The scientific assessments carried out by referees are a very important part of the Research Council's assessment of applications. The referees' assessments are primarily part of the overall evaluation of applications submitted to the Research Council. The Research Council may also use the assessments as feedback to applicants.
The task of a referee varies somewhat for different application types and calls for proposals.
Impartiality and confidence are important
It is very important to us that the assessments are done by referees who have the right competence to perform the task. You must therefore read the page about impartiality in administrative proceedings and confirm that you will follow these guidelines.
If you discover that you are affiliated with a company that is in direct competition with a company that is the Project Owner or partner in an application, you must notify us of this as soon as possible. There will be a direct competitive relationship when two companies offer near identical or similar goods or services to the same market.
Please remember the following
You have a duty of confidentiality
When you assess applications for us, you have a duty of confidentiality. This means that you cannot share information about other people's private affairs, or about research, company or trade secrets that you learn about. This includes information that constitutes inside information pursuant to Article 7 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. You cannot use such information for your own benefit or make it available to persons who do not have a right to it. This also applies after you have completed your work for the Research Council. The exception is if we give notice otherwise.
At the Research Council, we follow Section 13 of the Public Administration Act on the duty of confidentiality. Breach of the duty of confidentiality is a criminal offence and may also result in the termination of the assignment or other reactions from us.
How to handle the application documents properly
When assessing applications, you should only use the application documents provided in the system. You may not copy or use the materials for any other purpose. Once you have submitted your assessment, you must securely destroy any printed or delete downloaded application documents.
Do not use artificial intelligence
You cannot use artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, in your assessment work. The use of artificial intelligence in the application assessment may also constitute a breach of the duty of confidentiality (see above).
After completing the assignment
Remuneration
The remuneration form will be completed by the Research Council after each assessment round (approximately every month), you do not need to register a remuneration form.
We pay the referees according to hourly rates set out in the Government Personnel Handbook and will provide you with more information regarding remuneration when you have agreed to take on an assignment. You can read more in the information box “Personnel and travel claim form”.