This page presents information about published calls for expression of interest in the area of public procurement.
Those interested should consult the site and published documents regularly.
Objective of the call:
DG REGIO is offering for the second time technical support by experts from the OECD to managing authorities, intermediate bodies or beneficiaries to work in cooperation with civil society organisations to implement in an innovative way the partnership principle.
Through this call, DG REGIO seeks to:
The OECD experts will:
Participatory processes could include for example, deliberative processes, open innovation, participatory budgeting, civic monitoring, use of emerging technologies for participation, etc
Who can apply under this call?
The Call for expression of interest targets public authorities responsible for managing or implementing the ERDF, CF or JTF either as managing authorities, intermediate bodies or beneficiaries (hereafter public authorities) jointly with civil society organisations (CSOs). A CSO is a non-profit organisation (private or public). Natural persons are not eligible.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
Sunday 30 April 2023
How to apply?
The filled application form has to be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-E1-ADMINISTRATIVE-CAPACITY@ec.europa.eu.
A webinar to present the call in detail and to reply to your questions is organised by DG REGIO and the OECD on Tuesday 7 March 11AM – 12PM CET. If you are interested in participating, please register.
Background
This is phase 2 of a joint initiative by DG REGIO and the OECD. In 2022 six public authorities and their corresponding partners from the civil society started setting-up innovative participatory processes in order to involve citizens in decisions on EU investments in relation to territorial and urban strategies funded by programmes 2021-2027.
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Just transition and the European Green Deal
Climate change and environmental degradation are key challenges facing Europe and the world, which are further accentuated in the past few years by other international crises (such as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine). The European Green Deal sets an ambitious long-term objective of transforming the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050, and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. It seeks a just transition, where no person or place is left behind.
As part of the European Green Deal, the EU set up Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) as a key tool that aims to mobilise around EUR 55 billion over the period 2021-2027 with the aim of ensuring that the transition towards climate-neutrality is implemented in a just manner, leaving no region behind. The JTM provides targeted support through three pillars: the Just Transition Fund (JTF) (EUR 19.3 billion in current prices), InvestEU Just Transition scheme, and a Public Sector Loan Facility.
To access the JTM, EU Member States have prepared specific programmes and Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) which define how the JTF resources will be utilised in specific EU regions and territories. The identification of eligible JTF territories was done jointly with the European Commission.
Just Transition Platform supports JTF regions
The Commission launched the Just Transition Platform (JTP) in 2020. It provides a single access point to support and knowledge on Europe’s transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy. It is managed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy.
After entering the implementation phase of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), it is now time to expand the role of the JTP in those territories supported by the JTF. Throughout 2023, the Commission will develop further knowledge products and case studies on just transition for stakeholders in the JTF regions, deliver an expert database and an exchange programme for such practitioners working on just transition. It will reach out to people in the JTF territories with awareness raising and information campaigns.
The most urgent and important task is to deliver tailored and needs-oriented capacity building and advisory support to JTF regions through a newly set up JTP GROUNDWORK – a comprehensive technical assistance facility. It aims to support regions in implementing their own Territorial Just Transition Plans’ (TJTP) commitments and priorities. The technical assistance provided through JTP GROUNDWORK complements the technical assistance established as part of each JTF programme.
Who can apply?
Applicants for the JTP GROUNDWORK should be from eligible JTF territories (with a TJTP already approved by the Commission). Applications are welcome from all actors with a relevant role in the implementation of the TJTPs – especially Managing Authorities, regional authorities, municipalities, and socio-economic partners – actively contributing to the just transition process at national, regional, local, or community levels.
What types of support services are provided?
The JTP GROUNDWORK provides support throughout 2023 to selected JTF regions in the implementation of their TJTPs. This support may help to address any lack of local capacity to develop projects on the ground or it may focus on specific advice related to the just transition process, for example:
This list is not exhaustive and gives only examples of some potential services that can be provided.
How will technical assistance be provided?
After selection of the beneficiaries, JTP GROUNDWORK, the Commission and the beneficiaries will jointly define the scope and type of support needed in a tailor-made manner.
Technical assistance support will be delivered using a mix of face-to-face and online delivery mechanisms, including visits, scheduled dialogues, meetings, workshops etc. The modalities of assistance will be tailored to the needs of the beneficiaries to ensure flexible and efficient implementation. A core principle of JTP GROUNDWORK support is the co-creation of the solutions with recipients to increase ownership and develop long-term capacity. Therefore, it is vital that recipients ensure that they can make adequate resources and time available to enable effective joint work.
The technical assistance will also include the organisation of one event per selected applicant to give forum to localstakeholders to exchange knowledge and good practices on JTF implementation.
How will the regions be selected?
The Commission will select up to 6 JTF regions that will receive technical assistance from JTP GROUNDWORK in 2023. Additional support is planned in subsequent years.
The Commission will assess the applications based on how they will contribute to a better implementation of the TJTP in the relevant territory, having regard to the various types of regions that benefit from the JTF. Your application should therefore demonstrate a clear need for support or capacity, and show how it will lead to concrete results within a realistic timeframe. In addition, it is recommended that applicants demonstrate their strong commitment to the ambitions set in the TJTP(s), their ability to deliver the results and their plans for applying a partnership approach.
How to apply?
The only valid way to apply is via this EU-Survey questionnaire by the deadline of submission: 28. February 2023 at 23:00 CET.
The expression of interest must include all documents mentioned in the first section of point 4 of the call (see below). All annexes are also available under the above-mentioned link. Only the fully filled in and submitted (not draft) application form is valid.
More information
For more information about the JTP GROUNDWORK application process, please refer to the FAQ and the application form itself (either via the EU-Survey questionnaire used for formal submissions, or this PDF file version of the form meant to act as a convenient reference to help you prepare your own content). You may also contact us directly: jtpgroundwork@justtransitionplatform.eu.
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Objective of the call:
Under this Call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from external experts able to assess applications participating in the 2023 edition of the New European Bauhaus Prize competition, from the angle of three fields based on the main values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) :
In addition, the call is aiming to select experts able to assess the applications from the angle of the field of education (under strand C "New European Bauhaus Education Champions"). Furthermore, among those who express interest in the call, the Commission will select members of the jury assessing the finalists’ applications and recommending the winners to the Commission’s Evaluation Committee. The role of a jury member may not be linked with the role of the expert assessing individual applications.
Who can apply under this call?
The call is open to persons with educational and/or professional background in at least one of the fields mentioned above, but at the contracting stage priority will be given to those who have relevant education and/or experience in at least two fields indicated above.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest
31 January 2023
How to apply?
The expressions of interest should be submitted via EU Survey
The expression of interest must include all documents mentioned in the first section of point 4 of the call (see below). All annexes are also available under the above-mentioned link. Only the fully filled in and submitted (not draft) application form is valid.
Documentation
Objective of the call:
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy (DG REGIO) and the World Bank Group's Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice (FCI GP) are looking for public authorities/agencies from up to 4 EU Member States interested in collaborating in the design and implementation of a pilot instrument supporting firms in adopting digital technologies, alongside upgrading of managerial capabilities and firm organization practices.
The Digitrans Project aims to create a feasible and replicable model for advancing SME productivity by designing, piloting and evaluating an effective instrument to strengthen the adoption of digital technologies and complementary managerial practices.
Key benefits for a participating Member State
The World Bank, together with researchers from academia, private sector and institutions delivering firm-level digitization services, will provide capacity building, technical feedback, as well as evaluation assistance to selected Member States. Key benefits include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
The technical assistance provided under the Digitrans project will take into consideration the local context of individual Member States, including needs, challenges and capabilities.
Who can apply under this call?
The call is open to public authorities/agencies managing and/or implementing national-level support instruments for SME digitization from all EU Member States.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest
Interested teams should submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) by 1800 CET on September 30, 2022.
Representatives of interested public authorities/agencies can register for the webinars with Damian Iwanowski (diwanowski@worldbank.org / +48 791 722 869).
How to apply?
The complete application form should be submitted electronically to:
REGIO-SMART-GROWTH@ec.europa.eu
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Objective of the call:
Under this call, DG Regional and urban policy seeks expressions of interest from cross-border legal entities involved in cross-border issues wishing to improve their multi-level governance and establish (or improve) co-developed, cross-border strategies. Work will be carried out in the framework of a pilot project. The Commission will contract the OECD to provide expertise to the selected pilot cross-border regions. The OECD will work with these regions individually and as a group, as well as with other cross-border stakeholders and institutions, to build the evidence and knowledge bases. The experiences will be disseminated and will feed into reflections on how to improve cross-border governance.
Who can apply under this call?
Applications are eligible if they are submitted either jointly by legal entities from each side of the border or by legal entities which are cross-border by nature (EGTCs, Euroregions, etc.). These legal entities can be local authorities, universities or research centres, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), Euroregions, etc. (in this case a single legal entity is eligible). These legal entities should be in the EU, in Candidate countries or in Switzerland, Norway, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
Friday 30 September 2022
How to apply?
The filled application form has to be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-D2-CROSS-BORDER-COOPERATION@ec.europa.eu.
Documentation
Objective of the call:
Under this call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from national and regional authorities to test a diagnostic framework developed by the World Bank that supports Member States to design and implement sustainability transitions. The methodology termed “Sustainability Transition Assessment Framework” offers a tool to Member States to assess and contribute to the improvement of their capacity to support sustainability transitions, to enhance the effectiveness of cohesion policy funding during the 2021-2027 period and to identify capacity gaps in the design and implementation of sustainability policies and investments. The analysis conducted through the Sustainability Transition Assessment Framework will permit the identification and prioritization of a selected number of areas and related recommended actions, which have the largest possibility to generate positive change in Member States.
Key benefits for a participating Member State:
The pilot action will contribute to the finalization of the Sustainability Transition Assessment Framework. The piloting will allow to test the practicability of the framework, identify areas for further improvement, and highlight areas of the framework that work well.
Who can apply under this call?
The Call for expression of interest targets all public authorities involved in the programming and/or management of the 2021-2027 programmes co-financed by the ERDF and/or the Cohesion Fund (e.g. ministries, regional authorities, coordinating bodies, managing authorities, intermediate bodies).
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
8 July 2022
How to apply?
The filled application form has to be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-G1-HEAD-OF-UNIT@ec.europa.eu.
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Objective of the call
Under this call, DG REGIO seeks to strengthen citizen participation through collaboration between public authorities and civil society organizations. OECD experts will provide support to pilot projects in order to:
a) Test and assess the application of innovative citizen participation approaches for managing and implementing EU funds for cohesion policies.
b) Identify conditions, actions and resources necessary to build strong and long-lasting partnerships to promote citizen participation in cohesion policy.
c) Collect good practices of citizen participation in cohesion policy to be shared among and beyond project partners.
d) Promote peer learning and support community of practitioners
Who can apply under this call?
The Call for expression of interest is open to public authorities responsible for managing or implementing ERDF, CF or JTF either as managing authorities, intermediate bodies or beneficiaries (hereafter public authorities) jointly with civil society organisations (CSOs). A CSO is a non-profit organisation (private or public). Natural persons are not eligible.
A webinar to present the call in details and to reply to your questions was organised by DG REGIO and OECD on 24 March 2022. Have a look at the presentation and watch the video recording.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
The deadline for applications is 30.04.2022
How to apply?
The expressions of interest should be submitted to REGIO-E1-ADMINISTRATIVE-CAPACITY@ec.europa.eu
Documentation:
Objective of the call
Under this Call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from external experts able to assess applications participating in the 2022 edition of the New European Bauhaus Prize competition, from the angle of three fields based on the main values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) :
Additionally, among those who express interest in the call, the Commission will select members of the jury assessing the finalists applications and recommending the winners to the Commission’s Evaluation Committee. The role of a jury member may not be linked with the role of the expert assessing individual applications.
Who can apply under this call?
The call is open to persons with educational and/or professional background in at least one of the fields mentioned above, but at the contracting stage priority will be given to those who have relevant education and/or experience in all three fields indicated above.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
31 March 2022
How to apply?
The expressions of interest should be submitted via EU Survey under the link https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/NEBexperts2022.
The expression of interest must include all documents mentioned in the first section of point 4 of the call (see below). All annexes are also available under the above-mentioned link. Only the fully filled in and submitted (not draft) application form is valid.
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In partnership we trust! Join our European Community of Practice on Partnership 2021-2027!
In order to spread exchanges of good practice and experience on the European Code of Conduct, European Commission is looking for partners who wish to actively engage and share their experience in partnership under the EU-funded programmes.
Objective of the call
Under this Call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from various partners mentioned in Article 8 of the CPR 2021-2027:
What is European Community of Practice on Partnership (ECoPP)?
The shared management DGs agreed to continue in 2021-2027 the concept of the European Community of Practice on Partnership (ECoPP) and to turn it into a genuine forum for practitioners at all levels of funds’ implementation to exchange good practices. Members shall be Member States' authorities in charge of the management of EU funds (cohesion policy coordinating bodies, managing authorities of various shared management funds, including cross-border programmes), as well as public entities and organisations referred to in Article 8 of the Common Provisions Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060)
Objectives of the ECoPP:
The community’s tasks shall be to:
Who can apply under this call?
Regional, local , urban and other public entities; economic and social partners; relevant bodies representing civil society, such as environmental partners, non-governmental organisations, and bodies responsible for promoting social inclusion, fundamental rights, rights of persons with disabilities, gender equality and non-discrimination; research organisations and universities.
Applications can be submitted by the above authorities and other public entities under the conditions defined in the Call.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
31 December 2021
How to apply?
The expression of interest and any question related to the Call should be submitted electronically to the following email address: EC-ECOPP@ec.europa.eu
Documentation
Objective of the call
Under this Call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from various stakeholders from the EU territories most affected by the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral economy, willing to be member of one of the Just Transition Platform (JTP) working groups.
What is JTP?
The JTP has been set up by the European Commission in 2020 to assist EU Member States and regions to unlock the support available through the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM). It provides comprehensive technical and advisory support for stakeholders from the territories that are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries and face specific social, economic, and environmental challenges related to the transition process.
Objectives of the JTP working groups
Three of the JTP working groups have a thematic focus on a carbon-intensive sector (steel, cement, chemicals) with the objective of exchanging and developing practical solutions to ensure that the decarbonisation of the respective industry happens in a fair way, leaving no one behind. The fourth working group on horizontal stakeholder strategy will be of cross-cutting nature and will focus on the identification and assessment of approaches and good practices to engage all stakeholder groups.
The aim of each working group is to act as a forum for exchanging and tackling various challenges that are common to stakeholders involved in the transition process. They will develop the strategic approach of engaging and involving different stakeholder groups at the level of the implementation of the Just Transition Fund. The common objectives are problem-solving, advocacy and stakeholder inclusion to achieve the wider goals of the JTP, which will be implemented though a multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance approach with a view of developing a common just transition vision. However, these working groups will not have the status of Commission expert groups.
Who can apply under this call?
Members of the Working Groups shall be Member States' authorities, organisations at Union level, including those representing regional authorities and cities, and other public entities (social partners, civil society, NGOs, industrial and economic actors and academia). Member States' authorities and other public entities shall nominate their representatives and shall be responsible for ensuring that their representatives provide a high level of expertise in the field of just transition in the specific sector (cement, steel, chemicals or horizontal stakeholder strategy).
An expression of interest can be submitted by Member States' authorities and other public entities under the conditions defined in the Call.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
8 October 2021
How to apply?
The expression of interest and any question related to the Call should be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-JUST-TRANSITION@ec.europa.eu
Documentation
Terms of reference per working group:
Objective of the call
This call concerns the selection of an Entrusted Entity for the indirect management of the European Urban Initiative (EUI). With a budget of EUR 400 million from the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) over the period 2021-2027, the initiative aims at providing coherent support to EU cities and assisting them in evidence-based strategy and policy making on sustainable urban development with a strong link to EU policies and Cohesion policy, in particular.
The assistance of the EUI will be two-fold:
The EUI will also support the Urban Agenda for the EU, and upon request from Member States, it may support the intergovernmental cooperation on urban matters. Maximum synergy and complementarity will be sought in the implementation of the initiative by the Commission and the selected Entrusted Entity with the future European Territorial Cooperation programme URBACT IV.
Who can apply under this call?
The entrustment of indirect management tasks requires the designated entity having proper financial and operational capacities, and in the specific case of the EUI, a demonstrated track record in managing resources from the ERDF in several countries.
An expression of interest can be submitted by Managing authorities of interregional and/or transnational ERDF programmes of the 2014-2020 period under the conditions defined in the Call.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
5 July 2021
How to apply?
The expression of interest and any question related to the Call should be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-URBAN-TERRITORIAL@ec.europa.eu
Objective of the call
Under this Call, DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from transnational partnerships of regional authorities, including ecosystems of regional stakeholders (universities, research centres, clusters, SMEs, etc.) willing to pilot interregional innovation partnerships. The objective is to incentivise business investment projects accelerating commercialisation and scale-up of inter-regional innovation.
Based on current Commission priorities, four new areas are proposed for cooperation in the framework of the interregional innovation partnerships (one partnership per topic):
Who can apply under this call?
An Expression of Interest can be submitted by a partnership made up of statutory regional authorities and their regional innovation ecosystems. Partnerships should be composed of regional authorities from at least four different EU countries and represent to the extent possible the whole value chain involving representatives of the “quadruple helix”: research, business, public administration and end-users from different countries.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
14 September 2020
How to apply?
The expression of interest should be submitted electronically to the following email address: REGIO-SMART-GROWTH@ec.europa.eu
Objective of the call
Under this Call, the Commission’ DG REGIO seeks expressions of interest from managing authorities (MAs) and intermediate bodies (IBs) of Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) programmes wishing to take advantage of expertise support to explore a closer cooperation with citizens and/or civil society organisations in implementation of cohesion policy.
Work will be carried out in the framework of a pilot action. MAs/IBs participating will receive support on how to best engage citizens in strategic decisions for the implementation of national/regional operational programmes and/or specific policy objectives, e.g. with regard to monitoring of investments and assessing impact or results of cohesion policy investments in their territory.
DG REGIO will cooperate with and use the expertise of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for implementing the pilot. The OECD will provide expert assistance and mentoring to the participating MAs/IBs.
The experiences from the pilot project will be disseminated and will feed into reflections on how to strengthen citizen engagement in the management/implementation of cohesion policy.
The key outputs of the pilot will be recommendations on how to improve existing practices and/or on the introduction of new initiatives to be taken by the selected MAs/IBs to strengthen citizen engagement in the implementation of cohesion policy and an action plan on how to roll them out. The action plan will be developed in cooperation with the MA/IB.
Who can apply under this call?
The expression of interest shall be submitted by managing authorities for national or regional operational programmes co-financed by the ERDF and/or the Cohesion Fund. The relevant national coordinating authorities (depending on the particular national context) should also be informed about the application.
Deadline for submission of expression of interest:
Thursday 30 April 2020
How to apply?
Contact: REGIO-E1-ADMINISTRATIVE-CAPACITY@ec.europa.eu
Deadline extended to Tuesday 16 April 2019
The Commission is launching a pilot action to support the replication in 3-5 Member States of “Open Cohesion School”, a project promoting the engagement of students in monitoring EU cohesion policy investments via the use of public open data. The action aims at fostering the culture of active citizenship and raising awareness of Cohesion Policy among schools’ students.
The European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds aim to tackle economic, social and territorial disparities across the EU. Strengthening the transparency of information about the funds’ opportunities and achievements, including through the use of open data, is an important priority set by the EU regulations. At the same time, an enhanced citizens engagement is conducive to better understanding of the policy and how it impacts on the everyday life of citizens.
The Italian project “OpenCohesion School” (“A Scuola di OpenCoesione”) contributes to this goal by involving secondary schools. The project consists in a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) and a contest promoting the engagement of students in monitoring the effectiveness of EU cohesion policy investments via the use of public open data.
Objective of the call
Under this Call, the Commission’s DG REGIO seeks expression of interest from EU funds central bodies or Managing Authorities wishing to replicate the “Open Cohesion School“ format. Through this pilot project, the Commission will provide the following support:
The project should start at the beginning of the school year. In the first phase, the selected classes attend a series of online trainings focusing on Cohesion Policy, active citizenship, open data analysis. Towards the end of this phase, students identify and monitor the implementation of EU-funded projects, including by visiting them and talking to their promoters.
In the second part, students produce a creative communication product (such as videos, comics, blog articles, radio programmes,…) on their research findings and submit the product to a national competition For a pilot phase, approximately 5-7 classes for each Member State are expected to participate. The selected authorities will implement the project in 2019-2020 school year. Their experience, lessons learnt and recommendations will be shared also with all other potentially interested Member States who are willing to implement a similar initiative.
Who can apply under this call?
NEW!The present call is extended to all public authorities involved in the management of the operational programmes (i.e. coordinating bodies, managing authorities, intermediate bodies, joint secretariats).
The expression of interest shall be submitted by central coordination bodies for EU funds and Managing Authorities for national or regional operational programmes co-financed by the ERDF and/or the Cohesion Fund. The applicants should meet a number of specific prerequisites listed in the call for expression of interest.
Deadline for applications:
Tuesday 16 April 2019
How to apply?
Central coordination bodies or managing authorities expressing their interest to participate in the pilot should complete the application form
