Source: European Union 2 Published on: 2026-06-17
The Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument is a funding instrument under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) regulation (article 13). The I3 Instrument is implemented by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) based on a biannual work programme adopted by its parent Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO).
In the implementation of the I3 Instrument, the experts appointed in the evaluation of the proposals will be chosen on the basis of their skills, experience and knowledge relevant to the tasks which will be assigned to them. EISMEA shall ensure that experts do not evaluate, advise or assist on matters with regard to which they have any conflict of interest. They shall also have appropriate language skills, in particular in English, for the tasks to be carried out.
I3 Instrument policy objectives
The I3 Instrument aims to strengthen innovation-driven growth and competitiveness across the European Union by fostering interregional cooperation based on Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3).
It helps regions work together to bring innovative solutions to market, scale up businesses, and strengthen European value chains. The programme focuses on key EU priorities such as the digital and green transitions and smart manufacturing.
Stronger strategic interregional partnerships and better alignment of investment pipelines across regions help accelerate the market uptake of research and innovation results while creating new opportunities for European value chains.
To achieve these objectives, the I3 Instrument supports predefined portfolios of mature and interrelated interregional innovation investments involving partners from different regions sharing common or complementary S3 priorities. It focuses on the demonstration, market uptake, commercialisation, and scale-up of innovations that are close to market deployment. Particular attention is given to the participation and integration of Less Developed Regions and Transition Regions, ensuring that innovation benefits are shared more broadly across the European Union.
More information on the I3 instrument in available on the DG REGIO and EISMEA websites.
EISMEA is looking for experts with a high level of expertise and professional experience in the following I3 Instrument objectives. Applications from experts with experience in EU cohesion policy and relevant socio-economic expertise are also encouraged.
• Good knowledge of the EU cohesion policy, smart specialisation platforms, European innovation ecosystem, regional innovation ecosystem and regional smart specialisation strategies.
• Experiences in innovation process management and project management.
• Expertise in following, designing, assessing, implementing and funding innovations in the fields of green transition, digital economy and smart manufacturing.
• Financial and advisory support for investments in interregional innovation projects.
• Experience in building the interregional value chains between quadruple helix stakeholders and facilitating interregional cooperation in the areas of regional Smart Specialisation.
• Preparing and evaluating the innovative investment projects, investment strategies and business plans.
Application procedure
EISMEA invites individuals to apply as independent experts registering into the Portal Expert Database, which is the central database for all experts. Registration is a mandatory prerequisite for being contracted. Experts must register online.
Please note that registration does nothing more than declare your interest in working for us. We do not check your eligibility or any other conditions at that moment, and registration does not entail any entitlement to receive assignments, which will depend on business needs and fulfilment of the formal requirements.
Experts who already registered in the database of experts and who wish to apply for the evaluations of I3 proposals, are invited to declare their interest in being considered by entering the ‘My Expert Area’ on the Portal Expert Database and duly updating all sections. Areas of expertise and professional experience must be in line with the above-mentioned areas, adequately detailed and documented, avoiding including any sensitive information of any kind. It is also recommended to include ‘open keywords’ to further support the search in areas of expertise of relevance to the I3 Instrument.
The I3 Instrument is added to the list of programmes in the ‘Programme selection’ tab.
Please note that to be considered for the evaluation probably starting at the end of November 2026 and lasting until the end of February/early March 2027, interested experts are advised to update their profile no later than mid-July 2026.
After registration or update, experts are invited to express their interest by sending an e-mail to the address EISMEA-I3-Instrument-Experts
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EISMEA-I3-Instrument-Experts[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) indicating their registration number. To be considered as an evaluator for the I3 Instrument 2026 calls for proposals, please send us the email with your registration number by 10 July 2026.
As the Commission service collects and further processes personal data, it is subject to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC. Processing operations are under the responsibility of the data controller.
The selection of experts will be made on the basis of selection criteria such as professional expertise and experience, language skills, geographical and thematic balance, gender balance, regular rotation and absence of conflict of interest.
The selection will be objective and follow the principles of non-discrimination and equal treatment.
For the evaluation starting in a specific year, experts selected will be contacted no later than one month before the start of the evaluation process. The experts will be informed on the indicative timing and will be invited to confirm their interest and availability.
EU Expert contract and Code of Conduct
Prior to assigning a task, the experts will need to sign an EU expert contract. By signing the contract, experts will need to agree to perform the assignments to the highest professional standards and in compliance with the conditions set out in the call, the Expert Terms of Reference and the Expert Code of Conduct.
To ensure the independence of the work that they are called upon to perform in their capacity as ‘independent experts’, prior to the signature of their contract, they will also be required to attest that they agree to abide by the terms of the code of conduct (including confidentiality aspects) in the electronic exchange system. In particular, they will be required to sign a declaration certifying that there is no conflict of interest at the time of contracting and that they undertake to inform the Commission or the relevant funding body if any conflict should arise in the course of their duties.
Please note that the work of the independent experts will be remunerated. Contracts will contain the details relating to the assignment (e.g. tasks and working arrangements, remuneration and payment arrangements). More information about the applicable ceilings and the payment of experts can be found in the general Call for Funding & Tenders Portal Expert Database (Call for Expression of Interest 2021-2027).