How to become an EC expert evaluator

Anyone with relevant expertise can register as an independent expert in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal at any time, but registration does not guarantee an assignment. Experts who are selected evaluate proposals in a personal capacity, are paid a fixed fee, and work under a Code of Conduct with strict rules on conflicts of interest and confidentiality.

How to register

The Online Manual describes the steps:

Open the "Work as an expert" page of the Funding and Tenders Portal and log in with an EU Login account.
Click "Register as an expert".
Fill in the profile: personal details, languages, education and training, area of expertise, and professional experience such as employment and publications.
Complete the profile until its status shows 100% complete. Only then can it be considered.
Update it at any time in "My Expert Area".

Registration is open to experts of any nationality, including people outside the EU and the countries associated to the programme.

How experts are selected

EU services draw experts from the database for each assignment, according to the expertise needed. The Online Manual lists what they look for in a pool of experts:

a high level of skills, experience and knowledge in the relevant area;
a balanced mix of skills and experience, geographical diversity and gender;
a balance between the private and public sectors;
rotation, with a ceiling of EUR 90 000 in fees per expert over four years;
for evaluations, at least 25% of experts in the pool who are newcomers.

What the work involves

According to the Commission's standard briefing for Horizon Europe experts (version 14.0, April 2026), each proposal is read by at least three experts. Each expert writes an individual evaluation report. The experts then agree on comments and scores in a consensus group, and a panel checks consistency across proposals. Experts can also work as observers of the evaluation or as monitors of funded projects.

The Online Manual states that evaluation and monitoring sessions usually take at most 15 days a year, and that all or part of the work may be done remotely.

What experts are paid

The figures below are from the Online Manual page Signing a contract and payment (read in October 2026).

Item	Amount
Fee for a full day of work involving travel	EUR 450
Fee for a half day	EUR 225
Accommodation allowance, per night	EUR 168
Daily allowance	EUR 113
Daily allowance when living less than 100 km from the venue	EUR 56.50, no accommodation allowance

Remote work is paid differently. The Expert Model Contract (version 1.2, January 2024) sets a fee per task performed, and the amount is written into each contract. The fees are not exempt from national taxes.

Conflicts of interest and confidentiality

The Code of Conduct for experts (version 1.3, December 2025) is annexed to the contract. Experts confirm for every proposal that they have no conflict of interest, and must stop work and report one as soon as they notice it. The briefing adds that knowingly hiding a conflict leads to exclusion, and the work done is declared void.

On confidentiality, experts may not discuss proposals with anyone outside the evaluation, contact applicants, or disclose the names of other experts. The obligation lasts for five years after the last payment. AI tools may be used only for ancillary purposes.

If you also prepare proposals

The Code of Conduct does not stop people who write proposals from registering. It excludes them case by case:

An expert who was involved in preparing a proposal for the same topic, or for another topic sharing the same call budget, is excluded from that proposal and from all proposals competing with it.
An expert employed or contracted by an organisation in a proposal is normally excluded from evaluating that proposal.
National Contact Points and staff of the Enterprise Europe Network are excluded from the whole call.
Employment by, or collaboration with, an applicant in the last 3 years can lead to exclusion if the contracting authority so decides.
Experts may not become involved in projects they have assessed.