The State Research Agency (AEI), by virtue of article 28.6 of its statute and as provided for in article 19 of Law 14/2001, of June 1, on Science, Technology and Innovation, may temporarily assign, full or part-time, collaborating scientific-technical personnel.

The vast majority of AEI collaborators who carry out scientific-technical evaluation and monitoring of activities, projects, scientific infrastructures and human resources, are part of one of the nineteen AEI Thematic Areas. The main function of these scientific and technological (TC) collaborators is to advise and collaborate in the management, evaluation and supervision of the programs and calls of the AEI. Specifically, to identify the best projects, researchers, infrastructures and other resources, which have merits to be financed. Likewise, the collaborators will be the interlocutors between the AEI and the scientific community in their scientific-technical field.

Additionally, AEI management may assign specific express mandates to collaborators to participate on their behalf in missions or external meetings related to their scientific-technical competence, provided there are no conflicts of interest.