Secondments

Secondment duration

During the course of an MSC ITN project, researchers that are recruited by the project’s beneficiaries can be seconded to other beneficiaries and/or to partner organisations for a duration of up to 30% of their recruitment period. Secondments must have a minimum duration of two weeks; they are to be distinguished from short visits, e.g. from training events or conferences. However, secondments may include training and conferences.

Employment relationship and payments

During their secondments, beneficiaries and researchers must keep their employment relationship, and beneficiaries must pay, besides the costs of salary, the researchers’ travel, subsistence (e.g. accommodation) and social security coverage.

These costs are solely based on the location of the recruiting beneficiary and are funded by the European Commission under the MSC ITN budget heading “institutional unit costs”. The location/country of the secondment has no impact on the level of the above costs.

Supervision and training

During their secondment, researchers receive supervision and training at the premises of the receiving beneficiary or partner organisation.

  1. When CERN seconds its own researchers (MSC Fellows) to another beneficiary, the CERN supervisor must ensure that the MSC Fellow undertakes the work as specified in the Grant Agreement (Annex I) and receives the necessary training by the hosting beneficiary.
  2. When CERN hosts researchers from another beneficiary at its premises, it must provide the necessary training and supervision of such researchers, in coordination with the relevant beneficiary.

Legal arrangements

1. Secondments CERN « Beneficiaries

For secondments of CERN MSC Fellows to beneficiaries, and of beneficiaries’ researchers to CERN, to perform CERN’s or the beneficiaries’ work under the project Grant Agreement, the signed Consortium Agreement and Grant Agreement are the legal basis for the secondment.

Thus, no dedicated legal arrangement will be concluded for secondments between CERN and the other Beneficiaries, except as when required by a Beneficiary, based on national/institutional legal reasons. In such exceptional cases, the standard Partnership Agreement should be concluded.

2. Secondments CERN « Partner Organisations

Partner Organisations are not signatories to the Grant Agreement and do not employ the researchers within the project. Partner organisations provide additional training and/or host researchers during secondments.

For secondments of CERN Fellows to Partner Organisations, the standard Partnership Agreement must be concluded. The standard Partnership Agreement has been established by CERN on the basis of CERN’s rules and regulations for secondments of CERN Fellows to a partner organisation.

3. Secondments other beneficiaries « Partner Organisations

Each beneficiary is responsible for concluding the necessary legal arrangement for the secondment of its own personnel to a Partner Organisation, based on the relevant national/institutional legal requirements under which a beneficiary operates. Such legal arrangement must include the IP regime, as well as the confidentiality and liability provisions set out in the Consortium Agreement.

The CERN Partnership Agreement template is made available to other beneficiaries at project Kick-Off meetings, and upon request.

4. Training and other events

For "stand-alone" training events, attended by all researchers with a duration of up to 2 weeks at CERN, no dedicated legal arrangement will be concluded.