Business and consumer surveys - SGA

The Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys (BCS) offers a grant initiative aimed at systematically collecting standardized economic data across EU Member States and candidate countries. Eligible applicants include research institutes, economic survey organizations, and national statistical bodies, with an emphasis on specialized entities that conduct surveys. The funding type for this program is a monetary grant, specifically a BCS Project Grant (BCS-PJG) and a BCS Specific Grant (BCS-SGA-AG), with a total budget of €6.1 million allocated for 2026.

The application process is a single-stage open call, requiring proposals to be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. There is no requirement for applicants to form consortia or provide co-funding, as the grants fully cover survey costs. Geographic eligibility encompasses all EU Member States and candidate countries, which explicitly include Romania, Spain, and Ireland among others. The target sector for the grant pertains to economic research focusing on sectors such as industry, construction, retail trade, services, and consumer behavior.

The project stage primarily involves ongoing data collection, with a focus on validation or demonstration of survey results. Individual grant amounts are not specified but are presumed to fall within a variable range, potentially between €200,000 and €1 million, depending on the project's scope. Applications must adhere to specific guidelines outlined in the call documents, which include information on admissibility conditions, evaluation criteria, and additional resources for potential applicants.

An information session was held to assist interested parties in understanding the grant's requirements, with recorded resources and materials available online to further guide the application process. The deadline for submitting applications is September 24, 2025, and the grant initiative is integral for enhancing the consistency and comparability of economic indicators critical for policymaking.

The EU Funding Opportunity is the BCS-2025-SGA, under the Call Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and consumer surveys (BCS-2025-SGA). It falls under the type of action BCS-PJG BCS Project Grants and uses the BCS Specific Grant [BCS-SGA-AG] Model Grant Agreement. The call is currently open for submission.

The deadline for submission is 24 September 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The opening date was 15 May 2025. It is a single-stage submission model.

An information session was held on 22 May 2025, from 14:00-17:00 (Brussels time) via Teams. The session covered administrative and financial aspects, a walkthrough of the EU Funding & Tenders portal, and a demonstration on how to submit a proposal. It was recommended for all relevant actors within the operational and financial management of the grant to attend.

A follow-up to the information session includes the recording and supporting documents available online. These include the session recording, a presentation on administrative and financial aspects, guidance on using the Funding & Tenders Portal, a presentation on how to submit applications, and a Detailed Budget Table template (for reference only, not for submission).

Regarding admissibility conditions, proposal page limits and layout are described in the call document and in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are also described in the call document. There are no other eligible conditions specified as 'n/a'. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are marked as 'n/a'. Submission and evaluation processes are marked as 'n/a'. Evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold, and process are described in the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is marked as 'n/a'. The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in the call document.

The available documents include: BCS List of participating countries, BCS Unit cost grid validation procedure, Decision on unit costs for BCS personnel costs, Call document, Standard application form (BCS) available in the Submission System, Application Form (Part A and B) (BCS), Detailed Budget Table (BCS), Survey Methodology Description (BCS Business), Survey Methodology Description (BCS Consumer), Request for Unit Cost Grid Validation (BCS), BCS MGA, BCS FPA, BCS Regulation 1997/2241, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget for the topic in 2026 is EUR 6,100,000.

There are 11 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

To start the submission process, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirming their choice of action type and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the My Proposals page.

For help, applicants can contact ECFIN-BCS-CALL-QUESTIONS@ec.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, IT Helpdesk, and Online Manual.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity, BCS-2025-SGA, aims to support projects related to Business and Consumer Surveys. It provides a budget of EUR 6,100,000 for grants in 2026. The application process involves a single-stage submission with a deadline of September 24, 2025. Applicants need to carefully review the call documents, admissibility conditions, and evaluation criteria outlined in the provided documentation. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal is the central platform for submission and accessing relevant information. An information session was held to guide potential applicants through the process, and follow-up materials are available online. Applicants can also use the portal to search for partners to collaborate with on their proposals. The call is open to eligible countries as defined in the call document, and applicants should ensure they meet the financial and operational capacity requirements.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, the recommendation to all relevant actors within the operational and financial management of the grant to attend the info session suggests that a variety of organizations, including those involved in financial management, are eligible. Further details regarding eligible applicant types would be found in the call document.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a BCS Project Grant (BCS-PJG) and BCS Specific Grant (BCS-SGA-AG).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, the presence of a partner search announcement section suggests that collaboration is possible and perhaps encouraged, but it is not clear if it is mandatory. The call document would provide more information.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are described in the call document. The "BCS List of participating countries" document suggests that eligibility is limited to specific countries participating in the Business and Consumer Surveys program.

Target Sector: The target sector is economic and financial affairs, specifically related to business and consumer surveys (BCS). The call focuses on the Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys.

Mentioned Countries: The "BCS List of participating countries" is mentioned, but the specific countries are not listed in the provided text.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly mentioned, but given the focus on surveys, it is likely related to the implementation and data collection phase of projects.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic BCS-2025-SGA - BCS-PJG BCS Project Grants is EUR 6,100,000. It is unclear how many grants will be awarded from this budget, but the text mentions an "indicative number of grants."

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status. The submission is single-stage.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is an EU funding opportunity under the Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys (BCS-2025-SGA). It is a call for BCS Project Grants (BCS-PJG) and BCS Specific Grants (BCS-SGA-AG). The call is open for submission with a deadline of September 24, 2025. The total budget for the topic is EUR 6,100,000. The call is a single-stage application process. An information session was held on May 22, 2025, and the materials are available online. The call document contains detailed information on eligibility criteria, evaluation, and the legal and financial setup. Applicants must submit their proposals through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. A list of participating countries, unit cost grids, and model grant agreements are available as supporting documents. The call targets actors involved in the operational and financial management of grants related to business and consumer surveys. Partner search announcements are available for those seeking collaboration.