Guided by excellence as the foremost criterion for all scientific activities, the European Science Foundation decided in 2006 to build a quality-driven pool of scientific peer reviewers across all areas of research with an ambition to develop pan-European benchmarks for high-quality peer reviewing.
At the base of high-quality peer reviewing is the commitment to an unbiased, well argued and substantiated, and timely assessment of proposed research work, which values a language of respect towards the peers in the profession.
In accepting to join the Pool members commit themselves to act over a one-year period as a peer reviewer for ESF calls for proposals announced in that year. They may be asked to provide up to three reviews during this period. All assessments are done on-line: no travel or attendance at review panels is expected. The work is undertaken on a voluntary basis, no honoraria being paid by ESF in order to maximise the funds available for successful proposals. Their commitment and effort is acknowledged in an annual membership list, published on the ESF web site and communicated to all ESF Member Organisations. In addition, a specific list of those referees, unassigned to proposals, which reviewed applications for each call is released on the ESF home page of the relevant instrument at the end of the annual review process (ex: Exploratory Workshops, Research Networking Programmes).
ESF provides the scientific, administrative and technical secretariat for COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).