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Where industry expertise meets the decisions that depend on it.
The hub of Cognitive's expert ecosystem. Register to be matched with projects in your field, or connect with a validated expert who has already worked inside the market you are entering.
A report tells you the size of a market and where it is heading. It cannot tell you why a distributor is quietly dropping a product line, or whether a new rule will actually be enforced. That knowledge sits with people — and this portal is how we bring them into the research.
Expert validation is a layer of our proprietary ICEBERG methodology, alongside the survey and market layers. Every finding is cross-checked by domain specialists before it reaches a client.
Our experts are real, identity-checked practitioners — not personas, convenience panels or AI-generated respondents. That is why the network is validated, not just large.
Experts get engagements that respect their time and their employer's policy. Clients get profiles that have already passed four checks. One framework protects both.
Share what you know about your industry, on your own terms.
Incentives for every engagement you accept, plus rewards that grow with each project. You choose what suits you and when you are available, and every conversation is covered by an NDA.
Experience matters more than job title. If you understand how decisions are made in your industry, you qualify:
The form below takes about five minutes.
We confirm your background. Nothing is shared with a client yet.
A short call to map where your knowledge is deepest.
You sign the expert agreement and NDA.
Each states the topic, format and duration. Accept what suits you.
When a decision matters, data alone is not enough. We connect you directly with practitioners inside the market you are entering — screened, cleared and briefed on your question.
An analyst reviews your request and shortlists experts who match it, with a reason for each.
Credentials, a screening interview, a conflict-of-interest check and a relevance check against your brief.
Experts across six regions, with interpretation arranged where needed.
We can prepare the questions, moderate the call and send you a written summary.
Every engagement runs under NDA, and you can stay anonymous to the expert.
Combine expert calls with reports, surveys and Athenaeum AI — one partner, one methodology.
One-to-one calls, expert panels, surveys, data and forecast validation, advisory retainers and site visits — combined as the project needs.
Fill in the form below with your market and the question you need answered.
Cognitive matches your requirement to the right industry expert.
We set up the session around your calendar.
Organised by industry, sub-segment, function and geography — so you get a cold-chain specialist, not a general supply chain analyst.
Not listed? Send the brief anyway — we recruit to specification.
Clear boundaries protect everyone. Experts always know what they can discuss, and clients always know their insight was obtained properly.
Built into the methodology, not bolted on.
Expert validation is the Expert Layer of Cognitive's ICEBERG model, working alongside the survey and market layers. Every client also gets a dedicated analyst team, exclusive data copies and one year of post-delivery support.
Read our methodology and approachRegister as an industry expert and get paid for the judgement you have already earned. Or brief us on a decision and speak to someone who has made it before. Either way, you will hear from a person at Cognitive.
Free to join. No listing or placement fees, at any stage.
Tell us what you need and a Cognitive analyst will take it from there.
Need a market report alongside the expert calls? Mention it in your brief and we will scope both together.
It is a single hub with two doors. Industry professionals register here to join Cognitive's network of 10,000+ validated industry experts and get paid for consultations, surveys and advisory work. Enterprises, investors and consulting teams use the same portal to request a vetted subject matter expert for a specific market, technology or commercial question.
Professionals with hands-on experience in a defined industry, function or technology. That includes current and former executives, plant and operations heads, procurement and supply chain leaders, R&D and regulatory specialists, clinicians, distributors and channel partners, independent consultants and academic researchers with industry exposure, across 30+ industries.
No. Registration, verification and onboarding are free. Cognitive never charges experts a membership, listing or placement fee, and you are paid for the engagements you accept.
A Cognitive analyst reviews your request, confirms the screening criteria and matches profiles against your brief. Screened, compliance-cleared profiles are shared with a stated reason for fit, and scheduling follows as soon as you select one, with interpreters and multilingual moderation arranged where required.
Four screens: identity and credential verification, a domain screening interview with a Cognitive research analyst, a conflict-of-interest check, and a relevance screen against your specific brief. Only profiles that clear all four are shared. That is what makes the network validated rather than simply listed.
A report answers what the market looks like. An expert answers why it behaves that way and what it means for your decision, in the words of someone operating inside it. Most clients use both — the report for sizing, segmentation and forecasts, and expert calls to pressure-test assumptions and de-risk a market entry, sourcing or investment decision. You can scope both in one project.
Register as an industry expert and get paid for the judgement you have already earned. Or brief us on a decision and speak to someone who has made it before.
Register as an expert Request an expert