The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) NEXT Junior Editor Programme is an initiative developed by the ESICM NEXT Committee to strengthen engagement between early career members and the Society’s official journals (Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) and Intensive Care Medicine Experimental (ICMx)).
The aim of the programme is to:
• Engage early career NEXT members with the editorial teams of ICM and ICMx.
• Provide direct exposure to editorial decision-making processes.
• Enhance participants’ scientific communication skills.
• Involve junior editors in the peer review process and digital content creation (e.g., educational materials, social media posts, visual abstracts, podcasts).
By the end of the programme, Junior Editors are expected to have developed a comprehensive understanding of editorial roles and responsibilities and gained hands-on experience in academic publishing processes.
Selection process
Open Call:
The call is now open to all ESICM NEXT members (i.e. ESICM members < 38 years old) and will close on 8 June 2026.
Positions Available:
A total of 6 Junior Editor positions are offered per cycle:
Selection Body:
The selection is conducted by the ESICM NEXT Committee.
The selection will be based on transparent and comprehensive criteria (scoring system, see here). Gender and geographic balance are considered to ensure diversity and inclusivity. The selection follows the general ESICM fellowship evaluation process. After review of all applications, candidates are scored and ranked, and final appointments are made accordingly.
Each selected Junior Editor:
• Is assigned a dedicated journal tutor for guidance and communication.
• Is formally recognized as “ESICM NEXT Junior Editor” within the journal’s Editorial Board.
• Receives free entrance to one ESICM event (e.g., LIVES) during the training period.
The role will be appointed for three years.
Selection criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on a combination of academic background, motivation, and relevant experience.
Required application materials:
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Motivation letter
• Documentation of previous experience in:
▪ Editorial Boards and/or
▪ Scientific communication (e.g., podcasts, visual abstracts, social media, educational content)
A final score will be assigned based on ratings in five categories. After formal selection based on the criteria described here, selection by the ESICM NEXT committee also accounts for diversity considerations, ensuring appropriate gender and geographic representation. Each candidate will be evaluated anonymously in each sector by 2 independent NEXT Committee members. In case of candidates with equal scores, older candidates will be preferred.
The list of 10 top ranked candidates will be handled to Editors-in-Chief with related documentation for final selection based on affinity and suitability in the editorial role.
