European Innovation Procurement Awards 2024-25: what is open, who can apply and how it will be judged

The European Commission has launched the fourth edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards, managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA. The contest recognises public and private buyers, natural persons and legal entities that use procurement to stimulate innovation. Applications opened on 26 June 2024 and must be submitted by 26 September 2024 at 17:00 CET.

Why these awards exist and what they aim to do

The awards are positioned as a demand-side measure to accelerate the transition of innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. By celebrating procurement practices that purchase R&D, procure innovative solutions, or set up procurement strategies that trigger multiple innovation procurements, the EU aims to show how public and private buying power can create markets, give early adopters to startups and SMEs, and help tackle societal challenges including the green and digital transitions.

Categories, prizes and core facts

This edition features two parallel competition tracks. Each track will award three ranked prizes. The contest accepts initiatives from any sector provided they meet the eligibility requirements and the timing rule that initiatives must have started after 1 January 2019.

Who may apply and basic eligibility

The contest is open to public and private buyers, individuals and legal entities that support procurement practices, provided they are established in an EU Member State, an overseas country or territory of an EU Member State, or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. The procurement practice or action being entered must have taken place in one of those countries and must have started after 1 January 2019. Ongoing initiatives are eligible but only work completed by the submission deadline will be considered.

What you must submit and formal requirements

Applications are submitted online only through the Funding and Tenders Portal. They must follow strict format and page limits. Applicants also must register in the Participant Register and pass the REA central validation process for legal entity identification prior to award.

Evaluation, scoring and selection process

Applications will go through admissibility and eligibility checks and then to a jury evaluation. If there are more than 60 applications in a category, a preselection phase will cut the field to the top 60 for full jury review. The juries are high level and independent experts drawn by EISMEA and the EIC. Six best ranked entries per category will be invited to a hearing to defend their submission. Final award decisions follow mandatory checks such as ethics, security, plagiarism and non exclusion.

Award criteria in plain terms

Administrative rules, ethics, and legal checks

Applicants must comply with EU ethical standards and applicable law. Projects raising ethical issues will undergo an ethics review. Security sensitive proposals that cannot be screened will be ineligible. The Commission and EISMEA will perform legal entity validation, non exclusion and plagiarism checks before any award is confirmed. Prizes can be withdrawn and payments recovered if rules were broken or fraud is detected.

How to apply and where to get help

Applications are submitted via the Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants must register and obtain a Participant Identification Code before the call deadline, and may need to upload documents for REA central validation. The application structure is Part A for administrative data and Part B for the narrative. Part B and the mandatory annex must respect the page limits.

Practical advice and critical observations for applicants

These awards are recognition prizes rather than procurement grants. The jury rewards practices and evidence of impact and replicability. Applicants should therefore focus on clear KPIs, documented outcomes, and evidence that the procurement reduced market frictions for startups and SMEs. Good supporting documents include tender specifications, evaluation reports, deployment figures, case studies of supplier growth and clear evidence of environmental or social benefit where relevant.

From a policy perspective, innovation procurement is an acknowledged way to stimulate demand for new solutions, but there are persistent practical barriers. Procurement law, risk aversion in public bodies, long procurement cycles, and complex validation procedures make it hard to scale. The awards can raise awareness and reward good practice, but a single recognition prize and one-off cash award does not by itself solve systemic barriers and should be seen as a complement to broader policy and financing measures led by the EIC, national authorities and procurement reform initiatives.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Do not miss the REA validation requirement. Keep to the Part B and annex page limits. Provide documentary proof of the initiative start date. Do not assume that publicity or EIC links substitute for measurable KPIs. If applying across categories with the same activities choose one category only or be prepared to withdraw duplicates if asked.

Final note on expectations and outcomes

EUIPA is structured and resourced to reward procurement practices that demonstrate transformation, uptake and societal impact. The prize money is modest relative to procurement budgets but can provide visibility and modest support for dissemination, replication or small implementation steps. Applicants and observers should treat the award as recognition coupled with reputational benefits rather than a substitute for procurement funding or scaleup capital.