NACE 72 – Scientific Research and Development | Public Tenders
NACE 72: Research and development in public tenders. Which R&D contracts, CPV codes and contracting authorities are relevant for the sector?
Definition: NACE 72 covers systematic basic research, applied research and experimental development in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences. R&D services are a special procurement area governed by its own procurement rules.
What does NACE 72 cover?
NACE 72 (Scientific research and development) classifies institutions and companies whose main activity is R&D — a growing market in public procurement, supported by innovation policy and funding programmes.
| Group | Title | Typical services |
|---|---|---|
| 72.1 | Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering | Natural science basic research, medical research, technical development |
| 72.2 | Research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities | Social research, evaluations, policy research |
Public Tenders – Research and Development
Public contracting authorities award R&D contracts for studies, evaluations and pilot developments — these are subject to special procurement exemptions where the results are not exclusively for the contracting authority's benefit.
Typical types of contract
- Scientific studies and expert reports: Feasibility studies, impact analyses, needs assessments for federal ministries
- Evaluation contracts: Impact evaluation of funding programmes, policy evaluation
- Technology development: Development of prototypes and demonstrators for public-sector tasks (e.g. e-government)
- Social science research: Population surveys, opinion research for public authorities, needs analyses
- Clinical research: Contract research for public health institutions and university hospitals
Relevant CPV codes
| CPV Code | Title | Application |
|---|---|---|
| 73000000 | Research and development services | General R&D contracts |
| 73100000 | Research and experimental development services | Basic research |
| 73110000 | Research services | Applied research |
| 73200000 | Research and development consultancy services | R&D consulting, technology transfer |
| 73300000 | Design and execution of research and development | Contract research including use of results |
Contracting Authorities
Typical public contracting authorities in the field of NACE 72 are:
- Federal ministries: Commissioning of scientific studies and policy evaluations
- Research funding agencies: FWF, FFG (AT), DFG, BMBF (DE) — awarding contract research
- Universities and non-university research institutions: As contracting authorities in cooperation projects
- Statistical authorities: Statistics Austria, Destatis — commissioning of surveys and data analyses
- Health authorities: AGES, RKI, EMA — medical contract research
FAQ
Are R&D contracts exempt from procurement law? Partially: under Article 14 of Directive 2014/24/EU, R&D services are exempt where the contracting authority is not the sole user of the results or where the service is not paid for in full. Fully paid contract research with exclusive use by the contracting authority, however, is subject to the full procurement rules.
Which procedure types are suitable for R&D awards? For innovative R&D services, the negotiated procedure with prior call for competition and the innovation partnership (§ 19 VgV) are well suited. The latter allows the joint development and subsequent purchase of new solutions within a single procedure.
- NACE M – Professional, scientific and technical activities: Parent section
- NACE 72.1 – R&D in the natural sciences: Sub-group
- NACE 72.2 – R&D in the humanities and social sciences: Sub-group
- NACE 71 – Architectural and engineering activities: Related division
Last updated: January 2026
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