your partner for
Research Assessment Solutions
Grant & Institutional Evaluation
We ensure independent Research Assessment
For decades, ESF has been conducting research assessments across a wide range of projects and applications, helping organisations identify and fund the most promising research. We deliver high-quality, independent evaluations in collaboration with our Community of Experts, which gathers more than 10,000 reviewers covering all scientific disciplines.
With extensive experience managing large, international calls, even under tight deadlines, we enable organisations to focus on their core scientific missions. We offer end-to-end support for the evaluation process, including setting up submission platforms, providing external reviews, organising review panels, and facilitating applicant rebuttals and interviews.
Today, we collaborate with over 50 international partners, including research funding organisations, universities, philanthropies, national and regional authorities, and MSCA Cofunds (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions).
Our tailored evaluation solutions
We provide one or several independent expert assessments per application.
We set up interdisciplinary international Review Panels and provide consensus reports
We provide guidance on managing conflicts of interest, selection criteria, call guidelines, and implementing CoARA principles.
Integrity is our Priority
ESF follows core principles of research grant assessment aligned with international best practices, including the following frameworks:
- European Peer Review Guide (ESF, 2011)
- Statement of principles of peer/merit review (Global Research Council, 2018)
- Recommendations on Research Assessment Processes (Science Europe, 2020)
- Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (CoARA, 2022)
Since December 2022, as CoARA's secretariat, ESF has ensured fair, high-quality peer review and actively supported the adoption of research assessment reforms among partner organizations.
ESF Reviewers adhere to established assessment principles, sign non-disclosure agreements, and we manage conflicts of interest rigorously.
Examples of grant & institutional evaluation
- Postdoctoral and doctoral fellowships
- Fundamental & applied research projects
- Researchers’ academic profiles
- Interdisciplinary research projects
- R&D projects
- Evaluation of research funding organisations
- Mid-term evaluation of research and/or
training programmes - Evaluation of Centres of Excellence
- Evaluation of Research Infrastructures
Key figures
(2021-2024)
Why partner with us?
Our review process guarantees strict compliance with conflict-of interest rules, ensuring unbiased assessments.
Our Community of over 10,000 Experts allows for the quick identification of Expert Reviewers across a wide range of research fields and large volumes of applications.
We tailor and co-designs high-quality and efficient evaluation procedures to meet its partner organization's needs.
What our Partners say
ESF's independent selection procedure, combined with their effective CoI management, has been essential in maintaining the integrity of our calls and ensuring that the best projects are funded
Delphine Heenen
Co-founder of Fight Kids Cancer Programme
and Director of KickCancer Foundation
ESF successfully and timely implemented our programme-tailored process. The appropriateness of recruited experts and high-quality of provided evaluations were noticed by the BIENVENÜE selection panel and the applicants.
Anne-Laure BAUDRIER
Head of the Research & Higher Education Office
Region Bretagne
ESF ensured a timely and highly qualitative mission which eased my life as coordinator! We were pleased with the professionalism and diligence of the ESF team, and for their support and advice in running this large exercise
Anne Adams, Coordinator
"YUFE4Postdocs" MCSA Cofund
Discover our Partners
Public Authorities
We partner with Public Authorities to evaluate a wide range of funding programmes.
Philantrophies
We partner with Philantropies to evaluate a wide range of funding programmes.
Universities
We partner with Universities to evaluate a wide range of funding applications
MSCA Cofunds
We partner with MSCA Cofunds to evaluate a wide range of funding programmes.
Research Funding Organisations
We partner with Research Funding Organisations to evaluate a wide range of funding programmes.
Discover our Community of Experts
Contact Us!
Feel free to drop us an email for any questions or to schedule a brief meeting.
Julia Boman
Grant Evaluation Partnerships Manager
Eliana Legoux
Grant Evaluation Partnerships Administrator