1. Buyer
1.1.
Buyer
Official name: European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) , EACEA - European Education and Culture Executive Agency
Legal type of the buyer: EU institution, body or agency
Activity of the contracting authority: General public services
2. Procedure
2.1.
Procedure
Title: Study in Europe Initiative (Enhancing the attractiveness of Europe as a study destination for global talent) & Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative (Supporting joint programmes in attracting talent through Erasmus Mundus scholarships)
Description: This call for tenders in the field of higher education is divided into two lots, with the following objectives: - Lot 1 'Study in Europe' aims to promote European higher education in the world and strengthen Europe’s global reputation as a top study destination. - Lot 2 'Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative' (EMSI) aims to promote exchange, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for higher education institutions awarding Erasmus Mundus scholarships. Each lot is a continuation of previous service contracts through which these two initiatives have been implemented - Study in Europe since 2014, and EMSI since 2023.
Procedure identifier: c0ea897b-edcd-4e5d-8bf2-7380e4636c6d
Internal identifier: EACEA/2026/OP/0067
Type of procedure: Open
The procedure is accelerated: no
2.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 80300000 Higher education services
2.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere in the European Economic Area
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
2.1.3.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 8 500 000,00 EUR
2.1.4.
General information
Additional information: Objectives – Lot 1 The contract requires a combination of targeted expertise, operational capacity and market presence in the field of higher education promotion and recruitment at international level. The contractor must demonstrate a strong understanding of the EU higher education landscape and policies, global student mobility trends, recruitment practices and communication strategies, including the design and implementation of multi-channel campaigns and the use of data analysis to inform targeting and optimisation of activities, as well as the ability to operate across diverse geographical markets. In addition, it is important that the contractor demonstrate a proven expertise in digital marketing allowing to leverage the new AI reality and digital student user data, including also the capacity to deal with focussed campaigns targeting priority countries, specific study fields and student segments. With the first lot of this tender, the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC) and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) aim to increase talent attraction and EU competitiveness in higher education. Objectives – Lot 2 With the second lot of this tender, DG EAC and EACEA aim to promote exchange, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for Higher Educations Institutions (HEIs) with joint programmes awarding Erasmus Mundus scholarships as EMJM or possible future “Joint Study Programmes” funded by Erasmus+ linked to the European degree label, with the aim to improve the capacity of the concerned programmes to attract top talent from around the world.In case of unavailability or disruptions in the functioning of the electronic means of communication provided in Section 5.1.11 in the last 5 calendar days before the time limit for receipt indicated in Section 5.1.12, the contracting authority reserves the right to extend this time limit and publish the extension at the Internet address provided in Section 5.1.11, without a preceding publication of a corrigendum to this notice. Economic operators interested in this procurement are invited to subscribe to the call for tenders at the address in Section 5.1.11 in order to get notified when new information or documents are published.
Legal basis:
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509
2.1.5.
Terms of procurement
Terms of submission:
Maximum number of lots for which one tenderer can submit tenders: 2
Terms of contract:
Maximum number of lots for which contracts can be awarded to one tenderer: 2
2.1.6.
Grounds for exclusion
Sources of grounds for exclusion: Procurement Document
5. Lot
5.1.
Lot: LOT-0001
Title: Study in Europe Initiative: enhancing the attractiveness of Europe as a study destination for global talent
Description: Lot 1 'Study in Europe' aims to promote European higher education in the world and strengthen Europe’s global reputation as a top study destination.
Internal identifier: EACEA/2026/OP/0067-LOT-1
5.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 80300000 Higher education services
Additional classification (cpv): 48000000 Software package and information systems, 55520000 Catering services, 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services, 79000000 Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security, 79311000 Survey services, 79952000 Event services, 79300000 Market and economic research; polling and statistics, 79340000 Advertising and marketing services
Options:
Description of the options: provided they are in conformity with the basic project, new services or works consisting in the repetition of similar services or works, may be entrusted up to 50 % of the initial contract to the initial contractor by negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice.
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere in the European Economic Area
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
5.1.3.
Estimated duration
Duration: 48 Months
5.1.5.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 7 000 000,00 EUR
5.1.6.
General information
Reserved participation:
Participation is not reserved.
Procurement Project fully or partially financed with EU Funds.
Information about European Union funds:
EU funds programme: Erasmus+ (2021/2027)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): no
Information about previous notices:
Identifier of the previous notice: 517320-2026
Additional information: Specific objectives: - Increase Europe’s global visibility as an attractive study destination through coordinated, multi-channel communication, outreach and digital marketing activities (beyond traditional simple social media postings); - Improve access to clear, consistent and user-oriented information for prospective students on study options, admission conditions, visa and post-study opportunities, and scholarship schemes; - Strengthen the capacities of EU Member States and third countries associated to Erasmus+ (ministries, national promotion agencies, higher education institutions) through peer learning, training, and shared tools, supporting more effective and coordinated student recruitment; - Implement a Team Europe model, by establishing a framework for coordinated and co-branded actions, enabling the EU, Member States and third countries associated to Erasmus+ to join forces, create economies of scale and enhance visibility in priority markets, specific study fields and student segments; - Enhance evidence-based and data-driven decision making in attracting talents through monitoring global mobility trends, competitor policies, and emerging markets, in cooperation inter alia with the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO) and other student-centred digital data providers.
5.1.9.
Selection criteria
Sources of selection criteria: Procurement Document
5.1.10.
Award criteria
Criterion:
Type: Quality
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 70
Criterion:
Type: Price
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 30
5.1.11.
Procurement documents
Deadline for requesting additional information: 02/12/2026 23:59:59 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Ad hoc communication channel:
Name: Funding and Tenders Portal
5.1.12.
Terms of procurement
Terms of submission:
Electronic submission: Required
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Irish, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish
Electronic catalogue: Not allowed
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 10/12/2026 16:00:59 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Duration during which the tender must remain valid: 9 Months
Information about public opening:
Opening date: 15/12/2026 10:00:00 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Terms of contract:
The execution of the contract must be performed within the framework of sheltered employment programmes: No
Electronic invoicing: Allowed
Electronic ordering will be used: yes
Electronic payment will be used: yes
5.1.15.
Techniques
Framework agreement:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16.
Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation: Court of Justice of the European Union
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures: European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) , EACEA - European Education and Culture Executive Agency
5.1.
Lot: LOT-0002
Title: Erasmus Mundus Support Initiative- Supporting joint programmes in attracting talent through Erasmus Mundus scholarships
Description: With the second lot of this tender, DG EAC and the EACEA aim to promote exchange, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for HEIs with joint programmes awarding Erasmus Mundus scholarships as EMJM or possible future “Joint Study Programmes” funded by Erasmus+ linked to the European degree label, with the aim to improve the capacity of the concerned programmes to attract top talent from around the world.
Internal identifier: EACEA/2026/OP/0067-LOT-2
5.1.1.
Purpose
Main nature of the contract: Services
Main classification (cpv): 80300000 Higher education services
Additional classification (cpv): 48000000 Software package and information systems, 55520000 Catering services, 79000000 Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security, 79952000 Event services, 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services, 79300000 Market and economic research; polling and statistics, 79340000 Advertising and marketing services, 79311000 Survey services
Options:
Description of the options: provided they are in conformity with the basic project, new services or works consisting in the repetition of similar services or works, may be entrusted up to 50 % of the initial contract to the initial contractor by negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice.
5.1.2.
Place of performance
Anywhere in the European Economic Area
Additional information: Please consult the procurement documents.
5.1.3.
Estimated duration
Duration: 48 Months
5.1.5.
Value
Estimated value excluding VAT: 1 500 000,00 EUR
5.1.6.
General information
Reserved participation:
Participation is not reserved.
Procurement Project fully or partially financed with EU Funds.
Information about European Union funds:
EU funds programme: Erasmus+ (2021/2027)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): no
Information about previous notices:
Identifier of the previous notice: 517320-2026
Additional information: Specific objectives: - Foster bottom-up exchange, peer learning and networking, where possible involving representation organisation(s) and utilising the existing Community of Practice; - Exploit results and good practices, to enhance the impact of EMJM programmes, possible future Joint Study Programmes and the Erasmus Mundus scholarships; - Provide expertise, compile best practices and strengthen data-driven approaches to attract and retain master's students in Europe through Erasmus Mundus scholarships.
5.1.9.
Selection criteria
Sources of selection criteria: Procurement Document
5.1.10.
Award criteria
Criterion:
Type: Quality
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 70
Criterion:
Type: Price
Description: Please consult the procurement documents.
Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)
Award criterion number: 30
5.1.11.
Procurement documents
Deadline for requesting additional information: 02/12/2026 23:59:59 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Ad hoc communication channel:
Name: Funding and Tenders Portal
5.1.12.
Terms of procurement
Terms of submission:
Electronic submission: Required
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Irish, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish
Electronic catalogue: Not allowed
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 10/12/2026 16:00:59 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Duration during which the tender must remain valid: 9 Months
Information about public opening:
Opening date: 15/12/2026 10:00:00 (UTC+01:00) Central European Time, Western European Summer Time
Terms of contract:
The execution of the contract must be performed within the framework of sheltered employment programmes: No
Electronic invoicing: Allowed
Electronic ordering will be used: yes
Electronic payment will be used: yes
5.1.15.
Techniques
Framework agreement:
No framework agreement
Information about the dynamic purchasing system:
No dynamic purchase system
5.1.16.
Further information, mediation and review
Review organisation: Court of Justice of the European Union
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures: European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) , EACEA - European Education and Culture Executive Agency
8. Organisations
8.1.
ORG-0001
Official name: European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) , EACEA - European Education and Culture Executive Agency
Registration number: EACEA
Department: EACEA - Directorate of EACEA,EACEA.A - Erasmus+, EU Solidarity Corps,EACEA.A.3 - Erasmus Mundus, Sport
Postal address: North Light building, Boulevard Simon Bolivar 34
Town: Brussels
Postcode: B-1000
Country subdivision (NUTS): Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (BE100)
Country: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
Buyer
Organisation providing more information on the review procedures
8.1.
ORG-0002
Official name: Court of Justice of the European Union
Registration number: CURIA
Postal address: Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald
Town: Luxembourg
Postcode: L-2925
Country subdivision (NUTS): Luxembourg (LU000)
Country: Luxembourg
Telephone: +352 4303-1
Roles of this organisation:
Review organisation
8.1.
ORG-0003
Official name: European Commission
Registration number: EUCOM
Postal address: Mondrian (CDMA), Rue du Champ de Mars 21
Town: Brussels
Postcode: B-1050
Country subdivision (NUTS): Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad (BE100)
Country: Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 299 11 11
Roles of this organisation:
TED eSender
Notice identifier/version: eead20ce-442d-43f5-8470-b4d9e4233666 - 01
Form type: Competition
Notice type: Contract or concession notice – standard regime
Notice subtype: 16
Notice dispatch date: 28/09/2026 11:34:29 (UTC+02:00) Eastern European Time, Central European Summer Time
Languages in which this notice is officially available: English
Notice publication number: 668406-2026
OJ S issue number: 188/2026
Publication date: 29/09/2026