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Grants for Staff Exchanges to Combat Fraud and Corruption

Deadline: 07-May-2026

The European Commission is accepting applications under the EUAF-2026-TRAI call to support staff exchanges, training, conferences, and studies that strengthen cooperation against fraud, corruption, and illegal activities affecting the EU’s financial interests. With a total budget of EUR 1,000,000, grants start at EUR 100,000, projects can run for 12 to 24 months, and eligible applicants include public authorities, international organisations, research and educational institutions, and non-profits in eligible countries.

Overview

The EUAF-2026-TRAI call under the EU Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) is designed to strengthen cooperation and expertise in protecting the EU budget from fraud and corruption.

It supports staff exchanges and related activities that improve how institutions prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to fraud risks affecting EU financial interests.

What is the EUAF-2026-TRAI Call?

This grant opportunity supports practical anti-fraud capacity-building activities such as:

  • Staff exchanges
  • Training programmes
  • Conferences and seminars
  • Webinars and e-learning
  • Studies and research
  • Networking and knowledge-sharing initiatives

The main goal is to improve cross-border cooperation, institutional coordination, and operational expertise among authorities and organisations working in anti-fraud.

Funding Information

Key funding details include:

  • Call Name: EUAF-2026-TRAI
  • Programme: EU Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF)
  • Total Budget: EUR 1,000,000
  • Minimum Grant Amount: EUR 100,000
  • Maximum Request Per Applicant: Up to 15% of total call budget
  • Maximum Possible Grant: Up to EUR 150,000
  • Project Duration: 12 to 24 months
  • Extension: Possible if justified

Objectives and Priority Areas

The call aims to protect the EU’s financial interests and strengthen anti-fraud systems across Europe.

Priority areas include:

  • Preventing and combating fraud, corruption, and other illegal activities
  • Promoting transnational and multidisciplinary cooperation
  • Supporting training, seminars, webinars, e-learning, conferences, and studies
  • Building networks among public authorities, practitioners, academics, customs, and law enforcement
  • Improving cooperation with OLAF and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)
  • Strengthening understanding of OLAF’s investigative powers, legal framework, and reports
  • Improving customs risk analysis, revenue fraud detection, and e-commerce fraud response
  • Protecting the EU single market from:
    • Counterfeits
    • Tobacco smuggling
    • Harmful and non-compliant goods
  • Supporting action against:
    • Illegal waste shipments
    • Illicit trade in endangered species
    • Illegal chemical products
    • Substandard food products
  • Tackling fraud affecting EU funds in:
  • Addressing emerging risks in expenditure fraud, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility
  • Identifying and preventing double funding in EU grants
  • Supporting digitalisation of anti-fraud administrative reporting

Why This Grant Matters

This grant is important because fraud affecting the EU budget can reduce the impact of public spending and weaken trust in EU funding systems.

By supporting staff exchanges and practical cooperation, the call helps organisations improve:

  • Anti-fraud expertise
  • Cross-border coordination
  • Fraud detection and investigation methods
  • Judicial and customs cooperation
  • Long-term institutional capacity

It is especially valuable for organisations involved in EU fund protection, customs, anti-corruption, financial oversight, judicial cooperation, and enforcement.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include legal entities such as:

  • National public authorities
  • Regional public authorities
  • International organisations
  • Research institutions
  • Educational institutions
  • Non-profit entities

To qualify:

  • Applicants must contribute to protecting the EU’s financial interests or advancing EUAF objectives
  • Research, educational, and non-profit entities must be established and operating for at least one year
  • Applicants must be based in:
    • EU Member States
    • Listed EEA countries
    • Countries associated with the EUAF Programme
    • Countries in ongoing association negotiations, if the agreement enters into force before grant signature

What Types of Projects Are Suitable?

Strong projects are those that clearly connect staff exchange or training activities to real anti-fraud outcomes.

Examples include:

  • Staff exchanges between customs authorities to improve e-commerce fraud detection
  • Joint training for investigators, prosecutors, and judicial actors
  • Workshops on OLAF reports and cooperation with EPPO
  • Studies and training on double funding risks
  • Cross-border programmes on counterfeit goods, illicit imports, or environmental fraud
  • Knowledge-sharing initiatives focused on EU-funded expenditure fraud

How to Apply

To prepare a strong application, applicants should follow a clear and practical approach.

Step-by-Step Application Process

  1. Check eligibility
    Confirm that your organisation is a legal entity in an eligible country and fits the call’s target profile.
  2. Define the problem clearly
    Identify the fraud, corruption, customs, or funding-related issue your project will address.
  3. Choose the right project format
    Build your proposal around eligible actions such as staff exchanges, training, conferences, webinars, or studies.
  4. Align with priority areas
    Show how your project directly supports EUAF priorities such as OLAF/EPPO cooperation, customs fraud, environmental fraud, or double funding prevention.
  5. Create a realistic budget
    Make sure the requested amount is at least EUR 100,000 and does not exceed EUR 150,000.
  6. Plan a clear timeline
    Design a project lasting 12 to 24 months with defined activities, outputs, and expected results.
  7. Show impact
    Explain how the project will improve anti-fraud skills, coordination, reporting, or enforcement capacity.
  8. Prepare documents and submit
    Gather the required organisational and project documents and submit through the official European Commission funding platform.

Tips for a Strong Proposal

To improve your chances of success:

  • Clearly link the project to EU financial interests
  • Show strong cross-border value
  • Explain exactly what staff will learn during exchanges
  • Mention relevant EU bodies such as OLAF and EPPO where relevant
  • Focus on practical outcomes, not only theory
  • Include measurable results such as:
    • Number of trained officials
    • Exchange missions completed
    • New cooperation tools or protocols
    • Fraud-risk analysis methods developed

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these common issues:

  • Being too broad and not clearly linking the project to EU budget protection
  • Failing to show clear relevance to EUAF priorities
  • Submitting a project with weak transnational cooperation
  • Proposing studies without enough practical anti-fraud value
  • Not explaining the purpose and outcomes of staff exchanges
  • Ignoring the budget cap or minimum grant requirement
  • Leaving outcomes vague or unmeasurable

Key Concepts Explained

EU Financial Interests

This means the EU’s budget, funds, and financial resources. Protecting EU financial interests involves preventing fraud, corruption, misuse, and financial loss.

EUAF

The EU Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF) funds actions that help prevent and combat fraud affecting the EU budget.

OLAF

OLAF is the European Anti-Fraud Office, which investigates fraud and misconduct affecting the EU’s financial interests.

EPPO

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) investigates and prosecutes crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests in participating countries.

Double Funding

Double funding happens when the same activity or cost is financed more than once through different EU funding sources in a way that is not allowed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the EUAF-2026-TRAI call?

It is a European Commission grant call under the EU Anti-Fraud Programme that supports staff exchanges, training, conferences, webinars, e-learning, and studies to strengthen anti-fraud cooperation and protect the EU budget.

How much funding is available?

The total call budget is EUR 1,000,000.

Applicants must request at least EUR 100,000, and the maximum amount per applicant is 15% of the total budget, which equals EUR 150,000.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include:

  • National or regional public authorities
  • International organisations
  • Research institutions
  • Educational institutions
  • Non-profit entities

Applicants must be established in eligible countries and support EUAF objectives.

What activities can be funded?

Eligible activities include:

  • Staff exchanges
  • Training programmes
  • Conferences and seminars
  • Webinars and e-learning
  • Studies and research
  • Networking and cooperation initiatives

How long can projects run?

Projects are expected to run for 12 to 24 months.

Extensions may be allowed if properly justified.

What makes a strong application?

A strong application usually has:

  • Clear relevance to EU financial interests
  • Strong cross-border cooperation
  • Practical anti-fraud value
  • Well-defined activities and outcomes
  • Clear links to priority themes such as OLAF, EPPO, customs, or EU funds protection

Why are staff exchanges important under this call?

Staff exchanges help institutions share:

  • Investigative practices
  • Risk analysis methods
  • Customs intelligence
  • Legal and enforcement knowledge
  • Coordination models

This improves anti-fraud capacity and creates stronger responses to risks affecting the EU budget.

Conclusion

The European Commission’s EUAF-2026-TRAI call is a strong opportunity for organisations working to protect the EU budget from fraud, corruption, and related illegal activities.

With EUR 1,000,000 available, this call is best suited for organisations that can design practical, cross-border, staff exchange and training-focused projects with clear anti-fraud impact. Applicants should focus on strong alignment with EUAF priorities, measurable results, and real institutional cooperation.

For more information, visit European commission.