Work as an expert

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) invites experts from a wide range of fields to register in the European Commission’s experts database. From this database, we select candidates with the most suitable profile for the following activities: 

• Evaluating project proposals applying for funding under Horizon Europe, the Promotion of Agricultural Products programme and the Research Fund for Coal and Steel
• Monitoring the implementation of funded projects. 

From idea to action - be part of the journey

The evaluation panels are composed of experts with diverse backgrounds and from various sectors.  We are looking for professionals working in the following sectors: 

• Industry, business associations and innovation agencies
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other civil society organisations
• Local, regional and national administration
• International organisations
• Universities and research organisations

Furthermore, we strive to achieve gender equality and strongly encourage female experts to join the evaluation panels.

The European Commission is looking for experts with extensive experience in at least one of the following areas.

Food and agriculture 

• Forestry including agroforestry, wildfire prevention, hands-on experience in forest management and ecosystems 
• Sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and food systems including plant health, weed and pest management, pesticide reduction, veterinary medicine; climate-smart farms and forests, climate resilience 
• Digitalisation in farming including precision agriculture, remote sensing or GIS for sustainable farms, fisheries and food supply chains 
• Nutrition including sustainable diets, quality labels for dietary shift 
• Communication and marketing of agricultural products including promotional strategies, market research, public relations, advertising
• Find out more

Soil

• Drivers and indicators of soil health and land degradation
• Co-creation of public and private solutions for protection and restoration of soil health
• Soil health co-benefits
• Innovative finance options to promote soil health, sustainable land use and soil practices, as well as new value chains and products
• Relationship between safe food systems and soil health
• Earth observation and digital technologies, including knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT)
• Soil literacy and citizen science
• Social innovation including knowledge transfer and educational strategies
• Find out more

Environment and bio-economy 

• Remote sensing, spatial planning, ocean observation/monitoring/modelling, maritime spatial planning 
• Lifecycle assessment and analysis 
• Circular economy, food waste, sustainable packaging, value chains
• Nature-based solutions
• Biodiversity, ecosystems  
• Zero pollution, pollution removal, carbon cycle, water security
• Find out more

Civil security 

• Law enforcement including police, border security, crime and anti-terrorism experts 
• Civil protection, fire fighters, medical emergency teams 
• Cyber security, sensors, UAVs/drones 
• Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials 

Engineering, IT and technologies 

• Blockchain, cloud computing, big data, data interoperability, data mining, data visualisation, digital twins, 3D printing, 3D modelling
• Robotics, Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, augmented reality, virtual reality 
• e-Government, open government  
• Synthetic biology, chemical biology, bio-engineering, biohybrid interfaces and technologies, bioinformatics
• Nanotechnology: nanophysics, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, nanomagnetism, nanoelectromechanics
• Seismology 
• Electric propulsion and electric vehicle batteries 

Culture and creativity 

• Cultural heritage: curation, restoration, conservation, 3D reconstruction, digital humanities
• Creative industries, collective memory, cultural tourism 
• Archaeology, artefacts, museology 

Democracy and society 

• International cooperation including globalisation, diplomacy, global governance, international relations 
• Fight against disinformation / misinformation / fake news, press freedom, media studies 
• Radicalisation including terrorism, extremism, hate crime, homophobia, fascism, racism, stigmatisation, postcolonial studies 
• Migration and integration including Islam, human rights, conflict resolution/management, peacebuilding 
• European identity, European studies, political science, political philosophy 
• Citizen participation, youth participation 
• Democratisation, solidarity, polarisation, elections, populism, corruption 
• Social inclusion, labour market, robotisation, social stratification, ageing, lifelong learning, econometrics 
• Digital literacy including digital services, digital transformation, digital governance, digital democracy, user-centric services 

Other fields of science and innovation 

• Social sciences and humanities including gender studies and ethics 
• Open science: open data, open source, interdisciplinary research 
• Open innovation, knowledge transfer, commercial take-up
• Artificial Intelligence
• Physics 
• Medicine

In addition to your thematic expertise, the following skills and experiences are very welcome and would be an additional asset:

• Experience with the financial management of R&I projects
• Expertise with integrating gender aspects into R&I
• Intellectual property rights (IPR)

If applicable, please indicate your experience in these cross-cutting areas in your entry in the expert database.

The European Commission selects candidates with the most suitable profiles for each evaluation. Selected experts are contracted for short-term assignments lasting anywhere from two days up to two weeks, in some cases up to 30 days. The working days are not always consecutive and can be spread out over several months.

Experts evaluate project proposals applying for EU funding. This is done by scoring proposals and exchanging views with fellow evaluators. For more details, please have a look at the briefing on Horizon Europe proposal evaluations.

You might also be asked to monitor the implementation of a funded project and provide an independent assessment of the project’s progress.

While the work will mostly be conducted remotely, there are some cases where evaluators will be invited to the European Commission Covent Garden building in Brussels. Should this be the case, evaluators may be eligible for accommodation and subsistence allowances, as well as travel cost reimbursement. Consult the REA guidelines on travel and accommodation.

For more information, please see the model contract for experts. We have compiled information on how to access the evaluation centre, a list of hotels at negotiated rates and further practical information on the Commission’s experts’ page under “Logistics for Brussels”.

If you’re ready to be a part of the journey from idea to action, register or update your profile today in the European Commission’s experts’ database!

For further advice on registering your profile, please read the FAQs and consult the IT manual. 

For general questions on working as an expert, please contact the EuropeDirect service. 

The EU's Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) has launched a call for applications for the selection of members of the Coal and Steel Advisory Groups. 

The deadline for applications has been extended to 31 October 2024 

The application and selection procedures, as well as the selection criteria are described in the notice of the call for applications.