Applications will undergo an initial pre-screening to review basic eligibility and application requirements, and applicants may be asked during this phase to supply additional information. Applications that do not meet basic requirements will not be further evaluated. Тhis pre-screening will be done by experts from the European Journalism Centre. The assessment of applications and shortlisting for funding will be done by an external independent jury, on the basis of the best/ most compelling match to the selection criteria, as stated in the Call for Applications document .The jury will include individuals with a deep understanding of the global challenges facing independent, solutions-oriented and development journalism. The EJC will administer grant awards independently from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.