european assistance for innovation procurement (eafip)

What european assistance for innovation procurement (eafip) does

The European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) is a policy support initiative of the European Commission, launched at the end of 2014 and managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. It assists public procurers across all EU member states in developing and implementing innovation procurement, specifically Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI), primarily for ICT-based solutions. Its core deliverables are non-technological in nature: an online toolkit providing hands-on guidance, a network of specialist procurement lawyers, twelve showcase videos featuring public buyers and suppliers, an ongoing webinar series, and in-person workshops and major events hosted across EU countries.

Since inception, EAFIP has supported 37 high-impact ICT-related innovation procurements and trained over 1,200 public procurers and stakeholders through 13 events (9 workshops and 3 major events). The offering consists of five interconnected components: the EAFIP Toolkit, EAFIP Events, EAFIP Assistance (free support to selected projects, with applications assessed monthly), EAFIP Videos, and the EAFIP Webinar Series. Webinars in 2025 and 2026 cover innovation procurement uptake, cross-border cooperation, interoperability, and European autonomy and resilience.

EAFIP does not operate as a commercial entity. All services are provided free of charge to public procurers and funded by EU research and innovation programs. The initiative has been relaunched for a new period with new calls for assistance, continued support to selected projects, and a regular cadence of webinars and workshops. Its headquarters functions are conducted from Brussels, Belgium, under DG Research and Innovation oversight.

Name

european assistance for innovation procurement (eafip)

Legal name

European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP)

Website

https://eafip.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EAFIP is a European Commission initiative, managed by DG Research and Innovation, that helps EU public procurers design and implement innovation procurement (PCP and PPI) through free assistance, a toolkit, webinars, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Procurement Advisory Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Innovation procurement support
• Pre-commercial procurement
• Public procurement consulting
• PCP PPI guidance
• Public sector advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU-Funded Initiative Services: EAFIP is a European Commission initiative funded by EU research and innovation programs. All services including assistance, toolkit, events, and webinars are provided free of charge to public procurers. The initiative operates as a government support program rather than a commercial enterprise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EAFIP is a European Commission policy initiative that provides free advisory, training, and practical support services to public procurers across the EU for designing and implementing innovation procurement (Pre-Commercial Procurement and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions). Its core deliverables are a Toolkit, free Assistance to selected projects, Workshops and Major Events, a recurring Webinar Series, and a library of Showcase Videos capturing lessons from completed procurements.

Product overview

The European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) is a policy support initiative by the European Commission that offers a unified suite of resources to help public procurers across Europe develop and implement innovation procurement (PCP and PPI). The offering consists of five interconnected components: the EAFIP Toolkit providing hands-on guidance for preparing and implementing innovation procurement; EAFIP Events delivering workshops, major events, and training to over 1200 public procurers; EAFIP Assistance offering free support to selected ICT-based innovation procurement projects; EAFIP Videos featuring 12 showcase videos with interviews from buyers and suppliers; and the ongoing EAFIP Webinar Series covering topics from legal frameworks to cross-border cooperation. The initiative has supported 37 innovation procurements of high-impact ICT-related solutions across Europe since its launch in late 2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EAFIP Toolkit Easy-to-use, hands-on guidance supporting policy makers in designing PCP and PPI strategies and supporting procurers and their legal departments in implementing such procurements; freely available online for European public procurers.
• EAFIP Assistance Free expert support provided to selected public-sector innovation procurement projects (typically ICT-based PCP or PPI procurements), covering preparation and implementation; applications are assessed on a monthly basis.
• EAFIP Events In-person events programme including workshops and Major Events held in different EU countries, providing in-depth training to public procurers and stakeholders on innovation procurement (cumulative: 13 events, 9 workshops, 3 Major Events, over 1,200 trained).
• EAFIP Videos Library of 12 informative showcase videos featuring short interviews with public buyers and suppliers on their innovation procurement cases, providing learning from inspiring projects and experienced professionals.
• EAFIP Webinar Series Regularly organised virtual webinars covering innovation procurement uptake, cross-border cooperation, interoperability, European autonomy and resilience, fostering innovation procurement techniques, and preparation of innovation procurement processes; recordings available online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37 high-impact ICT-related innovation procurements supported across Europe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission)coreOthersEAFIP is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. DG RTD oversees the initiative and provides institutional support, funding, and strategic direction. The initiative supports the EU's New European Innovation Agenda and innovation procurement policy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Innovation Council (EIC): Direct sibling EU Commission initiative under DG RTD that supports innovative ventures and procurement-adjacent funding. Comparable because it shares EAFIP's institutional base, target audience of EU innovators, and policy mandate to translate EU R&D priorities into commercial outcomes.
• Tenders Electronic Daily (TED): Official EU online platform for publishing public procurement tenders. Comparable because it sits at the same intersection of EU policy and public procurement practice, and represents the upstream transactional layer that EAFIP's advisory services feed into.

Broad incumbents

• World Bank Public Procurement: Multilateral institution providing procurement advisory, capacity building, and policy guidance to governments worldwide. Comparable because it delivers similar advisory and training services to public procurers, but at a global rather than EU-specific level.
• OECD Public Procurement: OECD workstream setting global standards and guidance on public procurement. Comparable because it operates at a similar policy-advisory level to EAFIP, but at international rather than EU scope, making it an adjacent reference framework for innovation procurement practice.
• SAP Ariba: Large-scale procurement and supplier management platform used widely by public sector organisations. Comparable because it supports the same public buyer workflows that EAFIP's toolkit and trainings target, although as commercial procurement SaaS rather than policy advisory.
• Jaggaer: Major commercial provider of procurement software and services for public and private sector buyers. Comparable because it operates in the broader public procurement tooling and advisory space that EAFIP supports, although as a commercial vendor rather than a free public initiative.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP): International multi-stakeholder initiative promoting government transparency, including in public procurement. Comparable because it pursues similar transparency and reform outcomes in public procurement through policy guidance, peer learning, and country-level support.
• Accenture Public Service: Global consultancy serving public sector clients on procurement transformation and digital strategy. Comparable because it competes for the same consulting and advisory mandate around public procurement modernisation, albeit via fee-for-service engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xec.social-network.europa.eu/@EUCommission
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/eutube
• Facebookfacebook.com/EuropeanCommission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-assistance-for-innovation-procurement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about european assistance for innovation procurement (eafip)