Call for Researcher: Development of the SALTO PI Quality Indicators Framework for the Participation Priority

SALTO Participation and Information (SALTO PI) is seeking a researcher, research team, institution, or company to develop the SALTO PI Quality Indicators Framework for the priority “Participation in Democratic Life, Common Values and Civic Engagement” within the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. The framework will be a short, practical resource guide comprising an indicator bank of an estimated 30–40 indicators, organised across the Topic, Process and Outcome dimensions of the priority, together with accompanying guidance, minimum criteria and a scoring system for assessing the extent to which funded projects address the priority in a meaningful way. It will be developed in six phases through a cross-sector participatory approach, built around an Expert Input Group (EIG) of 10 to 25 members representing all five sectors of the two programmes, with the selected service provider acting as the research team that carries the process from the constitution of the EIG to the final publication. 

What? 

The expected deliverables are: 

• Support to SALTO PI in the selection and constitution of the Expert Input Group; 

• The consolidated database of the long list of potential indicators, collected from EIG submissions and desk research; 

• The evaluation scoring of the long list by the EIG, with mean scores and inter-rater reliability results; 

• The initial and final short lists of indicators, revised with the EIG and validated through independent internal review; 

• The SALTO PI Quality Indicators Framework, comprising the indicator bank, the accompanying guidance, the minimum criteria and the scoring system, ready for proofreading and design. 

The successful applicant shall also prepare and facilitate the online workshops with the EIG, provide all materials, databases, datasets and other files created during the assignment, and co-host two presentations of the results within six months of publication. 

Who? 

Applications are welcome from any individuals, teams, institutions, organisations, companies or consortiums, with no geographical limits; team and consortium applications should designate a lead coordinator who applies on behalf of the team. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a solid knowledge of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes, proven experience with indicators or monitoring and evaluation frameworks combining quantitative and qualitative methods, experience in producing policy-relevant conclusions and recommendations, and fluency in English (C1 or above), with experience in facilitating expert or stakeholder groups counting as an advantage. 

By when? 

• Application deadline: 2 August 2026, end of day; 

• Notification of results: 3-6 August 2026 (only selected candidates will be notified); 

• Expected duration: 6–13 weeks from contract signature; 

• Final delivery deadline: 8 November 2026 (with a possible extension of up to two weeks in special circumstances); 

How to apply 

Submit the following documents in English to [email protected] with the subject line “Participation Indicators Framework”: 

• An updated CV (maximum 10 pages); 

• A list of publications, policy contributions, articles and similar outputs (maximum 5 pages); 

• A work statement, including a brief work plan and a financial proposal expressed in euro (€) as a single total amount, inclusive of VAT (maximum 5 pages); 

• One to three examples of comparable work completed previously. 

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria: financial costs (15%), previous experience (35%), the list of publications and contributions (25%), and the work statement together with the examples of previous work (25%). SALTO PI encourages and welcomes applications from individuals, teams, institutions and companies from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including persons with disabilities or other special needs. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and fair selection process, and all applications will be evaluated equally and exclusively against the published selection criteria, without discrimination on any grounds. 

Financial proposals should be reasonable, proportionate and aligned with the scope of work described in this call, taking into account comparable assignments commissioned by European institutions and programmes. 

Before applying 

This notice summarises the key elements of the call. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the full call documentation before applying, as it contains the complete and binding conditions relating to eligibility, consortium applications, contractual arrangements, copyright, revision procedures, and the use of artificial intelligence. Incomplete applications, late submissions, or applications submitted by any means other than those specified above will not be considered.

Download attachment below for more information

Application Instructions