European Innovation Procurement Awards 2023 open for applications

The European Commission has opened the third edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA). Launched on 20 April 2023 and supported by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe, the competition seeks public and private buyers and the natural or legal persons who support them, with a focus on procurement practices that promote innovation and address societal challenges. Applications are open until 17 August 2023 at 17:00 CET.

What the awards are and what they aim to do

EUIPA is a recognition prize intended to highlight procurers that use procurement strategically to stimulate innovation, create market pull for new solutions and address priorities such as sustainability and digital transformation. The Commission frames innovation procurement as a lever to modernise public services, open markets for disruptive suppliers, and mobilise private investment. The Awards also include a specific strand aimed at procurement practices that contribute to the green energy transition.

Categories, prizes and budget

The competition runs across two categories. Each category will produce three ranked prizes. The declared total for the edition is six monetary awards with a combined value of €300,000.

Who can apply and basic eligibility

The contest is open to public and private buyers located in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Natural persons and legal entities that support procurers may also apply. The procurement practice being entered must have taken place in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories) or in an Associated Country to Horizon Europe and must relate to initiatives started after 1 January 2018. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and be validated via the Central Validation Service (REA Validation).

What you must submit and practical application details

Applications are submitted online via the Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission comprises: Part A (administrative data) filled directly online, Part B (technical description) which uses the mandatory template and is uploaded as a PDF, and supporting annexes. Part B is limited to a maximum of 15 pages. A mandatory supporting document proving the initiative start date must be uploaded separately and is limited to 10 pages. Incomplete or late submissions will be deemed inadmissible.

Evaluation, jury process and checks

Applications that are admissible and eligible will be evaluated by a high-level jury of independent experts. If more than 60 applications are received in a single category, a pre-selection stage will reduce the pool to the top 60 for jury review. The jury evaluation window for this edition was scheduled between August and December 2023. The top six entries in each category will be invited to an oral hearing or pitch session. Final decisions follow mandatory verifications including ethics review, security scrutiny where applicable, legal entity validation, non-exclusion checks, double funding checks and plagiarism screening.

Award criteria explained

Application obligations, publicity and payments

Winners and runners up must acknowledge EU support in communications. The EU emblem and a specified funding statement must appear on related material and a disclaimer must be used to clarify that views expressed are those of the beneficiaries. Prize payments are made after the award ceremony once requested documentation is provided. The awarding authority and EU oversight bodies retain the right to audit, investigate and recover prizes where irregularities or ineligible conduct are later found.

Context: why procurement and where the Awards sit in EU policy

The Awards are part of the Commission’s effort to use public demand to accelerate innovation. The New European Innovation Agenda explicitly identifies public sector buying power as a tool to shape markets and boost start-ups and scale-ups. The Commission and the EIC present procurement as a way to provide first customers for innovation and to steer solutions towards public policy goals such as the green transition. These are policy ambitions and worthy objectives, but their systemic impact depends on follow-through: procurers require skills, legal tools, budgets and an ecosystem that can convert procurement experiments into repeatable market signals.

Practical caveats and compliance points

Applicants should pay attention to several recurring compliance issues: do not submit duplicate applications with the same set of activities across categories; provide proof of the initiative’s start date; be prepared for legal entity validation; ensure there is no conflict of interest with experts involved in evaluation; and be aware that projects with security or sensitive ethical issues may require additional scrutiny or be ineligible. The Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual contains step by step instructions for registration and submission and the portal’s privacy statement covers personal data processing.

Useful contacts and links

Implications for procurers and the EU innovation ecosystem

Recognition through EUIPA can provide visibility and encouragement for procurers experimenting with innovation procurement. For suppliers — especially start-ups and SMEs — procurement competitions that buy R&D or outcomes can act as early market signals. However, the Awards alone do not build the broader capabilities needed across public administrations for repeated and scalable innovation procurement. Successful scaling depends on embedding procurement expertise, ensuring predictable financing for pilots and procurement, and measuring long term results beyond award publicity.

If you are preparing an application, focus on concrete, measurable results, evidence of replication or uptake and clear descriptions of partnerships and capacity building. That is what juries will be evaluating and what will help make the case that a procurement approach has genuine, durable impact.