Lot2: Harmonized food consumption and food composition data collection - Support to terminology management

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is launching a call for proposals under the EUBA-EFSA-2025-IDATA-01 program, specifically focusing on Lot 2. This initiative aims to enhance methodologies for the collection, management, and analysis of scientific food consumption and composition data across the European Union. The budget for this lot is set at €725,000 for the year 2025, and the application deadline is October 2, 2025.

Eligible applicants must be designated as "competent organisations" by EU Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This means qualifying institutions are mostly government entities responsible for food safety, such as national food safety authorities. Universities and research institutions may apply only if they have been officially designated as competent.

The funding mechanism is categorized as a grant, specifically designed for assessing and improving scientific methodologies. Applicants may respond to the call as single entities, although multiple organizations may also be considered for selection. The geographic scope is limited to EU Member States, and projects aim primarily at the agriculture and food sectors.

The expected stage of development includes both research and development efforts focused on refining existing data collection methodologies and frameworks. The application process will follow a single-stage approach, where applicants must submit complete proposals via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

While specific success rates for the call are not detailed, similar past grants by EFSA typically yielded success rates between 10% to 39%. Co-funding is not required for this grant.

The overarching goal of this initiative is to establish robust and standardized frameworks for managing and analyzing food safety data, thereby aligning with EFSA's strategic objectives for integrated scientific data infrastructure. This project will also focus on supporting terminology management related to food composition data.

In summary, this grant opportunity under the EFSA aims to partner with designated competent organizations to improve data management methodologies, enhancing the quality and reliability of food safety data across the European Union. The project is part of a larger strategy to strengthen EFSA’s data systems and methodologies to better serve public health and safety.

This EU call for proposals, under the EU Bodies and Agencies (EUBA) Programme, aims to identify Article 36 organizations to improve methods for the collection, management, and analysis of scientific data. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) seeks to entrust one or more organizations with tasks related to the mission of its Integrated Data unit. The primary objective is to leverage data management and analysis expertise to enhance the methodologies used for gathering, managing, and analyzing scientific data received by EFSA from competent authorities within Member States.

The call is structured into two lots: EUBA-EFSA-2025-IDATA-01-01-Lot1 and EUBA-EFSA-2025-IDATA-01-02-Lot2. The total budget for this call is EUR 725,000. The call follows a single-stage submission process. The opening date for submissions is July 9, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is October 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Eligibility criteria are detailed in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document. Applicants must be on the list of competent organizations designated by Member States, as per Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. The EFSA Management Board regularly updates this list, which can be consulted at https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/. Other eligibility conditions are also specified in section 2.2 of the call document.

Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity, as described in section 2.4 of the call for proposals document.

The evaluation and award process is detailed in sections 2 and 2.5 of the call for proposals document. Submission modalities are outlined in section 3 of the same document. The indicative procedure timetable is described on page 2 of the call for proposals document.

The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in section 1.5 of the call for proposals document and in the Draft Grant Agreement.

Key documents for this call include: the Call for Proposals, Annex 1 (draft Framework Partnership Agreement), and Annex 2 (draft Specific Agreement unit costs). Application form templates are available for download from the EU Funding and Tender portal Submission Service.

Additional relevant documents include: 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.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact EFSAProcurement@efsa.europa.eu. Additional support resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To submit a proposal, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, selecting the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the My Proposals page.

In summary, this call for proposals is an opportunity for competent organizations designated by EU Member States to partner with EFSA in enhancing data management and analysis related to food safety. The focus is on improving the methods used to collect, manage, and analyze scientific data from Member State authorities, thereby contributing to EFSA's mission of ensuring food safety across Europe. The call provides funding to support organizations with the necessary expertise in data management and analysis to work collaboratively with EFSA's Integrated Data unit.

Eligible Applicant Types: Only competent organisations, based on designations by Member States, are eligible to apply. To be eligible, applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This list is regularly updated by EFSA Management Board and is available for consultation using the link https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/

Funding Type: Grant. This is indicated by the mention of a 'Draft Grant agreement' and 'Specific Agreement unit costs', as well as the general context of a 'call for proposals'.

Consortium Requirement: The call aims at identifying one or more organisations, suggesting that both single applicants and consortia may be considered.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is tied to the Member States of the EU, as applicants must be designated by a Member State.

Target Sector: The program targets the sector of food safety and scientific data management, specifically focusing on improving methods for collection, management, and analysis of scientific data related to food safety from Member State competent authorities to EFSA.

Mentioned Countries: The call is open to competent organizations designated by EU Member States.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on improving existing methods and providing expertise, suggesting a development or validation stage.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic is EUR 725,000 for the year 2025. This budget is likely split between two lots: EUBA-EFSA-2025-IDATA-01-01-Lot1 and EUBA-EFSA-2025-IDATA-01-02-Lot2.

Application Type: Open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money, as indicated by the grant agreement and unit costs annex.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is not specified, so the success rate cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) aimed at identifying and entrusting competent organizations with tasks related to improving the collection, management, and analysis of scientific data within the Integrated Data unit. The primary objective is to enhance data management and analysis expertise to refine methodologies used for gathering and analyzing scientific data from Member State authorities, ultimately benefiting EFSA's mission.

The call is specifically targeted at organizations designated as 'competent' by EU Member States, as defined by Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. These organizations must be on a list maintained and updated by the EFSA Management Board, accessible via a provided link. The call is structured around a single-stage application process, with a total budget of EUR 725,000 allocated for the year 2025, potentially divided between two distinct lots. The application process involves submitting proposals electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to specific admissibility conditions, eligibility criteria, and financial/operational capacity requirements. The selected organizations will receive funding to support their activities in providing data management and analysis expertise to EFSA. The call aims to establish Framework Partnership Agreements with selected organizations, outlining the terms and conditions for future collaboration.