Erasmus+ ICM
The Erasmus+ ICM programme enables UP employees to participate in a teaching assignment or a staff training at a partner university outside the EU. Requirements for participation in this mobility are, however, different from those relevant for the programme Erasmus+ Europe.
Mobilities with partner countries may be implemented based on an approved project. Applications are submitted on behalf of UP within the annual call for proposals (usually with the deadline 2 February) and are qualitatively assessed. The assessment concerns the project’s relevance (planned cooperation and mobilities) in the context of the overall internationalization strategy at UP as well as the partner institution: the project’s relevance to existing cooperation; administrative arrangements concerning mobilities and services for mobility participants; the benefit from an independent mobility; the impact of the project and the dissemination of the project results. Projects are approved for a maximum period of 36 months.
The proposals for prospective cooperation and realization of mobilities with partner countries should be sent to Mgr. Yvona Vyhnánková, the Office for Mobility, and have to be submitted by 15 January at the latest. In order to submit a particular proposal, use the form sent by Mgr. Yvona Vyhnánková.
Partner institutions call year 2022
Qualifying Conditions
There are two types of staff mobilities:
Staff Mobility for Teaching (Assignment) (STA) – educational activities of teaching staff at the receiving institution (lectures, doctoral student consultations, etc.) with a minimum length of 5 days – 8 hours of teaching activity.
Staff Mobility for Training (STT) – career development of academic and non-academic staff in the form of training at a partner institution with a minimum length of 5 days.
An employee going out on a teaching assignment stay must be employed at UP as a member of the academic staff. The workload and form of the employment contract are not decisive (employment contract, agreement to perform work (DPČ), agreement to complete an assignment (DPP)).
Applicants for STA have to undergo a selection procedure at their home department/faculty. Selection criteria are determined by the respective department/faculty and the criteria shall be transparent and fair. Compliance with the qualifying conditions and the appropriate course of the selection procedure are the responsibility of the particular workplace that is the coorinator of the respective project.
The workplace which is the investigator of the project shall always provide a record of the participant selection procedure for teaching assignment stays under Erasmus+, even if the workplace provides the opportunity for realization of the mobility to another workplace.
The “”Selection Procedure Report” has to be submitted to the Office for Mobility by 30 November for the following summer term, and by 30 June for the following winter term. Within the aforementioned deadlines, the coordinators responsible have to also submit information regarding the planned mobilities of incoming participants.
The minimum length of a mobility is 5 workdays (at a receiving institution); the maximum is 2 months (60 days). Days spent on travel are not included in the length of the mobility but they may be funded (a grant may be provided for one day of travel immediately preceding the first day of the mobility, and one day immediately following the last day of the mobility).
The minimum extent of the teaching required is 8 lessons per week (5 workdays); in case of a longer stay, the amount is increased for every day in the following way: 8 lessons / 5 x the number of days (i. e. 1.6 lessons per day).
During STA, the employee is required to conduct lessons in a previously agreed subject area in the form of lectures, seminars, practical training, or student consultations. Teaching should be part of the study programme at the receiving institution.
Funding
A financial contribution is provided exclusively for the days when a mobility participant conducts teaching activities – i. e. “mobility days”. The participant is also entitled to funding for travel days, specifically one day immediately preceding the mobility and one day immediately following the mobility. Based on the length of the mobility, possibly complemented with the travel days, the Office for Mobility calculates the sum to be granted for travel and subsistence costs.
The subsistence cost contribution for outgoing participants is stipulated as a lump sum of 180 EUR per day; from the 15th day of stay onward, it amounts to 126 EUR per day. The travel cost contribution is stipulated in accordance with distance bands. The total represents the maximum possible amount granted for a mobility that can be funded from the programme Erasmus+.
Czech legislation only enables remuneration of mobility costs in the form of travel reimbursement. Provisions regarding the lump sums therefore only refer to the maximum amount you need to fit in. The grant shall be paid (in the form of a Travel Order refund) based on actual expenses related to the particular mobility and based on submitted documents and receipts and a Travel Order. The mobility shall be arranged by the participant in a standard way in the form of a Travel Order at his/her home workplace.
Distances between Palacký University and the respective partner institution may be found at the website: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/distance-calculator
Before mobility
Mobility Agreement
Prior to travel, it is required to individually arrange the teaching programme with the partner institution, and prepare the Mobility Agreement form (hereafter MA).
The MA form must be fully filled and approved (signed) by all of the following parties:
- Mobility participant – the signature of a UP employee going out on a teaching assignment;
- Home institution – the signature of the Erasmus+ coordinator at the respective department or faculty who is the project coordinator.
- Receiving institution – the signature of the coordinator responsible for the mobility at the partner institution.
The MA and the teaching programme shall be provided in English.
The employee shall submit a fully filled and signed MA form to the Office for Mobility no later than 3 weeks before the planned departure for the stay abroad; he/she shall arrange an appointment in order to conclude the Participant Grant Agreement. The same applies to incoming mobility participants, who shall send their MA together with confirmation of valid health and travel insurance.
The planned mobility time means mobility days – the first and the last day of mobility are days when the employee is required to be present at the respective workplace, i. e. these are not “travel days”. If funding for travel days is required, please mark your request in the respective boxes. The funding is only provided for one day immediately preceding the first day of the mobility and one day immediately following the last day of the mobility.
If necessary, a fully filled out form bearing the signatures of all parties concerned can be submitted in the form of a high-quality scan.
Participant Grant Agreement
Prior to travel, the employee shall sign the Participant Grant Agreement, which stipulates the conditions applying to the mobility, in particular the source of funding, the period of stay and the extent of teaching. The agreement also defines the financial limits for the mobility.
Any changes to the individual details of the mobility, that might occur after the Participant Grant Agreement has been signed, have to be immediately reported to the ICM coordinator at the Office of Mobility and consulted.
The Participant Grant Agreement has to have been signed by both parties before going out on the mobility.
Travel Order
Prior to every mobility, one has to have a valid Travel Order for a Foreign Work Trip (hereafter TO) containing all the relevant information issued and approved. The TO must be filled out well in advance of the beginning of the mobility.
Concerning the employer’s duty to provide the mobility participant with funding no later than on the first day of the mobility, there has to be a travel advance provided.
More information on funding for the TO is available at your workplace. The TO costs will only be transferred to the workplace based on the Refund Request, following the closing and recognition of the TO and a final check of all the documents including the documents on the settlement of finances due or owed for the TO.
Within Erasmus+ ICM, the employee is entitled to a refund of pocket money from the Erasmus+ programme, as long as the expected expenses do not exceed the total lump sum of 180 EUR per day (which covers the entitlement to per diem, pocket money, accommodation and public transport costs).
In accordance with the UP provisions, one has to choose cost-efficient types of transport and accommodation.
A car can only be used upon prior approval from the Office for Mobility. In such a case, the amount refunded is equivalent to the cost of travel using the most economical public transport option based on a certificate issued/confirmed by an official transport provider.
The recognition of the TO requires submission of duly prepared documents. Scans of receipts must be legible. Individual receipts cannot be partially covered, must be legible (stamp, signature, amount and currency), and sorted according to the type of expense and currency. If the information is not obvious from the document or if it is issued in other languages than Czech or English, it has to be complemented with a description stating the type of expense.
Expenses such as purchases of literature, copying, entry fees for museums, libraries, etc. cannot be included in the TO. Faculties acquire separate funding for such expenses from the Erasmus+ programme.
Following the recognition of the electronic TO, it is to be printed out and submitted to the officer responsible for processing of TOs at the respective faculty; the officer shall be informed that the TO concerns a mobility within the Erasmus+ programme and a refund needs to be requested. A signed Participant Agreement must also be made available to the officer processing the TO for inspection.
Officers processing TOs/refunds under the Erasmus+ programme.
Visa
The employee going out on a teaching assignment stay is responsible for finding out about the visa requirements of the particular country and apply for a visa if necessary, concerning the particular type of mobility. If a Posting Certificate or a Letter of Invitation from a partner institution is required, please contact the ICM coordinator at the Office for Mobility and the coordinator at the partner institution.
Insurance
Insurance for medical expenses and liability insurance (coverage of damages caused by the participant at the place of the educational stay) is ensured within the Palacký University travel insurance.
Employees travelling outside the EU are obliged to register for the UP Insurance Policy with Mr. Jiří Zapletal via e-mail: zapletal@pmbohemia.cz.
If an employee fails to register for insurance prior to his/her travel, the employee will not be covered by this insurance nor indemnified in event of a claim and will not be retroactively admitted to the insurance. The required registration shall be done in advance of the travel and the following information shall be stated:
- First name and surname;
- Date of birth;
- Receiving country;
- Date of departure from the Czech Republic and arrival back (the travel period includes not only the days of the stay but also the return journey; for long-term stays where a precise date is not known, the month or return shall be stated);
- The UP organizational unit sending the worker.
Information concerning UP Insurance can be found here.
During mobility
While staying at the partner institution, the employee shall carry out the teaching or working plan approved in the Mobility Agreement.
It is required to adhere to the planned number of lessons to be conducted.
The employee is obliged to acquire a Confirmation of Teaching Assignment, which can be downloaded in the section Documents. The mobility period stated in the document has to correspond to that provided in the Participant Grant Agreement. The document shall be issued (signed) by the receiving institution on the last day of the mobility.
During the stay, the employee shall collect all relevant documents required for the recognition of the travel in relation to the travel order.
In case of any trouble, the employee shall immediately contact the coordinator from the partner institution and the Office for Mobility.
After Completing the Mobility
Confirmation of Teaching Assignment
It is the participant’s responsibility to obtain the Confirmation of Erasmus+ Teaching Assignment issued by the host institution at the end of his/her stay; its original shall be submitted to the Office for Mobility. This document cannot be accepted in the form of a copy or a scan.
The number of days/lessons confirmed by the partner institution has to be either equal to the number of days/lessons stipulated in the Mobility Agreement or higher. If the number of confirmed days/hours is lower, the amount of financing originally granted is reduced. The required minimum is 8 hours and 5 workdays in order for the mobility to be acceptable under ICM.
Final Report
The employee is required to fill in the Final Report in the form of an online questionnaire (EU Survey). After the stay has been completed, the employee is contacted via e-mail stated in the Participant Grant Agreement and requested to fill in the online questionnaire. The Final Report shall be filled in without unnecessary delay, no longer than 10 days after the mobility has been completed.
Recognition of the TO
The recognition of the TO shall be arranged by the employee at the home workplace no longer than 10 days after the mobility has been completed. The employee shall submit to the relevant officer all necessary documents related to accommodation, travel, etc.; the officer shall be informed that the TO concerns a mobility within the Erasmus+ programme. A signed Participant Grant Agreement must also be made available to the officer processing TOs for inspection. The officer instructs the employee about subsequent steps to be taken.
The employee submits the original of the confirmed form Confirmation of Erasmus+ Teaching Assignment to the ICM coordinator. This document is not part of the TO.
COVID-19 Instructions
Information related to UP travel insurance concerning COVID-19 can be found here.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilities under Erasmus+ can be planned and realized in the following forms:
In person – implemented in person at the partner institution in the full-time form (entitlement to receive the grant / access to the grant in the form of unit allowances).
Combined – partially implemented in person at the partner institution, partially virtually implemented (entitlement to the grant only arises for the part of the mobility implemented in person in the form of unit allowances; at present, only acceptable with student mobilities).
Online – implemented in person at the partner institution in an online form (entitlement to access the grant in the form of unit allowances). Implemented primarily in case of sudden pandemic circumstances and in other justified cases.
Virtual – Implemented virtually from the home institution (no entitlement to receive the grant).
The approval of mobilities falls within the scope of competence of the respective department which is the investigator of the particular project, and the Office for Mobility. This shall proceed in accordance with the UP Risk Management Plan and based on an assessment of the current situation and the potential of the partner institution. These are subordinate to a possible directive from the Government of the Czech Republic on the conditions of travel for university students and staff or a possible directive from foreign authorities.
In the event of force majeure, sworn statements and similar informal forms of confirmation cannot be accepted. In order to claim for costs arising from force majeure, it is required to gather all relevant documents since the commencement of preparation for the mobility. These documents must be demonstrable and verifiable.
A mobility participant shall document and prove that all possible precautions had been taken on his/her part in order to minimize the financial loss.
In order to ensure cost-efficient utilization of funding from an Erasmus+ grant, it is required to ensure minimization of possible losses with regard to any reasonably foreseeable risks, such as:
- Suitable insurance when purchasing flight tickets (free cancellation);
- Purchase of a flexible flight ticket (allowing rescheduling);
- Accommodation with payment “on the spot” rather than in advance, or the option of free cancellation.
COVID-19 Testing can be refunded under Erasmus+ only as long as the participant does not exceed the maximum lump sum provided for subsistence costs.
Please read the latest information related to COVID-19 and visa arrangements at the following links:
https://www.upol.cz/en/covid-19/
FAQ
Do I have to have a Travel Order for my mobility?
Yes. UP sends you on a foreign work trip within a mobility under Erasmus+, so you need to have a Travel Order for a foreign work trip.
Do I have to arrange any travel insurance?
Every UP employee going out on a work trip is automatically covered with the UP travel insurance. An employee going outside the EU is only required to register for a UP Insurance Policy with Mr. Jiří Zapletal at: zapletal@pmbohemia.cz.