Timeline and selection process

• Eligibility check – The Programme Management Office (PMO) conducts an eligibility check of all applications.
• Evaluation of proposals – Each eligible application is assigned to three external reviewers and assessed based on the EPFLeaders4impact evaluation criteria described below. A fourth external reviewer is appointed as key evaluator in charge of reviewing the three evaluations and of forging a consensus among the three experts on a final score for each criterion and on an overall final score.
• Ranking of applications – The PMO establishes an initial ranking based on the overall final score received by each applicant.
• Viability check – The PMO performs a viability check of the applications by contacting the intended academic supervisors of all applicants above the threshold (3.5 out of 5.0) to confirm the availability of the required infrastructure, supervision, and resources to successfully complete the project. Based on this viability check, the PMO establishes the final ranking.
• Final funding decision – An Intersectoral Excellence Committee (IEC) makes the final decision on the granting of the fellowships. During the decision meeting, the IEC members discuss the ranking and formally approve the granting of the EPFLeaders4impact fellowships to the top-ranked applicants while also approving a reserve list.
• Notification to applicants – The PMO notifies the applicants of the outcome of the evaluation process within two weeks of the IEC decision meeting. The applicants who are put on a reserve list are informed of their position on this list and contacted in case some of the initially granted fellows withdraw. Granted applicants are expected to start their fellowship at their earliest convenience, but ideally within four months of the notice of the fellowship.

Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5.0. To ensure grade coherence and hence a fair treatment of all applications, all experts are requested to interpret the following scale rigorously:

Funded by

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034260.