Dear Sir/Madam,
I am contacting you on behalf of the consortium currently preparing “The Empty Chair”, a project proposal under the ESF+ call ESF-SI-2026-ECG-01, focused on strengthening the implementation and governance of the European Child Guarantee.
We are currently looking for a strong public authority partner working in the field of children’s rights, child and family policy, social protection or the implementation of the European Child Guarantee.
The project focuses on the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life and aims to improve coordination between maternal and child health services, early childhood care, social services and education. In particular, we aim to test a practical multi-stakeholder
referral mechanism that helps vulnerable children and families to be identified early and effectively connected to the services they need.
The consortium currently brings together the French Ministry of Solidarity (DGCS) as Lead Partner, Militants des Savoirs (France), the European Social Network (ESN), and the Education and Social Innovation Centre of Austria (ESICA), together with participating
public authorities.
The project has an indicative budget of €1.5 million, with 80% EU funding and 20% co-financing, and a planned duration of 24 months, starting in April 2027.
We would be very interested in discussing whether your Ministry/Department could join the consortium as a public co-applicant and national strategic partner.
For your consideration, we have attached a short project concept note outlining the objectives, methodology and proposed partnership structure.
As the call deadline is 30 September 2026 at 17:00 CET, we are currently finalising the consortium and would greatly appreciate an initial indication of interest at your earliest convenience.
If this invitation would be more appropriately handled by another department or colleague responsible for children’s rights or the European Child Guarantee, we would be very grateful if you could forward this message or direct us to the appropriate contact.
Thank you very much for your consideration. We would be pleased to arrange a short online meeting to discuss the potential cooperation.
Kind regards,
Arsoy AR
Education and Social Innovation Centre of Austria (ESICA)
📱 WhatsApp: +90 551 058 0010