This page is being retained for information purposes only until this part of the "placements" website is restructured in 2024.

OUTGOING STAFF

NEWS: There will be no further calls for applicants.

The grant scheme was 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 was the last funded by the College, with over 20 staff funded to achieve their goals of undertaking a visit although the pandemic meant that only a handful were completed.

Erasmus+ required 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: 

Staff Mobility (Training) 1: A staff member in our Graduate School visited the Doctoral Academy at the University of Graz in November 2018 and remarked "This was a brilliant opportunity to exchange ideas about Graduate Teaching Assistant training and postgraduate development with a team of highly respected colleagues. During my stay I was invited to speak at the University’s High Noon lecture series, which is a forum for university teachers to discuss issues related to education. As a result of this trip, I have established a new network of colleagues working in my field, and I plan to invite one of them to speak at a future Perspectives in Education event at Imperial. I also took the opportunity to test some of our GTA courses on their doctoral students from a variety of disciplines at the University of Graz, which led to stimulating discussions about similarities and differences between higher education in the UK and Austria. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, not only the work-related aspects but also the chance to explore another university and city."
 
Staff Mobility (Training) 2: A staff member in our Disabilities Advice Service (DAS) visited University College Dublin (UCD) in April 2019 and remarked "My visit could not have come at a more tentative time for travelling to Europe, however I found out just before travelling that the deadline for Brexit had been delayed so I could travel with peace of mind!  I work for the DAS at Imperial College London providing one to one support for students. A full itinerary was drawn up for me for my two-day Erasmus+ Staff Training visit, and I would say that two days was not long enough as I had a very tight schedule.  As well as my visit to UCD I was also able to fit in a meeting with a member of the DAS of Trinity College Dublin. It was extremely valuable opportunity for me and I returned to Imperial College with insightful ideas for resources and ways of working. I was curious to find out that UCD has moved away from solely a one to one model of support to a comprehensive strategy which included tailored orientation programmes, promotion of inclusive technology for all, academic skills workshops, online resources and training for academic staff to provide support for students.I collected resources following my meetings with staff of the varying disciplines in the Access Centre for Lifelong Learning at UCD, and I have shared these with my manager and will deliver a short presentation of my perspectives to my team."

 

INCOMING STAFF

NEWS: Staff from countries that are "programme countries" of the Erasmus scheme might find that their employer (their university) will still consider funding staff traiining visits to "third countries" (the UK is now considered a "third country"). Therefore such staff can approach administrative departments at Imperial as to whether they can be hosted. The advice below is retained to be of assistance. However, the College does not advertise any such opportunities, and staff looking to be hosted at Imperial College must manage their expectations since demand for such visits is high.

  • 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 normally:

  • 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

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