Ship design and safety assessment of nuclear fission technologies for maritime applications

What it funds:a framework contract to deliver a technical study and analyses covering ship design, reactor integration, coupled multi-physics simulations and a safety assessment for shipboard nuclear fission technologies (focus on SMRs/AMRs and Generation IV concepts). Outputs include four work packages and deliverables from conceptual design to final recommendations.

Estimated budget and ceilings:Total estimated value €1,000,000 (excl. VAT). Per-work-package ceilings: WP1 combined ceiling €150,000 (per D.1.1 / D.1.2), WP2 ceiling €600,000 (D.2.1, D.2.2, D.2.3), WP3 ceiling €200,000 (D.3.1, D.3.2), WP4 ceiling €50,000. 1

Who can apply:economic operators established in EU Member States and in the listed eligible non-EU countries (Albania, North Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). International organisations may also participate. Joint offers and subcontracting are allowed; selection and exclusion rules apply as per the tender specifications.

What is required in the bid:a technical offer covering the four WPs (including state-of-the-art review, conceptual ship/reactor design, coupled simulations, safety assessment and recommendations), evidence for legal, financial and technical selection criteria, and a financial offer following the Financial Offer template. Tender validity is 9 months.

Evaluation and award:proposals are evaluated against three quality criteria (WP1, WP2, WP3) and price. Minimum thresholds apply (individual quality criteria and overall score must reach 60% to be considered).

Where to find documents and submit:Procurement documents (Invitation to tender, Tender Specifications, Draft Framework Contract, financial template and annexes) and e-Submission are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page Tender details.

Title:Ship design and safety assessment of nuclear fission technologies for maritime applications. Contracting authority: European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). Call / Procedure identifier: EMSA/2026/OP/0023. TED reference: 190/2026 674253-2026. Nature of contract: services under a framework contract (framework agreement, without reopening of competition). Main CPV: 73112000 Marine research services and 73210000. Estimated total value: €1,000,000 (maximum budget for the framework contract, excluding VAT). Maximum framework contract duration: 48 months. Award method: best price-quality ratio (quality and price criteria).

Deadlines and key dates:TED publication / documents published: 01/10/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 07/12/2026 16:00 Lisbon time. Date and time of public opening: 09/12/2026 10:00 Europe/Lisbon. Date contracting authority not bound to reply to questions: 26/11/2026 23:59 Europe/Lisbon. Estimated signature of framework contract: Q1 2027. Full Timetable with estimated deliverable quarters runs to Q4 2029.

Scope:EMSA seeks a contractor to establish a framework contract to provide services (studies and technical work) to assess ship design and safety implications of integrating nuclear fission technologies for maritime propulsion. The study work is structured in four work packages: WP1 Ship design and reactors integration, WP2 Multi-physics simulations, WP3 Safety assessment, WP4 Conclusions and recommendations. The aim is to assess feasibility, safety envelopes, failure scenarios, mitigation measures and to produce design, operational and regulatory recommendations supporting IMO and EU workstreams on nuclear propulsion and SMR/AMR deployment.

The technical scope includes:review and adaptation of nuclear safety principles to maritime operations; conceptual ship and reactor layout and interfaces; process flow and P&ID-level data; coupled multi-physics modelling (seakeeping, thermal-hydraulics, reactor dynamics, structural, fluid-structure interaction, sloshing, vibration, radiation exposure); verification and validation of models; deterministic and probabilistic safety assessment; identification and assessment of safety barriers and mitigation measures; final recommendations and draft technical / operational requirements. Deliverables D.1.1, D.1.2, D.2.1-2.3, D.3.1-3.2 and D.4 correspond to the WP outputs.

Submission method:electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal e-Submission application (EU Login required). Tenders submitted by any other means will be disregarded. Tender validity period: 9 months from submission. Tender language: any official EU language, preferably English; technical parts and requested documents should be in English.

Documents published with the call:Available procurement documents (published 01/10/2026): Invitation to tender (B.01), Tender Specifications (B.02), Draft Framework Service Contract (I.02), Financial Offer template OP0023, Tenderer (Candidate) Checklist (A.01), List of documents to submit (A.42), EMSA study report template (A.29). All documents are available on the F&T Portal and EMSA procurement pages EMSA Procurement and on the Opportunities tender page Portal Tender Details 1.

Geographic eligibility:Participation is open to economic operators established in EU Member States and also in the listed non-EU EEA/EFTA and candidate/Western Balkans countries: Albania, North Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. International organisations may also participate. Tenderers must not be subject to EU restrictive measures/sanctions and must satisfy exclusion and selection criteria.

Funding Type:procurement of services under a framework contract (services). This is a public procurement (tender), not a grant, loan or equity instrument. The FWC allows the contracting authority to issue specific contracts (orders) during the 48-month duration without reopening competition. The contract is not a research grant; it is a service contract with deliverables and fixed-price ceilings.

Funding amount and prices:Estimated overall procedure value / Maximum budget for the FWC: €1,000,000 excluding VAT. The Tender Specifications detail maximum ceilings by deliverable/work package: WP1 total ceiling €150,000 (per D.1.1 and D.1.2 each with ceilings indicated), WP2 group of deliverables ceiling €600,000, WP3 ceilings €200,000, WP4 ceiling €50,000. Financial Offer form (OP0023) provides the price table and evaluation will use total price. Prices must be fixed, in EUR, non-revisable for the contract duration, and comply with VAT/exemption rules.

Award method:best price-quality ratio. Award criteria use three weighted quality criteria and price. Weightings: Quality criterion 1 (WP1 proposal quality) 15%, Quality criterion 2 (WP2 proposal quality) 30%, Quality criterion 3 (WP3 proposal quality) 25%, Price 30%. Scoring: evaluators score 0-10 (half points possible) per quality criterion; detailed scoring formula in Tender Specifications. Thresholds: minimum 60% for each quality criterion and final score minimum 60% to be considered for award.

Evaluation elements the technical offer must include:Examples: state-of-the-art references list; description of ship and reactor designs for analysis; modelling techniques and verification/validation plan; number and description of simulations and scenarios; methodology for risk assessment including deterministic and probabilistic approaches; team composition, experts, CVs, project plan and timetable matching tender milestones; deliverable structure aligned with EMSA templates.

Minimum economic / financial capacity:yearly turnover for the last three years at least €500,000. Technical and professional capacity: minimum 5 years experience in stated domains (multi-physics simulation, nuclear reactor design with AMR/SMR experience preferred, risk assessment methodologies for ship and nuclear design, ship systems design). Evidence: Simplified Financial Statement, list of at least 5 relevant projects with objectives, parties and duration, Legal Entities and Bank Accounts form, Declaration of Honour, supporting documentary evidence on legal position, and any requested certificates.

Project stage / expected maturity:The procurement expects mature technical capacity: conceptual and engineering-level design and modelling (development, validation and demonstration stage). Tenderers should supply previous project outputs, verified models and experience in verification and validation. The work includes modelling, simulations, safety assessments and recommendations suitable for regulatory and IMO-facing outputs.

Contract model:framework service contract. Specific contracts (orders) will be issued under the FWC; each specific contract will define tasks, deliverables, deadlines and payment terms. Contract duration 48 months. Payments: in EUR, invoices via e-PRIOR or agreed channel, 60-day payment terms after acceptance. No financial guarantees required by default. Performance obligations, IP and pre-existing rights rules are set in the draft Framework Service Contract: EMSA acquires ownership of results and exclusive exploitation rights; pre-existing rights must be declared and licensed as detailed in the contract.

Required documentation and templates:Tenderer’s Checklist (A.01); List of documents to be submitted (A.42); Authorised Signatory Form; Legal Entities and Bank Accounts Form; Declaration of Honour (DoH); Simplified Financial Statement; Financial Offer template OP0023 (Excel protected worksheet: fill Offered price fields); EMSA Study/Report template (A.29) is mandatory format for final reports and deliverables. The Technical Offer must follow the evaluation elements for Quality Criteria 1-3 and include a project plan/timetable aligned with the tender timetable.

Intellectual property:As per the Framework Service Contract, EMSA (the Union) acquires ownership of the results created under the contract and exclusive rights for exploitation. Pre-existing rights must be declared and licensed to EMSA on a royalty-free, non-exclusive and irrevocable basis for the modes of exploitation defined in the contract. Moral rights and image/voice releases must be cleared by the contractor. Confidentiality obligations apply to all exchanged information and the contractor must ensure its personnel and subcontractors are bound by equivalent confidentiality commitments.

Practical recommendations:Align the technical offer structure with the three Quality Criteria and include clear mapping to the tender Specification sections and deliverables. Provide a compact but detailed project plan showing milestones, deliverable due-dates and review cycles consistent with the timetable. Demonstrate verification and validation strategy for modelling and simulation results: include benchmark cases, experimental or literature validation references and uncertainty quantification approaches. Provide CVs and statements of availability for named experts. Use EMSA templates for deliverables and financials to avoid form non-compliance.

Key technical risk and analysis items the tender expects the contractor to address:impact of 6-DOF ship motions on coolant circulation and control systems; natural circulation and passive cooling behaviour under dynamic conditions; sloshing and dense coolant behaviour; hull vibration and fatigue on reactor boundaries; coupled fluid-structure interaction for collisions and grounding; seawater ingress and flooding effects; fire and thermal degradation scenarios; integration of reactor control and power management with ship electrical systems and load-following; radiation shielding and radiological protection for crew and shoreside interactions; emergency procedures and response for shore and port interfaces; verification and validation of models for regulatory acceptance.

Evaluation and award criteria summary:Evaluation uses three quality criteria (WP1, WP2, WP3) with weights 15%, 30% and 25% and Price 30%. Minimum pass: 60% per quality criterion and 60% overall score. Evaluators score 0-10 per quality item; scoring formulas are detailed in the Tender Specifications.