Selection of partners to carry out EUROPE DIRECT activities (2026-2030) in Austria

The European Commission's representation in Austria is inviting proposals for partners to establish and operate EUROPE DIRECT centers from 2026 to 2030. These centers are designed to bridge the gap between the EU and local citizens by facilitating understanding of the EU's work, addressing citizen concerns, fostering dialogue, and enhancing political education related to EU affairs.

Eligible applicants include public bodies, NGOs, educational institutions, and local organizations with strong community engagement. The grant funding operates under a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) as a financial support mechanism, providing a lump sum to cover operational costs of the centers. The total budget for 2026 is set at €360,000, with individual funding amounts depending on the number of selected partners.

This opportunity signals a single-stage application process due by July 2, 2025, and emphasizes that co-funding is expected, as partners must cover part of the operational costs beyond the grant. The scope is exclusively limited to Austria, aligning with the call's focus on enhancing local engagement with EU policies.

Applicants must prepare an annual communication plan to secure the funding for their activities, which involves maintaining existing communication efforts and enhancing connections with local communities. Further application details, conditions, and evaluation criteria are specified in the full call for proposals, with additional resources available for applicants on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The European Commission, through its representation in Austria, is launching a call for proposals to select partners to carry out activities as EUROPE DIRECT centers for the period 2026-2030. The EUROPE DIRECT centers aim to bring the EU closer to its citizens.

Europe DIRECT centers:

Inform about the work of the EU.
Listen to citizens' concerns relevant to the EU.
Engage in dialogue with citizens about the impact of the EU on their daily lives.
Contribute to European political education.
Contribute to the creation of a European public space.

The Europe DIRECT centers are closely linked to local communities and organize, either independently or in cooperation with the European Commission Representation, the liaison offices of the European Parliament, other EU public relations networks and local multipliers, communication and public relations on EU topics of local interest.

Successful applicants (hereinafter "Partners") will sign a framework partnership agreement with the European Commission Representation in Austria for the years 2026 to 2030. Partners may be granted an annual financial contribution after submitting an annual communication plan.

The annual financial contribution will be granted in the form of a lump sum covering part of the costs of operating a EUROPE DIRECT center. The Partner undertakes to provide the additional financial and operational resources necessary to carry out the activities as a EUROPE DIRECT center during the term of the partnership agreement.

Further information can be found in the call for proposals and its annexes.

The call ED-2025-AUSTRIA-FPA is for an ED-FPA Framework Partnership Agreement. The call is open for submission with a deadline model of single-stage. The opening date was 06 May 2025 and the deadline date is 02 July 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Conditions for application include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in the call document and in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries described in the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions described in the call document.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in the call document.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described in the call document.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in the call document.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in the call document.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in the call document.

The call document and annexes include the call document itself. Additional documents include: 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.

The budget for the topic ED-2025-AUSTRIA-FPA Framework Partnership Agreement is 360,000 EUR for the year 2026.

To access the Electronic Submission Service, applicants should click on the submission button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to their proposal. After confirming the choice, applicants will be linked to the correct entry point. To access existing draft proposals for this topic, applicants can log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section.

For help, applicants are advised to read the text of the call for proposals and its annexes, including the guide for applicants. Technical questions can be found in the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ Submission of Proposals. For questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, and technical aspects of proposal submission, applicants can contact the IT Helpdesk. For help related to the content of the call, applicants can contact COMM-REP-VIE-GRANTS@ec.europa.eu or consult the page https://austria.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_en.

In summary, this is a call for proposals by the European Commission Representation in Austria to select partners for the EUROPE DIRECT centers program for 2026-2030. The goal is to bring the EU closer to Austrian citizens through local centers that provide information, listen to concerns, engage in dialogue, and contribute to European political education. Successful applicants will sign a framework partnership agreement and may receive annual funding. The call specifies eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, required documents, and provides links to relevant resources and helpdesks. The total budget for this framework partnership agreement is 360,000 EUR for 2026.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is looking for "partners" to operate as EUROPE DIRECT centers. While the specific types of organizations are not explicitly listed, the description suggests that eligible applicants could include entities with strong ties to local communities, experience in communication and public outreach, and the capacity to engage with citizens on EU-related matters. This could include NGOs, local governments, educational institutions, or other public or private organizations with a focus on public engagement and communication.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant. Successful applicants, referred to as "partners," will sign a framework partnership agreement and may receive an annual financial grant. The grant is provided as a lump sum to cover a portion of the costs associated with operating a EUROPE DIRECT center.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to be geared towards single applicants. The call focuses on selecting "partners," and the description emphasizes the role of individual EUROPE DIRECT centers. There is no explicit mention of consortiums or the need for multiple applicants to collaborate.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on Austria. The call is published by the European Commission's representation in Austria, and it seeks partners to carry out activities in Austria. The call is specifically for "Selection of partners to carry out EUROPE DIRECT activities (2026-2030) in Austria."

Target Sector: The program targets the sector of public communication and engagement related to EU affairs. It aims to bring the EU closer to citizens by informing them about the EU's work, addressing their concerns, fostering dialogue, contributing to European political education, and creating a European public space.

Mentioned Countries: Austria is explicitly mentioned as the target country for this call.

Project Stage: The project stage is operational. The call seeks partners to operate established EUROPE DIRECT centers, which involves implementing communication plans and engaging with citizens on EU-related topics. The focus is on maintaining and enhancing existing activities rather than initiating new research or development projects.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic is 360,000 EUR. The annual financial grant is provided as a lump sum to cover a portion of the costs for operating a EUROPE DIRECT center. The exact amount of the lump sum is not specified in the provided text, but it is intended to cover part of the operational costs.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. The call is open for submission, and the deadline is specified as July 2, 2025.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. The annual financial grant is intended to cover a portion of the costs for operating a EUROPE DIRECT center.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be a single-stage process. The information indicates a "single-stage" deadline model.

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

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required. The call states that the annual financial grant covers only a portion of the costs for operating a EUROPE DIRECT center. The partner is responsible for providing the additional financial and operational resources needed to carry out the activities of a EUROPE DIRECT center.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals published by the European Commission's representation in Austria to select partners for operating EUROPE DIRECT centers in Austria from 2026 to 2030. The EUROPE DIRECT centers serve as a bridge between the EU and its citizens, providing information, addressing concerns, fostering dialogue, and promoting European political education. Successful applicants will sign a framework partnership agreement and may receive an annual financial grant in the form of a lump sum to cover part of the operational costs. The call is open to organizations with strong ties to local communities and experience in public communication. The application process is a single-stage process with a deadline of July 2, 2025. The total budget for the topic is 360,000 EUR. Partners are expected to provide co-funding to cover the remaining operational costs of the EUROPE DIRECT center. In essence, the European Commission is seeking organizations in Austria to act as local information and engagement hubs, connecting citizens with the EU and its policies.