NACE 72.1 – Research and Experimental Development on Natural Sciences and Engineering | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 72.1 covers research and experimental development services in the natural sciences, engineering, agricultural sciences and medical sciences. This includes basic research, applied research and experimental development carried out by universities, non-university research institutions and private research companies.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026

What does NACE 72.1 cover?

NACE 72.1 (Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering) classifies institutions and companies that systematically generate new knowledge — an area of particular importance for EU funding programmes and public research commissions.

Group 72.1 within Section M and Division 72 comprises a single class:

Universities, universities of applied sciences, Helmholtz centres, Max Planck Institutes, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and private-sector R&D service providers typically fall into this area.

Public Tenders: NACE 72.1 in Practice

Public R&D contracts sit at the intersection of classic procurement law and special funding rules — innovation-oriented procurement is becoming an increasingly important instrument.

Typical types of contract

• Contract research for federal authorities: Technical feasibility studies, standardisation studies, risk assessments for ministries and federal higher authorities (BfR, UBA, BAuA)
• Climate protection and energy research: R&D contracts on renewable energy, energy storage and building renovation technologies for state energy agencies
• Environmental and biodiversity research: Ecosystem analyses, species monitoring, impact research for nature conservation authorities
• Agricultural research: Breeding research, plant protection impact assessment, soil fertility studies for agriculture ministries and federal agencies
• Medical research: Public health studies, health services research, epidemiology for health authorities
• Projects under EU framework programmes (Horizon Europe): Co-financed research projects with public participation

Special procurement rules for research contracts

Research and development services benefit from a sectoral exemption under Article 14 of EU Procurement Directive 2014/24/EU where two conditions are cumulatively met: (1) the contracting authority does not obtain exclusive rights to use the results, and (2) the service is not provided exclusively for the authority's own use. Where these exemptions do not apply, the standard procedures of VgV for service contracts apply.

Relevant CPV Codes for NACE 72.1

CPV codes enable targeted searches for research contracts on TED and national procurement platforms.

Current tenders with these CPV codes are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is NACE 72.1 relevant to in procurement law?

Public Contracting Authorities

Federal ministries and subordinate federal agencies award the bulk of public research contracts in Germany and Austria. Particularly active are the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Institute for Materials Research (BAM), and in Austria the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the AIT. At EU level, the European Commission (DG RTD) coordinates the largest research budgets via Horizon Europe.

Companies and Bidders

Research institutions and R&D companies participating in public tenders typically need to demonstrate:

• Scientific qualifications: Proven expertise of lead researchers (publications, degrees, research experience)
• Institutional capacity: Laboratory and infrastructure facilities, experience with third-party funding
• Reference projects: Comparable publicly funded projects with result reports
• Quality assurance: Research data management plan, open access commitments for EU projects

Consortia consisting of universities, non-university institutions and private-sector R&D partners are the rule for complex tenders.

NACE 72.1 in Context: Section M and Division 72

Together with NACE 72.2, NACE 72.1 covers the entire scientific research landscape — the dividing line runs between the natural sciences and engineering on the one hand, and the social sciences and humanities on the other.

• NACE M – Professional activities: Parent section
• NACE 72 – Scientific research and development: Parent division
• NACE 72.2 – R&D in social sciences and humanities: Social science research
• NACE 71.1 – Architectural and engineering activities: Engineering design services

Frequently Asked Questions on NACE 72.1 and Public Tenders

When does the sectoral exemption for research services apply?
The sectoral exemption under Article 14 of Directive 2014/24/EU applies where the contracting authority neither obtains exclusive usage rights nor uses the research results exclusively for its own purposes. If both conditions are met, the contract can be awarded without a formal procurement procedure — though this must be carefully documented in practice.

How does contract research differ from project funding?
In contract research, the public contracting authority orders a defined deliverable (study, expert report, prototype) and receives the result. Under project funding (e.g. BMBF, FFG, Horizon Europe), the researcher receives funds for autonomous execution and retains ownership of the results.

Can start-ups participate in public research tenders?
Yes. Contracting authorities are obliged to keep eligibility requirements proportionate. Specifically for R&D, instruments such as the innovation partnership (§ 19 VgV) or the SBIR-like programme KMU-innovativ of the BMBF are tailored to smaller entities.

How do I find EU research tenders?
In addition to TED, all Horizon Europe calls can be researched on the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders).

Last updated: January 2026
All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.