The work builds on the Eticas AI Risk Taxonomy, an open, machine-readable framework we use to audit AI systems in production. The results will strengthen how AI is assessed in high-stakes domains, starting with health and emergency response.

Why this, why now

An organization deploying AI today answers to multiple legal frameworks, standards and practices, including the EU AI Act, data protection law, sector rules, and a growing body of international frameworks, from the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI to US and Chinese rules on algorithms and generative AI. Harmonized European standards for the AI Act are still being written, and each one changes what an auditor must test.

Most risk frameworks stop at listing these sources. We want a mapping precise enough to tell an auditor, for a given risk, which obligations and which clauses of which standards apply, and kept current as new standards land. Likewise, we want to link what actually works on the ground in AI auditing and evaluation to relevant rules and standards, so that regulation builds on best practice.

What we are contracting

Lot A. Extend the mapping

Map the taxonomy to EU law and standards in depth, and to the main global references. Up to EUR 18,000 (excl. VAT). December 2026 to April 2027.

Lot B. Independent review

Review the extended mapping, concept by concept, and state how complete and accurate it is. Up to EUR 5,000 (excl. VAT). May to June 2027.

Lot C. Standards watch

Track emerging AI standards and bring each relevant one into the mapping. Up to EUR 10,000 (excl. VAT). May 2027 to June 2028.

Lot D. Apply it to real systems

Explore certification and audit pathways for up to six AI solutions in health and emergency response. Up to EUR 12,000 (excl. VAT). January to October 2027.

You can bid for one lot or several. The same provider cannot win both A and B: the review has to be independent of the work it reviews. Eticas expects to launch a further call in 2027 to take the pathways towards certification; this call creates no advantage for that one.

Who we want to hear from

The call is open to individual experts and to companies, consultancies, law firms, research centers and standards practitioners, from any country. Teams are welcome.

We are looking for people who work where AI regulation, standards, technical specifications and assurance meet: experts on the AI Act and its harmonized standards, technical profiles with experience in implementing AI safety and governance solutions, members of national or international standardization committees, AI assurance and certification professionals, and lawyers and researchers who know the global landscape. An understanding of ML systems is required to bid.

If this is your field but these lots are not the right fit, keep an eye on this space. We are building a network of experts for future work on AI audits and standards.

About Eticas

Eticas evaluates and monitors AI systems in production. We audit AI systems end-to-end, not just models: the data flows, business rules, human oversight and real-world outcomes. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Gemma Galdon-Clavell, we have spent over a decade doing this work for public and private organizations in Europe, the United States and globally.

The Eticas AI Risk Taxonomy is the open framework behind our methodology, published under CC BY 4.0 in machine-readable form and described in The Eticas AI Risk Taxonomy: Open Infrastructure for Operationalizing AI Audits. It already maps to the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001 and other frameworks. This call takes that mapping further.

How to apply

The full specifications, with the scope of each lot, the selection and award criteria and the offer forms, are in the tender documents above. Send a single tender, for one lot or several, to tenders@eticas.ai, including two or three samples of your earlier work and what you would add to the scope we describe. Shortlisted bidders will be interviewed online on 17 and 18 November.

• Call opens: 14 October 2026

• Questions by: 6 November 2026

• Tenders by: 13 November 2026, 23:59 CET

• Interviews: 17 and 18 November 2026

• Results to all tenderers: 19 November 2026

• Work starts: 1 December 2026

This call is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg NEXT MED Programme.