EU Funding and Tenders Portal

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders) is the European Commission's central online platform for managing the full lifecycle of EU institutional funding: grants, tenders, prizes, and expert contracts awarded directly by EU institutions and agencies. It is distinct from TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), which covers procurement by national contracting authorities. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal covers procurement and grants where the EU institution itself is the contracting authority or grant-awarding body.

What is the EU Funding and Tenders Portal?

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal serves as the single access point for organisations seeking funding or contract opportunities directly from EU institutions. Its main functions include:

• Opportunity search. The portal lists open calls for tenders and calls for proposals from the European Commission, its executive agencies, and other EU bodies. These include service and supply contracts let directly by the Commission as well as grant competitions under programmes including Horizon Europe (research and innovation), LIFE (environment and climate), DIGITAL Europe, and the Connecting Europe Facility.
• Application and submission. Organisations register on the portal, obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC), and submit applications or tenders through the portal's electronic submission system. All documentation, including consortium agreements, financial declarations, and technical proposals, is managed through the portal.
• Project management. Once funded or contracted, beneficiaries use the portal to manage reporting, financial claims, amendments, and communications with the managing authority throughout the project lifetime.
• Participant registration. The PIC system means an organisation registers once and can use the same identifier across all EU funding programmes. This includes financial and legal validation through the Central Validation Service, which verifies the organisation's legal status and financial health.

For EU institutional tenders (as opposed to grants), notices of sufficient value are also published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), since EU institutions are bound by the EU Financial Regulation's procurement rules. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal is the submission platform; TED is the publication channel for the notice.

Why it matters for bidders

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal opens access to a distinct category of European procurement: contracts and grants awarded directly by EU institutions and their agencies rather than by national contracting authorities. This market includes:

• Research and innovation consortia under Horizon Europe, where universities, research institutes, and private companies compete for multi-year grants.
• Service contracts for consultancy, evaluation, studies, and IT services let directly by DG GROW, DG DEVCO, and other Commission directorates.
• Communication, events, and translation services procured by EU institutions.

Suppliers who focus exclusively on national above-threshold procurement via TED Search may overlook this institutional procurement channel entirely. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal provides a single gateway to all of it.

Example

A Romanian cybersecurity firm wants to compete for EU institutional contracts for IT security auditing. They register on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, obtain a PIC for their organisation, complete the Central Validation Service financial check, and set up search alerts for tenders under CPV codes relevant to cybersecurity consultancy. When the Commission's DG DIGIT publishes a tender for security assessment services, the firm receives the alert, accesses the full tender pack through the portal, and submits its technical and financial offer through the portal's submission system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the EU Funding and Tenders Portal the same as TED?

No. TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) publishes procurement notices from national contracting authorities across Europe. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal is the submission and management platform for opportunities where the EU institution itself is the funder or buyer. Some EU institutional tenders are also published on TED, but the submission channel is always the portal.

What is a PIC and do I need one?

A Participant Identification Code (PIC) is a unique identifier assigned to each organisation registered on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. All organisations participating in EU grants or tenders as beneficiaries, contractors, or consortium partners need a PIC. Registration is free.

Can non-EU companies apply through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal?

Eligibility depends on the specific programme or tender. Horizon Europe, for example, has broad international participation rules, including for associated countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Israel, and Ukraine. Non-EU, non-associated country organisations may participate in some calls on specific terms. The eligibility rules for each call are published in the call documents on the portal.