Strengthening NSA's knowledge, research and innovation partnerships

EU Action Grant EuropeAid:Strengthening non-state actors' knowledge, research and innovation partnerships in Vietnam with a total budget of €4,470,000. Grants range from €750,000 to €1,000,000 per award for 36–48 month actions supporting applied research, innovation pilots, knowledge sharing and policy engagement aligned with green and digital transition priorities. This is a restricted two-stage call (concept note then invited full application) with mandatory online submission via PROSPECT and PADOR registration; concept note deadline 30 October 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Eligible lead applicants are non-state actors and civil society organisations established in EU Member States or Vietnam; international organisations are excluded and applicants must comply with EU ethics, SEA-H and audit requirements.

Call at a glance

Essential facts

Type:Action Grants (restricted call for proposals). Reference: EuropeAid. Geographic focus: Vietnam. Total indicative budget: €4,470,000. Deadline for concept notes: 30 October 2026, 12:00 Brussels time. Submission: online via PROSPECT; PADOR registration required.

What it funds:Projects that strengthen partnerships between non-state actors, research institutions, academia, private sector and other stakeholders to generate applied research, innovation, data and knowledge supporting Vietnam’s green and digital transitions (applied research, pilots, innovation labs, MEL capacity, knowledge sharing, policy engagement).

Who can apply:Eligible lead applicants: non-profit Civil Society Organisations or Non-State Actors (NGOs, research institutes, universities, social enterprises, professional associations, etc.) legally established and with head office in an EU Member State or in Vietnam. International organisations are NOT eligible. Consortia with co-applicants and affiliated entities are allowed.

Grant size and co-financing:Available envelope €4,470,000. Individual grants must be between €750,000 and €1,000,000. EU contribution may cover 50% to 90% of total eligible costs. Contingency and indirect cost rules apply as per guidelines Guidelines and annexes ¹.

1. 1Call identifier: EuropeAid
2. 2Location: actions implemented in Vietnam
3. 3Submission: two-stage restricted procedure — concept note then invited full application via PROSPECT
4. 4Mandatory registrations: PADOR and EU Participant Register (PIC)
5. 5Mandatory documents: concept note (Annex A1); invited applicants submit full application (Annex A2) plus Annexes B–L as required

Key exclusions and notes:international organisations are excluded; actions must respect EU values, labour and environmental standards; financial support to third parties is allowed (normally max €60,000 per third party unless otherwise justified); FNLC (results-based) modalities may apply to parts of the budget.

Footnotes

1. 1Full guidelines, annexes (application forms, budget template, logframe, guidance, Q&A) and submission portal details are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Prospect call page: webgate.ec.europa.eu

Call identifier and basic facts

Reference:EuropeAid. Title: Strengthening NSAs' knowledge, research and innovation partnerships. Funding programme: Action Grants managed by the European Commission (DG International Partnerships). Geographical zone: Vietnam. Total indicative budget: €4,470,000. Publication date: 07/09/2026. Deadline for submission (concept note and full application phases as applicable): 30/10/2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Online submission mandatory via PROSPECT and PADOR registration required. Primary call page: Opportunity details and full description on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Portal page.

Objectives and priorities

Global objective:Enhance non-state actors' engagement as actors of governance and development in Vietnam. Specific objective: Strengthen knowledge, research and innovation partnerships between non-state actors, research institutions, academia, private sector and other stakeholders to support Vietnam's green and digital transition. Priority thematic focus: renewable energy and energy efficiency, digital transition, climate-smart infrastructure with emphasis on transport aligned with EU Global Gateway and Vietnam national plans. Types of activities supported include partnership-building, applied research and evidence generation, innovation pilots and labs, community-based participatory research, knowledge sharing and dissemination, capacity development for monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), data collection and analysis, and linkage of research to policy and practice.

Who should apply and eligible applicants

This is a restricted call targeting Civil Society Organisations / Non-State Actors operating in Vietnam. Eligible lead applicants must be legal, nonprofit Civil Society Organisations established and with head office in an eligible country and specifically in either a Member State of the EU or in Viet Nam as specified in the call. International organisations are NOT eligible. The call explicitly refers to a broad concept of NSAs covering NGOs, social enterprises, cooperatives, universities and research institutes, business and professional associations, start-ups and other civil society actors.

Eligible applicant types:Civil Society Organisations / Non-State Actors including NGOs, universities, research institutes, social enterprises, business and professional associations, cooperatives, community-based organisations, start-ups and private sector partners where included in consortia. International organisations are excluded for this call.

Funding modalities, amounts and co-financing

Overall available budget for the call:€4,470,000. Grants to be awarded are action grants. Individual grant size: minimum €750,000 and maximum €1,000,000 per grant. Co-financing: EU contribution must fall between 50% and 90% of total eligible costs. The balance of the action budget must be financed from other sources than the EU general budget or EDF. Part of the 2027 financing (€2,235,000) is subject to availability of 2027 appropriations (suspensive clause).

Funding type:Grant. Forms allowed: reimbursement of eligible costs (actual costs and simplified cost options), financing not linked to costs (FNLC) or hybrid (both cost reimbursement and FNLC) as authorised in the call and defined in Annex III and Annex I logframe. See Annex K for clarifications on FNLC.

Project size, duration and stage

Grant amounts per action:€750,000 to €1,000,000. Project duration: minimum 36 months and maximum 48 months. Expected project stage: applied research, development, piloting, demonstration, capacity building, knowledge generation and dissemination — supporting mid- to late-stage R&I and demonstration to inform policy, investment and practice in green and digital transitions.

Application process and deadlines

This is a restricted call in two phases:concept note selection followed by invitation-only full application for pre-selected lead applicants. Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory. All applicants (lead, co-applicants and affiliated entities) must register in PADOR; if online PADOR registration is impossible for technical reasons, submit the Annex F PADOR offline form as instructed. Information session: 18 September 2026, 14:30 Hanoi time (online). Deadline for concept notes: 30 October 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Indicative timetable: invitation to submit full applications notified mid-December 2026; deadline for full applications expected 26 February 2027; notification of decisions May 2027; contract signature June 2027. Applicants must follow formatting, page limits and templates provided in Annex A.1 (concept note) and Annex A.2 (full application).

Application type:Open restricted call with two-stage procedure: concept note (first stage) then invited full application (second stage). Submission portal: PROSPECT. Registration required in PADOR and Participant Register (PIC).

Consortia, affiliated entities and partners

Lead applicants must act with co-applicant(s) and may include affiliated entity(ies). Affiliated entities require a structural link (control or membership) to the applicant and sign affiliated entity statements. Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support (sub-grantees) are distinct roles with specific rules. The lead applicant is the sole interlocutor with the contracting authority and is responsible for consortium coordination, finances and reporting.

1. 1Consortium requirement: Restricted call — concept note submitted by lead applicant; co-applicants permitted and must sign mandate if included; affiliated entities must sign affiliated entity statement.
2. 2Maximum grants per lead applicant: one grant; lead applicant cannot be co-applicant/affiliated entity in other applications under this call.
3. 3Co-applicant/affiliated entity limits: a co-applicant/affiliated entity may not participate in more than one application under this call or be awarded more than one grant under this call.

Eligibility, ethics and safeguards

Eligibility:lead applicants must be legal, nonprofit CSOs established under national law and with head office in an eligible country as defined in the guidelines (EU Member State or Viet Nam for this call). Co-applicants and affiliated entities must meet the same eligibility criteria. Actions must be implemented in Viet Nam and align with the call objectives and eligible action types (research, pilots, innovation labs, MEL capacity building, knowledge platforms, dissemination, financial support to third parties where authorised). Exclusions include international organisations. Ethics: beneficiaries must comply with EU values, human rights, environmental legislation, ILO core labour standards and a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H). Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H (Annex L) required for grants above €60,000 unless exempt. Declarations on exclusion criteria (Annex H) required where amounts exceed €15,000.

Evaluation and selection

Step 1:Administrative checks and concept note evaluation using an evaluation grid (max 50 points, minimum 30 to be considered). Concept notes scored on relevance and design; pre-selected applicants are invited to full application. Step 2: Full application evaluation against selection (financial and operational capacity) and award criteria (relevance, design, implementation, sustainability, budget/cost-effectiveness) with a 100-point scale. Minimum thresholds apply for section 1 (financial and operational capacity). Step 3: eligibility verification of supporting documents for provisionally selected applicants. Reserve list may be drawn up. Information on results will be published in PROSPECT and via the portal.

Budgeting and eligible costs

Budget must be submitted using Annex B templates (worksheets for cost-based, hybrid, or FNLC models). Eligible direct costs include staff (actual gross salaries excluding bonuses), travel and subsistence, equipment and supplies (purchase, rental, depreciation rules applicable), project office costs where authorised, services, studies, evaluations, contractual expenditure verification/audit, third-party assessments (for FNLC), financial services and non-recoverable taxes where allowed. Indirect costs may be claimed as a flat rate up to 7% of total eligible direct costs (excluding project office and volunteers). Contingency reserve may be included up to 5% of estimated direct eligible costs and requires prior written authorisation. Volunteers' work may be declared under strict rules and counted outside direct costs for indirect cost calculation up to 50% of total financing where authorised.

Financial controls, audits and verification

For grants >= €5,000,000 an agreed-upon procedures (expenditure verification) is required with a practitioner meeting qualification criteria (Annex VII-A). For grants > €100,000 a contractual expenditure verification report or detailed breakdown of expenditure is required at final report. For FNLC components a third-party assessment validating achievement of indicators is required for grants above thresholds (Annex VII-B). The contracting authority, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and the European Court of Auditors reserve the right of access, checks and audits. Records must be kept for five years after balance payment (three years where grant ≤ €60,000) or longer if audits are ongoing.

Key documents and templates provided

The call provides a complete set of templates and annexes for application and contract management. These include: Annex A.1 Concept note form; Annex A.2 Full application form; Annex B Budget templates (cost-based / hybrid / FNLC); Annex C Logframe template and Activities Matrix; Annex D identification forms; Annex F PADOR offline registration form; Annex G Standard grant contract and Special Conditions; Annex H Declaration on exclusion; Annex I Additional clarifications on FNLC and tax regime; Annex VII-A contractual expenditure verification terms of reference; Annex VII-B third party assessment terms of reference; Annex VIII model financial guarantee; Annex IX template for transfer of asset ownership; Annex L SEA-H self-evaluation questionnaire. All documents published with the call on PROSPECT and available for download via the call page on the portal.

Selection and scoring highlights

Concept notes are scored out of 50 points; minimum pass threshold 30 and the contracting authority will pre-select concept notes up to 200% of available budget for invitation to full application. Full applications are evaluated on capacity, relevance, design, implementation approach, sustainability and budget/cost-effectiveness using a 100-point scale and minimum thresholds for financial and operational capacity. Detailed evaluation grids and scoring weights are in the Guidelines (Annex G/Guidelines document).

Practical obligations for applicants

1. 1Register organisations in PADOR and obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) in the EU Participant Register before submission and keep profiles up to date.
2. 2Submit concept note and, if invited, full application via PROSPECT before the stated deadlines. PROSPECT IT support available weekdays 08:30–18:30 Brussels time.
3. 3Provide required supporting documents at full application stage (statutes, declaration of honour, latest accounts or external audit report where applicable, PADOR forms if offline, signed mandates from co-applicants, affiliated entity statements).
4. 4Comply with visibility and communication obligations and seek derogations only where needed and documented for security or sensitivity.
5. 5Ensure eligibility of costs and proper record keeping for at least five years after balance payment (three years for grants ≤ €60,000) and be prepared for contractual expenditure verification, audits and third-party assessments when applicable.

Risks, exclusions and special conditions

The contracting authority may cancel the call, reduce or not award funds. Applications may be rejected for missed deadlines, incomplete documentation, ineligibility or material misrepresentations. Contracts include clauses to address irregularities, fraud, conflicts of interest, breaches of EU values and restrictive measures; violation may trigger recovery, penalties, suspension, termination and exclusion. Where part of the call is financed from 2027 appropriations, award and signature are subject to availability of those funds.

How to prepare a competitive application

Follow the concept note and full application templates precisely. Provide robust context and needs analysis for Vietnam, clear intervention logic and logframe with SMART indicators, realistic workplan and budget, evidence of operational and financial capacity, credible partnerships with local NSAs, universities and private sector where appropriate, detailed MEL approach, explanation how outputs will influence policy or investment decisions, and plans for sustainability, replication and knowledge sharing. For FNLC components, define results, performance indicators, verification methods and the maximum EU amounts linked to each indicator in Annex III. Ensure adherence to ethical, environmental and SEA-H requirements.

Documents supplied with the call (select list)

• Annex A1 Concept note template (rtf)
• Annex A2 Full application form (rtf)
• Guidelines for applicants (pdf)
• Annex B Budget (xlsx)
• Annex C Logical framework (docx)
• Annex G Standard grant contract and annexes (zip / docx)
• Annex H Declaration of honour (docx)
• Annex K Clarifications on financing not linked to costs (docx)
• Annex L Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H (docx)
• Q&A and information session details (xlsx)

Summary — What is this opportunity about?

This EU Action Grant call supports strengthening non-state actors' knowledge, research and innovation partnerships in Vietnam to accelerate the country's green and digital transitions in alignment with EU Global Gateway priorities and the EU–Vietnam strategic partnership. It finances action grants of €750,000 to €1,000,000 to consortia or lead CSOs (with co-applicants and affiliated entities) that propose applied research, evidence generation, innovation pilots, capacity building, knowledge sharing and mechanisms to link research to policy and investment. The procedure is a restricted two-stage call: concept note then invited full application. Applicants must register in PADOR and submit via PROSPECT, comply with eligibility, ethics and SEA-H requirements, and be prepared for contractual expenditure verification, audits and third-party assessments where applicable. Full documentation, templates and evaluation grids are published with the call and form part of the contract. Interested applicants should carefully follow the Annex A templates, Guidelines and Annex B budget templates and consult the information session materials and Q&A published on the call page.

Strengthening NSA's knowledge, research and innovation partnerships is an action grant for Vietnam with a total budget of €4,470,000. The call supports collaboration among non-state actors, research institutions, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders to strengthen knowledge generation, innovation and mutual learning in support of Vietnam's twin green and digital transition and Global Gateway priorities.[2]

Who can apply

The call is designed for non-state actors and collaborative partnerships. The public summary highlights civil society organisations, academia, research institutes, professional associations, social enterprises, business actors and other relevant stakeholders as the expected ecosystem of applicants and partners.[2]

• Cross sector partnerships are strongly aligned with the call's purpose.[2]
• Applicants should be able to deliver applied research, data work, innovation pilots, and knowledge sharing activities.[2]
• The geographical focus is Vietnam, so proposals should demonstrate a clear country level benefit and relevance.
• Consortia should be prepared to show how their work supports the green and digital transition and broader development priorities.[2]

Application and document requirements

The published document pack includes an application form for the concept note, a full applicant form, budget and logical framework templates, identification forms, a PADOR offline registration form, a standard grant contract, a declaration of honour, tax regime information, clarifications on financing not linked to costs, and a SEA H self evaluation questionnaire. This indicates that applicants should expect a structured submission and compliance process.

The portal shows the call as open for submission. The available public summary does not state the grant rate, minimum or maximum grant per project, or the project duration, so these should be checked directly in the guidelines and annexes before submission.

Applicant takeaways

1. 1Treat this as a partnership oriented call rather than a single institution grant.
2. 2Build a clear evidence chain from research and data collection to practical action and policy relevance.[2]
3. 3Show how the project will improve knowledge sharing, innovation uptake and mutual learning in Vietnam.[2]
4. 4Prepare all administrative forms early, especially registration and budget documentation.
5. 5Verify any ceilings, co financing conditions, eligible costs and reporting rules in the official guidelines and annexes.