Digital Twin Scenarios: defining a harmonised framework for communicating uncertainty aspects

The opportunity is a planned negotiated procedure by the European Commission, titled "Digital Twin Scenarios: defining a harmonised framework for communicating uncertainty aspects," identified by the procedure code EC-CNECT/LUX/2025/MVP/0054-EXA. The goal of the study is to establish a framework for communicating uncertainty within the Destination Earth initiative, which aims to create an accurate digital twin of the Earth to model and simulate natural phenomena and extreme weather events.

Eligible applicants are expected to include research institutions, universities, consultancy firms, and organizations with expertise in digital twins, artificial intelligence, climate modeling, and effective communication of uncertainty. The funding type is a service contract with a maximum value of €140,000, falling within the €50k–€200k range. The contract is specifically for services and does not require co-funding.

There are no explicit consortium requirements, allowing for single entities to apply. The geographical scope primarily targets EU entities, with potential eligibility for EEA countries under EU procurement rules. The project focuses on climate, environmental modeling, and decision-making frameworks. While specific countries are not mentioned, the initiative is EU-wide.

The project is in the research and development stage, aiming to create a standard framework and demonstrate this through a functional demonstrator. Its objectives include enhancing non-expert access to reliable data, establishing trustworthy communication practices, improving uncertainty communication for policymakers, and strengthening the interaction between science and policy.

The contract shall last for a maximum of 12 months, with the expression of interest opening on June 24, 2025, and closing on July 17, 2025. The negotiated procedure is expected to launch on July 18, 2025. This contract will engage recipients through an electronic submission process, and no calls for tenders have been issued yet—this is merely a pre-announcement. The emphasis remains on developing actionable frameworks to support and enhance decision-making in environmental and climate contexts using AI-driven models and digital twins.

This is a publication announcing the European Commission's intention to publish a future negotiated low or middle value procedure, not a call for tenders. The procedure identifier is EC-CNECT/LUX/2025/MVP/0054-EXA. The title is "Digital Twin Scenarios: defining a harmonised framework for communicating uncertainty aspects".

The purpose of the study is to define a framework to address the communication of uncertainty in Destination Earth and to demonstrate the feasibility of the framework, via a functional demonstrator. Destination Earth (DestinE) is a flagship initiative of the European Commission to develop a highly accurate digital model of the Earth (a digital twin of the Earth) to model, monitor and simulate natural phenomena, hazards and related human activities, including those related to future climate and extreme-weather events.

The study explores how to effectively communicate uncertainty to policymakers using standardized and reliable methods. It focuses on methods and semantic interoperability frameworks that support decision-making by leveraging predictions and modeling results from digital twins, including those powered by AI-based models.

The objectives of the study are:
Enhance non-expert users access to reliable, transparent, and traceable data.
Establish trustworthy communication practices.
Improve communication of uncertainty for decision-makers.
Identify and assess interactive tools for uncertainty communication.
Strengthen the science and policy interplay.

The maximum total value of the contract is 140,000 EUR. The procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG CNECT Communications Networks, Content and Technology. The main classification (CPV) code is 79419000 Evaluation consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 12 months. There is no framework agreement.

The start date for expression of interest is 2025-06-24 Europe/Brussels. The deadline for expression of interest is 17/07/2025 04:59 Europe/Brussels. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2025-07-18 Europe/Brussels.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given. The method of expression of interest is electronic. The address for expression of interest is "Express interest".

A frequently asked question is: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference? The answer is: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders. They are a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intent to launch in the future a low or middle negotiated procedure. This was published on 03/10/2024 16:32.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement for a future negotiated procedure related to the Destination Earth initiative. The study aims to define a framework for communicating uncertainty in digital twin models to policymakers. The project will involve developing guidelines and a functional demonstrator to improve the reliability, transparency, and communication of data and predictions derived from digital twins, especially those powered by AI. The focus is on enhancing decision-making processes by ensuring that non-expert users have access to trustworthy and traceable information. The maximum budget is 140,000 EUR, and the contract duration is expected to be 12 months. Interested parties can express their interest electronically, with a deadline in July 2025. The actual call for tenders will be launched after the expression of interest phase.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity does not explicitly define eligible applicant types. However, given the nature of the study which involves defining a framework and demonstrating feasibility via a functional demonstrator, it is likely that eligible applicants could include research institutes, universities, consultancy firms, and other organizations with expertise in digital twins, AI, climate modeling, and communication of uncertainty to policymakers. The CPV code 79419000 (Evaluation consultancy services) suggests that consultancy firms are particularly relevant.

Funding Type: The funding type is a service contract, as indicated by the "Nature of the contract: services". This is a procurement action, not a grant.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. Given the complexity of the project, a consortium might be beneficial, but a single applicant with the necessary expertise could also be eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity does not explicitly specify geographic eligibility. However, since it is an EU initiative (Destination Earth), it is highly likely that applicants from the EU and possibly EEA countries are eligible.

Target Sector: The primary target sectors are ICT, climate, and environment, with a focus on digital twins, artificial intelligence, and communication of uncertainty in climate modeling. It also touches upon policy and decision-making.

Mentioned Countries: Luxembourg is mentioned as part of the procedure identifier (EC-CNECT/LUX/2025/MVP/0054-EXA), indicating that some part of the process may be managed from Luxembourg. Brussels is mentioned as the timezone for the milestones. The European Union is the relevant region.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on development and demonstration. The study aims to define a framework and demonstrate its feasibility through a functional demonstrator. This suggests the project is beyond the initial research phase and is moving towards practical application and validation.

Funding Amount: The maximum total value of the contract is 140,000 EUR. This falls into the €50k–€200k range.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. This means that after the expression of interest, the contracting authority will likely invite a limited number of candidates to submit a full proposal.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services rendered, specifically for conducting the study and delivering the functional demonstrator.

Application Stages: The application process appears to involve at least two stages: an expression of interest and a subsequent invitation to submit a full proposal for a selected number of candidates. Therefore, there are at least 2 stages.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned. However, given that this is a negotiated procedure, the success rate after the expression of interest stage is likely to be higher than an open call, as only a limited number of candidates will be invited to submit a full proposal. It is reasonable to assume a success rate of 10 to 39% after the expression of interest.

Co-funding Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. It is likely that no co-funding is required, as it is a service contract where the European Commission is procuring a specific service.

Summary:

This opportunity is a planned negotiated procedure, not a call for tenders, initiated by the European Commission, DG CNECT, for a study to define a harmonized framework for communicating uncertainty aspects within the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. DestinE aims to develop a highly accurate digital twin of the Earth to model and simulate natural phenomena, hazards, and human activities, including climate and extreme weather events. The study will focus on effectively communicating uncertainty to policymakers using standardized and reliable methods, with an emphasis on semantic interoperability frameworks and AI-based models. The objectives include enhancing access to reliable data for non-expert users, establishing trustworthy communication practices, improving uncertainty communication for decision-makers, identifying interactive tools, and strengthening the science-policy interplay. The maximum contract value is 140,000 EUR, and the contract duration is 12 months. The procedure involves an expression of interest, followed by a negotiated procedure with selected candidates. The start date for expression of interest is planned for June 24, 2025, with a deadline of July 17, 2025. The indicative date for launching the negotiated procedure is July 18, 2025. The nature of the contract is for services, specifically evaluation consultancy services. This opportunity targets organizations with expertise in digital twins, AI, climate modeling, and communication of uncertainty, particularly those capable of developing a functional demonstrator.