National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union

What National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union does

The National Contact Point (NCP) for Research Programmes of the European Union is a government-supported department operating within Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju (NCBR), Poland's national research and development agency. Officially designated by the European Commission in 1998, NCP serves as Poland's official gateway to the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, currently Horizon Europe. The organization supports Polish researchers, universities, research institutes, enterprises, central and regional government bodies, and NGOs in accessing EU research funding through a portfolio of free services including in-depth proposal consultations, information days, training sessions, partner-search brokerage, proposal pre-screening, statistical analysis via Power BI dashboards, publications, and an ERC Mentoring initiative. Service delivery combines a Warsaw headquarters with a nationwide network of 6 Horizontal Contact Points (HPK) covering Poland's macro-regions, supported by a team of approximately 50 formally appointed experts organized into 5 specialized units aligned with the three pillars of Horizon Europe.

The underlying technology is comparatively lightweight: a web portal (kpk.gov.pl), an account management system for event registration and pre-screening requests, Power BI-based interactive dashboards for participation analytics, and third-party B2Match tooling for brokerage events. The competitive moat rests on regulatory designation by the European Commission, guaranteed seats on Horizon Europe programme committees, and embedded relationships across the EU research ecosystem (EURAXESS, EIT, CORDIS, and the pan-European NCP network). NCP does not generate commercial revenue — all services are provided free of charge, and the organization is fully funded through Polish government appropriations and EU programme support mechanisms. Strategic momentum is evident: Polish Horizon Europe funding reached EUR 667.1 million as of 2024, a 126% increase versus the equivalent Horizon 2020 period, and Poland's 2025 EU Council Presidency has positioned NCP at the center of flagship events including the 'EU Innovation Journey'25' conference, alongside planned 2026 launches of the HPN DeepTech Programme, ERC Plus Grants, and contributions to the 10th EU Framework Programme (FP10) discussions.

Name

National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union

Legal name

Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju

Website

https://kpk.gov.pl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Contact Point (NCP) for Research Programmes of the European Union is a Polish government-designated department within NCBR that supports Polish researchers, universities, enterprises, and government bodies in accessing EU Horizon Europe research funding through free consultations, training, and partner-search services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funded Operations: Funded as part of Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju (NCBR), Poland's national research and development agency, serving as the official National Contact Point for Horizon Europe

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The National Contact Point (NCP) provides free expert advisory and support services to Polish researchers, research units, enterprises, government bodies, and NGOs seeking to participate in Horizon Europe and other EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. Its core services include in-depth consultations on application preparation and project implementation, partner search and matchmaking, proposal pre-screening, training and information events, statistical analyses and publications, and a network of regional Horizontal Contact Points covering all Polish macro-regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCP Consultation Services
• Information Days, Seminars and Conferences
• Statistical Analysis Dashboards (Power BI)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €1 billion in Horizon Europe funding secured for Polish organisations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial appointment as National Contact Point for Horizon Europe programme; direct access to Commission knowledge and programme committee participation
• Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju (NCBR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - National Centre for Research and Development is the host institution for the National Contact Point
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for innovation ecosystem support including EIT Health, EIT Culture & Creativity, and other EIT initiatives
• Horizon Europe NCP Portal NetworkmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of national contact points across Europe sharing knowledge and best practices for Horizon Europe support
• CORDIS (EU research & innovation service)majorTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with EU's main portal for disseminating information on EU-funded research projects and results
• EURAXESScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European platform supporting researcher mobility and career development, part of the broader EU research ecosystem

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kooperationsstelle EU der Wissenschaftsorganisationen (KoWi) — German NCP: Germany's National Contact Point for EU research programmes, providing the same official NCP mandate, advisory services, and event infrastructure as KPK but for German applicants — the most direct functional peer.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): EU-wide advisory network supporting SMEs and research organisations in accessing EU programmes including Horizon Europe. Directly comparable to KPK as a publicly funded intermediary providing consultation, partner search, and training for EU programme participation.
• EUREKA Network: Intergovernmental network supporting market-oriented R&D projects across Europe and associated countries. Comparable as a publicly funded intermediary facilitating international research consortia and EU programme access for member-state entities.
• PCN Horizon Europe France: France's official national contact point structure for Horizon Europe, coordinating a similar nationwide network of regional advisors and experts to support French participation in EU research programmes.

Others

• CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service): European Commission's primary portal for disseminating information on EU-funded research projects. Listed by KPK as a key integration partner; comparable as an EU-programme information intermediary serving overlapping audiences.
• NCBiR — Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju (parent): KPK's parent organisation — Poland's national research and development funding agency. Relevant as the host institution but not a direct competitor; provides the institutional and budgetary framework within which KPK operates.

Broad incumbents

• COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology): EU-funded framework supporting transnational research networking across Europe. KPK explicitly supports Polish access to COST, making it a closely related programme intermediary within the same EU research-advisory ecosystem.
• European Science Foundation (ESF): Europe-wide association of research funding organisations and research-performing bodies. Comparable as a coordinating intermediary in EU research ecosystems, though operating at a supranational rather than national contact-point level.
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT): EU body overseeing large-scale Knowledge and Innovation Communities (EIT Health, EIT Culture & Creativity, etc.). KPK partners with EIT and supports Polish participation in its programmes, making EIT a broader incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• EURAXESS: Pan-European platform supporting researcher mobility and career development, hosted by the European Commission. KPK lists EURAXESS as a core partner and serves overlapping audiences (researchers, research units) — adjacent incumbent in EU research support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kpk_pl
• YouTubeyoutu.be/ZO2DXP_ZWYI
• Facebookfacebook.com/KPK.Polska
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-contact-point-for-research-programmes-of-the-european-union

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union