Data Space for Cultural Heritage

Open tender EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069 issued by the European Commission DG CNECT seeks a contractor to advance and expand the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage. The estimated contract value is €30,000,000 with an initial duration of 24 months renewable twice for a planned total of up to 48 months, expected September 2026 to August 2030. Submission is electronic via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by 8 June 2026 at 16:00 CET, with a deadline for additional information on 29 May 2026 and a tender opening on 9 June 2026. The scope covers deployment and operation of data infrastructure, metadata and 3DXR content support, AI and machine learning for metadata enrichment, interoperability and governance, and award criteria weight quality 65 percent and price 35 percent.

Tender summary

What it funds

A service contract to advance and expand the deployment of the common European data space for cultural heritage, continuing work from the current deployment contract and implementing the DEP WP 2025-2027 topic Data Space for Cultural Heritage (deployment).

Estimated budget:Estimated overall contract value about €30,000,000 for the full duration ¹ .

Who can apply:Organisations and consortia able to deliver large-scale digital services and deployment activities for cultural heritage; procurement is run by the European Commission DG CNECT as a services contract (see procurement documents) ¹ .

1. 1Call identifier EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069
2. 2Submission method: electronic eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal
3. 3Contract initial period 24 months, renewable up to 2 times (total planned up to 48 months)

Procurement documents including invitation to tender, model contract, financial form and security requirements were published on 2026-05-08; applicants must consult those documents for detailed eligibility, award criteria and submission instructions ¹ .

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documentation and submission portal: Tender details - Data Space for Cultural Heritage.

Opportunity summary

What the procurement is for

The European Commission (DG CNECT) invites tenders to advance and expand the deployment of the common European data space for cultural heritage. The contract implements the topic 'Data Space for Cultural Heritage (deployment)' of the DEP WP 2025-2027 and continues work performed under the current contract LC-01901432. The procurement is structured as a services contract with a planned period of 48 months and an estimated overall contract value of €30,000,000.

Key dates:Call publication date: 2026-05-08. Final submission / closing date: 8 June 2026, 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels). An additional earlier deadline date (metadata) 1 January 2026 appears in the raw metadata but the formal tender closing date published and validated by the portal is 8 June 2026. Open tender event (information session) occurrence date: 9 June 2026, 14:00 (check procurement documents for details).

Procurement identifier and lead authority:Call identifier: EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069. Lead contracting authority: European Commission, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT).

Detailed eligibility, financial and procedural information

Eligible Applicant Types

This is a public procurement (service contract) published by the European Commission. Eligible applicants are economic operators that satisfy the selection and exclusion criteria set out in the procurement documentation. Typical eligible applicant types include: private companies (SMEs and large enterprises), consortia of companies, non-profit organisations, research organisations and public bodies where permitted by procurement rules. The tender documentation specifies selection and qualification requirements and any limits on SME suitability (the procurement metadata indicates SME suitable indicator: false). The contracting authority requires applicants to complete the Declaration of Honour and other administrative annexes supplied in the tender documents.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:public procurement — service contract. The award will be a contractual service contract (Model Service Contract included in the procurement documents). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument.

Consortium Requirement

The procedure allows submission by a single economic operator or by a consortium/consortium lead as permitted by standard EU procurement rules. The tender documentation contains specific tenderer qualification requirements and selection criteria; applicants should consult these to determine whether to bid as a single legal entity or as a consortium/joint venture. The procurement lot (LOT-0001) lists specific tenderer qualification requests and selection criteria sources in the tendering terms.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Primary geographic scope:entities eligible under EU public procurement rules as contracting parties to the European Commission. Practically this includes organisations established in EU Member States and typically entities from EEA countries and other countries covered by the EU procurement rules (consult the procurement documents for precise eligibility of non-EU entities). Bidders must ensure they meet the nationality/establishment requirements set out in the Invitation to Tender and Model Contract.

Target Sector

Thematic/industry sector:cultural heritage, data spaces, digital cultural heritage infrastructure, data management and sharing, interoperability, digital services for cultural institutions. Cross-cutting digital themes: data governance, data sharing infrastructures, digital preservation, metadata standards, APIs, security and access control, user engagement for cultural heritage stakeholders.

Project Stage (expected maturity)

Expected project maturity:deployment, demonstration and operational rollout. The procurement intends to continue and scale up an existing deployed initiative; bidders are expected to propose implementation, deployment, operational support and scaling activities rather than basic research or early-stage concept development.

Funding Amount and Contract Duration

Estimated overall contract value:€30,000,000. Planned contract duration: 48 months in total. The tender metadata states the contract is concluded for an initial period of 24 months, renewable two times (consult the draft contract for renewal details and conditions).

Application Type and Submission Method

Application type:open public procurement tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method: mandatory electronic submission (eSubmission) via the Funding and Tenders Portal (eForms extension referenced). Documents must be uploaded/submitted through the portal by the published deadline.

Nature of Support

Beneficiaries will receive a service contract and financial remuneration under the contract terms. Support is monetary (contract payments for services rendered) governed by the Model Service Contract and payment terms included in procurement documents.

Application Stages

The procurement follows standard tender stages:1) submission of tender (administrative and technical & financial offers) via eSubmission; 2) evaluation of offers against exclusion, selection and award criteria; 3) award decision and contract signature. Additional clarification and negotiation steps may occur (requests for additional information) within the procurement timetable. The tender lifecycle therefore typically has 2 to 3 principal stages (submission, evaluation, award).

Success Rates

No explicit success rate is published. The tender is a competitive procurement with one or more contracts awarded (likely one contract for LOT-0001). Historical and contextual competitive pressures indicate that success rates depend on the number and quality of bids; the contracting authority does not publish a fixed success probability. Consult the procurement documents for award criteria and weighting to maximise competitiveness.

Co-funding Requirement

No co-funding from applicants is indicated in the procurement metadata. This is a paid services contract: the successful contractor will be paid according to the contract terms. Bidders must price their offers using the provided financial form and may need to show financial capacity/turnover or guarantees as part of selection criteria.

Awarding Criteria and Evaluation

Awarding criteria are quality and price, with weights published in the tendering terms. The procurement metadata lists quality weighting of 65 and price weighting of 35 (consult the procurement documents for the detailed sub-criteria and scoring methodology). The contracting authority instructs bidders to consult the procurement documents for the full award criterion descriptions.

Required documents and templates (explicit list from the portal)

The procurement package includes the following documents which bidders must download, complete and submit as appropriate. These are provided as official procurement attachments on the Funding & Tenders Portal and should be used in the exact versions published.

1. 1EN Invitation to tender EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069 Data space for cultural heritage (PDF) — primary invitation to tender and procurement specifications.
2. 2EN TENDER SPECIFICATIONS EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069 Data space for cultural heritage (PDF) — detailed technical, administrative and contractual requirements.
3. 3Model_Service_Contract_EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069_V1.pdf — draft contract text (contractual clauses, duration, renewals, payment schedules).
4. 4Appendix 1 to Model Contract - Security requirements (PDF) — security and classified information handling requirements.
5. 5EN-Administrative Annexes_V1.docx — administrative templates and annexes required for the submission.
6. 6Declaration-of-honour_Data space for cultural heritage_EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069_V1.docx — declaration of honour template for exclusion and eligibility.
7. 7EN-Annex 6- Financial form_V1.xlsx — mandatory financial form for pricing the offer.

Procurement requirements and technical expectations

Bidders must follow the tender specifications for functional and technical deliverables. Expected technical areas include: architecture and deployment of the data space for cultural heritage, interoperability with existing cultural heritage systems, metadata standards and mapping, data governance and access control mechanisms, services for ingestion, search and discovery, APIs and connectors, operational support and maintenance, security and compliance with EU requirements, outreach and engagement with cultural stakeholders, and performance monitoring. The tender documents provide exact deliverables, milestones, reporting and KPIs. Security requirements are detailed in Appendix 1 to the Model Contract and must be strictly followed.

Procurement model and contract renewals

The procurement is a services contract concluded initially for 24 months and renewable up to two times (details and renewal conditions are in the Model Service Contract). The procurement metadata indicates electronic ordering and payments will be used post award. The contract will be managed under EU contractual terms included in the Model Service Contract.

Practical next steps for potential bidders

1. 1Register and log in to the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and access the tender EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069 to download all procurement documents.
2. 2Carefully read the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Model Service Contract, Appendix 1 Security Requirements, Administrative Annexes, Declaration of Honour and the Financial Form.
3. 3Confirm eligibility under the procurement rules (nationality/establishment requirements) and prepare required supporting documents including financial capacity, technical capacity and references.
4. 4Decide on bid structure: single legal entity or consortium/joint venture. Prepare consortium agreements or mandates if bidding as a consortium.
5. 5Complete the Administrative Annexes, Declaration of Honour and the Financial Form. Prepare the technical offer demonstrating capability to deliver deployment, operations and scaling of the data space.
6. 6Submit the complete tender electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission before 8 June 2026, 16:00:59 (Brussels time).

Mentioned countries and regions

The procurement is issued by the European Commission and is therefore pan-European in scope. The documents reference the European Union as the contracting region; DG CNECT is the lead authority. Specific country listings are not provided in the invitation text; eligibility follows EU public procurement rules and commonly includes EU Member States and those countries covered by EU procurement agreements (see procurement documentation for exact nationality rules).

Templates and application form structure

The procurement package provides standard administrative and financial templates that bidders must complete. Structure and content required include the following components and templates:

1. 1Administrative Annexes: standard information about the bidder, legal status, contact points, authorisations to sign, and evidence to support exclusion and selection criteria.
2. 2Declaration of Honour: formal declaration covering exclusion grounds, conflict of interest, and other declarations required by EU procurement rules.
3. 3Financial Form (EN-Annex 6): Excel workbook for pricing the offer, breakdown of costs, and calculation of total price. Use this form exactly as published.
4. 4Technical Offer: structured narrative and deliverables according to the Tender Specifications (methodology, workplan, staff profiles, project management, risk management, quality assurance, KPIs, milestones).
5. 5Consortium documents (if applicable): mandates, consortium agreement, lead partner authorisation, description of each partner's role and capacity.
6. 6Model Service Contract: review and acceptance of contractual clauses; bidders should highlight reservations or alternative approaches only where explicitly allowed by the tender rules.

Bidders must use the exact versions of the templates provided in the procurement documents; do not modify template structure unless explicitly permitted. The tender specification contains detailed instructions for formatting, annex ordering and marking of confidential material.

Summary and explanation

This procurement seeks a contractor to continue and scale the deployment of a common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage. The awarded contractor will be responsible for technical deployment, operational support, interoperability and integration with cultural heritage stakeholders and systems across Europe, addressing metadata, data governance, security and user-facing services. The contract is a multi-year service contract (estimated €30 million) published by DG CNECT, with electronic tender submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal and a closing date of 8 June 2026. Interested bidders must download and complete the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Model Service Contract, administrative annexes, declaration of honour and the financial form, and follow the evaluation and award criteria outlined in the procurement documentation. The procurement documentation contains all technical specifications, award criteria (quality/price weighting), security requirements and contract clauses necessary to prepare a compliant bid. For contractual text, templates and authoritative details consult the procurement attachments on the Funding & Tenders Portal Contract notice. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Access the official procurement documents and attachments (Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Model Service Contract, Administrative Annexes, Declaration of Honour, Financial Form, Appendix 1 Security requirements) on the Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069.

Opportunity Overview

This is an open tender (EC-CNECT/LUX/2026/OP/0069) for a service contract to advance and expand the deployment of the common European data space for cultural heritage. It implements the topic 'Data Space for Cultural Heritage (deployment)' under the Digital Europe Programme Work Programme 2025-2027. The contract continues the work from the previous contract (LC-01901432), which ran from September 2022 to August 2024 with an EU contribution of €15 million. The new tender has an estimated overall contract value of €30 million.

The data space is a flagship EU initiative led by the Europeana Initiative, enabling cultural heritage institutions and EU Member States to share and reuse digitised cultural heritage content, including high-quality metadata and 3D assets. It supports digital transformation in the cultural sector, promotes interoperability with other data spaces, and incorporates advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, and extended reality (XR). Key resources include Europeana.eu (€61 million+ items), Europeana Academy, Statistics Dashboard, and tools for FAIR data principles.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Publication Date:8 May 2026.

Deadline for Submission:8 June 2026 at 16:00 CET (Brussels time). Submission is electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Additional Information Requests:Deadline 29 May 2026.

Tender Opening:9 June 2026 at 14:00 CET.

Contract Details

Duration:Initial period of 24 months (48 months planned), renewable twice. Expected period: September 2026 to August 2030.

Estimated Value:€30,000,000.

Type:Services (CPV 72314000 - Data services). Single lot (LOT-0001). Not suitable for SMEs.

Award Criteria:Quality: 65%, Price: 35%. Full details in procurement documents.

Who Can Apply

Open to economic operators from EU Member States and associated countries. Tenderer qualification requirements apply, including economic and financial standing, technical and professional capacity. Specific requirements detailed in tender specifications. Not restricted to cultural heritage institutions; suitable for consortia with expertise in data infrastructure, digital platforms, AI, 3D/XR technologies, and cultural sector services.

Scope and Expected Outputs

The contractor will deploy and maintain infrastructure for sharing digitised cultural heritage data, building on Europeana and Simpl cloud-to-edge middleware. Focus areas include high-quality 3D/XR content, metadata enrichment via AI/ML, multilingual support, personalised recommendations, cross-sector reuse (e.g., education, tourism, creative industries), security/privacy by design, and governance for trustworthy data access.

• Enrich data offer with high-value datasets, tools, and services.
• Integrate AI/ML for metadata enrichment, translation, and user engagement.
• Support 3D/XR digitisation, storage, processing, and reuse.
• Provide training, capacity building, and community collaboration.
• Ensure interoperability, FAIR principles, and alignment with Strategy 2025-2030.

Procurement Documents

1. 1EN Tender Specifications (EN_TENDER_SPECIFICATIONS_EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069_Data space for cultural heritage_V1.pdf) ¹.
2. 2EN Invitation to Tender (EN-Invitation_to_tender_EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069_Data space for cultural heritage_V1.pdf).
3. 3Model Service Contract (Model_Service_Contract_EC-CNECT-LUX-2026-OP-0069_V1.pdf).
4. 4Declaration of Honour, Administrative Annexes, Financial Form.
5. 5Appendix 1: Security Requirements.

Application Process

Submit via eSubmission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tender validity: 9 months. Electronic orders and payments required. Questions via the portal; changes notified until 22 May 2026. Hybrid tender workshops planned by Europeana Foundation Tender Workshops.

Background and Strategy

Aligns with Commission Recommendation C(2021)7953 and Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage Strategy 2025-2030, targeting interoperable infrastructure, data diversification, AI/3D/XR integration, governance, and cross-sector reuse. Complements initiatives like European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) Data Space Website.

Contracting Authority:European Commission, DG CNECT (Communications Networks, Content and Technology) DG CNECT.

Footnotes

1. 1All documents available on the tender page: Tender Details.