Pre-Commercial Procurement

Calls for EU funding opportunities on PPI

2013 Calls in CIP ICT work programme

Where PCP concerns the R&D procurement phase before commercialization to get new innovative solutions developed for tackling challenges of public interest, PPI concerns the commercialization phase to get such innovative solutions also widely deployed. The website was updated with a new page on PPI (and the link with PCP) and the FAQ page was extended with PPI information too. On 22 December 2012, a new call for PPI proposals opened under the ICT part of the CIP program (Competitiveness and Innovation Program). The deadline for submission of proposals is 14 May 2013 under this Call 7 of CIP-ICT-PSP-2013 work program. The following support for PPI related actions is available:

• 'PPI Pilot' support for consortia of procurers undertaking (a) cross-border PPI procurement(s) in:
  • Objective 3.2.a: e-health (1 or more PPI pilots for total of up to 5 €Mio)
  • Objective 3.2.b: active/healthy ageing, assisted living (1 or more PPI pilots for total of up to 5 €Mio)
• 'Thematic Network' support for groups of procurers interested to prepare for a future PPI project in:
  • Objective 1.2.c: smart sustainable mobility (1 project of 1 €Mio)
  • Objective 1.3: resource efficient data servers for smart cities (1 project of 1 €Mio)

The 'Thematic Network' and 'PPI Pilot' instrument are described in sections 4.1.3 and 4.1.5 respectively of the CIP-ICT-PSP-2013 work program. The new PPI Pilot support combines max 100% EC co-financing for the eligible costs for coordination activities linked to preparation and management of the joint or coordinated PPI procurement(s) carried out by the consortium, and max 20% EC co-financing for the total price of the joint or coordinated PPI procurement(s) carried out by the consortium. Funding for coordination costs can compose max 30% of the total recommended funding up to a max of 1 €Mio. A guide for applications for the PPI pilot instrument will be available soon on the CIP-ICT-PSP-2013-7 webpage.

Calls for EU funding opportunities on PCP

2012-2013 Calls in FP7 ICT work programme - All areas of public interest

Slide providing overview of areas/budgets for PCP calls in FP7-ICT-2013, that was adopted by the Commission in July 2012. In addition to the possibility to submit (CSA grant type) proposals for networking on PCP, consortia of public purchasers from around Europe can also apply for EC funding for undertaking a pre-commercial procurement jointly (CP-CSA for PCP type grant).

The (CP-CSA for PCP) grant for the latter type projects will combine (through the CSA part) the reimbursement of maximum 100% of the eligible costs for the activities linked to the preparation, management and coordination of the joint PCP call for tender, plus (through the CP part) a reimbursement of maximum 75% of the eligible costs for the development of the new ICT solutions procured through the joint PCP.

The following PCP related calls are planned in the FP7-ICT-2013:

• Targeted calls for joint PCPs in specific areas of public interest (CP-CSA for PCP grants)
  • Objective 5.1.(d), Call 10 - Personalised Health - Active Ageing (€8M)
    • up to 1 on personalised care for co-morbid patients, up to 2 on mobile ehealth services
  • Objective 11.3, Call 10 - High quality cloud computing for public sector needs (€10M: 1 project)
  • Objective 11.2, Call 11 - More efficient, affordable digital preservation (€5M: up to 2 projects)
  • Objective 8.2, Call 11 - Technology enhanced learning (min €5,5M)
• An open call for joint PCPs addressing any area of public interest (CP-CSA for PCP grants)
  • Objective 11.1, Call 10: Proposals for joint PCPs can relate to for example public sector needs for new ICT solutions in healthcare, inclusion, e-government, transport, energy efficiency, environment, security, education etc (€4M: 1 project)
• Targeted calls for networking on PCP (CSA grants)
  • Objective 5.1.(e)(1), Call 10 - Community building public procurers in ehealth, active ageing and independent living (€500.000)
  • Objective 2.2(b), Call 10 - Robotics research roadmap coordination and socio-economic aspects (e.g. for search and rescue, public services such as security, inspection, cleaning, assistance) or intelligent logistics (max €3M)

Call 10 was published on 10 July 2012 (deadline for submission of proposals 15 January 2013). Call 11 was published on 18 September 2012 (deadline for submission of proposals 16 April 2013). For more info, refer to the FP7-ICT-2013-10 Call website, which provides the call information package (including the FP7-ICT-2013 Work Programme, the Call 10 fiche, and the Guide for Applicants for CP-CSA grants for PCP) and provides the link also to the online electronic submission system for submitting proposals. When consulting the work programme, please read carefully the objective description (for a more detailed description of the target outcome in the areas above calling for PCP proposals, expected impacts of such projects, budget allocation etc) as well as the Appendix 6 of the work programme (provides an overview of the specific requirements for the implementation of PCP in cross-border EU funded PCP projects).

Potential proposers are invited to express their interest for the PCP calls on the ICT 2012 proposers day website which provides the opportunity to network on-line with other potentially interested parties in preparation of submitting PCP proposals (via the page of the objective in the work programme calling for the PCP, you can find this page by looking under 'priorities' on the site). In order to support potential participants to find partners for the open call in objective 11.1 to exchange more information on this call, interested organisations are invited to complete an Expression of Interest form. EOI forms will be distributed on regular basis to all those potentially interested parties that have filled in EOI forms and have expressed an interested in a similar area.

The Guide for Applicants explains how to prepare proposals for the CP-CSA grants for PCP (please note that the WP2013 guide for applicants for CP-CSA for PCP proposals has been updated compared to calls under the previous work programme). It also explains the possibility of the pre-proposal check, which is a service that allows proposers to check via a short e-mail the appropriateness of their proposed action and the eligibility of the proposed consortium with the Commission before preparing a fully fledged proposal. Since this is still one of the first times that the Commission offers CP-CSA type grants for PCP projects, proposers planning to submit a proposal are strongly recommended to make use of the pre-proposal check service.

2013 Calls in FP7 Capacities work programme - GEANT

The 2013 FP7 Capacities - Research Infrastructures work programme (INFRA-2013-1.2.1) on GEANT is to open to fund joint pre-commercial procurement (CP-CSA type grant similar as in FP&) to boost the innovation potential of the research and education network communities through R&D that supports exploring innovative business models e.g. for clouds, federated AAI and mobility and contributing to international standardisation such as IETF. Call deadline: 5 december 2012.

2013 Calls in FP7 Security work programme - Land borders & maritime surveillance

The 2013 FP7 Security work programme (FP7-SEC-2013-1) is calling for pre-commercial procurement (CSA type grant) in the area of land border security (FP7-SEC-2013-3.2.1) and maritime surveillance (FP7-SEC-2013-3.5.2). Call deadline: 22 November 2012.

2013 Calls in FP7 Environment work programme - Water Management

The 2013 FP7 Environment work programme (FP7-ENV-WATER-INNO-DEMO) is calling for pre-commercial procurement in the context of the European Innovation Partnership on water management (CSA type grant). Call deadline: 4 April 2013.

2011-2012 Calls in FP7 ICT work programme - All areas of public interest

The 2011-2012 FP7 Work Programme for ICT contained for the first time a new type of support for PCP. In addition to the possiblity to submit proposals for networking on PCP, this work programme enabled for the first time consortia of public authorities from around Europe also to apply for EC funding for undertaking a pre-commercial procurement jointly (€14M).

Call 7 was published 28 September 2010 (deadline for submission 18 January 2011). Call 8 opened 20 July 2011 and closed 17 January 2012. An overview presentation on the PCP related calls is available. For more info, refer to the FP7-ICT-2011-8 Call website, where you find the 2011-2012 Work Programme, the Call 8 fiche, as well as the Guide for Applicants for CP-CSA grants for PCP.

In order to support potential participants to find partners for Call 8, interested organisations are invited to complete an Expression of Interest form: Expression of Interest form for PCP actions under objective 3.5 or the Expression of Interest form for PCP actions under objective 11.1. EOI forms will be distributed on regular basis to all those potentially interested parties that have filled in EOI forms.

The Guide for Applicants explains how to prepare proposals for the CP-CSA grants for PCP. It also provides the possibility of the pre-proposal check, which is a service that allows proposers to check via a short e-mail the appropriateness of their proposed action and the eligibility of the proposed consortium with the Commission before preparing a fully fledged proposal. Since this is the first time that the Commission offerts CP-CSA type grants for PCP projects, proposers planning to submit a proposal are strongly recommended to make use of the pre-proposal check service.

2011 Calls in FP7 Capacities work programme - High Performance Computing

The 2012 FP7 Capacities - Research Infrastructures work programme (INFRA-2012-2.3.1) on the third implementation phase of the European High Performance Computing (HPC) service PRACE calls for a joint pre-commercial procurement with a view to develop, test and evaluate the required mechanisms for PRACE, increase the financial resources dedicated to HPC R&D in Europe, and ensure that European HPC procurement benefits the development of systems and software in Europe. Call deadline: 23 november 2011.

2011 Calls in FP7 Security Research work programme - Border Surveillance

The 2012 FP7 Security Research work programme (FP7-SEC-2012-1) calls for CP-CSA proposals to enhance the use of innovative technology for border surveillance. The call targets solutions for the pre-operational validation of "Common Application of Surveillance Tools at EU level" in order to provide the EU with an operational and technical framework that would increase situational awareness and improve the reaction capability of authorities surveying the external borders of the EU. Call deadline: 23 november 2011.

2010 Calls

There were no PCP related calls open during 2010.

The next events where information will be distributed on upcoming EU funding opportunities on PCP will take place during Open Days 2010 and ICT 2010. More info on the PCP related sessions during these events can be found on the PCP Events page.

2009 Calls

In response to the positive reactions from the EU Council and Parliament on PCP, the Commission has during 2009 opened calls for proposals (in RFEC, FP7 and CIP programmes) to support the establishment of networks of public authorities on pre-commercial procurement.

More information on the projects that have been successfully launched under these calls can be found on the PCP Projects page.