Specialised training sessions

EUAF-2026-TRAI-01 Specialised Training Sessions is a call under the Union Anti-Fraud Programme (managed by OLAF) to develop and deliver targeted training to strengthen customs, law enforcement and related professionals in IT tools and anti-fraud data analysis. The TRAI call has a total envelope of €1,000,000 across four topics, funds projects at up to 80 percent of eligible costs (up to 90 percent for defined priority actions), expects project budgets of at least €40,000 and supports actions of 12 to 24 months. Single applicants only are eligible, including national or regional public authorities, international organisations, research and educational institutes and non-profit entities established for at least one year, with activities generally to take place in eligible EU/EEA/associated countries. Proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 7 May 2026 17:00 Brussels time and enquiries may be sent to OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu.

Specialised training sessions — EUAF-2026-TRAI-01

What it funds

Scope summary

Co‑funding for specialised training activities to strengthen anti‑fraud capacity: development and delivery of training sessions to improve use of IT tools, anti‑fraud data analysis and specialised methodologies/techniques for customs and other law‑enforcement staff.

Typical eligible activities:Design and delivery of specialist trainings, workshops and e‑learning on IT/digital forensics, data analytics and fraud‑risk indicators; drafting training materials, participant evaluation and follow‑up surveys ¹.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include legal entities established in participating countries: national or regional public authorities and international organisations; research and educational institutes and non‑profit entities (research/education/non‑profit applicants must be established and operating for at least one year). Single‑applicant projects are allowed; affiliated entities, associated partners and subcontractors may be used as described in the call documents.

Financials and limits

Call-level budget for the Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies call is €1 000 000 (EUAF‑2026‑TRAI). Individual project budgets are expected at or above €40 000 (staff exchanges excepted). Standard funding rate is 80% of eligible costs, with a possible 90% rate for defined priority cases. VAT is not eligible.

1. 1Planned opening: 17 March 2026
2. 2Deadline: 7 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
3. 3Call budget (TRAI 2026): €1,000,000
4. 4Minimum project budget (typical): €40,000
5. 5Funding rate: normally 80% (90% in specific priority cases)

Applications must be submitted online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the EUAF application templates and Annexes. Proposals are single‑stage; Part B limited to 70 pages. Admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and contract rules are in the Call Document and Model Grant Agreement.

Portal topic page and official call documentation (call fiche, application templates, draft agenda outline and MGA) contain full rules and scoring/thresholds; operational questions for this topic: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu. Apply through the official portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document, Application Form and Annexes for EUAF‑2026‑TRAI (Topic EUAF‑2026‑TRAI‑01) provide detailed eligibility, budget, reporting and award criteria: see the topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Union Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) — Specialised training sessions (EUAF-2026-TRAI-01)

Opportunity type: Call for Proposals. Programme: Union Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) — Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies (EUAF-2026-TRAI). Topic: EUAF-2026-TRAI-01 — Specialised training sessions. Managing authority: European Commission, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). Model Grant Agreement: EUAF Action Grant Budget-Based [EUAF-AG]. Type of action: EUAF-PJG EUAF Project Grants. Deadline model: single-stage.

Core purpose, scope and expected outcomes

Expected outcome: Professionals, particularly staff from customs authorities and other law enforcement bodies, are better able to protect the EU’s financial interests through: acquisition of new skills; acquisition of knowledge of specialised methodologies and techniques; increased awareness of EU-level fraud-risk indicators; and more opportunities to develop and implement EU-level anti-fraud strategies.

Scope for EUAF-2026-TRAI-01 Specialised training sessions: Develop and deliver specialised training sessions to improve knowledge and use of IT tools and to increase anti-fraud data analysis capacity by acquiring new skills and knowledge of specialised methodologies and techniques.

Key dates and process

Budget and funding conditions

Who can apply and where

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants for the Training call include: national or regional public authorities; international organisations that can help achieve EUAF objectives; research and educational institutes; non-profit making entities that can help achieve EUAF objectives, in particular protecting the EU’s financial interests, and have been established and operating for at least one year. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate under conditions; EU bodies, except the European Commission Joint Research Centre, cannot be beneficiaries.

Consortium Requirement

Single applicant only. Only applications by single applicants are allowed. Affiliated entities and other participants may be included if needed. Associated partners, subcontractors and in-kind contributors are allowed under the stated rules. Financial support to third parties is not allowed.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Applicants must be legal entities established in: EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories; listed EEA countries or countries associated to the EUAF Programme; or countries in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. International organisations are eligible irrespective of country rules. Activities should generally take place in eligible countries; exceptions may be authorised for certain training or exchanges essential to protect EU financial interests.

Target sector, activities and project maturity

Target Sector

Anti-fraud and financial protection of the EU budget; customs and law enforcement; ICT and data analytics; digital forensics; governance and public finance integrity; cross-border cooperation. Priority themes for the TRAI call include topics such as digitalisation of anti-fraud reporting, cooperation among EU and national actors including OLAF and EPPO, risk analysis methods, revenue fraud and customs data analytics including e-commerce, protection of the single market from counterfeits and smuggling including tobacco, border protection and customs cooperation, fraud affecting environment and health, Green Deal related fraud risks, RRF-related double funding prevention, national and EU anti-fraud strategies, effectiveness of control systems, rule of law conditionality, money laundering linked to fraud, cyber fraud affecting the EU budget, and OLAF’s investigative framework and added value.

Activities Funded under TRAI-01

• Design and delivery of specialised training sessions that enhance knowledge and use of IT tools for anti-fraud purposes
• Training to increase the quality and quantity of anti-fraud data analysis, including methodologies for risk analysis, predictive analytics, data mining, and the use of AI-supported tools where relevant
• Capacity building for target groups, notably customs and other law enforcement professionals, judiciary and other legal professionals, and practitioners in entities protecting EU financial interests

Project Stage

Development and implementation. Projects are expected to design training content and materials, organise and deliver training events, measure learning outcomes and participant satisfaction, and report on results and medium-term impact via post-event surveys.

How to apply

Submission is exclusively via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must have an EU Login account and a validated PIC in the Participant Register. The proposal comprises Part A (online administrative data and summary budget), Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF), and mandatory annexes uploaded in the system. Page limit for Part B is 70 pages; excess pages will be disregarded. The topic is single-stage; one proposal per applicant per topic; separate proposals must be submitted for other topics.

Application Type and Stages

1. 1Open call published on the Funding & Tenders Portal
2. 2Single-stage submission
3. 3One-step evaluation by an evaluation committee against admissibility, eligibility, operational capacity, and award criteria
4. 4Ranking and selection within available budget; reserve list possible
5. 5Grant agreement preparation and signature with successful applicants

Evaluation and award

Proposals are evaluated in a single step against four weighted criteria with minimum thresholds. Proposals must pass individual thresholds and an overall threshold to be considered for funding within the call budget.

Priority order for ex aequo proposals considers uncovered themes, higher scores on Added Value, then Conformity, then Quality; and overall portfolio balance if needed. The maximum grant amount per applicant may be moderated to spread funds homogeneously.

Eligible costs and budgeting specifics for TRAI-01

• Eligible direct cost categories: A Personnel costs; B Subcontracting; C Purchase costs including C.1 Travel and subsistence, C.2 Equipment (depreciation for TRAI), C.3 Other goods, works and services
• Unit costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence must follow Commission Decision C(2024)5405 and Annex 2a of the Grant Agreement where applicable; otherwise use actual costs consistent with usual practices
• Indirect costs: 7 percent flat-rate of eligible direct costs (categories A-D, excluding any exempted categories)
• VAT is not eligible
• No financial support to third parties
• In-kind contributions for free are allowed but cost-neutral and cannot be declared as costs
• Project website costs are eligible only for presenting the project on participants’ existing sites or social media; separate project websites are not eligible
• Personnel costs are eligible under TRAI; equipment under TRAI is eligible by depreciation proportionate to action use

Deliverables, monitoring and reporting for training projects

• Final agenda of each event
• Signed lists of participants for each event
• Event evaluation forms filled in by participants on the last day
• Event feedback form summarising participant scores
• Post-event survey forms and a post-event feedback form to assess medium-term impact; due six months after project end

Templates and application structure

Part A — Administrative forms (online in the Portal):Includes administrative data for the applicant and any affiliated entities or associated partners; proposal abstract; duration; declarations; ethics and security questionnaires; and summary budget tables.

Part B — Technical description (uploaded PDF using mandatory template):Structure aligns with the award criteria and includes: conformity with EUAF objectives; needs analysis and specific, measurable objectives with indicators; relevance and complementarity including EU added value; concept and methodology; project management, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation strategy; project team and division of tasks; risk management; value for money; impact and ambition including environmental measures; communication, dissemination and visibility; sustainability and continuation; work plan and work packages with tasks, deliverables and timing; subcontracting details if any; events and trainings table; timetable. Maximum 70 pages.

Detailed Budget Table (Excel; mandatory annex):Use the official Excel template from the Submission System. Follow Instructions sheet sequence. Ensure online summary budget equals the Excel detailed budget. For TRAI, fill personnel lines per staff member with role, activities, responsibilities and names if known; apply unit costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence per destination and distance band, not averages; ensure each different unit cost appears on a separate line; describe event and travel details in designated fields.

Draft Agenda or Outline (mandatory annex for training events, studies, or periodicals):Use the Draft Agenda-Outline template for each event. Ensure coherence with the project topic and EU financial interests, appropriate duration per intervention, sufficient Q and A and breaks, identification of confirmed and to-be-confirmed speakers with functions and organisations, and inclusion of EU flag, organiser logo and funding statement when finalised.

Compliance, capacity and exclusions

• Financial capacity: assessed via the Participant Register for non-public bodies and grants above €60,000; may trigger prefinancing guarantees or other measures
• Operational capacity: assessed via track record, team, and resources described in Part B; public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempt from the operational capacity check
• Exclusion grounds: bankruptcy, tax or social breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud or corruption and related offences, serious breach of obligations in other EU contracts or grants, irregularities, circumvention entities, and entities under EU restrictive measures are ineligible
• No double funding: strict prohibition, except under specific synergy conditions not applicable here; declare other funding sources as required in Part B declarations

Contact points and support

• Non-IT questions for the Training call: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu
• IT Helpdesk for submission issues via the Portal
• Online Manual for end-to-end guidance on proposal submission and grant management Portal Online Manual

Categorisation and structured extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Government authorities at national or regional level; international organisations; universities; research institutes; nonprofit entities including NGOs that are non-profit making; public sector bodies involved in customs and law enforcement; other eligible legal entities without legal personality if conditions are met. EU bodies cannot be beneficiaries, except JRC in limited contexts not applicable here.

Funding Type:Grant. Budget-based action grant reimbursing eligible costs with a standard 80 percent funding rate and up to 90 percent for qualifying priority actions.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant. Affiliated entities and associated partners are allowed. Subcontracting is allowed under best value and no-conflict principles.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States including overseas countries and territories; listed EEA or associated countries to EUAF; countries with ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. International organisations are eligible irrespective of the country rules.

Target Sector:Anti-fraud and protection of EU financial interests; customs and border management; law enforcement; data analytics and ICT; digital forensics; governance and public finance integrity; environment-linked fraud risks; cyber fraud related to EU budget.

Mentioned Countries:Regions and groupings are referenced rather than individual countries: EU Member States including overseas countries and territories; European Economic Area countries; countries associated to EUAF or in association negotiations; international organisations.

Project Stage:Development and implementation of specialised training, including curriculum design, delivery, evaluation, and post-event impact assessment.

Funding Amount:Total call budget for EUAF-2026-TRAI is €1,000,000 across four topics, with individual project budgets expected to be at least €40,000 for training projects. The maximum grant per project is determined by proposal scope and budget availability; the grant funds 80 percent of eligible costs by default or up to 90 percent for qualifying priority actions.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Nature of Support:Money through action grants. Non-financial support includes access to standard templates, guidance and helpdesks.

Application Stages:1. Single-stage submission. 2. One-step evaluation. 3. Grant agreement preparation for successful applicants.

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Applicants must co-fund at least 10 to 20 percent of eligible costs depending on whether the project receives 90 percent or 80 percent EU co-funding respectively. VAT is not eligible and must be covered by applicants where applicable.

Practical tips and frequent requirements

• Ensure Part A summary budget matches the Detailed Budget Table; online entries prevail in case of discrepancy
• Respect the 70-page cap for Part B; extra pages are disregarded by evaluators
• For travel and subsistence, use the official unit cost tables per destination and distance band as per Decision C(2024)5405 and Annex 2a; do not use averages
• For each event, plan and attach a coherent draft agenda in the provided template, showing pedagogical structure, sufficient interactivity, and alignment with EU financial interests protection
• Plan for collection of signed attendance lists, day-of evaluations, and six-month post-event surveys; these are mandatory deliverables
• Explain complementarities and avoid double funding; describe interoperability with tools and activities supported by other EU programmes where relevant
• Demonstrate target-group relevance and EU-level added value, including cross-border transferability and contribution to EU anti-fraud strategies
• Use the naming convention for the project acronym in Part A: Year-Country-Acronym (for example 2026-BE-REI)

Long-form summary

The EUAF-2026-TRAI-01 Specialised training sessions topic funds the development and delivery of focused training that enhances the capacity of customs, law enforcement, judiciary and related professionals to protect the EU’s financial interests. Projects should strengthen the use of IT tools and data analytics for anti-fraud work, building practical skills in methodologies such as risk and predictive analysis, data mining and use of advanced analytical platforms, and raising awareness of EU-level fraud-risk indicators. The call sits within the Union Anti-Fraud Programme’s training pillar, which also covers conferences, staff exchanges and studies. It is a single-stage, open call with submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, opening 17 March 2026 and closing 7 May 2026. The TRAI call envelope totals €1,000,000 across four topics, with training projects expected to have budgets of at least €40,000 and funded at 80 percent of eligible costs by default, rising to 90 percent for priority actions that meet specific criteria. Only single applicants may apply, though affiliated entities and associated partners are allowed; eligible applicants include national and regional public authorities, international organisations, research and educational institutes, and non-profit entities with at least one year of operation. Geographic eligibility covers EU Member States including overseas countries and territories, listed EEA and associated countries and those in association negotiations finalised before grant signature. Proposals are evaluated on conformity, quality, value for money and added value for the protection of the EU’s financial interests, each with a mandatory threshold and an overall pass mark. The grant reimburses personnel, subcontracting and purchase costs, applying official unit costs for travel and subsistence and a 7 percent indirect cost flat rate; VAT is ineligible. Successful projects will plan and report mandatory training deliverables, including event agendas, signed attendance lists, participant evaluations and post-event surveys to assess medium-term impact. Applicants must use the official Part A and Part B templates, the detailed budget Excel, and the draft agenda template, ensuring consistency across documents. This opportunity is ideal for public authorities, academia and non-profits engaged in anti-fraud capacity building who can design and deliver high-quality, methodologically robust training with EU-level relevance and measurable impact.

EUAF-2026-TRAI-01: Specialised Training Sessions

This call for proposals under the Union Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) supports the development of specialised training sessions aimed at enhancing the skills of professionals, particularly from customs authorities and law enforcement bodies, in protecting EU financial interests. The focus is on improving knowledge and use of IT tools and increasing anti-fraud data analysis capabilities through new skills and specialised methodologies.

Programme Overview

The EUAF Programme (2021-2027), managed by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), protects EU financial interests by combating fraud, corruption, and illegal activities. This specific topic falls under the Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies call (EUAF-2026-TRAI), with a total call budget of €1,000,000 for 2026 across four topics.

Expected Outcomes and Scope

Expected outcomes include professionals acquiring new skills, knowledge of specialised methodologies, increased awareness of EU-level fraud-risk indicators, and more opportunities to develop anti-fraud strategies. Scope: Developing specialised training sessions to improve IT tool usage and anti-fraud data analysis skills.

Indicative Priority Areas:

• Digitalisation of anti-fraud reporting processes.
• Cooperation between EU institutions (e.g., OLAF, EPPO) and national authorities.
• OLAF investigation framework and cooperation.
• Risk-analysis for EU budget expenditure fraud.
• Revenue fraud prevention, focusing on customs and e-commerce.
• Protection against counterfeits, tobacco smuggling, and illicit goods.
• Border protection and customs cooperation.
• Environmental and health-related fraud cooperation.
• Fraud in EU funds for environment, climate, and food safety.
• Emerging challenges in expenditure fraud (e.g., RRF).
• Anti-fraud strategies and law enforcement comparisons.
• Management/control systems effectiveness.
• Rule of law conditionality.
• Future EU anti-fraud architecture.
• Money laundering linked to fraud.
• Cyber fraud affecting EU budget.
• OLAF's role in staff misconduct cases.

Eligibility Criteria

Single applicants only (mono-beneficiary grants; affiliated entities allowed). Eligible entities: national/regional public authorities or international organisations aiding EUAF objectives; research/educational institutes and non-profits (established/operating at least 1 year) supporting EU financial protection. Eligible countries: EU Member States (incl. OCTs), EEA countries, EUAF-associated countries, or those in association negotiations (effective before grant signature). Activities must occur in eligible countries unless justified otherwise. Duration: 12-24 months. Minimum budget: €40,000 (except staff exchanges). No financial support to third parties.

Funding Details

Budget:€1,000,000 total for EUAF-2026-TRAI call (across 4 topics). Grants up to 80% of eligible costs; 90% possible for priority actions (e.g., scientific organisations promoting EU criminal law studies/networks or reflecting key fraud reports).

Budget Categories:

• A. Personnel costs (eligible).
• B. Subcontracting costs.
• C. Purchase costs (C.1 Travel/subsistence: unit/actual; C.2 Equipment: depreciation; C.3 Other goods/services).
• E. Indirect costs: 7% of eligible direct costs (A-D).
• VAT ineligible. No profit allowed for for-profit entities.

Application and Evaluation

Key Dates:Planned opening: 17 March 2026. Deadline: 7 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission via Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documents:

• Part A (online).
• Part B (max 70 pages).
• Detailed budget table (Excel).
• Draft agenda/outline (for events/studies).
• List of previous projects (last 3 years).

Award Criteria (max 100 points; pass: 60 overall, thresholds per criterion):

Evaluation: May-October 2026. Grant signature: November-December 2026. Contact: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu. Portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Call document: Call Fiche.

Key Requirements and Tips

• Proposals must align with EUAF objectives and demonstrate needs analysis.
• Include draft agenda/outline for evaluation.
• Ensure budget consistency across forms.
• Demonstrate operational capacity (previous projects list).
• No personnel costs for Technical Assistance (different call); eligible here.
• Travel/subsistence: Use unit costs per Commission Decision C(2021)35.
• Post-event surveys mandatory for impact measurement (participant satisfaction, etc.).

Reporting and Payments

Continuous reporting via Portal. Periodic reports: technical/financial (60 days post-period). Prefinancing: 50% max grant (30 days post-entry/guarantee). No interim payments. Final payment: 90 days post-final report. CFS if EU contribution >= €325,000. Record-keeping: 3-5 years post-final payment.

Primary source: EU Funding Portal¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call documents, templates, and guidance available on the Portal, including EUAF Annual Work Programme 2026, Regulation 2021/785, and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.