European network of national competence centers for innovation procurement

The main goal of this opportunity is to build a European network of national competence centers focused on innovation procurement. It supports both the creation of new centers and the expansion of existing ones, aiming to strengthen collaboration among public procurers across Europe. Key focus areas include increasing the capacity for pre-commercial procurement (PCP) and public procurement of innovative solutions (PPI), as well as promoting synergies with Horizon Europe and ESIF funds. The initiative seeks to boost the uptake of innovation procurement, coordinate policies more effectively, and ensure inclusiveness and diversity across EU territories. This grant targets EU Member States and Associated Countries, with a special emphasis on involving countries with "moderate" or "emerging" innovation levels.

• Establish or expand national competence centers for innovation procurement in at least 15 countries, including new centers in ‘emerging’ or ‘moderate’ innovator states.
• Build and coordinate a European-wide network for competence centers to exchange best practices, implement PCP/PPI, and promote joint transnational procurements.
• Develop training, guidance, and support tools for public procurers to increase capacity, awareness, and implementation of innovation procurement mechanisms.
• Promote innovation procurement business opportunities EU-wide, targeting startups and SMEs, through collaboration with EIC, Enterprise Europe Network, and national actors.
• Collaborate with national policymakers to integrate PCP/PPI into national strategies via action plans, funding synergies, and systemic policy reforms.

Example projects:

• An alliance of national competence centers from 15 different EU countries collaborating to share best practices and tools for innovation procurement.
• A project that brings together 10 established innovation procurement centers and 5 new public bodies, including two from countries with lower innovation scores, to launch new centers and joint activities.
• A network that supports both the expansion of existing centers and the creation of new ones in underrepresented EU regions, aiming to cover all Member States by the end of the project.

• Salaries and personnel costs for staff involved in project activities
• Costs for organizing and attending meetings, workshops, and training sessions
• Travel and accommodation expenses related to project implementation
• Development and dissemination of training materials and toolkits
• Communication, outreach, and networking activities
• Costs for setting up digital platforms and IT infrastructure
• Subcontracting of specific tasks or expert services
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting activities
• Administrative and management costs directly linked to the project

All eligible costs are covered through a lump sum arrangement. Specific restrictions or further details may apply as defined in the program guidelines.

• Budget for this Call: 4,500,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1
• Maximum project duration: 48 months
• Other financial details: Funding is provided as a lump sum under the Horizon Europe Programme. For precise amounts and co-financing rates, applicants should consult the program guidelines.

• Applicants must be based in EU Member States or Associated Countries as defined in the program guidelines.
• Each project must involve at least 15 independent legal entities, each from a different eligible country.
• The consortium must include at least 10 existing national competence centers for innovation procurement.
• At least 5 public bodies must be mandated to set up new competence centers, with at least 2 located in "emerging" or "moderate" innovator countries.
• Participation is based on forming a network or consortium across different countries.