Staff exchanges

EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 is a single-beneficiary project grant under the Union Anti-Fraud Programme managed by OLAF to fund staff exchanges between national and regional administrations (including candidate countries) aimed at strengthening skills to protect the EU’s financial interests. Eligible applicants include national or regional public authorities, international organisations, research and educational institutes and non-profit entities established for at least one year, with activities normally carried out in eligible programme countries. The TRAI call has a total budget of €1,000,000, funds eligible costs at 80% (90% for specified priority actions), covers personnel, travel/subsistence, subcontracting and equipment depreciation with a 7% flat-rate indirect cost, and excludes VAT and financial support to third parties. Applications open 17 March 2026 and must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 07 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time, using the required Part A/B templates and detailed budget table.

Staff exchanges — EUAF Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies

What it funds

Scope and expected outcome

Co‑funds staff exchanges between national and regional administrations (including candidate and potential candidate countries) to develop and update skills for protecting the EU financial interests. Activities should improve skills and knowledge (specialised methodologies, fraud‑risk indicators) and create opportunities to design and implement anti‑fraud strategies at EU level.

Who can apply:Eligible applicants include national or regional public authorities and international organisations; for the Training call also research and educational institutes and non‑profit entities established and operating for at least one year. Single‑applicant (mono‑beneficiary) submissions are allowed; affiliated entities, associated partners and subcontractors may participate.

1. 1Project focus: organising staff exchanges for customs and other law enforcement bodies to enhance anti‑fraud capacity
2. 2Geography: activities taking place in eligible programme countries, including Member States and listed associated/negotiating countries

Applications are submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Projects must use the EUAF standard application templates and comply with admissibility, eligibility and financial/operational capacity checks. Delivery includes event documentation and participant evaluations; specific reporting and audit obligations apply ¹.

Contact and help:For topic questions contact OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu. Submission and technical support available via the Funding & Tenders Portal helpdesk and Online Manual ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates, timelines and topic page are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 topic page.

EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 Staff exchanges — Call for Proposals

Programme: Union Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) — Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies (EUAF-2026-TRAI). Type of action: EUAF-PJG EUAF Project Grants. Managing authority: European Commission, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). Deadline model: single-stage. Planned opening date: 17 March 2026. Deadline: 07 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Topic page: EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 Staff exchanges Official topic page ¹.

Purpose and Scope

Expected outcome: Professionals, particularly staff from customs authorities and other law enforcement bodies, improve their capacity to protect the EU’s financial interests by acquiring new skills, learning specialised methodologies and techniques, increasing awareness of EU-level fraud-risk indicators, and expanding opportunities to develop and implement EU-level anti-fraud strategies.

Scope of the topic: Organising staff exchanges between national and regional administrations, including those in candidate and potential candidate countries, to further develop, improve, and update staff skills directly relevant to the protection of the EU’s financial interests.

Key Call Data

Full call fiche and rules are defined in the official Call Document for EUAF-2026-TRAI, Version 1.0 of 12 March 2026 EUAF-2026-TRAI Call Document (PDF) ².

What Activities Are Funded under EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 (Staff exchanges)

• Design and execution of staff exchanges between national and regional administrations of EU Member States; also open to exchanges including candidate and potential candidate countries where relevant to protecting EU financial interests.
• Structured learning and on-the-job collaboration aimed at upgrading practical skills related to the detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of fraud, corruption, and other illegal activities affecting the EU budget.
• Knowledge sharing on methodologies such as risk analysis, anti-fraud indicators, customs cooperation, cross-border coordination, and multidisciplinary best practices.

Broader priority areas that applicants may consider include, among others: digitalisation of anti-fraud reporting, cooperation between OLAF, EPPO and national authorities, improved risk analysis for EU expenditure, prevention of revenue fraud with a focus on customs and e-commerce, protection against counterfeits and illicit tobacco trade, border protection and information sharing, tackling environment- and health-damaging fraud (waste, endangered species, illicit chemicals and food), anti-fraud actions linked to Green Deal spending, emerging challenges tied to the MFF and RRF, double-funding risks, national/EU anti-fraud strategies, management and control system effectiveness, conditionality for protecting the EU budget (rule of law), money laundering linked to fraud, cyber fraud affecting the EU budget, and OLAF-related legal and procedural topics ².

Eligibility and Participation

Who can apply

• National or regional public authorities, or international organisations that can help achieve EUAF objectives, in particular the protection of the EU’s financial interests.
• Research and educational institutes and non-profit making entities that can help achieve EUAF objectives and have been established and operating for at least one year at the time of application.

Legal entities must come from: EU Member States (including OCTs); listed EEA countries; countries associated to EUAF; or countries in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. International organisations are eligible and not bound by the eligible country rules. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if representatives can assume legal obligations and guarantee equivalent protection of EU financial interests. EU bodies (other than JRC) are not eligible as beneficiaries. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures are not eligible in any capacity ².

Consortium composition:Single-applicant proposals only. Affiliated entities and other participants (associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions) may be involved where needed, but the application must be submitted by one beneficiary ².

Geographic location of activities:Activities generally take place in eligible countries; exceptions may be agreed for staff exchanges or training activities in other countries where essential to protect the EU’s financial interests ².

Funding, Rate, Budget and Cost Rules

Call budget and expected project size:Total budget for EUAF-2026-TRAI: €1,000,000. For the Training call: project budgets are generally not lower than €40,000; this lower limit does not apply to staff exchanges. No explicit maximum per project is set for the Training call in the call document. The number of awards is not specified ².

Funding rate:Standard co-funding rate: 80% of eligible costs. A 90% rate may apply for specific priority actions in the Training call, namely: (i) projects by scientific and/or research organisations meeting criteria a or b, and c, as defined in the call; or (ii) projects covering the exceptional priority cases listed for Technical Assistance (by analogy, as provided in the call) ².

Eligible and ineligible costs (Training call rules):Eligible: personnel costs; subcontracting where justified; purchase costs including travel and subsistence (primarily as unit costs per Commission Decision on unit costs), equipment (depreciation for Training call), and other goods, works and services; indirect costs at a 7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs (categories A-D, except exempted items). VAT is not eligible. Financial support to third parties is not allowed. For travel, accommodation and subsistence, apply unit costs in line with the applicable Commission Decision and Annex 2a of the Grant Agreement; if a specific trip is not covered by the decision tables, actual costs may be used. Staff exchanges should reflect travel set-up precisely in the detailed budget with correct unit amounts per destination and distance band; do not use averages [[FN:2]; EUAF MGA and templates ³.

Deliverables and reporting (Training call):Mandatory deliverables include: final agenda of each event; signed attendance lists; participant evaluation forms completed on the final day; event feedback summary; and post-event survey and feedback form to assess medium-term impact, due 6 months after action end. Projects usually run 12–24 months. Payments: prefinancing typically 50%; final payment after acceptance of the final report. No interim payments are planned for this call family per the call fiche; check the signed grant for exact modalities [[FN:2]; EUAF MGA ³.

Application and Submission

1. 1Create EU Login and register your organisation to obtain a PIC in the Participant Register.
2. 2Apply online via the topic page in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; paper submissions are not accepted.
3. 3Application package: Part A (online forms with admin and summary budget); Part B (technical narrative, uploaded PDF using the mandatory template from the Submission System); Annexes. For EUAF-2026-TRAI, mandatory annexes include the Detailed budget table (Excel template provided), the list of previous key projects over the last 3 years, and for Training/Staff Exchanges: the Draft Agenda/Outline (template provided).
4. 4Page limit: Part B maximum 70 pages; formatting rules apply.
5. 5Naming convention for project acronym: Year-Country-Acronym (example: 2026-BE-REI).
6. 6Portal tools: Use the Online Manual and follow the submission wizard. After submission, keep the confirmation email; unresolved IT issues require immediate Helpdesk contact with evidence.
7. 7Helpdesk and call contact: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu; general IT help through the Portal IT Helpdesk ².

Evaluation and award:One-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Proposals are checked for admissibility and eligibility, then assessed on operational capacity and award criteria, ranked, and funded within budget availability. Ties are resolved by coverage of uncovered themes, then Added Value score, then Conformity, then Quality; further portfolio considerations may apply. Indicative timeline: evaluation May–October 2026; results November 2026; grant signature November–December 2026 ².

Templates and Required Documents

• Application Form Part A (administrative; system-generated).
• Application Form Part B (technical description; downloadable template from the Submission System; 70-page limit).
• Detailed Budget Table (Excel with macros; follow sheet order and instructions; amounts must match Part A online budget).
• Draft Agenda/Outline template for Training/Staff Exchanges applications (to be adapted to events/exchanges), including speakers/trainers if known, sufficient time for Q&A and breaks, and alignment with EU financial interests protection Draft Agenda-Outline (DOCX) ⁴.
• Model Grant Agreement (EUAF MGA) and Annotated Grant Agreement for full financial and legal rules EUAF MGA and EU Grants AGA – Annotated Model Grant Agreement.

Categorisation and Structured Information

Eligible Applicant Types:National or regional public authorities; international organisations; research and educational institutes; nonprofit entities. Entities must be legal persons; entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate under strict conditions. EU bodies (except JRC) are not eligible as beneficiaries. SMEs, large enterprises, startups, individuals, and investors are not typical beneficiaries unless they meet the non-profit or research/educational criteria and the one-year operating condition for this call stream ².

Funding Type:Grant (budget-based mixed actual cost grant with unit cost and flat-rate elements; no financial support to third parties). Standard funding rate 80%, with possible 90% for defined priority actions [[FN:2]; EUAF MGA ³.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant. Affiliated entities and associated partners may be included. Subcontracting permitted for limited parts where justified. Staff exchanges themselves involve multiple administrations operationally, but the grant agreement is with a single beneficiary ².

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States (including OCTs), listed EEA countries, associated countries to EUAF, or countries in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. International organisations are eligible. Activities can take place outside eligible countries by prior agreement if essential to protect EU financial interests ².

Target Sector:Anti-fraud and financial protection of the EU budget across customs, law enforcement, public administration, justice, and governance. Thematically linked to fraud risk analysis, customs data and e-commerce risks, counterfeiting and illicit trade (including tobacco), environmental and health-protection related fraud, border cooperation, rule-of-law conditionality, money laundering linked to fraud, and cyber-related fraud affecting the EU budget ².

Mentioned Countries:Regions referenced: EU Member States, EEA, associated countries, candidate and potential candidate countries. No specific individual countries are listed in the topic text ².

Project Stage:Implementation and delivery of staff exchanges, including planning, execution, skills transfer, and short-term to medium-term impact assessment through immediate and post-event surveys. Not research-focused; primarily capacity building and operational upskilling ².

Funding Amount:Total call budget for EUAF-2026-TRAI: €1,000,000. For Training call projects, budgets are generally not below €40,000; this minimum does not apply to staff exchanges. No explicit project maximum is stated for this topic. Standard co-funding 80%, with a possible 90% for priority actions as defined in the call ².

Application Type:Open call; single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Use official templates from the Submission System. Non-electronic submissions are not permitted ².

Nature of Support:Financial support in the form of a grant. Non-financial support is not the primary modality in this topic. Indirect cost flat-rate at 7% applies; VAT is ineligible [[FN:2]; EUAF MGA ³.

Application Stages:1 stage (single-stage submission and single-step evaluation) ².

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation. Funding is limited to the available budget and awards follow ranking and tie-break rules ².

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Beneficiaries must cover at least 20% of eligible costs (or 10% if awarded the 90% funding rate under the defined priority cases). No-profit rule may apply per the signed grant; revenues must be declared by for-profit organisations in the final report [[FN:2]; EUAF MGA ³.

Templates: Application Form Structure and Draft Agenda/Outline:Part A (online): general info, participants, budget, declarations. Part B (PDF upload): sections covering Conformity with EUAF objectives; Needs analysis and specific objectives; Relevance and complementarity; Quality (concept/methodology; management; team; risks); Value for money; Added value for the protection of EU financial interests (impact, communication/dissemination/visibility, sustainability); Workplan and Work Packages (including events, subcontracting, timetable); Declarations; Annexes including Detailed Budget Table and List of Previous Projects. Draft Agenda/Outline template must be completed for events/staff exchanges and uploaded; ensure coherence with the project topic, adequate timing for Q&A and breaks, indicate confirmed or TBC speakers, and include EU visibility elements as per the grant agreement Part B template overview (example); Draft Agenda-Outline ⁴.

Costing and Budgeting Guidance Highlights for Staff Exchanges

• Use the Detailed Budget Table Excel template without altering macros. Follow the instruction tabs precisely; ensure Part A and the Excel totals match.
• Travel and subsistence: apply unit costs based on destination and distance band as per Commission Decision and Annex 2a; list separate lines for different unit costs; describe origin/destination, distance band, days/nights, number of persons, transport mode in the Description field.
• Personnel costs: eligible under the Training call; list one line per staff member with role and responsibilities; ensure time declarations are retained monthly, signed by the person and supervisor.
• Equipment for Training call: declare depreciation only; do not charge full purchase price. Project websites as separate sites are ineligible; dissemination via existing institutional web or social media is eligible as communication cost.
• VAT is ineligible; ensure budgets and quotations, where applicable, are VAT-excluded.
• Indirect costs: apply a 7% flat rate to eligible direct costs (categories A-D, except exempted items).
• Deliverable evidence: agendas, signed attendance lists, on-site evaluation forms, post-event surveys 6 months after project end; retain presence lists with travel details when claiming unit costs for travel.

Contacts and Support

• Non-IT questions for Training call: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu.
• IT Helpdesk: via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Online Manual and Reference Documents provide step-by-step guidance, including the EUAF MGA and AGA ².

Compliance and Visibility

Communication, dissemination and visibility obligations apply. Use the European flag with the funding statement, ensure factual accuracy, and include the standard disclaimer. Respect ethics, data protection, confidentiality and, where relevant, security requirements. Keep records and supporting documents for the statutory retention period. The EU may check, review, audit and investigate projects; ensure readiness to provide documentation EUAF MGA ³.

Long Summary: What this opportunity is about and how to explain it

EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 funds staff exchanges among national and regional administrations with the objective of strengthening the protection of the EU’s financial interests. Through structured placements and exchanges, anti-fraud practitioners from customs, law enforcement and related public authorities gain hands-on exposure to specialised methodologies, practical techniques, and EU-level risk indicators. The programme aims to foster a consistent EU-wide approach to fraud prevention, detection and investigation by deepening skills, building networks, and enhancing cooperation across borders, including with candidate and potential candidate countries where relevant. The opportunity is a straightforward, single-beneficiary grant under OLAF’s Union Anti-Fraud Programme, using standard EU grant rules. The Training call budget for 2026 is €1 million, with staff exchange projects not bound by the general €40,000 minimum applicable to other training actions. Projects co-fund eligible activities at 80% (or 90% for narrowly defined priority cases), cover eligible personnel, travel and subsistence (primarily via unit costs), and event organisation-related costs, and require strong value for money, clear alignment with EUAF objectives, and credible added value at EU level. Applicants submit online, using provided templates, including a detailed budget and a draft agenda/outline for the exchanges. Successful projects must deliver concrete outputs (agendas, attendance lists, participant evaluations, and post-event surveys) and ensure EU visibility and compliance with data protection, ethics, and audit requirements. In essence, this is a capacity-building instrument to professionalise and connect anti-fraud practitioners across Europe, enabling them to better safeguard the EU budget through practical, peer-to-peer learning and operational collaboration.

Footnotes

1. 1Official topic page: EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 Staff exchanges: EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Call document (EUAF-2026-TRAI), Version 1.0, 12 March 2026: EUAF-2026-TRAI Call fiche.
3. 3Model Grant Agreement (EUAF MGA) and legal-financial rules: EUAF MGA.
4. 4Draft Agenda/Outline template (EUAF TRAI): Draft Agenda-Outline (DOCX). Application Form example (Part A/B outline): EUAF Application Form (example).

EUAF-2026-TRAI-03 Staff Exchanges Funding Opportunity

This call for proposals under the Union Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) supports the organisation of staff exchanges between national and regional administrations, including those in candidate countries and potential candidate countries, to develop, improve and update staff skills for protecting the financial interests of the EU.

Programme and Objectives

The programme is part of Training, Conferences, Staff Exchanges and Studies (EUAF-2026-TRAI) within the EUAF, managed by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The general objective is to protect EU financial interests by preventing and combating fraud, corruption and other illegal activities. Specific outcomes include professionals from customs authorities and law enforcement acquiring new skills, specialised methodologies, fraud-risk awareness at EU level, and opportunities to develop anti-fraud strategies.

Expected Outcomes and Scope

Expected Outcomes:(i) acquisition of new skills; (ii) knowledge of specialised methodologies and techniques; (iii) increased awareness of EU-level fraud-risk indicators; (iv) opportunities to develop and implement anti-fraud strategies.

Scope:Staff exchanges between national and regional administrations to enhance skills in protecting EU financial interests. Projects must align with indicative priority areas such as digitalisation, cooperation with OLAF/EPPO, risk-analysis, revenue fraud prevention, and emerging challenges like RRF fraud.

Eligibility Criteria

Single applicants only (mono-beneficiary grants; affiliated entities allowed if needed). Eligible entities: national or regional public authorities or international organisations that can help protect EU financial interests; research/educational institutes and non-profits established and operating for at least one year. From EU Member States (incl. OCTs), EEA countries, or countries associated to EUAF or in negotiations. Activities must take place in eligible countries unless justified otherwise. Duration: 12-24 months. Minimum budget: €40,000 (except staff exchanges). EU bodies (except JRC) ineligible.

Budget and Funding Details

Call budget for EUAF-2026-TRAI: €1,000,000. Type of action: EUAF-PJG (Project Grants), budget-based action grant (EUAF-AG). Funding rate: 80% of eligible costs (90% for priority actions, e.g. by scientific organisations promoting EU criminal law studies or reflecting PIF reports/ECA findings). Budget categories: A. Personnel (eligible), B. Subcontracting, C. Purchase costs (C.1 Travel/subsistence unit costs; C.2 Equipment depreciation; C.3 Other goods/services), E. Indirect costs (7% flat-rate). VAT ineligible. No financial support to third parties.

Timeline and Submission

1. 1Planned opening: 17 March 2026
2. 2Deadline: 07 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission)
3. 3Evaluation: May-October 2026
4. 4Results: November 2026
5. 5Grant signature: November-December 2026

Submit electronically via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposal limited to 70 pages (Part B). Required documents: Application Form Parts A/B, detailed budget table (EUAF TRAI), draft agenda/outline, list of previous projects (last 3 years). Project acronym: Year-Country-Acronym (e.g. 2026-BE-REI).

Evaluation Criteria and Thresholds

Proposals passing thresholds ranked by score. Priority to uncovered themes, then by added value, conformity, quality scores. Balanced geographical/thematic spread.

Key Requirements and Documents

• Admissibility: Page limits/layout per call document and Part B of Application Form.
• Financial/operational capacity: Stable resources; know-how for project size/nature. Public bodies/IOs exempt.
• Exclusion: No bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, fraud, grave professional misconduct, etc.
• Deliverables: Final agendas, signed participant lists, event evaluation forms, post-event surveys (templates on Portal).
• Reporting: Continuous via Portal; periodic technical/financial reports.

Application Tips and Support

Ensure budget consistency across forms. Use Detailed Budget Table (Excel) correctly; tie equipment/training to quotes. For staff exchanges, include draft agenda/outline. Contact: OLAF-ANTI-FRAUD-TRAINING@ec.europa.eu. Portal Online Manual, FAQs, IT Helpdesk available. Check previous EUAF projects on OLAF website.

Primary source: EU Funding Portal. Call document: Call Fiche.

Footnotes

1. 1Details from EUAF Annual Work Programme 2026 and call conditions.