Funding for primary healthcare facilities – FEnIKS, call III: who can receive a grant and for what expenses?

For funding under the grant project „"Support for primary health care (PHC)"” programu Fundusze Europejskie na Infrastrukturę, Klimat, Środowisko (FEnIKS) ubiegać się mogą podmioty lecznicze udzielające świadczeń w ramach POZ i posiadające albo zobowiązujące się posiadać najpóźniej w dniu podpisania umowy o powierzenie grantu: umowę z Narodowym Funduszem Zdrowia.

The grant can be used for three categories of investments: the purchase of medical equipment and supplies, the purchase of server and network equipment and software, as well as construction works within the building used to provide services.

The amount of support per place of provision of services varies from PLN 300,000 to PLN 600,000 depending on the number of patients on the active list of primary care physicians, and for entities affected by the flood in September 2024 it is up to the equivalent of EUR 200,000 (PLN 840,660).

What are the goals of the FEnIKS grant for POZ and when will the third recruitment start?

Projekt grantowy „Wsparcie podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej (POZ)” jest realizowany przez Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia.

The four main objectives of the project are: increasing access to primary healthcare services, investment support for the development of primary healthcare, improving the efficiency of the healthcare system and rebuilding the potential of primary healthcare entities affected by the flood in September 2024.

Recruitment III FEnIKS POZ – what to expect

Według zapowiedzi nabór III ogłoszony zostanie w październiku 2026 r. Z perspektywy organizacyjnej oznacza to, że podmioty rozważające aplikowanie do tej niepowtarzalnej okazji pozyskania dofinansowania powinny rozpocząć przygotowania już teraz.

This is an important signal for managers of primary healthcare facilities: the period from September to October is a real time window for market research, developing the Project Implementation Schedule (HRP) and completing attachments that cannot be prepared at the last minute.

Who can apply for a grant – catalogue of beneficiaries of grants for POZ 2026

The applicant may be a healthcare entity within the meaning of the Act of 15 April 2011 on Medical Activity, which provides primary care services within the scope of at least a primary care physician. Having a contract with the National Health Fund for primary care services is a necessary condition for signing the grant agreement.

Importantly, at the time of submitting the application, the agreement with the National Health Fund does not have to be concluded yet; a commitment to conclude it no later than the date of signing the grant agreement is sufficient.

In practice, the catalogue of eligible persons includes:

• non-public health care facilities (NZOZ) running primary health care clinics
• commercial law companies running primary health care clinics and medical centers
• medical practices entered into the register of medical entities providing primary healthcare services
• independent public health care facilities (SP ZOZ) providing primary healthcare
• group practices of family doctors registered as medical entities with a contract with the National Health Fund

Legal and financial status requirements

An entity that is an entrepreneur: both on the date of submitting the application and on the date of signing the contract must meet the following conditions:

• run an active business
• not have suspended activities
• not be in the process of dissolving the company under the Commercial Companies Code
• not be a participant in bankruptcy or restructuring proceedings
• not be included in the register of entities excluded from receiving funding referred to in Article 210 of the Act on Public Finances

Applicant as an entity affected by the flood

A separate category of applicants are primary healthcare entities affected by the effects of the flood in September 2024 in areas covered by implementing acts to the Act of 11 August 2011 on special principles of reconstruction.

The condition for applying for a grant in this path is to present a certificate from a government or local government body, i.e. the relevant voivode or local government unit, confirming that damage has been incurred in a given place where services are provided.

What investments can be financed?

The material scope of the grant, as specified in Annex 1 to the Grant Procedure and in the detailed guidelines for expenditure, covers three main categories.

Key rule: selecting items outside the closed catalogue in the application or indicating ineligible works in the descriptive part will result in a negative assessment of the application without a request for correction.

Medical equipment and supplies

This is the broadest category, encompassing, among other things, diagnostic and monitoring devices for primary care physicians, primary care nurses, and primary care midwives. Items listed include:

• diagnostic devices: Portable and versatile ultrasound, ECG, including mobile, spirometer, blood pressure and ECG holters, cardiotocograph, devices for quick diagnostics, e.g. CRP
• basic office equipment: pulse oximeter, otoscope, dermatoscope, glucometers, standard, internal medicine and pediatric stethoscope, e-stethoscopes
• rehabilitation equipment: treadmill and ergometer for exercise testing, exercise system for ECG testing
• gynecological and pediatric equipment: height-adjustable gynecological chair, fetal heart rate monitor, medical scale for babies
• scales and anthropometric equipment: scale with height gauge, scale for disabled people, platform scale with handles, scale with body mass analyzer
• auxiliary equipment: wheelchairs for adults and children, stretchers for overweight people, couches, examination tables for infants, medical furniture for offices, waiting rooms and registration
• sanitary and safety equipment: a refrigerator with temperature monitoring, a pharmaceutical refrigerator with a temperature sensor is permitted, an air purifier, a bactericidal and virucidal UV lamp, a shadowless diagnostic lamp

Server, network, computer hardware and ICT software

The digitization category encompasses the IT infrastructure necessary to conduct healthcare activities, including coordinated care and archiving medical records. Eligible items include:

• backup servers with server and backup software and disk array; backup copies may be stored outside MUŚ – in accordance with the requirements of the National Cybersecurity Standard NSC 800-53
• network devices: LAN/SAN switches, routers, firewalls, IDS/IPS, access points
• computer sets, desktop and All in One, with OEM operating systems and laptops with basic functions enabling contact with the patient
• power backup devices, i.e. UPS for servers and computers along with software
• multifunctional devices: printers, scanners, image recording devices and ultrasound printers
• domain system software for providing and settling benefits, including the implementation of coordinated care, with a license no shorter than the project's durability period
• chatbots for patient registration, with the purchase of a license being eligible, excluding subscription fees
• tablets and smartphones with the functions necessary to contact the patient
• telephone exchange with IVR support and call queuing, analog, ISDN, VoIP, DECT or system - excluding virtual exchanges

Construction works in the field of primary healthcare infrastructure

The third category concerns work within existing premises to adapt and improve functionality to accommodate expanded healthcare services. This work must not alter the building's cubic capacity or require additional building permits or approvals, except for flood-affected entities, for which an expanded list applies. Eligible work includes:

• renovation of walls and floors, including painting, priming, laying non-slip carpet, tiles and terracotta
• replacement of interior doors, windows and interior doors
• modernization of the internal electrical installation, including replacing the lighting with energy-saving LEDs
• modernization of the internal water and sewage installation, including replacement of sinks, toilets and taps
• installation of suspended ceilings, lamps and ceiling coffers
• allocating new rooms for the purpose of expanding medical activities, including the construction or demolition of partition walls
• modernization of internal telecommunications networks
• custom-made furniture
• eliminating thresholds, lowering the registration desk to the height of a person in a wheelchair
• installation of automatic interior doors and window blinds

As part of the grant cannot be financed including: purchase and installation of air conditioning, photovoltaics, heat pumps, elevators or lifts, replacement of windows and external doors, works on the facade and roof, works affecting the building's volume, technical documentation, works outside the building, such as car parks, external stairs and driveways, works in rooms not falling within the scope of primary healthcare, or works on common areas shared with other entities.

For entities affected by flooding, this catalogue is significantly expanded and includes, among others, building drying, facade replacement, roof repair, air conditioning and ventilation installation, and outdoor work.

The amount of funding and the level of support in the 3rd FEnIKS POZ recruitment

The level of funding is 100% eligible costs. The grant value per service location is determined based on the number of patients on the primary care physician's active list as of the first day of the month preceding the application. This data is confirmed by the National Health Fund. The mechanism, based on four groups of Grantees, is as follows:

• Group Iup to 5,000 patients on the active list – up to PLN 300,000
• Group IIfrom 5,001 to 10,000 patients – up to PLN 450,000
• Group IIIover 10,000 patients – up to PLN 600,000
• Group IVentities affected by the flood, regardless of the number of patients – up to the equivalent of EUR 200,000; in the second call for proposals it was PLN 840,660, converted at the monthly accounting exchange rate of the European Commission on the day of the call announcement

Important limitation for multi-site entities: one entity, i.e. one Tax Identification Number, cannot receive support in the project exceeding EUR 200,000 in total – Grant values from multiple MUŚ are aggregated to this limit. This is crucial information for larger medical networks planning to apply from multiple facilities simultaneously.

Eligible costs – what can be financed from the grant

An expense may be considered eligible only if it meets all of the following conditions: it was provided for in the grant agreement, the actual cost was incurred no earlier than after 1 January 2025 or during the project implementation period, the purchase was made in accordance with public procurement procedures and in accordance with the Grantor’s Recommendations, and the equipment is new.

The most common ineligible costs that should be considered at the planning stage:

• expenses incurred during the investment operation phase, including consumables, spare parts, energy, chemicals
• accompanying services such as instruction, installation, configuration and training – if they are not an integral part of the equipment purchase
• laptop bags and cases
• purchase of furniture for social and administrative-office rooms used exclusively by staff
• purchase of real estate, rental, lease and use costs
• work on common areas shared with other entities

Another key principle for the 2026 Primary Healthcare grant is that infrastructure must be used exclusively for publicly funded services. Economic, or commercial, use of equipment or facilities financed by the grant cannot exceed 20% of resources or infrastructure capacity on an annual basis. Strictly commercial activities using equipment purchased under the project are not permitted.

Project selection criteria – what the institution pays attention to

Annex 3 to the Grant Procedure defines 18 mandatory criteria assessed in the YES/NO formula and 13 ranking criteria scored. Failure to meet any of the mandatory criteria means a negative assessment of the application.

Mandatory criteria

The applicant must demonstrate, among other things: the entity's eligibility, consistency of the grant value with the group of Grantees, consistency of the material scope with the catalogue, compliance with the strategic document "Healthy Future. Strategic Framework for the Development of the Healthcare System for 2021-2027 with a 2030 Perspective," consistency with national or regional Transformation Plans, compliance with Health Needs Maps, compliance with the accessibility standard for primary healthcare under the "Accessibility Plus" program, compliance with state aid regulations, the ability to maintain the project for 5 years from the final payment, i.e., durability, compliance with environmental protection law and the "do no significant harm" principle (DNSH), correct identification of expenditure for eligibility, compliance with the principles of equal opportunities, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, infrastructure resilience to climate change, and compliance with the non-discrimination clause.

Each of these criteria requires specific, descriptive justification in the application.

Ranking Criteria – This is where the competition takes place

An application's position on the ranking list is determined by the sum of points obtained in criteria 19-31. The highest number of points can be obtained for the following elements:

• implementation of services within the budget entrusted to coordinated care – up to 10 points; 5 subject groups = 10 points, 4 groups = 8 points, 3 groups = 7 points, 2 groups = 6 points, 1 group = 5 points
• the location of the entity in an area with limited access to primary healthcare services – the score increases from an urban commune, through an urban-rural and rural commune, up to the so-called "white spot", i.e. a commune without a National Health Fund contract for a primary healthcare physician; in accordance with Annex 3, the declaration of opening a facility in an area of a white spot gives the highest number of points in this criterion
• comprehensiveness of the project for entities affected by floods – up to 10 points for implementation in all 3 categories of the material scope
• application of elements of circular economy, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and adaptation to climate change – up to 3 points together
• telemedicine activities in cooperation with AOS or hospital – 2 points
• comprehensiveness of guaranteed services, i.e. doctor + nurse + midwife of primary care – 2 points for all ranges, 1 point for two ranges
• extension of diagnostics, accreditation in health care, CMJ certificate, above-standard solutions for people with disabilities, anti-discrimination action plan, preventive action plan, strengthening of infrastructure with an element of digitalization, complementarity with other EU projects – 1 point each each

For the facility manager, this means the need for strategic selection of declarations: each selected item must be realistically feasible and confirmed by attachments, such as the Preventive Action Plan, the anti-discrimination action plan or data regarding the BPOK, because the declarations are verified at the project implementation stage.

What is worth doing before starting the recruitment process?

• carry out an analysis of the facility's equipment and infrastructure needs in relation to the requirements of coordinated care and the Health Needs Map
• verify the number of patients on the active list of the primary care physician – this determines the Grantee group and the maximum grant amount
• check the status of the contract with the National Health Fund in terms of its validity period, currently until June 30, 2033.
• collect at least two offers for each piece of equipment planned for purchase and for the scope of construction work; the documentation recommends accepting the highest or average price from the offers for valuation purposes
• develop a Project Implementation Schedule (HRP)
• prepare a Prevention Action Plan and an anti-discrimination action plan if the entity intends to apply for additional ranking points
• verify the authorization to represent in partnerships and companies in accordance with the National Court Register; in civil partnerships, all partners must sign it, unless the agreement states otherwise
• provide an active e-delivery box or ePUAP – the application is submitted electronically

Application procedure

The application is completed in the online application provided by the National Health Fund, then downloaded, signed with a qualified electronic signature, a trusted signature or a personal signature and sent together with attachments to the National Health Fund e-delivery mailbox address or – in the case of entities not obliged to have such a mailbox – to the ePUAP address dedicated to the project.

Subsidies for Primary Healthcare 2026 – the strategic context and the value of professional advice

For managers of primary healthcare facilities, this is one of the greatest investment opportunities in the current EU financial perspective.

The complexity of the documentation, restrictive criteria for the eligibility of expenditure and the need to demonstrate compliance with numerous horizontal policies mean that the application process requires simultaneous competence in four areas: public procurement law, project management, knowledge of European funds and the specificity of primary healthcare.

Applications prepared without professional support are often rejected at the formal verification stage or lose points in the ranking criteria.

From a decision-making risk management perspective, it is crucial to start conceptual work as early as possible.

If you manage a healthcare facility providing primary healthcare services and are considering applying for funding under the FEnIKS grant for primary healthcare, we encourage you to arrange a free consultation with an expert.Schedule a free consultation

The support will allow us to assess the facility's potential to implement the project, select the optimal scope of work, and prepare documentation that will compete with hundreds of other applications submitted nationwide.