Sale of 7.7 g of Radium-226 for medical applications

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Karlsruhe is offering a tender for the sale of approximately 7.7 grams of Radium-226 for medical isotope production, notably Actinium-225 and Lead-212. Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal is required and the published participation deadline is 18 September 2026 at 12:00 CEST. The procurement is a supplies contract evaluated primarily on price, with price carrying a 100 percent weighting in the secondary notice. Bidders must be organisations legally authorised and technically capable to acquire, transport, store and use Ra-226 and must demonstrate compliance with applicable EU and national radiation safety and transport regulations.

Opportunity type and purpose

Summary

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Karlsruhe is tendering the sale of approximately 7.7 grams of Radium-226 from its strategic inventory to support production of medical radioisotopes (notably Actinium-225 and Lead-212) for nuclear medicine and targeted alpha therapy.

Who can participate:Organisations able to lawfully purchase, transport and handle radioactive source material and meeting the procurement selection requirements set out in the tender documents; participation requires submission of a request to participate via the Funding and Tenders Portal Funding and Tenders Portal ¹.

1. 1What is offered: ~7.7 grams of Ra-226 for medical isotope production.
2. 2Purpose: supply chain support for Ac-225 and other therapeutic radioisotopes.
3. 3Procurement lead: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre (JRC) Karlsruhe.

Tender documents (invitation to submit a request to participate, technical specifications, draft contract and annexes) were published on 20 July 2026; consult the portal to download and follow submission instructions Funding and Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents published by JRC Karlsruhe (Invitation to submit request to participate; Technical specifications; Draft contract and annexes) are available from the Funding and Tenders Portal tender page.

Basic procurement summary

The European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Karlsruhe, Germany, has published a tender for the sale of approximately 7.7 grams of Radium-226 (Ra-226) from its strategic inventory. The material is offered to support production of medical radioisotopes, notably Actinium-225 (Ac-225) used in targeted alpha therapy, and Lead-212 (Pb-212). The tender is handled by the JRC and published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under call identifier EC-JRC/KRU/2026/CPN/0562.

Procurement type:Supplies contract. The procurement nature is the sale of radioactive material from JRC inventories to industrial or research purchasers.

Location of the offering:JRC Karlsruhe, Germany. The contracting authority is European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre.

Important dates and documents

Tender publication date 20 July 2026. Two deadlines are listed:early deadline 1 January 2026 at 10:00:59 UTC (appears in metadata) and the official two-stage deadline for requests to participate 18 September 2026 at 12:00:59 CEST. The submission method is electronic through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eSubmission). The portal lists several procurement documents (Invitation to submit a request to participate, administrative annex, technical specifications for the first phase, draft contract and contract annexes, and a NDA commitment form). Consult these documents for full procedural, technical and legal requirements.

Detailed opportunity extraction and answers

Eligible Applicant Types:Potential purchasers are likely to include research institutes, universities, medical isotope producers, radiopharmaceutical companies, licensed radiochemistry firms, and other specialised organisations authorised to handle and transport radioactive sources. The procurement is not SME-suitable according to the procurement metadata. The documentation suggests institutional buyers with relevant licences and competence rather than individuals. Governmental bodies, public hospitals with authorised radiopharmacy units, and private companies in the nuclear medicine supply chain are implied eligible types. Exact eligibility and qualification criteria are provided in the Invitation to submit a request to participate and Administrative Annex and must be followed strictly.

Funding Type:This is a procurement sale of material, not a grant, loan or equity instrument. The financial mechanism is a supplies contract for the purchase of radioactive material (sale of goods).

Consortium Requirement:The procurement is structured as a single-lot supplies contract (LOT-0001). The documentation expects individual contracting parties to submit requests to participate; consortium arrangements are not explicitly required. Where allowed by the procurement rules, joint bids or consortia may be possible but applicants must consult the Invitation to submit a request to participate and the tender specifications for any consortium rules, representation, and contractual obligations.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The contracting authority is the European Commission JRC in Germany and the call is published on the EU portal. While the portal is EU-focused, the procurement documents must be checked for explicit nationality or place-of-establishment restrictions. No explicit list of eligible countries is provided in the scraped summary; typical JRC procurement can be open to entities established in the EU and potentially to entities from third countries if allowed by the tender rules. Applicants must consult the Invitation to submit a request to participate for exact nationality/establishment eligibility and any export/import restrictions related to radioactive material.

Target Sector:Nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing. Specific thematic areas include medical isotopes, targeted alpha therapy, radiochemistry, and nuclear research supporting production of Ac-225 and Pb-212. The CPV main code listed is 09343000 which relates to radioactive materials and related supplies.

Mentioned Countries:Germany (JRC Karlsruhe). The contracting authority is the European Commission (EU institution). The documentation does not explicitly list other countries; broader EU or international eligibility is governed by the tender documents.

Project Stage:This is a procurement of a production input (source material). The intended use is downstream: research, production and scale-up of medical isotopes. The buyer is expected to be at development, demonstration or production/commercialisation stages where they process Ra-226 to produce Ac-225 or Pb-212 or perform related R&D.

Funding Amount:The tender indicates sale of approximately 7.7 grams of Radium-226. The procurement metadata does not show a monetary contract value; price will be an award criterion (price weighted 100 according to the lot metadata) and purchasers must propose a price in their offer. Applicants must check the tender specifications and contract draft for valuation, payment terms and price evaluation rules.

Application Type:Open call on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method required: electronic eSubmission through the Funding and Tenders Portal. The procurement is published with an Invitation to submit a request to participate and associated documents available for download. Participation requests must be submitted by the stated deadline via eSubmission.

Nature of Support:Monetary exchange: the contracting authority sells material for a price. The successful bidder pays for the Ra-226 and receives delivery per contract terms. No grant funding is provided; the support is the supply of a physical, high-value radioactive material in exchange for payment.

Application Stages:Two-stage procedure implied by the metadata (Invitation to submit a request to participate and technical specifications for first phase). The published metadata references a two-stage deadline and documents specify an initial request to participate stage; further stages such as submission of final offers and contract award will follow. At minimum, expect 2 stages: selection/request to participate and award/contracting. Exact number and sequence are defined in the ITC and tender specification documents.

Success Rates:Not provided in the published procurement metadata. Success probability depends on number of qualified bidders and compliance with strict licensing, transport, handling, and safety requirements for radioactive sources. Given the limited quantity (7.7 g) and specific market demand for Ra-226, competition could be strong among a small specialised buyer community, but precise success rates cannot be determined from the available data.

Co-funding Requirement:Not applicable in conventional sense. This is a purchase: bidders must provide the offered purchase price and meet payment conditions in the draft contract. There is no co-financing of a project required by the contracting authority beyond payment for the material and compliance with contract terms.

Application templates and structure:The portal provides specific procurement documents and templates relevant to requests to participate and contractual performance. Key files available include: 01-Sale of Ra226_ITC_V1.pdf (Invitation to submit a request to participate); 02-Sale of Ra226_Adm. Annex_V1.pdf (administrative annex with selection criteria and submission forms); 02a-Sale_of_Ra226-Adm. Annex_NDACommitment_V1.docx (NDA and confidentiality / commitment template); 03-Sale_of_Ra226-TS (First Phase)_V1.pdf (technical specifications outlining handling, packaging, safety, allowable uses, regulatory compliance); 04-Sale_of_Ra226-Contract_V1.pdf (draft contract text); 05-Sale_of_Ra226-Contract_Annex III-Confimation of Delivery_V1.pdf (contract annex concerning confirmation of delivery). Applicants must complete the administrative annex submission forms, sign and submit the NDA commitment where required, and follow the technical specification format for any technical information requested. The Invitation to submit a request to participate will contain the exact structure, required attachments (licences, transport approvals, insurance, capability statements) and submission checklist.

Key technical, regulatory and contractual considerations

Handling, transfer and possession of Ra-226 are strictly regulated. Bidders must hold all relevant national and EU licences for possession, transport, import/export, processing, and storage of radioactive material. The technical specification document for the first phase will set out acceptance criteria, permitted uses, packaging and transport requirements, required radiation protection measures, waste management obligations, and possibly end-use assurances. A Non-Disclosure Agreement or NDA commitment is provided as a template and likely required before access to certain sensitive technical details. The draft contract and its annexes specify delivery confirmation procedures, liability, insurance, and payment and may include provisions on permitted downstream production (e.g., conversion of Ra-226 into Ac-225) and safeguards. Consult the technical specification and draft contract documents for full obligations and compliance requirements.

1. 1Download and read all procurement documents from the Funding & Tenders Portal (ITC, Administrative Annex, Technical Specifications, Draft Contract and Contract Annexes).
2. 2Ensure organisational licensing and regulatory approvals for possession, transport and processing of Ra-226 are in place and can be demonstrated in the request to participate.
3. 3Complete and return any NDA commitment as required before accessing restricted technical details.
4. 4Prepare the request to participate using the administrative annex templates and supply the requested evidence (company profile, technical capability, licences, insurance, quality and radiation protection arrangements).
5. 5Prepare a compliant technical proposal in line with the technical specifications and demonstrate experience in handling high-activity radioactive sources and producing medical isotopes (Ac-225, Pb-212).
6. 6Submit the participation request and all supporting documents via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission by 18 September 2026 at 12:00:59 CEST.
7. 7If shortlisted in stage one, follow instructions for the subsequent stage(s), including submission of final price offer and signing of the draft contract.

This tender should be treated as a regulated sale of a controlled radioactive material. Compliance with the procurement documentation, national nuclear regulatory requirements, international transport regulations for radioactive material (e.g., IAEA and ADR/IATA rules as applicable), and the JRC's contractual terms is mandatory. Failure to provide required licences or to accept contractual terms will disqualify an applicant.

Relevant portal links and references:The official tender page and documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Sale of 7.7 g of Radium-226 for medical applications. Consult the JRC website for institutional context: JRC homepage.

Confidentiality and sensitive information are handled through the NDA commitment template supplied. Applicants will likely be required to sign the NDA before receiving certain technical annexes or before contract signature. The tender documentation list includes an explicit NDACommitment document and a draft contract annex covering confirmation of delivery. ¹

Comprehensive summary

The European Commission JRC Karlsruhe offers for sale approximately 7.7 grams of Radium-226 from its strategic inventory to support the production of high-value medical isotopes, notably Actinium-225 and Lead-212, used in advanced radiopharmaceutical therapies. This is a supplies procurement published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (call EC-JRC/KRU/2026/CPN/0562). The procurement uses a two-stage procedure and requires electronic submission via the portal. Applicants must be properly licensed and technically capable organisations in the nuclear medicine supply chain, able to comply with strict regulatory, transport and radiation protection obligations. The portal provides all contractual and technical documents, including an ITC, administrative annex with templates, NDA commitment, technical specifications for the first phase, and draft contract documents that define payment, delivery and liability conditions. Price is a primary award criterion. Interested parties should carefully review and follow the administrative and technical requirements in the procurement documents, ensure all national and international permits are in place, execute the NDA where required, and submit a full request to participate by the participation deadline of 18 September 2026 at 12:00:59 CEST. This sale aims to increase availability of Ra-226 for medical applications and strengthen the supply chain for critical medical isotopes used in targeted alpha therapies and related nuclear medicine developments.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents available on the Funding & Tenders Portal include the Invitation to submit a request to participate (01-Sale of Ra226_ITC_V1.pdf), administrative annex (02-Sale of Ra226_Adm. Annex_V1.pdf), NDA commitment form (02a-Sale_of_Ra226-Adm. Annex_NDACommitment_V1.docx), technical specifications for the first phase (03-Sale_of_Ra226-TS (First Phase)_V1.pdf), the draft contract (04-Sale_of_Ra226-Contract_V1.pdf), and contract annex on confirmation of delivery (05-Sale_of_Ra226-Contract_Annex III-Confimation of Delivery_V1.pdf).

This is a procurement style sale, not a grant call. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Karlsruhe plans to sell about 7.7 grams of Radium-226 for nuclear medicine and research, with an emphasis on producing Actinium-225 and supporting other therapeutic radioisotopes such as Lead-212. [5][9][3][13][31]

Tender snapshot

Deadline information:The public notice snippet shows 18 September 2026 at 12:00 as the offer deadline, so that is the key date to track for the live process. [9]

Eligibility and compliance

The public snippets do not define a narrow beneficiary class, but in practice this opportunity is only relevant to buyers that can legally acquire, transport, store, and use Radium-226. Because radium is a controlled radioactive material, applicants would normally need the relevant radiation safety, nuclear handling, and transport authorizations under applicable EU and national regimes. [21][38][20]

Commercial terms and evaluation

The secondary notice suggests that price is the decisive commercial factor, with a 100 percent weighting, and that the process is handled electronically. [9] The opportunity therefore looks like a highly specialized sale rather than a conventional research grant, with the buyer expected to take responsibility for regulatory compliance and safe downstream use. [9][21][38]

Strategic relevance

Demand for Actinium-225 has increased because it is used in targeted alpha therapy, and current programs in Europe and the United States treat purified Ra-226 as essential feedstock for producing Actinium-225 and other medical isotopes. [3][7][13][31] Radium-226 has also had a long history in medicine, but modern use is now much more focused on isotope production and specialized therapeutic applications rather than broad clinical use. [1][2][29]