How do I get a PIC number?

Register your organisation once in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal's Participant Register, using an EU Login account — search first to check it isn't already registered, then complete the four-step form (identification, organisation data, legal information, authorised users). The Portal issues your 9-digit PIC immediately, in provisional status, ready to quote on any proposal.

When does REA actually validate my PIC?

Only if a proposal you're part of is selected for funding, and only for beneficiaries, affiliated entities and contractors — not associated partners or subcontractors. The Central Validation Service checks your legal entity form, VAT extract and registration documents before you sign your first Grant Agreement. REA runs this service for many Horizon Europe and other grant programmes, and once validated, your status carries over to every later EU proposal.

What is a PIC Number?

The PIC (Participant Identification Code) is a unique 9-digit number the European Commission assigns when an organisation registers in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal's Participant Register. Every applicant — company, university, research institute, public body — needs one before it can submit a proposal or tender for any EU-funded programme, and the same PIC is then reused across every later application.

Getting one

Registration happens inside the Portal, under "How to Participate > Participant Register" (or "My Organisations" once logged in with an EU Login account). Before creating a new entry, search the register for your organisation's name — if it already has a PIC, request access from its existing LEAR rather than creating a duplicate. A fresh registration is a four-step form: identification (legal name, country, VAT number), organisation data, legal information, and authorised users. Submit it and the Portal issues a 9-digit PIC immediately, in a provisional "declared" status — usable straight away in draft and submitted proposals, no document upload required at this stage.

Why validation matters more than the number itself

A declared PIC is unverified — the Commission takes your entered data on trust until it actually carries financial weight. That happens only once a proposal you're part of is selected for funding: before signature of the Grant Agreement or contract, the Central Validation Service checks your legal entity form, a recent VAT extract, and a registration extract, statute or founding act, depending on your legal form. For many Horizon Europe and other grant programmes this validation is carried out by REA (the European Research Executive Agency). It happens once per organisation and then carries forward to every future EU proposal. Alongside it you must appoint a LEAR (Legal Entity Appointed Representative) — mandatory for every validated participant — who becomes the one authorised to update your legal data and manage signing rights in the Portal going forward.

Not the same as ESA's own registration

If you're bidding only for ESA procurement through esa-star, a PIC is not what you need — ESA runs its own registration and issues its own Entity code instead. The PIC applies specifically to programmes run through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Horizon Europe, the EU Space Programme, the European Defence Fund and others. A founder running both tracks in parallel ends up holding an ESA Entity code and a PIC at the same time — one doesn't replace the other.

Official source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal — Registration and validation of your organisation.

Written by Tymofiy Badikov, founder of VIRA.space (Virtual Innovation Research Assistant) — operated by Space Tech Gateway Sp. z o.o., Kraków Technology Park. VIRA tracks live European space funding calls and checks your eligibility free: see live tenders.