Form

Department for Business and Trade College of Experts: additional information and terms of reference

Published 15 May 2026

Purpose

A College of Experts (CoE) will be established to provide independent, high-quality insights and expertise on an informal basis to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) and wider department. The CoE will offer flexible and timely access to specialist knowledge supporting evidence‑informed policy, strategy, and operations across the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

Composition

The college will comprise of members who are stakeholders to the department, and drawn from a wide range of disciplines and professional backgrounds. Members will be expected to contribute no more than 5 days per year.

Role and responsibilities

Members of the CoE may be asked to:

• constructively challenge or validate DBT’s perspectives using available evidence, experience and research insights
• provide technical expertise in a timely manner to inform workstream and departmental activities
• review and evaluate evidence, studies, risks, standards, technical  information and briefings to support projects
• take individual and collective ownership of the insight they provide, while recognising they are not responsible for decisions made
• make themselves available to participate in workstreams, subject to sufficient notice
• use their networks and profile to strengthen 2-way engagement with stakeholders
• help upskill the department in areas of specialism which are aligned to individual expertise

Governance

Membership to the CoE will be approved by the CSA. Departmental requests to access the CoE will be managed by the office of the CSA (OCSA) to ensure that the enquiry is relevant to the CoE and the most suitable experts are asked to help.

Term

Membership of the CoE will be reviewed and refreshed periodically. Members will be enlisted for a 2-year term, with the option to renew subject to approval by the CSA. The size and composition of the college will be reviewed annually to ensure alignment with DBT interests and emerging research needs, meaning membership may expand or change over time.

Ways of working

Most requests to experts will be made remotely, enabling participation from across the UK’s nations and regions. We strongly encourage applications from individuals based throughout the UK.

There may be opportunities for in-person attendance when there is a clear departmental need. These will typically take place in one of DBT’s regional offices (Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London or Salford). While this is an unpaid opportunity and members will provide insights and expertise on a voluntary basis, reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed if in-person attendance is required.

Conflicts of interest and transparency

Members must declare any personal, private, or commercial interests that could conflict with departmental interests and withdraw from discussions where such conflicts arise.

Members are expected to have an association with a UK-based institution, organisation, company, or charity.

The names of all members will be published on GOV.UK. A register of potential conflicts will be held internally.

Confidentiality and conduct

Members must not discuss sensitive information that is not in the public domain and will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding. They should also consult the OCSA when publishing content that could be linked to DBT or its policies.

All members are expected to be aware of, and adhere to, policy relating to conduct, gifts and hospitality, and the 7 principles of public service. A member is expected to inform the OCSA in advance of any new appointment that may impinge on their duties as a member of the DBT CoE.

Members are required to declare any conflicts of interest and to inform the OCSA if they intend to accept a prominent position in any political party and understand that this could impact their membership. The membership will be terminated immediately due to breaches of the contract or grave misconduct. This will be judged by the CSA and a panel of independent advisers.

Selection process

Applicants will be assessed by a selection panel that come from DBT, led by the OCSA, with the CSA providing final decisions. The panel will consider candidates who best demonstrate they meet the essential criteria as set out in this information pack. Formal interviews will not be conducted for this role, however if deemed necessary by the CSA, conversations or group meetings may be held to assist with the selection process.

As we are employing a portfolio approach, we will assess not only the suitability of your individual application but also how it contributes to the overall balance of expertise within the college. If we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift exclusively on your CV, before considering the candidate statement of suitability. 

Due diligence will be taken on the appointable candidates. At the point of acceptance, the successful candidate will be asked to submit relevant details for the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). Once completed, the new member will be informed and their details, including a register of interest, will be posted on GOV.UK.

Expenses incurred by candidates during the selection process will not be reimbursed by the department.

As part of the selection process, we ask candidates to complete the Diversity Monitoring for Equal Opportunities form. This will help us to follow the recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), that employers should monitor selection decisions to assess whether equality of opportunity is being achieved. The information on the form will be treated as confidential and used only for statistical purposes. The form will not be treated as part of your application.

DBT is an accredited user of the government’s Disability Confident symbol, which denotes organisations that have a positive attitude towards disabled applicants.

DBT takes its obligations under the Data Protection Act seriously. Any data about you will be held in secure conditions with access restricted to those who need it in connection with dealing with your application. Data may also be used for the purposes of monitoring the effectiveness of the selection process, but in these circumstances will be kept anonymous. The ethnic monitoring form is used for monitoring the selection process only. If you do not want these details to be recorded, please return the form uncompleted. If unsuccessful, your personal data relating to application will be destroyed. If successful, necessary data will be retained.