Mapping of European philanthropic organisations

Planned negotiated procedure (ExA) by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) to commission a mapping and profiling study of philanthropic organisations in Europe relevant to research and innovation. Service contract classified under CPV 73000000 with a maximum duration of 6 months and no estimated total value specified in the notice. Expressions of interest must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login between 27/03/2026 and 20/04/2026, with the negotiated procedure indicative launch on 21/04/2026.

What it funds

Scope

A contractor will deliver a mapping and profiling study of philanthropic organisations across Europe that are active in or could be mobilised for research and innovation. The study must provide country-level information on activities and investments relevant to EU research and innovation priorities and produce an accessible tool for universities, higher education institutions and the EIC to identify potential philanthropic partners for research commercialisation and collaboration.

Who can apply:Legal entities able to sign public contracts with the EU and with experience in research, innovation or philanthropy mapping and related consultancy services; submissions will follow the negotiated low/middle value procurement rules managed by EISMEA.

1. 1Procedure type: planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract
2. 2Lead contracting authority: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
3. 3Main classification: CPV 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services
4. 4Maximum contract duration: 6 months
5. 5Submission method: electronic (EU Login required) via the portal

This announcement is a notice of intent to launch the tender, not the final call documents. No estimated total contract value is provided in the announcement. Interested suppliers must hold an EU Login account to express interest electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

High-level description

The contracting authority (European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA) plans to launch a negotiated procedure (low or middle value) to commission a mapping study that identifies, profiles and organises information on philanthropic organisations across Europe that are active in, or could plausibly be mobilised for, research and innovation. The resulting study must provide country-level coverage, document activities and investments relevant to EU research and innovation priorities, and present the information in an easily accessible way for higher education institutions and stakeholders involved in commercialising research and collaborating with the EIC and other EU initiatives.

Lead contracting authority:European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), EISMEA - European Innovation Council.

Main classification (CPV):73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services.

Nature of contract and maximum duration:Service contract for research/mapping consultancy. Maximum contract duration 6 MONTH.

Key dates and procurement procedure

This publication is a notice of intent to launch a future negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract (reference ExA). It is not the final call for tenders. Interested parties must express interest electronically via EU Login between the start and deadline dates listed below. After the expression of interest phase, the contracting authority will launch a negotiated procedure expected to begin on the indicative launch date.

Detailed opportunity information

The contractor will be required to deliver a mapping study that:compiles and profiles philanthropic organisations across European countries; documents types of activity, investment volumes where available, thematic priorities and alignment with EU research and innovation priorities; indicates potential for mobilisation in research commercialisation and partnership with higher education institutions; and produces an accessible output format (databases, country profiles, guidance) usable by universities, HEIs and the EIC to identify suitable philanthropic partners. The output should enable comparisons by country and sector and support outreach and partnership development.

Procedure identifier:EISMEA/2026/MVP/0025-EXA.

Procedure type:Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract (publication is an ExA notice of intent).

Estimated total value:Not specified in the notice. The notice indicates the contract will be awarded through a low or middle value negotiated procurement process; actual budget will be published in the tender documentation.

How to apply and submission details

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account. The address for expression of interest is provided on the portal as 'Express interest'. Submissions must be sent exclusively to the address for submission indicated in the final procurement documents. Questions about the planned procedure can be submitted after signing in with EU Login to the Q&A area when available. The notice explicitly states EU Login is required for electronic submission.

Method of expression of interest:Electronic submission via EU Login (portal expression of interest function).

Who can apply and other eligibility

The tender is a public procurement of services executed by the EISMEA. Eligible bidders will be economic operators established in the territory covered by the procurement rules that apply to this contracting authority (normally EU Member States and potentially other countries covered by the EU procurement rules). Likely eligible applicant types include consultancy firms, market research agencies, specialised research organisations, higher education institutions, research institutes, non-governmental organisations and other entities able to deliver applied research, mapping and data compilation services. The final tender documents will contain formal eligibility and exclusion criteria, required declarations and selection documents.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: consultancy firms, market research agencies, research institutes, universities and higher education institutions, non-profit organisations, NGOs, sole contractors where legally permitted, and other entities legally able to conclude public service contracts in the applicable jurisdictions.
2. 2Funding Type: public procurement contract (service contract) awarded under a negotiated procurement procedure (not a grant, loan or equity instrument).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: single contractor will be awarded the contract; consortiums or subcontracting may be allowed depending on the tender rules — the negotiated procedure typically allows multi-entity bids but the notice does not mandate a consortium. The award will be to the successful tenderer (single contract).
4. 4Beneficiary Geographic Scope: Europe / EU Member States (the notice refers to mapping across Europe and the EISMEA covers EU programmes; bidders should expect the scope to be EU-wide).
5. 5Target Sector: research and innovation philanthropy, higher education engagement, innovation ecosystems, research commercialisation support.
6. 6Project Stage Sought: analysis/mapping stage (research, analysis, synthesis and dissemination); this is not a technology development or demonstration project but an evidence and intelligence product intended to inform partnership and mobilisation.
7. 7Funding Amount: not specified; contract described as low or middle value under negotiated procurement — actual contract value will be published in the tender documentation.
8. 8Application Type: open expression of interest via an announced window on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (start 27/03/2026; deadline 20/04/2026), followed by a negotiated procurement launch (indicative 21/04/2026).
9. 9Nature of Support: non-grant procurement payment; successful contractor will receive payment for delivering the contracted services (money in exchange for services under public procurement rules).
10. 10Application Stages: two main stages observable from the notice — (1) expression of interest (electronic), then (2) the negotiated procurement procedure leading to contract award. The negotiated procedure may contain further internal evaluation stages (shortlisting, technical and financial evaluation, negotiation), so anticipate 2 to 3 evaluation phases in practice.
11. 11Success Rates: not provided. As a single-contract procurement, success rate depends on number and quality of bids; no statistical success rate is indicated in the notice.
12. 12Co-funding Requirement: not applicable in the grant sense. The contracting authority pays the contractor under the contract; bidders do not provide co-funding but must bear proposal preparation costs. If subcontracting is used, cost sharing between lead and subcontractors is defined in the bid.

Deliverables and expected outputs

Expected outputs (to be further specified in procurement documents) include:a comprehensive database or catalogue of philanthropic organisations active or potentially active in research and innovation across European countries; country-level profiles summarising activities, thematic focus, typical investment ranges (where available), contact/engagement channels and readiness to support research commercialisation; analytical synthesis linking philanthropic activity to EU R&I priorities; recommendations and guidance for universities and HEIs on how to approach and collaborate with philanthropic actors; and user-friendly deliverables (e.g., interactive dashboards, searchable spreadsheets, country fact sheets, executive summary and methodological annex).

Quality and format expectations:Deliverables should be easily accessible to HEIs and EIC staff, likely including machine-readable data, narrative country profiles, an executive summary, and clear methodological documentation. The final tender will specify formats, languages and potential dissemination requirements.

Administrative and legal notes

The notice repeats that an EU Login account is required to subscribe, express interest and interact with the procurement. References with 'ExA' denote a publication announcing intent to launch a future low or middle negotiated procedure; actual procurement documentation and contractual terms will be provided when the negotiated procedure is officially launched. Standard public procurement rules for exclusion, selection and award will apply as set out in the tender dossier when published on the portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

1. 1Procurement CPV: 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services.
2. 2Maximum contract length: 6 months (short-term mapping study).
3. 3Submission method: electronic via EU Login (portal expression of interest).
4. 4Q&A: Public Q&A will be available during the procurement; currently no public Q&A items are listed in the notice.

Templates, application structure and recommended proposal content

The ExA notice does not contain the final tender dossier or templates. Based on typical EU negotiated procurement for services, bidders should prepare to provide the following documents and structure their submission accordingly. Exact formats and fields will be provided in the tender dossier.

1. 1Administrative and eligibility documents: legal entity form, proof of registration, EU VAT or equivalent, declarations on exclusion and selection criteria, consortium/subcontracting statements where relevant.
2. 2Technical proposal: methodology for mapping and profiling, workplan, detailed task descriptions, data sources, sampling and validation approach, quality assurance and deliverable descriptions, timelines and milestones mapped to the 6-month maximum, team composition and CVs of key experts, previous relevant experience and examples of similar studies.
3. 3Financial proposal: detailed budget breakdown (person-days by expert category, travel, data acquisition, overheads), rates and total cost (to be compliant with tender's requested pricing format), and subcontracting cost lines where applicable.
4. 4Data management and IP: approach to data collection, storage, sharing, open data formats, copyrights, ownership of deliverables, confidentiality handling.
5. 5Deliverable samples and templates: proposed template for country profiles, sample dashboard or database schema, mock-up of executive summary and dissemination plan.
6. 6Risk management: identification of potential risks (data gaps, country coverage, language barriers), mitigation measures and contingency planning.
7. 7Ethics and compliance: where relevant, statements on GDPR compliance and ethical handling of personal data collected during mapping.

Geographic scope and explicitly mentioned countries

The notice uses the term Europe and refers to the EISMEA/EIC remit. It does not list individual countries. The expected geographic scope is EU Member States and European countries relevant for EIC/EISMEA work. Bidders should prepare for EU-wide coverage (27 EU Member States) and specify potential extension to associated or neighbouring countries only if requested in the tender dossier.

Assessment of procurement context and bidder expectations

This procurement is a short-term, focused mapping research service to inform policy and partnership development. The contracting authority will likely evaluate bids on methodological quality, demonstrable experience in mapping or philanthropic landscape analysis, team expertise (researchers and data analysts), capacity to deliver within the 6-month timeframe, value for money and quality of outputs and data deliverables. Bidders should emphasise prior work mapping philanthropic ecosystems, knowledge of research commercialisation channels, and capacity to produce usable outputs for universities and innovation actors.

Summary and final explanation

This planned negotiated procurement EISMEA/2026/MVP/0025-EXA seeks a contractor to produce a Europe-wide mapping and profiling study of philanthropic organisations relevant to research and innovation and to produce accessible information for higher education institutions and the European Innovation Council. It is a service contract under the CPV 73000000 classification with a maximum duration of 6 months. The notice is a call for expressions of interest submitted electronically via EU Login between 27/03/2026 and 20/04/2026 and precedes the launch of the negotiated procurement expected on 21/04/2026. The tender dossier (to be published at launch) will contain full eligibility, award criteria, budget/estimated value, templates and contractual terms. Interested suppliers should prepare comprehensive methodological proposals, administrative documentation, CVs of key experts, and a competitive price for delivering high-quality, machine-readable and user-friendly mapping outputs that support universities and the EIC in identifying philanthropic partners.

Footnotes

1. 1Access the EU Funding & Tenders Portal home for procurement notices and to submit an expression of interest via EU Login: EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity Overview

This is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle or low value service contract to conduct a mapping study profiling philanthropic organisations active in or mobilisable for research and innovation in Europe. The study aims to identify potential partners for higher education institutions and the European Innovation Council (EIC) in commercialising research, with details organised by country, activities, and investments aligned to EU research and innovation priorities. It will provide accessible information to support universities in identifying collaboration opportunities.

Contracting Authority

European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), specifically EISMEA - European Innovation Council. EISMEA implements the EIC and manages EU programmes in SME support, innovation ecosystems, single market, consumer policy, and interregional innovation investments.

Procurement Details

Procedure Type:Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract (EXA reference indicates announcement of intent, not a full call for tenders).

CPV Classification:73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services.

Nature of Contract:Services.

Maximum Duration:6 months.

Estimated Total Value:Not specified in available data (typical for low/middle value negotiated procedures).

Key Dates and Process

1. 1Start date for expression of interest: 27/03/2026 (Europe/Brussels)
2. 2Deadline for expression of interest: 20/04/2026 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)
3. 3Indicative launch of negotiated procedure: 21/04/2026 (Europe/Brussels)

This is not yet a call for tenders but a prior information notice. Interested parties must express interest electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, requiring an EU Login account.

Eligibility and Application

Open to economic operators capable of delivering research and consultancy services in mapping philanthropic organisations. Submissions exclusively through the portal at EU Funding & Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is mandatory (created with email and password). No detailed eligibility criteria published yet; expect standard requirements for negotiated procedures such as capacity in R&D consultancy.

Relevant Context on European Philanthropy

Recent studies highlight the scale of European philanthropy, estimated at least €104.5 billion annually across 23 countries (2022 data), covering households, bequests, corporations, foundations, and lotteries. This includes significant contributions to research and innovation, with foundations alone providing at least €6.4 billion yearly. Networks like ERNOP and Philea track these activities, noting data gaps that this tender aims to address.

• ERNOPs Philanthropy in Europe study (2026) maps giving and data quality across Europe.
• Previous FOREMAP project mapped research foundations, emphasising their role in funding.
• EISMEA supports EIC initiatives aligning with commercialisation and innovation partnerships.

Applicants should demonstrate expertise in philanthropy research, EU innovation priorities, and data compilation by country. Monitor the portal for Q&A and updates, as public questions can be submitted post-login.

Strategic Considerations for Applicants

Full details and expression of interest via Primary Opportunity Page. EISMEA contact via their site EISMEA Homepage.

Footnotes

1. 1Data on philanthropy scale from ERNOP Philanthropy in Europe study (2026) and related research.