Strategic Upskilling and/or Reskilling for the Space Industry Workforce

Tender HADEA/2026/OP/0007 Strategic Upskilling and/or Reskilling for the Space Industry Workforce issued by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) seeks a contractor to design and deliver upskilling and reskilling activities across upstream and downstream space sectors and to manage the DIVERIS diversity and inclusion network and produce EDI educational resources. Estimated total amount is €2,580,000 and contract duration is up to 30 months. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 3 August 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. Award criteria are quality weighted 70% and price weighted 30% and consortia are permitted where relevant selection and qualification requirements are met.

Opportunity type

Call for tenders (HADEA/2026/OP/0007)

Procurement to deliver upskilling and reskilling actions for graduates and active workers across upstream and downstream space sectors, support management of the DIVERIS network, and develop equality, diversity and inclusion educational resources. Apply electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Tender details. ¹

Who can apply:Organisations/economic operators eligible to conclude EU public contracts (consortia are likely acceptable; consult tender documents for exact qualification and exclusion criteria).

1. 1Scope: training/upskilling/reskilling for space industry workforce; DIVERIS network management; EDI educational content
2. 2Submission: eSubmission via Funding & Tenders Portal
3. 3Contracting authority: Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)

Procedure details, award criteria and submission forms are in the published tender documents (invitation, draft contract, technical specifications and financial offer form) available on the portal. See the official tender dossier for complete requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender dossier and specifications available at the Funding & Tenders Portal tender page Tender documents.

Opportunity type and administrative facts

This is a public procurement tender issued by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) titled Strategic Upskilling and/or Reskilling for the Space Industry Workforce. The contract is for services (procurement) with a planned duration of 30 months and an estimated overall contract value of €2,580,000.

Reference and publication:Call identifier HADEA/2026/OP/0007; published on 11 June 2026. Main CPV: 80000000. Procurement lot: LOT-0001. Submission method: eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Open tender event scheduled for 04 August 2026 (see procurement documents) ¹.

Deadlines and timelines

The tender documentation lists deadlines and key dates:the formal closing date for submission is 03 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (Brussels time). The portal also records an earlier timestamp (2026-01-01T14:00:59Z) in the provided metadata; however, the published closing date in the procurement lot and tender documents is 03 August 2026. An open tender event is scheduled for 04 August 2026 at 11:00 (CEST). An additional information request period ends 27 July 2026. Tender validity period is set to 6 months.

Estimated contract value and duration:Estimated overall contract amount: €2,580,000. Planned performance duration: 30 months.

Scope, objectives and required services

The contract focuses on upskilling and/or reskilling graduates and active workers in the space industry across both upstream and downstream sectors. The Contractor will support the European Commission in managing the DIVERIS network and produce educational resources on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Services are required to design and deliver strategic training/upskilling/reskilling activities, network management tasks for DIVERIS, development of EDI educational material, and associated coordination and reporting to HaDEA/Commission services.

Key technical and operational notes

The procurement documents (tender specifications, draft contract and annexes) define detailed technical requirements, security requirements and contractual clauses. Bidders must follow the specification documents provided in the procurement package. Award criteria are quality (weight 70) and price (weight 30). The tender is not marked as SME-suitable.

Eligibility and applicants

This is a direct service contract tender issued by HaDEA. Eligible applicants are organisations capable of delivering the contracted services and meeting the selection criteria described in the procurement documents. The tender documentation includes selection/qualification requirements and a Declaration on Honour template. The procurement uses standard EU selection and award rules as set out in the tender dossier.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Primarily organisations and legal entities (service providers) competent to deliver training, reskilling/upskilling, network management and educational resource development. This typically includes consultancies, training providers, universities, research centres, non-profit organisations, NGOs, public bodies, and consortia formed by such partners. Individuals are not expected to be eligible as sole contractors given contract nature and scale.
2. 2Funding Type: Public procurement (service contract). This is not a grant, loan or equity instrument but a contract to purchase services from the winning contractor.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: The procurement allows submission by a single legal entity or by a consortium/consortia (joint bids). The tender dossier contains specific tenderer qualification requirements and templates; forming a consortium is an accepted route where capabilities must be demonstrated collectively according to the selection criteria.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The contracting authority is an EU executive agency (HaDEA), therefore the tender is targeted at organisations able to contract with the EU and operate within the EU framework. The call is published on the EU portal and expected to be open to bidders established in Member States and other countries eligible under the procurement rules set out in the tender documents. No specific list of third countries is provided in the summary metadata; bidders must consult the procurement documents for detailed eligibility regarding non-EU bidders.
5. 5Target Sector: Space industry workforce development, including upstream (space systems, manufacturing, launch, satellite development) and downstream (space applications, services, data exploitation) sectors. Cross-cutting themes include education/training, equality/diversity/inclusion (EDI), digital and skills development.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: No specific beneficiary countries are individually named in the summary. The contracting authority is the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) of the European Commission. Geographic framing is EU-wide. Consult the tender documents for precise eligible country lists if applicable.
7. 7Project Stage: The work is focused on workforce development—implementation phase: design, delivery, network management, and educational resource production (development, validation and roll-out of training and EDI materials).
8. 8Funding Amount: Estimated total €2,580,000 for the full contract (30 months).
9. 9Application Type: Open tender published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission via eSubmission (Funding & Tenders Portal eForms and attachments).
10. 10Nature of Support: The contractor will receive monetary compensation under a service contract (payment for services delivered). This is direct financial remuneration under procurement terms rather than a grant.
11. 11Application Stages: Typical procurement stages apply: 1) submission of tender (administrative compliance and qualification documents), 2) technical and financial evaluation by the contracting authority (quality and price assessment), 3) award and contract signature. The dossier includes an invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract, security requirements, Declaration on Honour, and a Financial Offer form.
12. 12Success Rates: Not specified in the procurement notice. Success rates depend on the number and quality of bidders in the competitive tender; no historical success-rate data is provided in the documents.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No co-funding from the applicant is required. This is a fee-for-service procurement where the EU pays the contractor according to the contract terms and invoicing schedule; there is no co-financing requirement specified in the summary metadata.

Documents and templates available in the procurement package

The procurement package published on the EU portal contains the essential templates and contractual documents that bidders must use. Key available documents are listed below; bidders must download and complete the relevant templates and read the draft contract and specifications carefully before submitting.

• Invitation to tender (document 1) — provides procedural and submission instructions and reference information.
• Draft Direct Service Contract (document 2) — full draft contract text that the successful tenderer will sign; includes administrative, financial and reporting clauses.
• Appendix 1 Security Requirements (document 2a) — security and data protection clauses and requirements to be respected during contract execution.
• Tender Specifications (document 3) — detailed technical and operational requirements, scope of work, deliverables, performance indicators, monitoring and reporting obligations.
• Declaration on Honour (document 4) — template to be completed by tenderers for exclusion and selection criteria.
• Financial Offer Form (document 5) — Excel template for submitting the detailed price offer and pricing breakdown.

Award criteria and weighting:Award criteria: Quality 70% and Price 30%. The tender specifications instruct bidders to consult the procurement documents for the full evaluation methodology, sub-criteria, scoring rules and threshold requirements.

How to apply and procedural requirements

Applicants must submit tenders electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the eSubmission channel and the provided eForm templates. Bidders must complete administrative, technical (technical offer) and financial sections, include the Declaration on Honour, and deliver any requested supporting documents for selection and exclusion criteria. Tender validity must comply with the six-month validity period specified. Late or non-electronic submissions are not accepted. Further details and mandatory forms are provided in the procurement dossier on the portal ¹.

Selection and qualification

The tender dossier contains specific tenderer qualification and selection criteria. Bidders must demonstrate technical capacity, relevant experience in training/upskilling/reskilling in the space or related high-tech sectors, capability to manage multi-stakeholder networks (DIVERIS), and competence to develop EDI educational material. Financial capacity and legal status documentation will also be requested as part of the selection stage. Exact documentation requirements and any minimum thresholds are set in the tender specifications and Declaration on Honour.

Risk, compliance and security

The procurement package includes an Appendix on Security Requirements. Bidders must comply with security, confidentiality and data protection obligations as set out in the draft contract and appendices. Failure to meet security or eligibility requirements can lead to exclusion from the tendering procedure.

Practical recommendations for bidders

1. 1Read the Tender Specifications and Draft Contract in full to understand deliverables, milestones, reporting requirements and payment schedule.
2. 2Use the provided Financial Offer Form (Excel) and Declaration on Honour (DOCX) templates as supplied in the procurement package.
3. 3Ensure all required supporting documents demonstrating technical capacity, experience in space-related training and network management, and EDI expertise are included.
4. 4Prepare a quality-focused technical proposal since award weighting is 70% quality / 30% price.
5. 5Verify any country-specific eligibility rules in the procurement documents if you are established outside the EU.
6. 6Submit early via the Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission to avoid technical issues and confirm you meet the tender validity period (6 months).

Mentioned organisations and references

Contracting authority:Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The opportunity is managed and published through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The procurement dossier is available from the opportunity page and contains all legal and technical attachments ¹.

Summary and what this opportunity is about

This tender seeks a qualified contractor to deliver a 30-month programme of strategic upskilling and reskilling actions for the space industry workforce, covering both upstream and downstream segments. The contractor will manage and support the DIVERIS network on behalf of the Commission, develop and produce equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) educational resources tailored to the space sector, design and deliver training and reskilling activities for graduates and active workers, and ensure reporting and coordination with HaDEA. The contract is a public procurement service contract with an estimated budget of €2,580,000. Bidders must submit proposals electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the closing date and must follow the instructions, templates and legal/technical requirements included in the published procurement documents. Award will be based on quality (70) and price (30), and successful bidders will sign the draft direct service contract included in the tender package.

For full details, exact eligibility, deadlines, submission procedures and to download the tender dossier (invitation to tender, tender specifications, draft contract, security appendix, declaration on honour and financial offer form), consult the official opportunity page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Tender opportunity HADEA/2026/OP/0007 ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement documents published on 11 June 2026 include: 1. Invitation to tender; 2. Draft Direct Service Contract; 2a. Appendix 1 Security requirements; 3. Tender Specifications; 4. Declaration on Honour; 5. Financial offer form. These are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page.

Opportunity Overview

This EU tender, identified as HADEA/2026/OP/0007, focuses on upskilling and reskilling graduates and active workers in the space industry, covering both upstream (satellite manufacturing, launch systems) and downstream (data services, applications) sectors [[4]]. The contract aims to bridge the talent gap in the European Space sector and inspire the next generation of space professionals [[4]].

The Contractor will support the European Commission in managing the DIVERIS network (EU Space and Defence Industry Diversity & Inclusion network) and create Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) educational resources [[4]]. This action is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 – Cluster 4 'Digital, Industry and Space', specifically Heading 10 'Boosting Space through training and education activities' [[4]].

Key Contract Details

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are economic operators, defined as natural or legal persons, submitting a sole or joint tender for this open EU procurement procedure [[1]]. Joint tenders (consortiums) are permitted, allowing organizations to collaborate on the delivery of training and network management services [[1]].

Ideal Applicant Profile:Organizations with expertise in education, training, HR & employment, and a strong capacity to manage diversity and inclusion networks in the space sector [[1]]. Applicants should have experience in creating educational resources and managing professional networks [[4]].

Scope of Work

1. 1Design and deliver upskilling/reskilling programs for space industry graduates and active workers covering upstream and downstream sectors
2. 2Support the Commission in the management and operation of the DIVERIS network (Diversity & Inclusion network)
3. 3Create and publish EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) educational resources for the space industry
4. 4Bridge the gap between supply and demand for talents in the European Space sector
5. 5Align with the European Space Policy and Horizon Europe R&I agendas, including the CASSINI initiative for space entrepreneurship

Award Criteria

The tender will be evaluated based on two main criteria:Quality (weighted at 70%) and Price (weighted at 30%) [[4]]. Quality will assess the technical merit, methodology, and expertise of the proposed solution, while Price will evaluate the financial offer [[4]].

Submission Requirements

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal using the eSubmission method [[4]]. Interested parties must consult the official portal for all tender documents, including the Tender Specifications, Draft Contract, Security Requirements, Declaration on Honour, and Financial Offer Form [[4]].

The deadline for requesting additional information is 27 July 2026 at 16:00 (Europe/Brussels), and the tender submission deadline is 3 August 2026 at 16:00:59 (Europe/Brussels) [[4]].

Background and Context

The DIVERIS network aims to break down barriers, promote equal opportunities, and champion inclusive practices in the space and defence sectors, ensuring diversity and inclusion are integral components of the EU's industries [[9]]. Women currently make up less than 22% of the EU space and defence workforce, highlighting the need for this initiative [[27]].

This tender supports the European Commission's space entrepreneurship initiative CASSINI, which promotes entrepreneurship and creates a business-friendly space ecosystem [[4]]. It also aligns with the Pact for Skills initiative, which aims to upskill and reskill the workforce in key sectors [[13]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender details and documents are available at the EU Funding and Tenders Portal EU Funding Portal.
2. 2DIVERIS network information and contact details can be found at DIVERIS Network.