Study on transformative innovation capabilities and enabling conditions for sustainable competitiveness

The European Commission DG JRC invites expressions of interest for a planned negotiated procurement to commission a 12-month service contract to develop a systemic framework, a policy diagnostic tool, and a comparable EU-wide indicator set to assess transformative innovation capabilities and enabling conditions for sustainable competitiveness across EU27 regions. This is a procurement (not a grant) classified under economic research services (CPV 79311400) with commercial terms to be defined in the negotiated stage. Eligible economic operators include those established in Member States, candidate countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe (UK confirmed eligible for this procedure), and electronic expressions of interest must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login. The expression of interest window opens 24/08/2026 and closes 22/09/2026 00:59 Europe/Madrid, after which the contracting authority will launch the negotiated procedure.

Opportunity type and purpose

What it will fund

A 12-month service contract to develop a systemic, challenge-oriented framework, a policy-facing diagnostic tool and an EU-wide comparable indicator set to assess transformative innovation capabilities and enabling conditions across EU27 regions. The contract is for economic research services (CPV 79311400) and related analysis.

Who can apply:Economic operators established in EU Member States, Candidate Countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe; UK suppliers are explicitly eligible; operators established in Switzerland are not eligible for this procedure per the Q&A ¹.

1. 1Lead contracting authority: European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre
2. 2Procedure: planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract (reference EC-JRC/SVQ/2026/MVP/4417-EXA)
3. 3Contract nature: services; maximum duration 12 months
4. 4Objective: framework, diagnostic tool for practitioners, and a comparable indicator set for all EU27 regions

Submissions of expressions of interest must be made electronically via EU Login on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Opportunity page.

Footnotes

1. 1Q&A entry clarifies Switzerland was not eligible for this procurement because it was not associated to Horizon Europe when the preparatory call closed; see public Q&A on the tender page.

Opportunity summary

This procurement is a planned negotiated procedure (middle/low value) launched by the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre to commission a 12-month service contract to deliver a study that: (i) develops a systemic, challenge-oriented framework to analyse capabilities and enabling conditions for transformative innovation; (ii) delivers a usable diagnostic tool for policy practitioners focused on transformative capabilities; and (iii) generates a comparable EU-wide indicator set of transformative capabilities for all EU27 regions. The contract is classified under CPV main code 79311400 (economic research services) with additional CPV codes 71621000, 72316000 and 72314000. Submissions of Expressions of Interest are electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal using an EU Login account EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Procedure identifier:EC-JRC/SVQ/2026/MVP/4417-EXA

Contracting authority:European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre

Nature of contract and duration:Service contract (economic research services). Maximum duration 12 MONTHS.

Planned procedure type and phases:Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract. The procurement process includes an initial Expression of Interest phase followed by the launch of the negotiated procedure (tender) for shortlisted/elected participants. Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required).

Detailed eligibility, scope and rules

Eligible economic operators:the procurement is open to economic operators established in Member States, Candidate Countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe, as defined by the preparatory action conditions used to launch this tender. Public Q&A clarifications indicate that UK economic operators are eligible to take part. Q&A also clarifies that Swiss companies are not eligible for this procedure because Switzerland was not associated to Horizon Europe at the cut-off for the preparatory action when the underlying call for expressions of interest closed; therefore Swiss-based economic operators were excluded for this specific procurement.

1. 1Eligible applicant types (practical examples): consultancies and economic research firms; universities and academic research centres; research institutes and think tanks; non-profit research organisations; policy consultancies and independent experts; SMEs as prime contractors; large enterprises capable of delivering research/service contracts; consortia or joint tenders composed of the above.
2. 2Consortium rules: joint tenders (consortium/joint members) are allowed. If intending to submit as a joint tender, partners must be declared at the Expression of Interest stage. Subcontractors do not need to be identified at the Expression of Interest stage but may be used at tender stage.
3. 3Geographic scope: EU27 regions are the focus of the study (the indicator set will cover all EU27 regions). Eligibility for participation follows the procurement funding conditions: Member States, EU candidate countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe; UK confirmed as eligible; Switzerland not eligible for this specific procurement as explained above.
4. 4Procurement classification: CPV 79311400 (economic research services) and related CPV entries 71621000, 72316000, 72314000 indicate activities across research, policy analysis and socio-economic studies.

Key milestones and dates:Expression of Interest start date: 24/08/2026 (Europe/Brussels). Deadline for Expression of Interest: 22/09/2026 00:59 (Europe/Madrid). Indicative date to launch negotiated procedure (tender): 22/09/2026 (Europe/Madrid). Note: these are the planned dates published in the call notice.

Structured answers to categorisation questions

Eligible Applicant Types:A broad range of economic operators can apply. Practical eligible applicant types include: consultancy firms and economic research providers, SMEs and large enterprises acting as contractors, universities and academic research centres, public and private research institutes, non-profit research organisations and think tanks, independent experts and policy consultancies, and consortia of these entities. National public authorities may participate only if they qualify as economic operators under the procurement rules; the call primarily targets external service providers.

Funding Type:This is a public procurement (service contract). The awarded party will receive a contract for services (fee-based payment) from the contracting authority. It is not a grant, loan or equity instrument.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity allows either single economic operators or consortia/joint tenders. If submitting as a consortium (joint members), the Expression of Interest must state the partners who will be involved. Subcontractors can be used and do not need to be identified at the Expression of Interest stage.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Participation eligibility follows the procurement funding conditions of the preparatory action: Member States, EU candidate countries and countries associated with Horizon Europe. The study’s coverage is EU27 regions. Q&A confirms UK economic operators are eligible; Swiss operators are not eligible for this specific procurement due to association timing with Horizon Europe.

Target Sector:Sectoral focus is research and policy analysis on innovation, competitiveness and sustainability. Thematic sectors covered include innovation policy, regional development, economic competitiveness, transformative innovation capabilities, and sustainable transition enabling conditions. The CPV entries suggest socio-economic research and consultancy services.

Mentioned Countries:Explicitly mentioned or clarified in public Q&A: United Kingdom (eligible), Switzerland (not eligible for this procurement). The study concerns all EU27 regions. Broader eligible geography includes Member States, Candidate Countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe.

Project Stage:Expected project maturity: research / analysis / policy diagnostic. The contract is for the development of frameworks, a diagnostic tool and an indicator set (research and methodological development; validation and generation of comparable indicators), not for product development or commercial scale-up.

Funding Amount:The estimated total value or contract price is not specified in the published notice. The procedure is described as a middle/low value negotiated procedure; exact budget will be provided in the tender documents when the negotiated procedure is launched.

Application Type:Planned negotiated procedure with an initial Expression of Interest (electronic submission). Candidates must submit Expressions of Interest via the Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login. After the EoI phase, the contracting authority will launch the negotiated procedure (tender) on the indicated date.

Nature of Support:Financial remuneration through a public contract (money in exchange for services). The contract will fund delivery of research outputs, tools and indicators; non-financial outputs (diagnostic tool, framework, indicator dataset) are expected deliverables.

Application Stages:Two primary stages are visible from the published notice: (1) Expression of Interest (electronic submission via Portal) and (2) negotiated procedure (tender) to award the contract. There may be subsequent evaluation stages within the negotiated procedure (technical / financial evaluation), but the published notice explicitly shows at least two public stages.

Success Rates:No success rate or number of expected awards is provided in the notice. As a single contract procurement, only one contractor is expected to be awarded the service. Success likelihood depends on the number and quality of competing tenders; historical rates for public service procurements vary and are not provided here.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding from applicants is indicated. This is a fee-based service contract; costs of performing the contract are to be covered by the contract remuneration. There is no mention of mandatory applicant co-financing or matched funds in the published notice.

Application templates and submission format:Expressions of Interest and later tender submissions must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required). The procurement FAQ states that if an organisation intends to submit a joint tender, partners must be declared at the EoI stage. Subcontractors need not be identified at EoI. Tender specifications and selection/technical criteria are still being defined in the published notice; therefore specific application templates, forms or evaluation grids are not yet available. When published, the tender documents on the Portal will contain the required templates (administrative forms, financial offer form, technical proposal structure, certificates and proof of eligibility).

1. 1What to prepare now: register and ensure an EU Login account; monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal for publication of the negotiated procedure tender documents on or around 22/09/2026; prepare organisational profiles, references on comparable socio-economic or policy studies, CVs of key experts, and consortium/joint tender agreements if applicable.
2. 2If intending to form a consortium: agree partner roles and include partner identification in the Expression of Interest submission as required.
3. 3If using subcontractors: note subcontractors do not need to be listed in the EoI but will need to be declared in the tender if they form part of the implementation plan.

Key public Q&A clarifications:(1) UK suppliers are explicitly confirmed eligible to participate; (2) Swiss suppliers are not eligible for this specific procurement because the preparatory action’s call for expressions of interest closed before Switzerland’s Horizon Europe association date; (3) subcontractors do not need to be identified in the Expression of Interest; joint tender partners must be declared at EoI if the organisation intends to submit a joint tender ¹.

Full summary and interpretation

This planned procurement seeks an experienced research/service provider to deliver a methodological and practical output that will support EU policy makers on transformative innovation capabilities and the enabling conditions required for sustainable competitiveness across EU27 regions. The contractor will develop a systemic, challenge-oriented analytical framework, a diagnostic tool that policy practitioners can use to assess and strengthen transformative capabilities, and an EU-wide, comparable indicator set at regional level. The call is a negotiated procedure for a middle/low value service contract administered by the JRC. Eligible participants are economic operators from Member States, candidate countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe (with UK confirmed eligible for this procurement and Switzerland excluded on the specific grounds explained in the Q&A). The procurement process requires an electronic Expression of Interest via the Funding & Tenders Portal using EU Login by the stated deadline; the contracting authority will then issue the negotiated tender documents. Applicants should prepare evidence of technical capacity in socio-economic research, indicators development, regional analysis and policy-relevant tool design, and be ready to submit detailed technical and financial offers when the negotiated procedure is launched. No exact budget is published in the notice; the contract duration is up to 12 months. The expected outputs are methodological (framework), operational (diagnostic tool) and empirical (indicator set) deliverables to inform policy decisions on enabling transformative innovation for sustainable competitiveness across EU regions.

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement notice, milestones and Q&A are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This is a planned EU procurement procedure, not a grant call, published by the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre, for a services contract under a planned negotiated procedure for middle or low value contract.[1] The study will develop a systemic, challenge oriented framework, a diagnostic tool for policy practitioners, and a comparable EU wide indicator set to measure transformative innovation capabilities and the enabling conditions for sustainable competitiveness across all EU27 regions.[1]

What the opportunity is about

The assignment is focused on economic and policy research services and is intended to support the analysis of transformative innovation as a driver of sustainable competitiveness.[1] The work is expected to deliver three main outputs: a framework for understanding transformative innovation capabilities, a practical diagnostic tool for policy use, and a comparable indicator set covering all EU27 regions.[1]

Procedure and contracting authority

The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG JRC - Joint Research Centre, and the main CPV code is 79311400 Economic research services.[1] The contract is for services, with a maximum duration of 12 months, and the procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for middle or low value contract.[1] The notice also states that this is only a publication of the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated procedure.[1]

Who can apply

The public Q and A confirms that UK economic operators are eligible to take part in the procurement.[1] A separate Q and A response indicates that the contract is funded under a Preparatory Action linked to a call for expressions of interest, and the excerpt suggests eligibility is tied to the specific conditions of that preparatory action, including Member States, Candidate Countries and countries associated with Horizon Europe, although the available excerpt is truncated.[1]

Subcontractors do not need to be identified at the expression of interest stage, and an organisation may later participate as part of a joint tender if it chooses to do so.[1]

Key dates and submission details

The portal states that submissions must be sent exclusively through the electronic expression of interest channel and that an EU Login account is required for submission.[1] The published notice uses the reference EC-JRC/SVQ/2026/MVP/4417-EXA.[1]

Budget, funding rate, and contract conditions

No estimated total value is shown in the available notice extract, so the contract budget cannot be confirmed from the provided material.[1] Because this is a procurement contract for services rather than a grant, there is no funding rate in the usual EU grant sense; the relevant commercial terms will be set out in the negotiated procurement stage and final contract documents.[1] The maximum contract duration is 12 months, and the notice refers to a framework agreement field but does not provide enough detail in the excerpt to confirm whether a framework agreement will actually be concluded.[1]

Applicant takeaways

1. 1Prepare for a research focused procurement submission rather than a grant proposal, with emphasis on technical capability, policy research experience, and ability to deliver indicators and diagnostic tools.[1]
2. 2Use the expression of interest window between 24 August 2026 and 22 September 2026, and submit electronically through the portal using EU Login.[1]
3. 3Check eligibility carefully if operating from Switzerland or outside the EU, because the public Q and A only gives a clear confirmation for UK suppliers and gives a truncated eligibility note for the preparatory action.[1]
4. 4Expect the actual competition to be launched after the expression of interest stage, so the present notice is a pre procurement announcement rather than the final tender dossier.[1]

Overall, this opportunity is best suited to organisations with strong expertise in innovation policy, regional economics, indicator development, and applied research for public authorities.[1]