The EQF Recommendations, and other EU strategic documents on VET and LLL policies, recommend that Member States implement overarching NQFs. All of the member states declared their willingness to implement NQFs, and most have already presented referencing reports to the EQF AG. According to Cedefop (2015), the first stage of EQF implementation is reaching its final stage. However, in most EU countries that have implemented an NQF, only formal qualifications can be referenced to it, while very few countries have introduced systemic solutions for the inclusion of non-formal qualifications (e.g. Scotland, Ireland, France). Europe is just now beginning to face the stage of implementing solutions to include non-formal qualifications in NQFs. It is envisaged that in the coming years, the inclusion of non-formal qualification will constitute one of most important topics in discussions on NQF implementation at the EU and national levels. Central issues in these discussions will consist of model solutions, the quality assurance of this process and its financial aspects. The main goal of the NQF-IN project is to provide evidence based support to national governments, EU agencies and key stakeholders in developing policies on including non-formal VET qualification into NQFs. This will be done by: (a) analysing systemic solutions implemented in 7 EU countries and by (2) developing organisational and financial models related to the inclusion of non-formal qualifications to NQFs. Each analysed country case will include a description of (a) main elements of the qualifications system and the role of the NQF; (b) institutional arrangements - which institutions are responsible for NQF management, and the quality assurance of non-formal qualifications; (c) costs of including qualifications into the NQF, indicating who covers these costs; (d) strengths and weaknesses of particular systemic solutions. Each developed model will include a description of: (a) institutional arrangements - its pros and cons depending on the goals set for the NQF, and the broad institutional context, (b) cost intensity - how cost intensive are systemic solutions envisaged by the model, (c) recommendations on its financing, (d) “conditions of success”, i.e. which conditions have to be met in order for a particular model to work effectively within the national qualifications system. We expect that better evidence based support for decision makers and stakeholders will provide more impetus and greater efficiency in NQF implementation and its opening to the non-formal sector, resulting in better VET and LLL policies within EU countries and at the EU level.