A new award initiative has been launched by the European Innovation Council (EIC): the first edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards. With this prize, the EIC will recognise public and private buyers in their efforts to promote innovation procurement across Europe while supporting SMEs and startups to bring their pioneering products and services to the market.
Apply here until 29 July 2021.
For a new startup the real challenge starts when they go to market and try to stand out from the crowd. In 2020, the EIC began to support its beneficiaries in this step and launched several events to connect private and public procurers of innovations with EIC-funded companies. Innovation procurement contributes to European Union’s competitiveness, facilitates the entry of new players in the markets, especially SMEs, and plays an essential role in creating jobs.
The first edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards recognises powerful public and private buyers using innovation procurement practices across Europe. The contest will emphasise the importance of close buyer-supplier cooperation in bringing innovative solutions to market.
The competition will present three different categories/awards:
- “Innovation procurement strategy” award rewards long-term strategies that trigger different innovation procurements, sustainable solutions, and practices.
- “Facing societal challenges” award that rewards innovative procurement practice aimed to face the COVID-19 pandemic.
- “Procurement leadership” award recognises an outstanding individual(s) who empower(s) their team to succeed and trigger innovation procurement practices.
Each category will reward the winner with EUR 75 000 and one runner-up with EUR 25 000.
Who can apply?
The contest is open to any public or private procurer, as well as individuals located in one of the EU Member States or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.
The applications are evaluated and ranked against the following criteria:
- Transformation - adapting procurement practices towards innovation procurement by introducing new processes and tools and by promoting the establishment of an innovation-friendly legal framework towards sustainable growth and development;
- Uptake - replicable and scalable innovative ways of procuring a solution, which at the same time contribute to achieving more efficient and effective services. Particular attention should be paid to the promotion of best practices and to the efforts to share knowledge across stakeholders within the different territories, and to support capacity building;
- Collaboration - the proven-track of collaboration that led to the procured solution. Promotion of synergies and cooperation between actors from different countries and to varying degrees of maturity in procurement practices;
- Societal impact - practices with a positive quantitative and qualitative impact on society and people, emphasising the support to the digital transformation and green deal priorities.
How to apply?
Applications can be submitted via the Funding and Tenders Portal, until 29 July 2021, 17:00 CET.
A jury of independent experts will evaluate and select the winners and runners up, who will be awarded in the last quarter of the year. More information on eligibility and award criteria is available online.
More information
For more information, please visit the European Innovation Procurement Awards website or send an email to EISMEA-EUIPAwards@ec.europa.eu.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.