Philanthropies

Apr 28, 2025

Your Partner for

Philanthropies

Research assessment solutions

Collaboration with Philanthropies

We collaborate with non-profit organisations, charities, and private foundations to ensure high-quality research assessments of their grant applications, maximising the impact of their funded projects. Upon request, ESF can manage the entire grant cycle, from launching open calls for proposals to project evaluation and post-award management.

Our Research Assessment Support

ESF delivers independent, tailored Research Assessment Solutions to ensure rigorous, unbiased assessment of funded projects. With our Community of Experts and decades of experience, we provide transparent, robust, and unbiased assessments.

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Our key strengths include:

10,000+ expert reviewers across all scientific fields
Strict conflict-of-interest management
Customisable and tailored evaluation processes

Explore recent Competitive Calls supported:

Assessment type:

Full programme management

Research areas

Paediatric Cancer Research

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Fight Kids Cancer Programme (FKC)

Selection Process & Post-Award Grant Management

The Fight Kids Cancer programme (FKC) is an exciting venture supported by several European philanthropies (Netherlands, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and UK) to support academic research for paediatric cancers. Since 2020, ESF has been coordinating and implementing the FKC programme from open call for proposals to project funding and monitoring. For the FKC 2023/2024 Call for research projects on paediatric brain tumours. ESF evaluated eligible Expressions of Interest and full applications in a two-step assessment process (external review step followed by review panel assessment) leading to the funding of eight projects (10,7 million euros budget). Discover the FKC success story here.

Paediatric cancer is a small research area, and managing CoI is always a challenge. 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. ESF’s role in project follow-up and financial reviews has made it possible for us to track the progress of our funded projects accurately and efficiently.

Delphine Heenen
Co-founder of Fight Kids Cancer Programme
and Director of KickCancer Foundation

Assessment type:

External Expert Assessment

Research areas

Pediatric Research

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Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo (Italy)

100 Expert reviewers engaged to assess Cariparo Foundation calls

In 2024, ESF completed the peer review of research project proposals submitted under the Foundation’s Scientific Excellence and Pediatric Research calls, involving more than 100 international expert reviewers.

The expert assessments served as the basis for the Foundation’s scientific board’s selection process.

Assessment type:

External Expert Assessment

Research areas

Energy transition technologies

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Fundación Iberdrola (Spain)

Assessment of Postdoctoral fellowships for Iberdrola Foundation

In 2022 and 2023, ESF supported the Spanish Iberdrola Foundation, coordinator of the Energy for Future (E4F) MSCA Cofund programme.

Through this programme, Iberdrola, a global leader in renewable energy, collaborated with 15 universities to foster knowledge exchange in energy transition technologies including photovoltaic and wind energy, electric vehicles, energy storage, and smart grid systems, funding a total of 28 postdoctoral positions.

Over two competitive calls, ESF provided more than 120 expert assessments and organised applicant rebuttal and a review panel assessment.

We partnered with ESF for peer review support, a key piece of the selection process of the MSCA Cofund Energy for Future (E4F) Programme. This partnership allowed us to mobilize international expertise in five very specific areas of research in a very short period of time. This was critical for the success of the Selection phase of the Programme.
I appreciate very much the flexibility, availability, and support of the ESF team during the process.
Both teams managed to team up and work in a very efficient and collaborative way

Teresa Rodríguez de Tembleque, Programme Manager
Fundación Iberdrola España

Assessment type:

External Expert Assessment

Research areas

Risk research

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SCOR Foundation for Science (France)

Evaluation of Risk research projects

Since 2013, ESF has maintained a long-standing relationship with the SCOR Foundation for Science, which mission is to promote and finance research activities in the field of knowledge, management and insurability on all subjects related to risks.

ESF supports SCOR with external assessments of research proposals in the fields of risk research, including economy of risk, emerging diseases, and climate change.

We are very pleased with ESF’s support, which has strengthened the Foundation’s review process by engaging highly qualified, independent experts. What I value most about ESF’s research grant evaluation support is its ability to identify the right academic expertise while ensuring both the competence and independence of the reviewers, all within an efficient and transparent process. Our partnership with ESF has enabled us to significantly improve our own selection process in terms of timing, quality, rigor, and objectivity.

Philippe Trainar, Director
SCOR Foundation for Science

Assessment type:

External Expert Assessment

Research areas

All research fields

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AXA Research Fund (France)

Evaluation of Chair positions & research projects

Since 2013, ESF has maintained a long-standing relationship with the AXA Research Fund (AXA RF). In 2023, ESF enhanced its support for AXA RF by providing external evaluations for the applications under the AXA's competitive calls: AXA Chairs and Post-doctoral fellowships on “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable & Fair Transition. Additionally, ESF established an international review panel, including reviewers from both academic and industrial sectors, to assess the 1st joint call of the AXA Research Fund and the Swiss Re Institute on “Cybersecurity”.

ESF’s multi-disciplinary expertise and robust processes have proven instrumental in designing and managing competitive calls and evaluations for our research programmes, in particular our AXA Post-Doctoral Fellowships. ESF has also supported an impact assessment of AXA’s philanthropic research programmes. We are looking forward to expanding our strategic partnership with ESF in order to increase the effectiveness of our funding towards academic institutions and researchers in Europe as well as in other Regions such as Asia, Africa and Latin America

Raphaël Gusdorf
Head of Selection at the AXA Research Fund

Assessment type:

Review Panels

Research areas

Applied research

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Swiss Re Institute (Switzerland)

Evaluation of a joint-call with the Axa Research Fund

In 2024, ESF supported the Swiss Re Institute in the evaluation of their 1st joint call of the AXA Research Fund and the Swiss Re Institute on “Cybersecurity”.

The goal of this partnership is to fund independent research and innovation projects with the potential to transform the industry and enhance societal resilience.

ESF facilitated the review panel evaluation, bringing together expert reviewers from both academic and industrial sectors.

What I valued most about ESF’s research grant evaluation was their advice on peer review process. It enhanced our review process, enabling us to ensure transparency and optimise funding decisions

Kai Zhang, Partnerships Portfolio Lead
Group Risk Management - Swiss Re Institute

Assessment type:

Review Panel Assessment

Research areas

All research fields

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Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy)

Evaluation of over 100 research projects across 4 Review Panels

Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation (FCSP) is a philanthropic organisation dedicated to promoting cultural, civil, and economic development.
In 2018, FCSP supported research and training initiatives in partnership with several Italian universities and entrusted ESF with the scientific assessment of research proposals from the University of Naples. ESF’s assessment process included the establishment of four disciplinary review panels, the evaluation of over 100 applications by three panel members, and the applicant rebuttal process.