Survey preparation in the EU: Pest survey cards for 12 regulated pests

The EU grant opportunity EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-04 is focused on the development of pest survey cards for 12 regulated pests to aid EU Member States in plant health risk assessments. This initiative aims to improve surveillance and support the regulatory framework for plant health within the EU.

Eligible applicants are defined as competent organizations designated by EU Member States under Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002, including public institutions and research bodies. The funding type is a non-repayable grant, with a total budget of EUR 150,000 for the year 2025. Although the call does not explicitly require consortia, collaboration is permissible but not mandatory, implying that single applicants may apply.

The geographical scope of the grant is confined to EU Member States, with the target sectors being agriculture and plant health, particularly focused on pest management. The project involves research and preparation stages, including developing standardized methods for pest detection and identification.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with submissions due by July 15, 2025. There is no requirement for co-funding, and the grant will provide full financial support. The success rate for applicants has not been specified, but competition may be moderate as only designated organizations can apply.

Interested parties must adhere to specific eligibility criteria, including operational capacity requirements, as outlined in the call documents. Additional supporting documents and application templates are provided through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Overall, this grant offers substantial opportunities for designated competent organizations to contribute to the enhancement of plant health strategies in the EU by developing essential tools for pest surveillance and risk management.

The EU Bodies and Agencies (EUBA) Call, specifically EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-04, focuses on "Survey preparation in the EU: Pest survey cards for 12 regulated pests." This is an EUBA EUBA Type of Action, with a single-stage submission process. The call opened on May 8, 2025, and has a deadline of July 15, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The objective of this call is to develop pest survey cards to support EU Member States in preparing pest surveys for 12 regulated pests within the EU. The project work involves characterizing the pests, the population of host plants targeted by the surveys, and the methods used for detection and identification of these pests. Only competent organizations, designated by Member States, are eligible to apply.

The eligibility criteria are detailed in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document. Applicants must be on the list of competent organizations designated by Member States, as per Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. The EFSA Management Board regularly updates this list, which can be found at https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/. Other eligibility conditions are also described in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document.

Financial and operational capacity requirements are outlined in section 2.4 of the call for proposals document. Evaluation and award criteria are described in sections 2 and 2.5 of the call for proposals document, while submission modalities are detailed in section 3. The indicative procedure timetable is on page 2 of the call for proposals document. Legal and financial aspects are covered in section 1.5 of the call for proposals document and in the Draft Grant Agreement.

The call documents include the call for proposals itself and Annex 1, the draft Grant Agreement. Application form templates can be downloaded from the EU Funding and Tender portal Submission Service. Additional documents include EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget for this topic is EUR 150,000 for the year 2025.

There are nine partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics.

To submit a proposal, applicants must use the Electronic Submission Service, accessible via the submission button. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the "My Proposals" page.

For help with the call, contact EFSAProcurement@efsa.europa.eu. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and the IT Helpdesk are also available for assistance. An Online Manual provides a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this EU call for proposals aims to fund the development of pest survey cards for 12 regulated pests in the EU. The project involves characterizing the pests, their host plants, and detection/identification methods. Only designated competent organizations within EU Member States are eligible to apply. The call provides a budget of EUR 150,000 and follows a single-stage submission process with a deadline in mid-July 2025. Applicants should consult the detailed call documents and utilize the available support resources for a successful submission.

Eligible Applicant Types: Only competent organisations, based on designations by Member States, are eligible to apply. Applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This list is regularly updated by EFSA Management Board and is available for consultation using the provided link: https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/

Funding Type: Grant. This is indicated by the "Draft Grant Agreement" document listed under "Call document and annexes" and the reference to "EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement" under "Additional documents".

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the partner search announcements suggest that collaboration is possible, but it is not mandatory. Therefore, it could be either single or consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The beneficiaries are competent organizations designated by EU Member States. Therefore, the geographic eligibility is limited to the EU.

Target Sector: Agriculture/Food, specifically plant health and pest management. The call focuses on developing pest survey cards for regulated pests in the EU.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States are implicitly mentioned as the designating authorities for competent organizations.

Project Stage: The project stage is development, specifically the development of pest survey cards. This suggests a development stage leading to validation and implementation.

Funding Amount: The budget is EUR 150,000.

Application Type: Open call. The call is open for submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Nature of Support: Money. The beneficiaries will receive funding to develop the pest survey cards.

Application Stages: The call is a single-stage application process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) under the EU Bodies and Agencies (EUBA) program. The call, titled "Survey preparation in the EU: Pest survey cards for 12 regulated pests (EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-04)", aims to develop pest survey cards to support EU Member States in preparing pest surveys for 12 regulated pests. The project involves characterizing the pests, the population of host plants targeted by the surveys, and the methods of detection and identification for these pests.

The call is open to competent organizations designated by EU Member States, as listed according to specific EU regulations. The funding amount is EUR 150,000, and the application process is a single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The call opened on May 8, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is July 15, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Applicants need to adhere to specific admissibility conditions, including proposal page limits and layout guidelines. They must also demonstrate financial and operational capacity. The evaluation and award process will follow criteria outlined in the call documents. The call documents include the call for proposals, a draft grant agreement, and application form templates. Additional documents such as the EU Financial Regulation and guidelines for legal entity validation are also provided.

The call seeks to improve plant health and biosecurity within the EU by providing Member States with standardized tools for pest surveillance. It is a targeted initiative focused on supporting the EU's regulatory framework for plant health.