Peer Review Process

The Peer Review Process represents the scientific evaluation phase of Research Proposals submitted by Fellows.

This phase aims to verify the quality, coherence, and feasibility of research proposals, ensuring a transparent selection process based on scientific criteria.

The Peer Review process involves multiple actors and follows a structured workflow governed by system-defined statuses and transitions.

After submission of the Research Proposal by the Fellow, the TNA Manager verifies the formal completeness of the application.

If the proposal is compliant:

• the TNA Manager selects the Send to Peer Review action;
• the Research Proposal transitions to the Under Peer Review status;
• one or more Peer Reviewers are assigned to evaluate the proposal;
• the system automatically sends notifications to the involved actors.

At this stage, the proposal is no longer editable by the Fellow.

The Peer Reviewer accesses the platform to view the assigned Research Proposals.

For each proposal, the Peer Reviewer may:

• consult the content of the Research Proposal;
• evaluate the project according to the defined scientific criteria;
• complete the required evaluation fields;
• provide comments and judgments supporting the evaluation.

The Peer Reviewer operates exclusively in consultation and evaluation mode and cannot modify the content of the Research Proposal.

Once the evaluation is completed, the Peer Reviewer selects the Complete Peer Review action.

When all assigned reviews have been completed:

• the system updates the internal status of the proposal to Peer Reviews Completed;
• the TNA Manager is notified of the completion of the reviews;
• the proposal becomes ready for the decision-making phase.

The Peer Reviews Completed status represents an internal system status and is not displayed as a dedicated section within the user interface.

In certain cases, the TNA Manager or the Host Coordinator may consider it necessary to request further verification or clarification.

In such situations:

• the proposal may be returned to the Under Peer Review status;
• the Peer Reviewers are notified again;
• evaluations may be supplemented or modified.

This mechanism ensures an accurate evaluation process consistent with the objectives of the programme.

During the Peer Review process, the Fellow retains the possibility of withdrawing their application.

In case of cancellation:

• the Research Proposal assumes the Cancelled status;
• the evaluation process is interrupted;
• all involved actors (TNA Manager, Peer Reviewer, Host Coordinator) are informed through notification.

The cancellation is recorded by the system for historical traceability and audit purposes.