Are you an entrepreneur or investor with experience of helping innovative companies to grow? If so, you could become one of our evaluators, reviewing proposals and business plans put forward by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from across the EU as they seek funding to support the development of breakthrough innovations. We also need your help to interview the best applicants and select the top innovators for funding.

From autumn 2017, the EU's research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 will support innovation projects from innovators, researchers, corporates and SMEs active in any sector or technology as we look to support breakthrough innovations that have the potential to create new markets. We aim to identify companies and entrepreneurs with the potential and ambition to grow internationally, as part of a pilot European Innovation Council. Applications for EIC funding will need to be evaluated by experts in innovation. And the best SME applicants will be interviewed by a panel of expert evaluators. The Commission is therefore looking to expand its pool of expert evaluators to include:

• entrepreneurs who have started up and scaled up innovative enterprises at European or global level;
• investors (including those affiliated with banks, venture capitalists, business angels, crowd-funders etc.);
• experts involved in the innovation ecosystem (business schools, universities, innovation hubs, accelerators, etc.).

Early application is encouraged as the first interview panels will be drawn up in October 2017.