Curriculum

5 Sections
26 Lessons
20 Hours

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Section 1 — Introduction to Innovation Procurement & Training Manuals
This opening section provides a comprehensive introduction to innovation procurement — what it is, why it matters, and what instruments are available to public buyers. It covers the full landscape of EU innovation procurement tools, from Pre-Commercial Procurement and Innovation Partnership through to market-facing instruments (PMC, functional specifications, value engineering) and flexible procedures (Competitive Dialogue, Competitive Procedure with Negotiation). The section closes with a presentation of the INPROCAP training manuals, the learning pathway, and the certification framework.By completing this section, learners will be able to:- Explain the EU legal definition of innovation procurement and its three interpretations - Distinguish between PCP, PPI, Innovation Partnership, and when to use each - Describe how PMC, functional specifications, and value engineering encourage innovation in procurement - Differentiate between Competitive Dialogue and Competitive Procedure with Negotiation - Navigate the INPROCAP training pathway and understand certification requirementsNumber of lessons: 6Estimated duration: ~45 minutesQuiz: Section 1 Quiz — Introduction Check (5 questions, 70% pass mark)
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Section 2 — Needs Assessment
This section addresses one of the most critical — and most often skipped — steps in innovation procurement: identifying and articulating unmet needs. The section opens with the "innovation paradox" and explains why starting with problems (not solutions) is the foundation of effective innovation procurement. It walks through the EAFIP methodology, the concept of unmet need, key methods for identifying and prioritising needs (Voice of the Client, 5-Step Process, WIBGIF), and the essential role of procurement officers. The second half, delivered by Jan Zahalka, covers the distinction between functional and technical requirements, why functional specifications foster innovation, and a hands-on exercise where participants translate real challenges into procurement requirements.By completing this section, learners will be able to:- Define the concept of an "unmet need" and explain when innovation procurement is justified - Apply the EAFIP methodology step-by-step to a real procurement challenge - Use at least three methods (Voice of the Client, 5-Step Process, WIBGIF) to identify and prioritise unmet needs - Distinguish between functional and technical requirements and explain why functional specs foster innovation - Apply the MoSCoW framework and minimum viable requirement concept to draft procurement specifications - Translate a specific operational challenge into a set of functional procurement requirementsNumber of lessons: 5Estimated duration: ~1 hour Quiz:Section 2 Quiz — Needs Assessment Check (10 questions, 70% pass mark)
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Section 3 — Market Analysis in Innovation Procurement
This section equips learners with the tools and frameworks to conduct market analysis as a prerequisite for innovation procurement. It covers the role of market analysis in the EAFIP methodology, SOTA analysis and prior art research, the TRL scale, informal and formal market research methods, supplier identification, and cost-of-solution analysis. The section closes with a hands-on mini-SOTA exercise using four Big Science procurement scenarios.By completing this section, learners will be able to:- Explain why market analysis is the foundation of successful innovation procurement - Conduct a State-of-the-Art (SOTA) analysis and prior art/IPR research - Identify suppliers and assess market maturity for a defined need - Distinguish between informal and formal market research methods and know when to use each - Apply the TRL scale to determine the appropriate procurement instrument (PCP, PPI, or Innovation Partnership) - Apply the EAFIP methodology to BSO procurement scenariosNumber of lessons:5 Estimated duration:~2 hours (text-based, self-paced) Quiz: Section 3 Quiz — Market Analysis Check (7 questions, 70% pass mark)
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Section 4 — Open Market Consultation (OMC) — Strategy & Practice
Section description:This section introduces Open Market Consultation as the critical bridge between SOTA analysis and the formal procurement procedure. The first half covers the full OMC methodology: the legal basis in Article 40 of Directive 2014/24/EU, the four pillars of a lawful OMC, how to plan, design good questions, execute sessions, and structure the OMC report. The second half features two detailed case studies from the National Centre for Research and Development in Poland (NCBR), showing how OMC works in practice — once as a multi-month multi-round dialogue, and once using the EAFIP methodology with webinars and e-pitching. The session closes with a BigScience.dk perspective on Industry Days as a related but distinct form of early supplier engagement used at major European research infrastructures.By completing this section, learners will be able to:- Define Open Market Consultation and explain how it differs from a formal procurement procedure - Cite the legal basis for OMC under Directive 2014/24/EU and explain the four compliance pillars - Plan and design an OMC — objectives, format, question set, outreach, and timeline - Execute an OMC while preserving equal treatment and competition principles - Structure an OMC report and feed its findings into technical specifications and award criteria - Compare two real OMC implementations (NCBR multi-month and EAFIP-based) and apply lessons learned - Distinguish between OMC and Industry Days and explain when each is appropriate**Number of lessons:** 6 Estimated duration: ~2 hoursQuiz: Section 4 Quiz — OMC Design and Legal Compliance (7 questions, 70% pass mark)
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Section 5 — Building a Business Case for Innovation Procurement
Section description:This section teaches learners how to build a business case that justifies launching a Pre-Commercial Procurement. Starting from the EAFIP Step-by-Step Methodology, it positions the business case as Step 4 — after Needs Assessment, SOTA Analysis, and OMC — and shows how evidence gathered in prior steps feeds directly into economic justification. The core of every business case is a Cost-Benefit Analysis: identifying all cost categories (procurement costs, CAPEX, OPEX), quantifying internal and external benefits, and computing Net Present Value (NPV) at a public-sector discount rate.The theory is immediately grounded in a real PCP case: ARCHIVER (Archiving and Preservation for Research Environments), a CERN-led buyers group that ran a three-phase competitive R&D procurement (Jan 2019 – Jun 2022, €3.4M R&D budget) and produced two commercially viable SaaS services — Arkivum and Libnova — now available through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). João Fernandes (CERN) presents the full arc: challenge definition, procurement methodology, agile R&D execution, resulting services, and lessons learned.The section closes with a hands-on group exercise: learners build a real NPV business case for Adaptive Legionella Control at CERN using a pre-structured Google Sheet (Years 0–8 timeline, 3.5% discount rate, auto-calculated NPV), then present their results.By completing this section, learners will be able to:- Explain the purpose of a business case in the context of innovation procurement and place it correctly in the EAFIP methodology - Conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis: identify relevant cost categories (CAPEX, OPEX, procurement costs) and quantify both internal and external benefits - Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) and interpret the result as a go/no-go signal for procurement - Assess five categories of risk (technical, financial, operational, market, political/legal) and propose mitigation strategies - Describe how PCP's phased competitive structure inherently reduces R&D risk - Analyse the ARCHIVER PCP as a complete real-world example — from challenge to resulting commercial services - Build a Year 0–8 cost/benefit model using the exercise Google Sheet and present key findingsNumber of lessons:3Estimated duration: ~2 hoursQuiz: Section 5 Quiz — Business Case and NPV (7 questions, 70% pass mark)
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Lesson 4.5 — OMC in Practice: NCBR Case Studies (Poland)

This lesson presents two detailed real-world OMC implementations from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) in Poland — one of the largest public innovation procurement programmes in Central and Eastern Europe. Delivered by Katarzyna Lenart (Deputy Director, Innovation Procurement & Green Technologies) and Agata Rakowska (Director, Innovative Public Procurement Programmes).

About NCBR: An executive agency of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland. Supports development of innovative technological and social solutions — the largest such centre in Central and Eastern Europe. To date: 12 Pre-commercial procurements, 2 Innovation Partnerships, 1 Grand-challenge competition. Focus areas: green and energy transition; digital transition.

Polish legal basis: Article 84 of the Polish Public Procurement Law. Provides flexibility in: scope of OMC; rules for conducting OMC; form of OMC (group meetings, individual meetings, correspondence, video conferences).

Why you should not skip OMC: OMC is crucial for innovation procurement in terms of: clarification of the scope of future procurement; determination of the feasibility of the solution; identification of the capabilities of potential contractors; determination of preliminary budget and schedule assumptions; raising market awareness of future procurement.

Case I — Market consultation over several months:
— Conducted before a pre-commercial procurement for Green Deal technologies
— Duration: typically 5–6 months with several rounds of meetings
— Format: direct face-to-face meetings, videoconferences, telephone conversations
— Participants: research institutes, academia, SMEs, start-ups, inventors; average 6–20 depending on subject
— Outcome: precise definition of scope and subject of future procurement
— This case won the European Innovation Procurement Award (EUIPA) 2021

Case II — OMC based on EAFIP methodology:
— Duration: 2 months
— Format: questionnaire (EU Survey); 2 webinars with NCBR and EAFIP team; e-pitching sessions (10-minute supplier presentations); OMC report
— Participants: SMEs, start-ups, end-users, cities, other stakeholders; 4 OMC participants
— Outcome: verified use cases; verified market ability to address the challenge; deepened SOTA analysis
— NCBR is a beneficiary of EAFIP support

NCBR’s lessons learned — five principles:
1. Think which information you would like to get through OMC
2. Think who may give you such information
3. Adjust the form of OMC to your needs
4. Promote your OMC actively
5. Act proactively — OMC is not an obligation to launch the procurement

Resource: Polish Public Procurement Office OMC documentation templates: gov.pl/web/uzp/dokumenty-wzorcowe

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Innovation Procurement in Big Science: From Needs to Award