OUTGOING STAFF

NEWS (3 November 2021) : There will be no further calls for applicants. The information below will be retained for reference only, and until the College concludes its present Erasmus project.

The grant scheme is normally open to all Imperial College employees (with the exception of those who are also students of the College), with the support of their line manager.

The 2019-20 call for applications has closed, and the College is supporting over 20 staff to achieve their goals of undertaking a visit although this is being made very difficult as you might imagine by the current pandemic.

However, for insight (in case the College can participate in this activity in the future) we have retained the Information Sheet - Erasmus+ Staff Training Grants (2019-20) (including scope and eligibility of a visit; how to apply; value of grants; plus perspectives from previous participants)

Queries can be addressed to a.hawksworth@imperial.ac.uk

Erasmus+ requires visits to be structured (approved by all parties ahead of travel), for participation to be recognised in some way by the College as part of the employee's personal development, and for the visit to support the College Strategy. They have proved to be excellent opportunities for staff to broaden their knowledge and horizons and for the College to support staff in obtaining international experience, especially those holding more junior positions. 

Past visits have included:

• a communications officer attending a week-long Erasmus labelled workshop in Austria.
• a senior research fellow being hosted by a pharmaceutical company in northern Spain.
• an events manager visiting an alumni team at a university in Sweden.
• an international student support advisor visiting a similar team at a university in northern Italy.
• careers advisors who have visited HEIs and businesses in France and the Netherlands.
• research associates and academic staff who have visited research institutes in a variety of countries.
• a postgraduate administrator attending language training in France (part funded).
• a research associate who attended a summer school (part funded).
• a post-doctoral research associate visited an industrial location in Toulouse
• a research technician who attended a training course at a company in Germany.
• international relations staff who have attended various training and networking events in various countries.
• a teaching fellow made a networking visit (focusing on the use of postgraduates as teaching assistants) to a university in Austria.

FOCUS: 

If you are interested in a more "local" work-shadowing scheme, the Outside Insight scheme may be of interest (but please note that the Erasmus Co-ordinator cannot assist with enquiries for this other scheme)

INCOMING STAFF

Training activities may involve Imperial College as the host. Staff of other universities (non-UK and must be located in an Erasmus Programme country) are welcome to find their own host at Imperial, i.e. make direct contact with staff (sections/departments), but they should refer to the rules of participation (selection etc) provided by their home university. Please note that the College receives many such requests and can only accept a few each year.

• Training: minimum 2 days and ordinarily a maximum of a working week.
• Any grant to the mobile participant which may be available is ordinarily administered by the participant's home university.

Caution: Departments at Imperial College, like any other university, are extremely busy, and a member of staff of another institution might improve their chances of receiving a favourable response by taking note of the following:

• Do your research about Imperial College London before emailing us: Obvious? Yes, but it is surprising how many emails we receive where staff from other institutions do not do their research. So, please identify the department (or specific section within a department) - using the College's extensive website - to whom you wish to address your request. Identify a specific member of staff to address your query to (the lead administrator for a section may be the best person to contact as they may have experience of such requests). Remember that the admin structure at you home institution may be different to Imperial College and you need to be sure that you are contacting the right section (section titles may be different; different scope of work etc). It probably helps if you are following up on existing contacts (made via conferences; via institutional networks; introductions from senior staff perhaps; or perhaps you have hosted someone from Imperial previously), so as to avoid appearing like a cold-caller.
• As you may imagine, organising such visits requires a lot of time and attention on the part of the host department/section (even though we know that you would take care of your own accommodation requirements). Therefore, think very carefully about what you are asking your potential host to provide. Think also about what it is that you are offering your host. What makes you an interesting individual to our staff? Such visits need to be reciprocal in terms of content/aims.  You have to convince your potential host that you are somebody worth hosting (devoting time to), someone that they could learn from/exchange ideas with/develop a relationship with. Help the person who reads your request by being as clear as possible as to why you are contacting them. Provide the reader of your email with really good reasons to pass you request to a relevant colleague for consideration.
• The section/dept you contact may be "international" and outward looking in their mode of operation and perhaps is used to such requests (but perhaps as a result obtaining a visit is very difficult), or perhaps you are contacting a section/dept who are not used to such approaches (perhaps are even surprised to be asked). 
• It is advisable to request a short visit (2 or 3 days). Perhaps the visit could be for the afternoons or mornings only, over 3 or 4 days perhaps. Of course, it is entirely up to the potential host dept/section as to what they agree to, if anything. We suggest a short duration so that perhaps your request appears more managable to whoever reads your email.
• Visits that seek to include several meetings/discussions with more than one section or a variety of staff may on the one hand be more difficult to arrange for the person considering your request; however, on the other hand, they would help spread the load here. It is for you to suggest a structure to the visit, and hopefully for the dept/section you contact to respond favourably while suggesting alternatives.
• Be prepared to find that your suggested dates are not to the host dept's liking, and to be flexible about other dates. 
• Be prepared, naturally, for a negative response. 
• If Imperial College is an unknown factor to you then perhaps you would be better advised to seek a visit to an institution that has exisiting links with your own university. 
• Please do not email your request to the College's Erasmus Co-ordinator as he will only advise you to contact a department/section directly.

If a member of staff of another institution is successful in obtaining a host (department/section) at Imperial College then the host department/section should kindly assist the person to be hosted to complete the paperwork involved (i.e. it does not need to be referred elsewhere within Imperial College), which is:

• a formal invitation in advance of the visit. Use a template tri-parite training plan/agreement provided by the person to be hosted.
• obtain a copy of their passport (ID page and any relevant visa page) upon arrival.
• at the end of the visit provide a letter confirming attendance (perhaps using a template provided by the person to be hosted).

For further information please email a.hawksworth@imperial.ac.uk

Also:

• A combined visit covering the minimum requirements of a teaching visit plus training activity can also be considered.
  
• Any grant to the mobile participant which may be available is ordinarily administered by the participant's home university.
• All participants are required to complete an on-line questionnaire for their home country's national Erasmus agency at the end.