Update of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard

This tender from the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) seeks a contractor to update the methodology and indicator framework of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS 2026) to support EU‑wide data collection, analysis and benchmarking of startups and scaleups. The estimated contract value is €792,000 with an initial duration of 24 months, renewable once. Eligible applicants include research institutes, data analytics firms, policy consultancies or consortia with proven expertise in indicator development and large‑scale data collection. Submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 10 August 2026 at 12:00:59 CET and will be evaluated on quality (70%) and price (30%).

Opportunity type and purpose

What it funds

A direct service contract to update the common methodology and indicator framework of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS 2026), including data collection and analysis to enable regular updates and benchmarking of the EU start‑up and scale‑up ecosystem.

Lead contracting authority:European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).

Estimated contract value:€792,000 (estimated overall contract amount).

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities (companies, consultancies, research organisations) able to deliver services under EU procurement rules; subcontracting is permitted per procurement documents.
2. 2Contract duration: initial 24 months, renewable once (planned total duration 48 months).
3. 3Selection & award: quality 70% / price 30% (see tender specifications).

Submission is electronic via the Funding & Tenders Portal; full tender dossier (invitation, specifications, draft contract and annexes) is published on the opportunity page Tender page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1All required application forms, financial offer template and administrative annexes are available in the tender documents on the portal (see Invitation to tender and Tender specifications).

Basic facts and administrative data

Call identifier EISMEA/2026/OP/0037. Contracting authority:European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Procedure type: public procurement (services) for a direct service contract with one lot (LOT-0001). Estimated total procedure value: €792,000. Main CPV: 73000000 (research and development services and related consultancy). Submission method: mandatory eSubmission through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Key deadlines: submission closing date 10 August 2026 at 12:00:59 (Europe/Brussels). Open tender event (information/opening) on 10 August 2026 at 15:00:00 (Brussels time).

Primary aim:The objective is to update the common methodology and indicator framework of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS 2026), to support collection of data and analysis of startups, scaleups and their ecosystem across the European Union, and to provide the basis for regular updates of the European Startup Scoreboard to monitor, measure and benchmark innovation performance of the EU start-up ecosystem.

Who can apply — eligible applicant types

The procurement is aimed at economic operators able to deliver market research, methodology development, indicator design, data collection, analysis and reporting services at EU level. Based on the procurement documents and the nature of the contract, eligible applicant types include the following categories of legal entities and consortia:

1. 1Private-sector companies and consultancies (including SMEs and large enterprises) with proven experience in startup ecosystem analysis, indicator development and large-scale data collection and analytics.
2. 2Research institutes and universities with demonstrated technical capacity to design indicators, statistical methodologies and to analyse innovation ecosystems.
3. 3Non-profit organisations and NGOs specialising in entrepreneurship, innovation policy or ecosystem mapping, provided they satisfy economic operator requirements.
4. 4Consortia and partnerships combining the above entity types, including public-private partnerships, provided the lead tenderer meets selection criteria and submission requirements.
5. 5Subcontractors and other entities (identified and declared in annexes) are permitted and should be listed as requested in the procurement documents.

Individual natural persons are not typically the intended tenderers for this type of service contract, given scale and legal requirements. Applicants must comply with the procurement selection and exclusion criteria set out in the tender specifications (Declaration on Honour, Statement of turnover, Technical capacity evidence).

Funding type and contract structure

This is a public procurement / tender opportunity to conclude a service contract with EISMEA. It is not a grant, subsidy or loan. The procurement will result in a paid service contract (direct service contract draft included in the procurement documents). The contract is for services over a planned period of 48 months with an initial duration of 24 months renewable once (see draft contract).

Estimated contract value:Estimated overall contract amount: €792,000 (currency EUR).

Consortium requirement and subcontracting

The tender can be submitted by a single economic operator or by a consortium. The procurement documentation includes annexes for: list of identified subcontractors and proportion of subcontracting, commitment letters for subcontractors and other entities, power of attorney, and templates to record technical and financial capacity. Subcontracting is allowed but subcontractors must be declared and commitment letters provided as set out in Annex 4 and Annex 5.1/5.2 of the tender specifications.

Geographic eligibility and benefitting scope

The tender is managed by EISMEA and targets work covering the European Union. Eligible tenderers are economic operators established in EU Member States or entities otherwise permitted to bid under EU procurement rules. The procurement documentation does not list specific third countries as beneficiaries; the services deliverables address the EU startup ecosystem. Applicants should verify nationality/establishment requirements and any reciprocity rules in the tender specifications.

Target sectors and technical scope

The thematic focus is innovation policy and startup ecosystem measurement. Primary sectors and activities required or relevant to proposals include:

1. 1Startups and scaleups ecosystem analysis, mapping and benchmarking.
2. 2Design and update of common methodology and indicator framework for the ESSS 2026.
3. 3Data collection (quantitative and qualitative) across Member States, handling sensitive or restricted data where applicable.
4. 4Statistical analysis, data cleaning, validation, harmonisation and computation of composite indicators.
5. 5Preparation of reports, dashboards and public scoreboards to monitor EU startup performance.
6. 6Stakeholder engagement and validation with Member States, ecosystem actors and Commission services.
7. 7Project management, quality assurance and adherence to security and environmental policies specified in appendices.

Project maturity and expected deliverables

Expected project stage:development, validation and delivery of methodological framework, plus operational data collection and reporting. Tender tasks will include methodological review and update, pilot testing, large-scale data gathering, analysis, production of the European Startup Scoreboard updates and related deliverables over the contract duration.

Application process, submission and evaluation

Submission method:electronic submission (eSubmission) via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants must register and submit through the Portal using the provided e-forms and annex templates. Additional information request period closes 30 July 2026. An open tender event is scheduled on 10 August 2026. Tender validity period required: 9 months.

Evaluation criteria and weighting:Awarding criteria are split into quality (70) and price (30). Detailed scoring rules, minimum thresholds, and evaluation sub-criteria are provided in the tender specifications and the technical tender form (Annex 7). Applicants must consult the procurement documents for the precise quality sub-criteria and required supporting evidence.

Application stages and timeline

Number of application stages:1 formal tender submission with administrative, financial and technical parts assessed in one evaluation procedure. The procurement documents describe administrative (declarations, proof of eligibility), financial (Annex 6 financial offer) and technical (Annex 7 technical tender form, Annex 2.2 technical capacity) submission requirements. There is an additional period for clarification questions before the closing date.

Templates and mandatory documents to include

Procurement publishes a set of required annexes, templates and draft contract documents which must be completed and submitted as part of the tender. Key templates and documents available in the procurement dossier include:

1. 1Invitation to tender (PDF) — provides overall instructions and procurement reference.
2. 2Tender specifications (Final) — core document describing scope, requirements, deliverables and evaluation.
3. 3Annex 1 List of documents (PDF) — enumerates required attachments and ordering.
4. 4Annex 2 Declaration on honour (tender) (DOCX) — mandatory exclusion and eligibility declaration.
5. 5Annex 2.1 Statement of turnover (DOCX) — financial capacity evidence.
6. 6Annex 2.2 Technical capacity (DOCX) — details required technical evidence and CVs.
7. 7Annex 3 Power of attorney (DOCX) — to be provided where applicable for consortium lead or signatory powers.
8. 8Annex 4 List of identified subcontractors and proportion of subcontracting (DOCX).
9. 9Annex 5 Letter of submission (DOCX) — submission cover letter template.
10. 10Annex 5.1 Commitment letter-Subcontractor (DOCX) and Annex 5.2 Commitment letter-Other entity (DOCX) — to confirm subcontractor engagement.
11. 11Annex 6 Financial offer (XLSX) — mandatory financial offer form and budget breakdown.
12. 12Annex 7 Technical tender form (DOC) — primary template for the technical proposal.
13. 13Draft contract and draft contract annexes (including VAT, IPR statements) — contractual terms proposed by EISMEA.
14. 14Security requirements and security baseline appendices.
15. 15EISMEA environmental policy (PDF).

Applicants must complete administrative forms, the technical tender (Annex 7), financial offer (Annex 6) and the various declarations and commitments. Proof of technical capacity (CVs, examples of similar projects, methodological notes) should follow the structure and questions in Annex 2.2 and Annex 7. Subcontractors must be listed in Annex 4 and provide commitment letters using Annex 5.1/5.2.

Evaluation, success rates and co-funding

Success rates:not published in the tender documents. As a competitive procurement, success depends on meeting mandatory administrative requirements and achieving the best combined quality-price score according to the published weighting (quality 70, price 30). No historical acceptance rate is provided in the dossier.

Co-funding requirement:not applicable. This is a paid service contract: the contractor will be remunerated under the terms of the contract. There is no requirement for tenderers to provide co-funding as in grant schemes; however the financial offer must be realistic and consistent with the workplan and deliverables.

Security, environmental and contractual requirements

Procurement documents include an Appendix 2 Security requirements and Appendix 3 Security baseline. The draft contract includes clauses on VAT, IPR, statements and contractual conditions. The EISMEA environmental policy is provided and applicants should align deliverables and subcontracting decisions with sustainability considerations where relevant.

What evaluators will look for (practical advice based on the documents)

1. 1Clear demonstration of methodological expertise in indicator design, statistics and ecosystem benchmarking, including previous projects of similar scale.
2. 2A credible data collection plan covering EU Member States, with data sources, sampling strategy, quality assurance and risk mitigation.
3. 3Strong technical capacity: experienced team members, CVs, organisational capacity and infrastructure for data processing.
4. 4Complete and correctly filled administrative and financial templates (Annex 2, Annex 6, Annex 5 Letter of submission).
5. 5Competitive and realistic pricing aligned to the required outputs and duration, consistent with Annex 6.
6. 6Compliance with security and contractual requirements described in the appendices and draft contract.

Mentioned countries and geographic references

Text references the European Union as the geographic scope for data collection and deliverables. No individual Member States or other countries are explicitly named in the published summary. The contracting authority is an EU agency (EISMEA) headquartered in the EU.

Project stage and expected maturity

Expected maturity:development and validation of a methodological framework and operational rollout of recurring data collection and reporting. Activities include methodological research, pilot testing, full-scale data collection, analysis, dashboarding and production of scoreboard publications.

How to apply and key links

All submissions must be uploaded via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal eSubmission tool. The procurement page contains the full set of documents and templates required to prepare the tender. Interested applicants should download and carefully follow: Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Annex templates 1-7, Draft contract and appendices, Financial offer form and security appendices. For full procurement dossier and to submit, see the tender notice on the Funding & Tenders Portal Contract notice and procurement documents ¹.

Concluding summary

This procurement opportunity seeks an experienced contractor (or consortium) to update and operationalise the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS 2026) methodology and indicator framework, to support recurring EU-level monitoring of startup and scaleup performance. It is a service contract managed by EISMEA, estimated at €792,000, with an initial duration of 24 months renewable once. Submissions must be made electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 10 August 2026. Tenderers must provide administrative, technical and financial proposals using the published annex templates, demonstrate strong methodological and data-collection expertise across the EU, comply with security and contractual conditions, and will be evaluated on quality (70) and price (30).

Footnotes

1. 1All official procurement documents and submission are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal under call identifier EISMEA/2026/OP/0037. Download the Invitation to tender, Tender specifications, Annexes and Draft contract from the portal page.

Opportunity Purpose and Scope

This tender seeks to update the common methodology and indicator framework of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS) for 2026, enabling the collection of data and analysis of startups, scale-ups, and their ecosystems across the EU ¹. The action supports the regular update of the Scoreboard to monitor, measure, and benchmark the innovation performance of the EU’s start-up ecosystem ².

Key Contract Details

Who Should Apply

Applicants should be research institutions, data analytics firms, policy consultancies, or consortiums with proven expertise in startup ecosystem analysis, indicator development, and EU innovation policy ³. Entities must demonstrate sufficient economic, financial, and technical capacity to implement the contract ⁴.

Eligibility Highlights:Tenderers must have prior experience in developing or updating innovation scoreboards, handling large-scale data collection, and aligning with the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy ⁵.

Required Deliverables and Expertise

1. 1Update of the ESSS methodology and 36 indicators across six dimensions
2. 2Data collection and analysis of startups and scale-ups in EU Member States
3. 3Benchmarking reports aligned with EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy actions
4. 4Support for policy recommendations on financing, talent, market uptake, and infrastructure
5. 5Development of technical capacity and security compliance documentation

Submission Timeline and Deadlines

The final deadline for tender submission is 10 August 2026 at 12:00:59 CET ⁶. An additional information request period ends on 30 July 2026. All documents must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ⁷.

Key Documents Required:Tenderers must submit: (1) Technical tender form, (2) Financial offer form, (3) Declaration of honour, (4) Power of attorney, (5) Statement of turnover, (6) Technical capacity evidence, (7) List of subcontractors, and (8) Commitment letters for subcontractors and other entities ⁸.

Strategic Context and Impact

The ESSS Scoreboard includes 36 indicators across six dimensions:better financing, fast market uptake, top talent attraction, infrastructure & networks, regulatory environment, and innovation culture ⁹. This update will inform strategic actions under the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, which has already delivered 5 actions and launched 21 ongoing initiatives ¹⁰.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender description: EISMEA Tender Details
2. 2ESSS methodology and purpose: EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy
3. 3Expertise requirements: Tender specifications PDF
4. 4Capacity demonstration: Section 3.2.2 of Tender Specifications
5. 5Strategy alignment: EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy Actions
6. 6Deadline confirmation: EISMEA Call Identifier EISMEA/2026/OP/0037
7. 7Submission portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal
8. 8Document list: Annex 1 - List of Documents PDF
9. 9Scoreboard indicators: European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard
10. 10Strategy progress: EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy Actions Delivered