (if applicable), address, website | Learnkey template (Malta); SALTO-hosted "Partner Organisation Details" template | Entering the OID in the application form fills in the registration data automatically (Programme Guide 2026, p. 414) |
| Profile | Type of organisation; is it a public body; is it a non-profit; main sector of activity | Learnkey template; SALTO-hosted template | The coordinator builds the partnership composition from it |
| Background and experience | Brief presentation; activities and experience in the field; skills and expertise of key staff | Learnkey template; SALTO-hosted template; Ukrainian National Erasmus+ Office guide | Applicants to National Agencies show operational capacity with a general presentation of the organisations and staff profiles, qualifications and experience (Programme Guide 2026, p. 424) |
| Past participation | Previous EU projects, newcomer, less experienced organisation, first time applicant | SALTO-hosted template ("Newcomer organization: YES/NO") | Applicants should include previous projects and activities, if relevant under the call (Programme Guide 2026, p. 424) |
| People | Legal representative; primary contact person | Learnkey template; SALTO-hosted template | The coordinator needs to know who can commit your organisation and who answers emails |
The application form asks similar questions in its own words. The 2024 application template for Small-scale Partnerships in youth (KA210-YOU) asks each organisation to briefly present itself, describe its main activities and its activities in the field of the application, say which profiles and age groups of learners it works with, and give its years of experience in the field (KA210-YOU application template, Call 2024, pp. 6–7). Write your PIF so that a coordinator can lift those answers straight into that form.
Whatever your type, run the checks on the identity details coordinators most often have to chase. Run the 18 checks before you send a PIF
What does a PIF example for a youth NGO look like?
A youth association is the organisation type behind most PIFs online, because Youth Exchanges and youth partnerships are built through partner searches. Under Youth Exchanges, a participating organisation can be a non-profit organisation, association or NGO, a European Youth NGO, a public body, a social enterprise, or, under conditions, a profit-making body, as well as an informal group of young people (Programme Guide 2026, p. 157). In Cooperation and Small-scale Partnerships, informal groups of young people are not considered organisations and cannot take part (Programme Guide 2026, pp. 236, 245).
| PIF field | Sample answer (fictional) | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Type / public body / non-profit | Non-governmental organisation (association) / No / Yes | Matches the registration exactly, so the coordinator does not have to check it |
| Brief presentation | Brightwater Youth Network is a volunteer-led association founded in 2017 in [town], a rural area of [country] with few youth services. We run a weekly youth club for 13 to 25 year olds, a summer programme and a peer-mentoring scheme. We have 6 part-time staff and about 40 volunteers. | Says where, for whom and with what capacity in four sentences |
| Activities and experience in youth work | In 2025 our activities reached about 300 young people, a third of them from remote villages with no public transport after 18:00. Since 2021 we have hosted 2 Youth Exchanges and sent groups to 4 more ([project numbers]). Our youth council of 8 young people plans the summer programme. | Dated numbers, a clear target group and proof of youth participation |
| Key staff | [Name], youth worker for 8 years, group leader in 4 Youth Exchanges, trained in non-formal education methods. [Name], finance and administration officer, prepares our grant reports. | Names a real role for each person, including the one who handles money |
| Past participation | Newcomer to Small-scale Partnerships: yes. Youth Exchanges: 2 hosted, 4 as sending partner ([project numbers]). | Honest and specific: being new is a valid answer |
Planning a Youth Exchange? Our guide covers partners, groups and deadlines. Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges: the rules partners ask about
What does a PIF example for a school look like?
A school's PIF is read by another school, usually a teacher coordinating in their own time. They want to know the age of the pupils, the size of the school, the subjects or projects that could connect, and who will actually do the work. The Programme Guide encourages schools to join eTwinning, an online community hosted on the European School Education Platform for teachers and school staff vetted by the eTwinning national support organisation (Programme Guide 2026, p. 104).
From the Programme Guide
“eTwinning is also the perfect environment to find partners for future projects.”
| PIF field | Sample answer (fictional) | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Type / public body / non-profit | School (primary education) / Yes / Yes | Uses the same answers as in the Organisation Registration System |
| Brief presentation | Hillcrest is a public primary school in [town], [country], with 320 pupils aged 6 to 12 and 28 teachers. About 1 in 5 pupils speaks another language at home. We are a member of a regional network of 12 schools working on outdoor learning. | Ages, size and one fact about the pupils that a partner can build a project on |
| Activities in the field of the project | Every class spends one morning a week learning outdoors. Since 2023 teachers have run 3 eTwinning projects with schools in [countries], on weather, school gardens and traditional games. | Shows a working habit, and eTwinning experience that proves the team can cooperate online |
| Key staff | [Name], Year 4 teacher and Erasmus+ coordinator, 12 years' teaching, led our eTwinning projects. [Name], deputy head, responsible for the school's outdoor learning plan. | A coordinator sees who will answer emails and who has authority inside the school |
| Legal representative and contact | Legal representative: [Name], head teacher. Contact person: [Name], Erasmus+ coordinator, erasmus@hillcrest.example. | Two different people, each with a clear role and a mailbox that survives staff changes |
What does a PIF example for a VET provider look like?
A vocational education and training provider is usually asked for two things a school is not: its links with employers and the qualifications it teaches. The Programme Guide encourages VET providers to join EPALE and eTwinning, and says EPALE features the Community of European VET practitioners, a space for VET teachers, trainers and in-company tutors (Programme Guide 2026, p. 83).
| PIF field | Sample answer (fictional) | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Type / public body / non-profit | VET provider (upper secondary level) / Yes / Yes | Clear, and consistent with the registration |
| Brief presentation | Northgate is a public VET college in [city], [country], with about 900 learners aged 15 to 19 in hospitality, mechatronics and care, and 150 adults in evening courses. We have 70 teachers and trainers. | Sectors, levels and learner numbers in two sentences |
| Activities and experience in the field | Every learner completes at least 12 weeks of work-based learning in one of about 120 partner companies. Since 2022 we have sent 85 learners and 14 staff abroad for work placements and job shadowing ([project numbers]). | Shows the employer network a partnership can use, with dated figures |
| Key staff | [Name], head of hospitality, former hotel kitchen manager, designs our placement learning agreements. [Name], international officer, has managed 4 mobility projects. | Industry experience next to project management experience |
| What we can bring | Testing new training modules with real classes in two sectors, and access to employers for feedback on learning outcomes. | Tells the coordinator which work package you could carry |
What does a PIF example for a university department look like?
This is the type that most often goes wrong, because the people who want to join are in a department but the organisation is the university. Organisations should register only once and then get one Organisation ID (Programme Guide 2026, p. 414), and multiple registrations or the use of multiple OIDs by the same entity may qualify as misrepresentation (Programme Guide 2026, p. 415). So a department uses its university's legal name and OID, and names itself in the department field that many templates provide, such as the Learnkey template's "Department (if applicable)".
From the Programme Guide
“Any higher education institution (HEI) established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme and wanting to participate in a Small-scale Partnership must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).”
| PIF field | Sample answer (fictional) | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name / department / OID | University of Eastmoor / Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering / the university's OID: E1XXXXXXX | One legal entity, one OID; the department is named but not registered separately |
| Type / ECHE | Higher education institution / The university holds a valid ECHE | Answers the eligibility question before it is asked |
| Brief presentation | The University of Eastmoor is a public university in [city], [country], with about 14,000 students. This PIF is for its Department of Environmental Engineering: 22 academic staff, 380 bachelor's and master's students, and a water-quality laboratory open to local schools. | A short line on the university, then a focus on the unit that will do the work |
| Activities and experience in the field | The department teaches the region's only master's programme in water management. Since 2020 it has taken part in 2 Cooperation Partnerships as partner and in 1 Horizon project ([project numbers]); our publications list is at [link]. | Department-level evidence, with publications linked rather than pasted |
| Legal representative and contact | Legal representative: [Name], [position with authority to sign]. Contact person: [Name], project officer, Department of Environmental Engineering. | The signatory is the person who can commit the university, not the professor |
Not sure which code a coordinator needs from a university? Our guide explains OID and PIC. OID or PIC: which code goes where
What does a PIF example for a small company look like?
Companies can take part in partnerships. Any public or private organisation established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme can participate in a Small-scale Partnership, and these partnerships are open to any type of organisation active in education, training, youth, sport or other socio-economic sectors (Programme Guide 2026, p. 245). Cooperation Partnerships use the same wording and add organisations from some third countries not associated to the Programme (Programme Guide 2026, p. 236).
Youth Exchanges are stricter. A profit-making body can be a participating organisation only if it is active in corporate social responsibility and has proven experience in the youth field (Programme Guide 2026, p. 157):
From the Programme Guide
“provided its involvement does not have a commercial purpose and is not aimed at generating profit;”
| PIF field | Sample answer (fictional) | What makes it strong |
|---|---|---|
| Type / public body / non-profit | Small and medium-sized enterprise / No / No | Honest answers: a company is not a non-profit, and pretending otherwise is a red flag |
| Brief presentation | Fernway Digital is a company of 9 people in [city], [country], founded in 2019. We design accessible e-learning tools for adult education providers and run free digital-skills workshops for older people with the local library. | What the company does, and where it already works with learners |
| Activities and experience in the field | We have built 6 online courses for training centres in [country], each tested with groups of adult learners. We have not taken part in Erasmus+ before. | Concrete output, with the newcomer status stated plainly |
| Key staff | [Name], learning designer, 10 years in adult education. [Name], developer, accessibility specialist. | Skills the partnership is unlikely to have in-house |
| What we can bring | Building and testing the project's online learning platform with the partners' learners, and making it meet accessibility standards. | A defined task, not a sales pitch |
Joining a KA210 or a KA220? Our comparison shows what each asks of partners. KA210 or KA220: what each partner needs to know
What makes a PIF strong, whatever type of organisation you are?
Evaluators of KA210 and KA220 look at whether the project involves an appropriate mix of participating organisations in terms of profile, whether it involves newcomers and less experienced organisations, and whether the allocation of tasks demonstrates the commitment and active contribution of all participating organisations (Programme Guide 2026, pp. 241, 249). A coordinator reads your PIF with those criteria in mind.
| Weak | Strong | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "We are a dynamic organisation with wide experience in many fields." | "We run a weekly youth club for 13 to 25 year olds in [town] and reached about 300 young people in 2025." | A partner can check and use a fact; an adjective tells them nothing |
| "Experienced staff." | "[Name], youth worker for 8 years, group leader in 4 Youth Exchanges." | Staff profiles with qualifications and experience are what the application form needs (Programme Guide 2026, p. 424) |
| A list of every project since 2010 | The 3 to 5 projects closest to the topic, with year, action and project number | Relevance beats volume |
| "We can do anything the project needs." | "We can lead testing with 2 classes and organise the local dissemination event." | Shows the active contribution evaluators look for |
| Experience you hope to have | Experience you have, and "newcomer" where it is true | Falsely claiming experience or expertise to meet eligibility criteria is an example of misrepresentation (Programme Guide 2026, p. 416, footnote 463) |
Where can I find real, public PIF templates and examples?
There is no Commission PIF to download, but many organisations publish theirs. When we searched on 11 November 2026, the first results for "partner identification form" were mostly files hosted on salto-youth.net under the Otlas partner-finding tool, PIFs published by universities and schools, and form-filler websites. These are the public ones we opened and found useful as models:
- SALTO-hosted template "Partner Organisation Details" (Word): OID, legal name, public body and non-profit questions, a brief presentation of up to 5,000 characters, youth work experience, key staff, newcomer and less experienced status, legal representative and contacts. Good for youth organisations.
- Learnkey, Malta, "Erasmus+ Partner Identification Form" (PDF, blank): the classic layout in sections A to D, with partner organisation, profile, background and experience, and legal representative, including a "Department (if applicable)" field.
- National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, "Робота з PIF" (PDF, May 2026, in Ukrainian): what a PIF usually contains, from PIC or OID to motivation and links to publications, and six principles for writing one, including adapting the PIF to each request or partner.
- European Commission, 2024 application template for KA210-YOU (PDF): not a PIF, but it shows the "Background and experience" questions the application form asks about each organisation.
- Ankara University's published PIF (Word, 2025) and Institut Agustí Serra i Fontanet's published PIF (PDF, 2025): real filled examples from a university and a public secondary and VET school. Read them for layout only; the data belongs to those organisations.
The Catalan school's PDF carries a line in its footer that every PIF should take to heart: "Aquest document pot quedar obsolet una vegada imprès. Comprova que coincideix amb l’última versió." In English, our translation: this document may become out of date once printed; check that it matches the latest version (Institut Agustí Serra i Fontanet, Partner Identification Form, 2025).
Prefer a clean start? Our template comes blank in Word and PDF, with a filled-in example for a fictional NGO. Download the free PIF template
Looking for the partners to send it to? Start with the official partner-finding tools. How to find Erasmus+ partners
Why does a current PIF matter more than a perfect one?
Every example on this page has numbers in it: pupils, learners, staff, projects. That is what makes them strong, and it is also what makes them age. By next year the youth club has more members, the school has a new head teacher, the department has a new project officer, and the company has hired two people. A PIF sent as an attachment keeps last year's facts in every inbox it reached.
Those facts do not stay in the inbox. A coordinator copies them into the application, where the OID fills in the registration data automatically (Programme Guide 2026, p. 414) and an invalid OID is one of the grounds for non-admissibility (Programme Guide 2026, p. 416). Keeping your own facts right is the part of a partnership only you can do.
When are those deadlines? Our deadlines guide lists them. Erasmus+ deadlines
That is the part MyPIF will do. It will keep your organisation's PIF behind one permanent link that always opens the latest version, with version history, an AI Quality Score (a check of your PIF, not a prediction of funding), PDF and Word export when a coordinator needs a file, and copy for any field. It will not write your PIF answers or your applications; it keeps your facts current. MyPIF opens soon: join the waiting list before 1 December 2026 and get 2 months of Pro free, no card needed. Join the waiting list: 2 months of Pro free
Questions and answers
- Is there an official PIF example from the European Commission?
- No. The PIF is common practice, not an official Erasmus+ form, and the Programme Guide 2026 does not use the term. The official Identification Form is a different document, uploaded to the Organisation Registration System (Programme Guide 2026, p. 415).
- Can I copy a PIF example and change the name?
- Use examples for structure only. Your PIF text often ends up in an application, all applications must contain original content authored by the applicant or partners (Programme Guide 2026, p. 428), and falsely claiming experience is an example of misrepresentation (Programme Guide 2026, p. 416).
- Does a university department need its own OID?
- No. Organisations should register only once and get one OID (Programme Guide 2026, p. 414), and using multiple OIDs for the same entity may qualify as misrepresentation (Programme Guide 2026, p. 415). The department uses the university's OID and names itself in the department field.
- Can a private company be a partner in a KA210 or KA220?
- Yes. Any public or private organisation established in an EU Member State or associated third country can participate, and both actions are open to organisations active in other socio-economic sectors (Programme Guide 2026, pp. 236, 245).
Sources
- Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, version 1 (12 November 2025)Pages 83, 104, 157, 236, 241, 245, 249, 414, 415, 416, 424, 428. Current version on the Commission's Programme Guide page on 11 November 2026; no 2027 Guide published then.
- European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme Guide page"Current version" "Version 1 of 12.11.2025". Opened 11 November 2026.
- European Commission: 2024 application form template, KA210-YOU Small-scale partnerships in youthPages 6–7 (Background and experience). Opened 11 November 2026.
- SALTO-Youth (Otlas download): "Partner Organisation Details" PIF templateWord file. Opened 11 November 2026.
- Learnkey (Malta): Erasmus+ Partner Identification FormBlank template, 2 pages. Opened 11 November 2026.
- National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine: Робота з PIF (Partner Identification Form)In Ukrainian; PDF created 6 May 2026. Opened 11 November 2026.
- Ankara University: Partner Identification Form 2025A university's published PIF, cited for layout only. Opened 11 November 2026.
- Institut Agustí Serra i Fontanet (Sabadell): Partner Identification FormA public school's published PIF, cited for layout and its footer only. Opened 11 November 2026.
Why we publish this: a PIF only helps you if it is right, and most mistakes come from rules that change.
MyPIF, which opens soon, will keep your organisation's PIF behind one link that always opens the latest version: update your numbers and staff once and every partner with the link sees them, and export a PDF or Word file when someone needs one. Writing your answers is still up to you.
MyPIF is an independent service, not affiliated with or endorsed by the European Commission, EACEA or any National Agency.
