YOUTHMED | Call for Applications – AI consultant
deadline: August 20th 2025 at 1pm (Beirut Local time).
🔽 Download Attachments
📎 A: Terms of Reference
📎 B: Application Form
YOUTHMED Project
Empowering Youth for an Inclusive Mediterranean
Project Code: A_Y_3.1_0624
Reference: A_Y_3.1_0624 – 005
The Planning and Development Agency (PDA), Lead Partner of the YOUTHMED Project (Interreg NEXT MED Programme), is seeking to contract a technical consultant to monitor the development of the project’s digital collaboration platform, SmartMaria.
🔹 Project Overview
Total Budget: €1,110,000
EU Contribution: €987,900 (89%)
Programme: Interreg NEXT MED Programme, co-funded by the European Union
Project Duration: 30 months (June 2025 – December 2027)
YOUTHMED aims to strengthen youth participation, cooperation, and civic responsibility across the Mediterranean through inclusive dialogue, cross-border exchange, and digital innovation — enabling youth and youth organizations to co-create solutions and actively shape resilient societies.
Key Benefits and Impact:
- 510 youth trained in civic engagement, media literacy, and digital participation
- 25 youth organizations cooperating across borders
- 1 multilingual AI-powered platform (SmartMaria) to enable youth collaboration
- 4 transnational events with political and cultural leaders
- 1 shared digital knowledge space
- Policy-relevant data and networks to inform inclusive youth strategies
Target Groups: Youth aged 18–30, youth organizations, civic actors, and public institutions in Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, and Spain.
📘 Assignment Scope
The selected expert will act as AI & SmartMaria Technical Consultant, providing technical oversight and quality assurance for the implementation of Activity A 3.2.3: Online Collaboration Platform (SmartMaria). While the platform’s development team will be contracted by NLCD (Work Package 3 Leader), this consultant will be contracted by PDA and will:
- Translate YOUTHMED objectives into technical specifications for SmartMaria
- Ensure alignment with platform needs:
- Cloud/local hybrid infrastructure
- AI-driven functionality and multilingual UX
- Sustainability, accessibility, and GDPR compliance
- Coordinate remotely with developers to track progress and ensure quality
- Validate deliverables at key development stages (Alpha, Beta, Final)
- Ensure the platform’s functionality supports all relevant Work Packages
🧑💻 Work modality: Primarily remote. If the development team is based in a different country, coordination will remain fully virtual.
📅 Duration: 2025–2026
💶 Budget Ceiling: €3,000 (all inclusive)
✅ Profile & Eligibility
Applicants must demonstrate:
- Experience in digital platform architecture, AI systems, or hybrid infrastructure design
- Familiarity with scalable and multilingual systems
- Ability to validate technical deliverables and guide external developer teams
- Strong communication skills with both technical and project coordination teams
- Understanding of GDPR/data protection and EU-funded project environments
📦 Expected Deliverables
- Technical validation reports at 3 phases (Alpha, Beta, Final)
- Written technical guidance or recommendations to developers
- Final summary report to PDA assessing compliance with the platform’s objectives
🔗 Details are provided in Attachment A: Terms of Reference (ToR)
📎 For reference purposes, applicants may consult the draft Terms of Reference for the SmartMaria Development (to be implemented under WP3 by NLCD). This document is included to help the consultant understand the coordination scope and expected technical features of the platform.
📌 Contract Terms
- Type: Service Contract
- Budget Ceiling: €3,000 (all inclusive)
- Duration: Until end of 2026
- Supervision: PDA YOUTHMED Project Team
📝 How to Apply
Send the following documents via email:
- Updated CV
- Signed Application Form (Attachment B)
- Scanned ID/Passport
📤 Submit to:
- Hawraa Mahfouz (Project Manager) – [email protected]
- Zahraa Bleibel (Communication Manager) – [email protected]
📩 Email Subject: Application – AI Technical Consultant – YOUTHMED Project
📅 Deadline
🕐 August 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM (Beirut Local Time)
🔐 Data Protection
All submitted data will be handled in accordance with Lebanese law and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – Regulation EU 2016/679).
📎 Attachments
- Attachment A: Terms of Reference – AI & SmartMaria Consultant (PDF)
- Attachment B: Application Form (DOC)
- Attachment C: Draft ToR – SmartMaria Platform Development (for reference only)
This call is funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.