Understanding European Union Member States practices for the recognition of Occupational Cancer

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) will launch a planned negotiated procedure (OSHA/2026/LVP/0009-EXA) to commission research mapping how EU Member States and EFTA countries recognise and manage occupational cancer, with an estimated total value of €60,000 and a maximum contract duration of 13 months. Key tasks include comparative legal and procedural analysis, a questionnaire and interviews with national experts, desk research, and delivery of country fiches, a comparative report, executive summary, policy brief and presentation. Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login) between 22 April 2026 and 7 May 2026, and applicants must demonstrate prior relevant research experience (at least one similar project of minimum €15,000) and team English capacity equivalent to CEFR C1. This notice is an announcement of intent to launch the procedure and is not yet an active call for tenders; the negotiated procedure is expected to be launched on or after 8 May 2026.

What the tender funds

Scope

A service contract to map and analyse national systems in EU Member States and EFTA states for recognising occupational cancer, identify practices, challenges and data collection mechanisms, and produce recommendations and deliverables (questionnaires, interview recordings, research reports, executive summary, policy brief, PowerPoint).

Who can apply:Organisations or consortia with proven research experience on recognition of occupational diseases; tenderers must demonstrate at least one similar project (minimum value €15,000) and English-language capacity for the team.

1. 1Planned procedure: negotiated low/middle value contract.
2. 2Lead contracting authority: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
3. 3Eligible bidders: individual organisations or consortia (consortia must express interest as such).

Expressions of interest must be submitted electronically via an EU Login account within the published time window; two-factor authentication will be required for EU Login in 2026 ¹.

Key evaluation/selection expectations:demonstrated track record in occupational disease recognition research, methodology to collect country-level data (questionnaire, interviews, desk research), and English C1-level capacity for team members.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement notice and how to express interest: OSHA tender page. For submission use the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login required).

Opportunity summary

Type:Planned tender (planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract) published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Objective: to map, compare and analyse national systems and practices across EU Member States and EFTA states for the recognition of occupational cancer and to issue actionable recommendations for improvements in legal frameworks, evidence requirements, information collection and stakeholder coordination. Expected contract nature: services (research and development consultancy services, CPV 73200000). Estimated total value: €60,000. Maximum contract duration: 13 months.

Overall and specific objectives:Overall objective: describe the different systems and conditions for recognition of occupational cancer in EU and EFTA countries, analyse practices and key challenges, and produce recommendations. Specific objectives include legal framework description; listing cancers on national occupational disease lists by tumour location, causal agent and occupation; detailing evidence and information required to demonstrate exposure and link to cancer (work history, working conditions, occupational exposure, medical history, etc); describing mechanisms to collect needed data considering 20–30 year cancer latency; assessing how systems operate in practice (coordination, centralisation vs fragmentation, strengths/limitations); and providing recommendations to improve procedures and information collection.

Who can apply and how

Expression of interest and subsequent tendering will use the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and require an EU Login account (two-factor authentication will be mandatory for access during 2026 roll-out). Submissions of expressions of interest must be sent electronically via the Portal address provided; invited candidates will be invited to the negotiated procedure. It is possible to express interest as an individual organisation or as a consortium. Important: if invited candidates will submit a joint tender with other economic operators, they can do so only if they have expressed interest in the planned procedure as a consortium.

Key dates (published milestones):Start date for expression of interest: 22/04/2026 (Europe/Brussels). Deadline for expression of interest: 07/05/2026 00:59 (Europe/Madrid). Indicative launch date for negotiated procedure: 08/05/2026 (Europe/Madrid).

1. 1Procedure identifier: OSHA/2026/LVP/0009-EXA
2. 2Procedure type: Planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract
3. 3Estimated total value: €60,000
4. 4Main CPV: 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
5. 5Nature of contract: Services
6. 6Maximum contract duration: 13 months

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicant types:organisations able to deliver research and policy analysis services. The contracting authority explicitly allows expressions of interest either as an individual organisation or as a consortium. The announcement does not list exhaustive legal forms but standard public procurement rules for economic operators apply (companies, research institutes, consultancies, NGOs with relevant capacity).

Geographic eligibility (beneficiary scope):EU Member States and EFTA states are the subjects of the study and applicants should be able to operate across these geographies. The contracting authority is EU-OSHA, an EU agency; participation rules follow EU procurement rules and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal registration (EU Login).

Detailed professional and technical capacity required:Minimum demonstrable experience: the tenderer must prove experience conducting research in the field of recognition of occupational diseases. At least one similar project (in scope and complexity) completed prior to the tender deadline, with a minimum value of €15,000. This applies to the tenderer as a whole (consolidated assessment of combined capacities of involved entities). Required evidence: list of projects meeting the minimum capacity (name, start and end dates, scope, brief methodology description, amount invoiced, links to results where available). Language capability: all team members delivering services must have a good working level of English (C1 CEFR or equivalent). CVs of proposed staff are required; for each team member provide a list of at least three English-speaking projects, reports or activities of similar nature and their role.

Scope of work, methods and deliverables

Scope of work:comparative desk research, questionnaire development and distribution, interviews with national experts, analysis and synthesis across EU Member States and EFTA states. The contracting authority will identify one national expert per country to receive the questionnaire and take part in interviews; the contractor prepares the questionnaire and conducts interviews in coordination with those experts.

• Primary data collection: contractor-developed questionnaire distributed to one national expert per country (identified by contracting authority); semi-structured interviews with national experts.
• Secondary data collection: desk research of national laws, occupational disease lists, administrative procedures, data collection mechanisms and published reports.
• Comparative analysis: legal frameworks, presumption rules, evidence requirements, stakeholder roles, data centralisation vs fragmentation, and latency considerations.

Expected deliverables:questionnaires (final and/or templates), interview recordings, research reports (country fiches and cross-country comparative report), executive summary, policy brief aimed at policymakers, and a PowerPoint presentation summarising findings and recommendations. Quality and presentation standards are expected to conform to EU-OSHA requirements (draft and final versions, possible iterations following feedback).

Selection and award procedure

Procedure:planned negotiated procedure for middle/low value contract. The publication is an ex-ante notice announcing the contracting authority's intention. The process begins with an expression of interest (electronic via EU Login). After closing the expression of interest, the contracting authority will invite candidates to tender under the negotiated procedure.

Consortium and joint tender rules:It is possible to express interest either as a single organisation or as a consortium. If a candidate expresses interest as a single organisation, they cannot later submit a joint tender with other economic operators unless they originally expressed interest as a consortium. Therefore, organisations intending to submit joint bids must register their expression of interest as a consortium from the outset.

Administrative and submission details

Funding, co-funding and contract value

Estimated total value for the contract:€60,000. The announcement does not state any requirement for co-funding from the tenderer. No grants, loans or equity are provided; this is a public procurement for services to be contracted by EU-OSHA. Payment and invoicing terms will be specified in the procurement documents and contract once the negotiated procedure is launched.

Project maturity and target sectors

Project stage expected:research, analysis and policy-recommendation stage (research to inform policy and practice). Target sectors and themes: occupational safety and health, occupational medicine, public health, regulatory policy and social protection systems; cross-cutting interest for labour inspectorates, insurance systems, employers, medical professionals, and occupational exposure surveillance systems.

Application process and templates

Application forms and templates are not included in the ex-ante notice. The notice points to the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and to the EU-OSHA procurement page for more information and for the technical and professional capacity requirements. The tender stage documents (Invitation to Tender, technical specifications, award and selection criteria, contract conditions and templates) will be published when the negotiated procedure is launched. Applicants must therefore monitor the Portal and the EU-OSHA procurement page and ensure they submit the expression of interest by the stated deadline.

Typical application documentation to prepare:Based on the notice and common EU procurement practice, prepare: organisational profile; list of previous similar projects (including at least one project >= €15,000 with scope and methodology); CVs of proposed team members indicating English C1 capability and at least three relevant English-speaking projects per person; methodology and workplan for accomplishing the specific objectives; sample deliverables or links to previous reports; financial offer consistent with €60,000 ceiling; consortium agreement or letter of intent if applying as a consortium.

Evaluation, stages and likelihood

Application stages:at minimum a two-stage process is signalled: (1) expression of interest (electronic submission via EU Portal); (2) invited candidates submitting tenders under the negotiated procedure, with evaluation and award. The tender documents may define further internal evaluation or clarification rounds, but these are not specified in the ex-ante notice. The exact number of evaluation stages will be defined in the tender documents.

Success rate:the notice does not disclose the number of invitations or the expected number of candidates to be invited, so a precise success rate cannot be calculated. As a middle/low value negotiated procurement with an invitation stage, the number of invited bidders is typically limited; however, no definitive success-rate figure is provided by the contracting authority.

Risks, practical considerations and tips

1. 1Ensure EU Login account is active and two-factor authentication is configured in advance; 2FA became mandatory in 2026 and is necessary to access submission functions.
2. 2If you plan to bid as a consortium, declare your consortium status when expressing interest; changing from single to consortium after invitation may be restricted.
3. 3As the work requires country-level evidence and interviews, assemble a multidisciplinary team with experience in occupational disease recognition, occupational epidemiology, occupational medicine, legal/regulatory analysis and multilingual capacities or national contacts across EU/EFTA states.
4. 4Prepare documented examples of comparable projects (>= €15,000) and CVs showing English C1 proficiency for key personnel.
5. 5Be prepared to coordinate with national experts identified by EU-OSHA (the contracting authority will provide the names) and to manage sensitive data such as interview recordings and possibly personal data in compliance with applicable data protection rules.

Mentioned countries and geographic coverage

The study will cover European Union Member States and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states. The notice does not list each country by name in the ex-ante announcement but explicitly states EU Member States and EFTA states as the target geography.

Nature of support and funding type

This is a procurement for services (contract for services) paid by the contracting authority. Beneficiaries will receive monetary payment under a service contract if awarded. This is not a grant, loan, or equity instrument; it is a public procurement contract.

Summary: what this opportunity is about and why it matters

This EU-OSHA planned tender seeks a qualified contractor (individual organisation or consortium) to conduct a comprehensive comparative study of how occupational cancers are recognised across EU Member States and EFTA states. The contractor will document legal frameworks, national occupational disease lists, complementary recognition systems, evidence requirements (including how exposure is demonstrated and recorded), data collection mechanisms that must cope with long latency periods, and the practical operation of these systems (stakeholder roles, coordination, centralisation versus fragmentation, strengths and weaknesses). The aim is to identify challenges and to give concrete recommendations to improve recognition procedures and information collection, ultimately supporting better protection, compensation and prevention for workers exposed to carcinogenic agents. Expected outputs include questionnaires, interview recordings, country fiches and comparative reports, an executive summary, policy brief and presentation. The contract is small/medium in value (€60,000) and lasts up to 13 months. Interested organisations should prepare evidence of previous relevant research (including at least one project of minimum €15,000), English-language capacity at C1 for team members, CVs, methodology and a work plan, and submit an expression of interest via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by the announced deadline. For full procurement documents and to express interest, use the EU-OSHA procurement page linked in the footnote ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Procurement notice and further information available at the EU-OSHA procurement page: osha.europa.eu

Funding Opportunity Overview

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is planning to launch a negotiated procedure tender to conduct comprehensive research on how EU Member States and EFTA countries recognize and manage occupational cancer cases. This research initiative addresses significant variations in national systems for recognizing occupational cancer, where presumptions about occupational origin differ across jurisdictions and requirements for proving worker exposure vary substantially. The project builds on EU-OSHA's previous Workers' Exposure Survey on cancer risk factors in Europe (WES), which found that approximately 47.3 percent of workers were probably exposed to at least one cancer risk factor during their last working week. ¹

Procurement Details

Procedure Identifier:OSHA/2026/LVP/0009-EXA

Procedure Type:Planned negotiated procedure for middle or low value contract. This is not yet an active call for tenders but an announcement of the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated procedure.

Estimated Total Value:€60,000

Maximum Contract Duration:13 months

Contracting Authority:European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

Main Classification (CPV):73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

Nature of Contract:Services

Key Milestones and Timeline

Project Scope and Objectives

The research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how occupational cancer is recognized across EU and EFTA countries. The context for this work is significant: between 2013 and 2021, a total of 33,712 cases of occupational cancers were officially recognized in the EU, with lung cancer and mesothelioma accounting for approximately 80 percent of all newly reported occupational cancer cases during this period. ² However, recognition systems vary considerably across member states, creating inconsistencies in how workers can claim occupational cancer status.

Primary Objective

To describe the different systems and conditions for the recognition of occupational cancer required in EU and EFTA countries and analyse the different practices and key challenges encountered by the countries with the aim of issuing recommendations.

Specific Research Objectives

• Describe the legal framework for the recognition of occupational cancer in each country, including systems and practices for recognizing occupational diseases and the specific pathway to demonstrate the link between exposure and cancer
• Explain the role of different stakeholders including doctors, labour inspectors, competent authorities, employment insurance companies, and employers in the recognition process
• List for each country the types of cancers registered on national lists and complementary systems of recognition, broken down by tumour location, causal agent, and occupation
• Describe the different conditions and information required to demonstrate worker exposure to carcinogenic agents, including work history, working conditions, occupational exposure records, and medical history
• Address the mechanism to collect required information considering that cancer latency is typically 20 to 30 years
• Analyse how systems operate in practice, including main challenges, limitations, strengths, stakeholder coordination effectiveness, and whether data collection is centralized or fragmented
• Provide recommendations for improvement of practices and procedures for recognizing occupational cancer, with specific details on improving information collection to demonstrate causal links between exposure and cancer

Methodology and Data Collection

The contractor will collect information through three primary methods:development and distribution of a questionnaire to national experts identified by EU-OSHA in each country, interviews with these national experts, and desk research. This multi-method approach will ensure comprehensive coverage of national practices and enable comparative analysis across jurisdictions.

Expected Deliverables

• Questionnaires for national experts
• Interview recordings
• Comprehensive research reports
• Executive summary
• Policy brief
• PowerPoint presentation

Eligibility and Participation Requirements

Applicants may express interest as individual organisations or as consortia. However, invited candidates can submit joint tenders with other economic operators only if they have expressed interest in the planned procedure as a consortium from the outset. Participation is open to any legal entity meeting the technical and professional capacity requirements.

Technical and Professional Capacity Requirements

Research Experience in Occupational Diseases Recognition

The tenderer must prove experience conducting research in the field of recognition of occupational diseases. Specifically, applicants must demonstrate completion of at least one similar project in scope and complexity prior to the deadline for submission of tenders, with a minimum value of €15,000 for each project. This criterion applies to the tenderer as a whole, meaning consolidated assessment of combined capacities of all involved entities will be carried out. Applicants must provide a list of projects meeting the minimum level of capacity, including project name, start and end dates, scope, brief explanation of methodology followed, amount invoiced, and links to project results such as public reports or peer-review publications if available.

English Language Capacity

The tenderer must be able to prove capacity to work in English. All team members delivering any of the services required need to have a good working level of English at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or equivalent, being able to research, communicate and draft texts in English. This criterion applies to the tenderer as a whole. Applicants must provide CVs of the tenderer's staff who will provide the service, including for each team member a list of at least 3 English-speaking projects, reports, or activities of a similar nature, and their role in the project.

How to Express Interest

Expressions of interest must be submitted exclusively through electronic means via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. An EU Login account is required for electronic submission. The deadline for expressing interest is 7 May 2026 at 00:59 Madrid time. Detailed information on how to express interest and technical and professional capacity requirements is available on the EU-OSHA procurement page and the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Context and Relevance

This research is timely and important given the burden of occupational cancer in Europe. In 2023, the number of newly recognized cases of occupational cancer in the EU was 3,500, representing a 5.8 percent increase compared with 2022. ³ The most common types of occupational cancers are mesothelioma and lung cancer, which together account for approximately 82 percent of all recognized cases. ³ However, significant variations exist in how countries recognize and register these cases, and the research will help identify best practices and areas for improvement in supporting workers affected by occupational cancer.

Important Notes for Applicants

This is a planned call for tenders, not an active call. The publication announces the contracting authority's intention to launch a future negotiated low or middle value procedure. Interested parties should express interest by the deadline to be considered for invitation to tender. The actual call for tenders is expected to be launched on or after 8 May 2026. Applicants should monitor the EU Funding and Tenders Portal for further updates and the formal call for tenders.

Footnotes

1. 1According to the Workers' Exposure Survey on cancer risk factors in Europe conducted by EU-OSHA in 2023, representing almost €100 millionworkers in the EU, nearly half were probably exposed to at least one carcinogen during their last working week prior to the survey.
2. 2Eurostat data on occupational cancers in the EU shows that between 2013 and 2021, malignant neoplasms of the bronchus and lung had the highest number of cases with 13,944 cases, while mesothelioma accounted for 13,530 cases, bringing these two types of cancers to a combined total of roughly 80 percent of all newly reported occupational cancer cases during this period.
3. 3Eurostat experimental statistics on occupational cancers show that in 2022, the most common types of occupational cancers in the EU were mesothelioma with 1,383 cases and cancer of the lung and bronchus with 1,328 cases, together accounting for around 81.9 percent of all recognized cases of occupational cancers.