01 Proposal · page limit and layout requirements Not specified in the available documents
02 General · eligibility criteria for applicants Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria: (1) At the day of deadline for submission of proposals, the applicant must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004; (2) The applicant must be involved in the execution of the project; (3) Only one eligible organisation may submit a proposal - consortia are not permitted under this call; (4) Proposals must be submitted by a sole applicant.
03 Eligible · countries for participation Not specified in the available documents. The call specifies that applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by Member States under Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002, but does not explicitly restrict participation to specific countries or EU Member States and Associated Countries only.
04 Competent · organisations designation requirement Yes, applicants must be designated as competent organisations under Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This can be verified by checking the list of competent organisations regularly updated by EFSA Management Board, which is available for consultation at: https://efsa.my.site.com/competentorganisations/s/competentorganisation/CompetentOrganisationc/00B1v000009LgfIEAS. Applicants must be on this list at the day of deadline for submission of proposals.
05 Additional · eligibility conditions Applicants must not be in one of the exclusion situations referred to in Article 138(1) of the EU Financial Regulation. Applicants must sign a declaration on their honour certifying they are not in any exclusion situation. Applicants must have stable and sufficient financial resources to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the project is being carried out. If the Authority considers that financial capacity is weak, it may request further information, decide not to give pre-financing, decide to give pre-financing paid in instalments, decide to give pre-financing covered by a bank guarantee, or require joint and several financial liability. If the EFSA Authorising Officer considers that the financial capacity is insufficient, the application may be rejected.
06 Financial · and operational capacity requirements Financial Capacity: Applicants must have stable and sufficient financial resources to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the project is being carried out. Operational Capacity: Applicants must have the professional and technical resources, competencies and qualifications necessary to complete the proposed project. Specifically, the applicant must have extensive and demonstrable experience in chemical risk assessment and systematic literature reviews. The applicant must provide a signed statement confirming their organisation will have the required experience, accompanied by a list of at least 3 major publications and/or projects covering chemical risk assessment carried out over the past 5 years. The team of experts must include members with University degrees at post-graduate level (minimum Master degree) and relevant work experience (minimum 3 years) in chemistry, food chemistry, molecular biology/biotechnology, biology, toxicology, or data/reference management. Each team member must have a very good level of spoken and written standard UK English (B2 level or at least 3 years in English-speaking environment for non-native speakers).
07 Grounds · for exclusion of applicants Applicants are excluded if they are in one of the exclusion situations referred to in Article 138(1) of the EU Financial Regulation. While the specific grounds are not detailed in the call document itself, the documents reference that applicants must certify they are not in exclusion situations. Based on the grant agreement provisions, exclusion grounds include: bankruptcy or similar proceedings; breach of social security or tax obligations; grave professional misconduct; fraud, corruption, involvement in criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes, child labour or human trafficking; creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent fiscal or legal obligations; substantial errors, irregularities or fraud; serious breach of obligations under the agreement or during award; systemic or recurrent errors, irregularities, fraud or serious breach of obligations in other EU grants under similar conditions.
08 Evaluation · and award criteria for proposals Proposals are evaluated in five sequential steps: (1) Verification of submission requirements - proposal submitted within deadline, administrative data duly signed, proposal complete with all supporting documents; (2) Eligibility criteria - applicant on competent organisations list and involved in project execution; (3) Exclusion criteria - applicant not in exclusion situations per Article 138(1) EU Financial Regulation; (4) Selection criteria - financial capacity and professional/operational capacity; (5) Award criteria - three main criteria: (1) Methodology for calls for data/data management (max 30 points, minimum 15 to pass); (2) Methodology for literature reviews/bibliographic research (max 50 points, minimum 25 to pass); (3) Quality control and management of risks for the project (max 20 points, minimum 10 to pass). If proposal fails at any step, it is automatically excluded from further evaluation.
09 Scoring · methodology and minimum thresholds Proposals are scored on three award criteria with a maximum total of 100 points. Criterion 1 (Methodology for calls for data/data management): maximum 30 points with minimum passing score of 15 points. Criterion 2 (Methodology for literature reviews/bibliographic research): maximum 50 points with minimum passing score of 25 points. Criterion 3 (Quality control and management of risks): maximum 20 points with minimum passing score of 10 points. To be considered for a reserve list, a proposal must: (1) score a minimum of 70 points out of maximum possible 100 points; AND (2) achieve the minimum passing score for each award criterion. Proposals satisfying these quality thresholds are ranked in a reserve list valid for six months from the signature of the feedback letter.
10 Submission · procedures and modalities Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline (28 January 2027 at 17:00 CET). Applicants must be registered in the Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC). Proposals may be submitted in any official language of the European Union, but submission in English is recommended as it is EFSA's working language and speeds up evaluation. Supporting documents in languages other than English should ideally include reliable English translations. Hard copy paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants should submit applications several hours before the deadline to avoid complications. All applications must follow the instructions provided in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.
11 Evaluation · process timeline and grant agreement signature The indicative procedure timetable is as follows: Launch date: 22 October 2026; Deadline for clarification questions: 20 January 2027; EFSA replies to clarification questions: 22 January 2027; Deadline for proposal submission: 28 January 2027 at 17:00 CET; Notification of evaluation results: March 2027 (estimated); Grant agreement signature: April 2027 (estimated). According to Article 197(2) of the Financial Regulation, the maximum time-limits are: All applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application within 6 months of the deadline for submission of proposals; Signature of the grant agreement will take place within 3 months from the date the successful applicant(s) has/have been informed of the decision on their application. Following evaluation and ranking on the reserve list, EFSA may invite applicants to adapt their proposals based on evaluators' comments before the award decision is taken.
12 Legal · and financial arrangements for grants Grants are awarded under the EU Financial Regulation (Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509). The form of grant is based on financing not linked to the costs of relevant operations in accordance with Article 125(1)(a) of the EU Financial Regulation. This is an innovative and simplified grant management approach where grant amounts paid are based on pre-defined sums not linked to actual costs. This means no co-financing is required from the partner, no estimated budgets or timesheets are needed, and no need to record actual work costs. The agreed sums are designed to stimulate mutually convenient partnership creation. Payment is based on EFSA's acceptance of delivered work. Grant principles applicable: Non-retroactivity (tasks should not be performed before grant agreement signature). Grant principles NOT applicable to this financing form: Co-financing, No-profit, and Non-cumulative principles. The total envelope available is EUR 300,000.00. Three Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) will be concluded in cascade, each with one partner only (no consortia). Maximum FPA duration is 4 years. Specific agreements typically last 3 to 12 months. FPA terms continue to apply to specific agreements after FPA expiry, with services to be performed no later than 8 months after FPA expiry.
13 Terms · and conditions in draft grant agreement The draft specific grant agreement establishes the following key terms: Beneficiaries are fully responsible for implementing the agreement and complying with all obligations. Financing not linked to costs are eligible if work packages are completed and work is properly implemented or results are achieved per Annex 1. Beneficiaries must implement the action as described in Annex 1 and in compliance with all provisions, call conditions, and applicable law. Beneficiaries must prevent conflicts of interest and notify EFSA immediately of any situation compromising impartial implementation. Beneficiaries must keep confidential any sensitive information identified in writing. Beneficiaries must maintain records and supporting documents proving proper implementation for at least the time-limit set in the Data Sheet. Subcontractors may participate if necessary, with costs entirely covered by the lump sum contributions. Sub-contracting is not allowed per the call. Beneficiaries must allow checks, reviews, audits and investigations by EFSA and other EU bodies. Prefinancing may be required with guarantees. Payment is made based on EFSA approval of deliverables: 30% prefinancing upon entry into force, final payment within 90 days of receiving deliverable. Beneficiaries must keep Participant Register information up to date. Beneficiaries must immediately inform EFSA of events likely to affect implementation. The agreement is governed by EU law supplemented by Belgian law. Disputes are brought before EU General Court or Court of Justice. Agreement enters into force on signature by both parties.
14 Framework · partnership agreement terms The Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) establishes a long-term cooperation between EFSA and one partner (mono-beneficiary only; consortia not permitted). The FPA sets out framework conditions and is implemented through Specific Agreements. Key terms: Duration is 48 months from the date of signature of the last party to sign, and cannot be extended. Grant agreements must be signed before the FPA expires. Where actions are carried out after FPA expiry, FPA terms continue to apply for a maximum of 8 months. The overall envelope amount for implementation via grant agreements under the FPA is EUR 300,000.00. The cascade mechanism applies: points awarded in evaluation constitute the ranking to establish a cascade of beneficiaries. EFSA consults the highest-ranked beneficiary to conclude a specific agreement. The beneficiary must confirm acceptance within 10 calendar days, submitting Individual Declarations of Interests and CVs of staff fulfilling expertise requirements. If negative reply, EFSA contacts the second-ranked beneficiary. Specific Agreements are awarded based on pre-defined costs determined by EFSA expert judgment. The scope of work, expected deliverables, and budget amount are defined in each specific agreement. Beneficiaries must maintain mutual cooperation and regular transparent exchanges with EFSA on implementation and follow-up. The FPA can be suspended or terminated by either party on duly justified grounds. Amendments may be requested under the same conditions as grant agreements.