An expert evaluator is an independent expert who assesses applications for a non-repayable financial contribution during the expert evaluation process and awards them points according to the published evaluation criteria. Evaluators are selected from a database maintained by the provider, based on calls for expert evaluators; the condition is education and experience in the relevant field, for example in energy, innovation, or social services. Each application is usually assessed by two evaluators independently of each other, and where there is a significant difference between their assessments, a third one steps in. The evaluator signs a declaration of impartiality and may not assess projects where they have a conflict of interest. The output is an evaluation sheet with points and a written comment, which the applicant learns about in the decision and can respond to with a possible request for review. For applicants it is useful to write the project through the evaluator's eyes – to structure the text clearly according to the criteria and to back up every claim with data, since the evaluator may only assess the information submitted.
See also: Evaluation criteria, Conflict of interest.
