EDF evaluators: expertise, clearance and the application process
This is an opportunity for individuals. Technical experience must be supported by an expert profile, security clearance and independence.
- Apply by 31 October
- Independent evaluation · security clearance
Application deadline: 2026-10-31
See the call page for current conditions and closing time.
The Commission is recruiting independent experts to support European Defence Fund evaluations. The application window for evaluating the 2026 calls runs from 1 May to 31 October 2026.
Assignments extend beyond judging technology. They include proposal evaluation, acting as rapporteur at consensus meetings, ethics reviews and budget assessments. Selected and contracted experts are paid.
This is a professional opportunity for specialists, not a corporate grant call. Database registration does not guarantee an assignment: the Commission selects against its needs and checks formal requirements.
The expertise sought
Listed fields include medical support, CBRN, biotechnology and human factors, sensors, cyber, space, energy, materials and land, maritime and air capabilities. Disruptive technologies, SME projects, ethics and financial project management are also identified.
The Commission seeks substantial expertise and professional experience in a military context, including R&D or capability-project management nationally, at European level or within NATO. Fluent English appropriate to the assignment is also required. A general technology profile without a specific, evidenced speciality may be harder to match to proposals.
Two separate application steps
Applicants first register in Funding & Tenders and complete My Expert Area. Existing experts update their fields for EDF. The Commission asks for documented experience and useful keywords, without sensitive information.
The expression of interest is then sent to the mailbox on the call page with a CV, EX number and confirmation of valid clearance. Applications without an expert number are not processed further. Creating an account does not replace the separate expression of interest in EDF work.
Clearance must already be valid
Personal Security Clearance must be valid before the expression of interest is submitted. The Commission says EU Confidential is sufficient and explicitly distinguishes clearance from a criminal-record certificate. Selected experts’ credentials are subsequently checked with the relevant Member State.
The Commission cannot initiate vetting for applicants. It may confirm that a candidate’s expertise is relevant, but questions about obtaining clearance go to national security authorities. Applicants must confirm possession in their email; the call does not require attaching the clearance document itself.
Independence and different annual windows
Experts cannot evaluate matters in which they have a conflict of interest. They accept confidentiality requirements and declare independence before contracting, with a duty to report later conflicts. A specialist associated with an EDF applicant should disclose relevant relationships rather than assume that a different topic eliminates the issue.
The Commission’s table gives 1 March 2027 as the end of the window for ethics screening of the 2026 calls, while the main evaluation window ends on 31 October 2026. The multiannual notice’s overall closing date does not replace these annual windows. Payment and working arrangements are defined in the eventual contract.
Sources & context
- European Commission: EDF expert call ↗
- Polish Ministry of Development and Technology: EDF expert recruitment ↗
Published by Mitchell Strategic Solutions Group. See our editorial standards and corrections policy. Read more →
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