XLSX import file basics

Basics

If you have exported the file from your existing project, you might already have some rows filled in with mobility activity/participation information which was added to the project at an earlier stage. In the file you find the following:

1. The first row displays the field names.
2. The second row indicates:
   • if the field is mandatory to create a draft mobility activity/participation record in the project, it is marked with (**)
   • if the field is mandatory to create/import a complete mobility activity, it is marked with (*).
   • if a dictionary value (DICT) is required or whether special formatting is required, such as the format for dates (DD-MM-YYYY) or decimal separators.
   • if a value will automatically be calculated (CALC) upon file import, and the column can remain empty. 

For example, if your project reference number is 2021-1-RO01-KA131-HED-000002719, then KA131 relates to the action type, and 2021 the call year of your project. Use the corresponding template and data dictionary relevant for your project and activities. For higher education, the templates are further divided into Staff and Students, and the import for each file type must also be done separately.

Dates and Durations 

Dates must use the format DD-MM-YYYY, using a dash as separator, for example Start date or End date (1). Durations (2) must use integer numbers and the allowed number of digits is indicated in the second row. Durations that are automatically calculated upon file import display CALC (3) in the second row and can remain empty.

Grant amount values

Certain grant fields in the file will be calculated upon file import and do not need to be filled in. These are marked with CALC (1) in the second row of the relevant column.

Where a grant amount is required, the required format (2) is displayed in the second row of the relevant column.

Erasmus+ project specifics

Basics

The following columns are applicable to all Erasmus+ action types and follow the same format. The position of these columns in the file varies according to the action type template you are using.

1. The Grant Agreement Number column is always available, either in the first or second column in the file. The asterisk in the second row marks it as mandatory.
2. The Mobility Activity ID is mandatory to create the draft mobility activity record in the project and it must be unique for each mobility activity added in the XLSX file, as well as for the entire project. The field is alphanumeric.
3. The Activity Type is also mandatory and must contain a valid dictionary value.
   • In the example below, fields such as Blended Mobility Activity, Blended Intensive Programme or Doctoral Mobility activity are specific for KA131-HED projects. 
4. Some fields are only required if you have provided information in another field. For example, if you have entered YES in the Force majeure column, you must also fill in the Force majeure explanations field.

A number of columns require a Data Dictionary value and are marked with DICT. See column C (3) in the example below. If the dictionary value YES or NO is required, this is also indicated. Only YES or NO can be used in these cells to indicate the answer. See column D (4) in the example template below for KA131 Students.

Participant specific columns

The Participant ID column (1) is not mandatory and no dictionary value or special formatting is required. If you do fill it in, the Participant ID must be unique within the project. The field is alphanumeric.

A number of columns deal with the participant details (2), for example their first name, last name, email, gender, date of birth, nationality, etc. Depending on the action type of your project, there may be additional columns.

Sending and Receiving Organisation ID, OID and Erasmus code columns

In all other modules, the Organisation ID (OID) refers to the ID generated upon registration in the Organisation Registration system (ORS). In Beneficiary module, the Organisation ID generated from the organisation registration system is referred to as the OID and the Organisation ID that can be defined upon creating an organisation in the project. The Organisation ID is a unique identifier assigned to each organisation in your project. This is not the same as the OID. All organisations in the beneficiary project have an Organisation ID, including partner organisations which may or may not have an OID.

Please note that:

• The Organisation ID must be unique in the project. The Organisation ID in beneficiary module can be freely defined by the person creating the organisation in the system.
• The OID cannot be linked to more than one Organisation ID in the project.
• The OID is the ID obtained from the Organisation registration system.
• The OID, when entered in the system, will retrieve all organisation details from ORS. Likewise, a new OID added to the file will retrieve the organisation details once the file is imported.
• The Erasmus+ Higher Education Charter (Erasmus Code or ECHE), if available, can also be used to retrieve organisation details.
• OID is not always required when creating an organisation in beneficiary module. This is dependent on the action type of your project and the role of the organisation. See Participating organisations in projects for details. 

The OID is the unique organisation identifier obtained when registering in the Organisation Registration system. When the Sending or Receiving organisation OID (2) is filled in, the other organisation details will be automatically filled in when importing the file. This is true for both sending and receiving organisations details. For partner organisations without an OID, provide at least the mandatory details, indicated with an asterisk followed by "if no OID" in the file. 

If the organisation is a higher education institution holding an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, it is recommended to use the Erasmus Code instead of the OID in the relevant Sending/Receiving Organisation Erasmus Code (3) column. You can find the list of Higher education institutions holding an ECHE code (2021-2027) on https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/document/higher-education-institutions-holding-an-eche-2021-2027.

Import organisations to the project

You can use the import file to add new organisations to the project. 

In the example below, adding a unique Organisation ID and the OID of an organisation not yet present in the project will automatically create the organisation in your project, after the import is successfully completed. Once added, it will be available in the list of Organisations. 

Higher education specifics

In Higher Education projects, sending organisations can only be from Programme Countries. Receiving organisations from Programme Countries must hold a valid ECHE accreditation, except for Student and Staff Training activities (HE-SMT and HE-STT). For international mobility activities, the receiving organisations from Partner Countries are not required to register in the Organisation Registration system, nor to obtain an ECHE accreditation, but they must observe the ECHE principles. See Eligible countries for more details.

ESC51 - Volunteering Projects specifics

Basics

Take note of the following: 

1. The Data type column is always available in the file and must be filled in, indicated by the *. The value to be provided can be found in the relevant data dictionary. If the column does not contain a value, the file import will fail. 
2. The Grant Agreement Number column is always available, either in the first or second column in the file. The asterisk in the second row marks it as mandatory. If no or the wrong Grant Agreement Number is provided, the file import will fail. 

Some fields are only required if you have provided information in another field. For example, if you have entered YES in the Force majeure column, you must also fill in the Force majeure explanations field.

A number of columns require a Data Dictionary value and are marked with DICT. See column H (3) in the example below. If the dictionary value YES or NO is required, this is also indicated. Only YES or NO can be used in these cells to indicate the answer. 

PRN (Young person only)

Young people wishing to engage in activities related to the European Solidarity Corps programme need to register in the European Solidarity Corps portal. After successful registration, the young person receives a registration number, the Participant Registration Number (PRN) - a unique identification number, made of 10 or 14 digits.

The PRN must be provided if the participation concerns a participant of the type Young person, which must be indicated in the dedicated column. The PRN for the participants who have accepted offers for participation in your project is visible in the Participants section of your project, after the participants have been retrieved from the European Youth Portal. 

Offer ID (Young person only)

The Offer ID and related fields can remain empty, indicated by CALC displayed in the second row for this column. The offer information will automatically be retrieved upon file import, based on the PRN. 

Participant data columns

For participants of the type Young person, the participant-specific fields, such as First name, Last name or email address, can remain empty. All their personal data will be retrieved automatically from EYP, as available in the participant data. The file indicates the relevant columns as ** if 'Young person'=NO. 

For participants of the type Accompanying Person, the fields must be filled in. If you provide details for an accompanying person who is not yet available in the list of participants in your project, they will be created in the project and they will be visible in the list of participants, after a successful file import. 

Supporting organisation columns

In all other modules, the Organisation ID (OID) refers to the ID generated upon registration in the Organisation Registration system (ORS). In Beneficiary module, the Organisation ID generated from the organisation registration system is referred to as the OID and the Organisation ID that can be defined upon creating an organisation in the project. The Organisation ID is a unique identifier assigned to each organisation in your project. This is not the same as the OID. All organisations in the beneficiary project have an Organisation ID, including partner organisations which may or may not have an OID.

Please note that:

• The Organisation ID must be unique in the project. The Organisation ID in beneficiary module can be freely defined by the person creating the organisation in the system.
• The OID cannot be linked to more than one Organisation ID in the project.
• The OID is the ID obtained from the Organisation registration system.
• The OID, when entered in the system, will retrieve all organisation details from ORS. Likewise, a new OID added to the file will retrieve the organisation details once the file is imported.
• The Erasmus+ Higher Education Charter (Erasmus Code or ECHE), if available, can also be used to retrieve organisation details.
• OID is not always required when creating an organisation in beneficiary module. This is dependent on the action type of your project and the role of the organisation. See Participating organisations in projects for details. 

The Supporting organisation ID is a mandatory field in the participations import file, linked to a Young Person under certain conditions. It is used to identify the organisation in the file against the ones existing in the project. If you have started from an empty template, you may not see the default Organisation ID in the file, but you can fill it with the ID of your choice, by specifying it in the Supporting organisation ID field (1), as applicable. Remember: the Organisation ID must be unique for each organisation in the project.

The OID is the unique organisation identifier obtained when registering in the Organisation Registration system. When the Supporting organisation OID (2) is filled in, the other organisation details will be automatically filled in when importing the file.

If the organisation is a higher education institution holding an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, it is recommended to use the Erasmus Code instead of the OID in the relevant Supporting organisation Erasmus Code (3) column. You can find the list of Higher education institutions holding an ECHE code (2021-2027) on https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/document/higher-education-institutions-holding-an-eche-2021-2027.

Fill in the file

In the example below, we are using a Call 2022 KA131-HED file for student mobilities. 

Add the first mobility activity

Make sure you fill in one row for each mobility activity you want to import. 

Provide all mandatory fields in your spreadsheet for the first mobility activity. Mind the information explained above, to avoid errors when importing the file into your project.

For the following mobility activities, either fill in the additional rows one by one, or follow the instructions further below to copy the information from the first mobility activity row, then update as required for each of the additional mobility activities.

Select the entire mobility activity row and select "Copy"

In order to explain how to add new mobility activities, we will look at a simple scenario where three new mobility activities are added. 

Each mobility activity will have a different participant, but coming from the same organisation and going to the same location, at the same time and for the same activity. The mobility activity budget is also the same for each mobility activity.

Select the row of an existing mobility and copy. 

Select multiple empty rows and "Paste"

Select as many empty rows as desired, then paste the copied information. Depending on your spreadsheet editor, there are various options for the paste action. In the example below, the following options are available:

• Press ENTER 
• Press at the same time CTRL+V or CMD+V
• Right-click on your mouse and select Paste

Update the mobility activity information

Update the specific details for each participant. 

Remember:

1. The Grant Agreement No. must be the same for all rows in the file.
2. Update the Mobility activity ID. It must be unique for the participant in the project. You cannot have the same mobility activity ID twice in the file, as there will be errors at import.
   • If the Mobility activity ID is the same as that of an existing mobility activity (previously imported/added in the project), the new upload will overwrite/update the existing mobility activity.
   • Any new Mobility activity ID added to the spreadsheet will result in a new mobility added to the project.
3. You can also update the Participant ID with a unique ID. Alternatively, leave it blank, and an automatic ID will be assigned upon importing the file. 
4. Update any other fields, such as the participant information, as required, for each mobility activity in the file.

Save the file

Once all information is provided, save your file as XLSX or XLS. You are now ready to import the mobility activity file into your project.