Erasmus+ Staff Mobility

•  Allows UL teaching staff to teach at a partner university abroad. 
•  Can be in any subject area/academic discipline
•  Minimum of 8 hours teaching must be respected
•  Staff Mobility Teaching Agreement can be found here 

• Allows UL teaching and non-teaching staff to undertake job shadowing/observation or attend training events (excluding conferences) at a partner university or at another relevant organisation abroad. 
• A period abroad can combine teaching and training activities.
• Staff Mobility Training Agreement can be found here

• Staff members can complete a combination of teaching and training activities as part of their mobility.
• Minimum of 4 hours teaching must be respected.
• Staff members combining teaching and training activities should complete the Staff Mobility Teaching Agreement here.

In 2022/23, in the grant allocation for mobility of staff between Programme Countries, emphasis will be put on training periods for university teaching staff which allows for the development of pedagogical and curriculum design skills.

Staff undertaking training in this area can apply for a DELTA Scholarship, with further information available:

https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/resource-hub/enhancement-within-disciplines/erasmus-delta/

Erasmus+ DELTA is a new opportunity to engage with the existing Erasmus+ mobility programme for all staff who teach in Irish higher education.

DELTA stands for Disciplinary Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment and is a core concept of the work of the National Forum. This initiative is the result of a partnership between the National Forum and the Higher Education Authority, building on the success of the existing Erasmus+ mobility programme. Erasmus+ DELTA focuses on supporting the professional development of all staff who teach in Irish higher education, with a particular focus on the enhancement of teaching and learning within and between disciplines.

• Check with staff.mobility@ul.ie to see if funding is available. Funding is allocated on a first come basis. In order to maximise funding, the maximum duration is 5 working days excluding travel time.
• Identify the organisation you will visit and obtain permission from the organisation as well as your line manager. Discuss the type of activities you wish to undertake and create a programme of activities in collaboration with the host organisation.
• Complete the Staff Mobility agreement for Teaching or Training. Answer all questions in full and include a detailed programme of activities.
• The partner institution will sign your agreement, your line manager signs off on the quality of the agreement and grants permission to travel. Please do this at least 5 weeks prior to your intended travel date.
• Submit your fully signed mobility agreement to staff.mobility@ul.ie and UL Global will sign the agreement regarding the administrative requirements.
• Allow 10 working days for your contract to be issued.
• Read and sign your contract and submit to staff.mobility@ul.ie.
• 80% of your grant payment will be made within 10 working days of receipt of your signed contract.
• Keep your boarding cards and submit copies of these along with a signed and stamped Certificate of Attendance from your host to staff.mobility@ul.ie within 10 days of your return from teaching/training. Screenshots of boarding cards will suffice if no physical boarding cards were received.
• Complete the final report which you will receive via email from a Europa.eu email address.
• Your final grant payment will be made within 10 working days or receipt of all documentation.
• Once your final grant payment is made, you must complete the Acknowledgement of Grant Receipt form and return the completed form to staff.mobility@ul.ie.

Please check out the process map by downloading it here. 

You must register your travel as part of Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching or Training at the following website:

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/citizens-registration/

You should also read the travel advice for your destination country at the below link and follow all advice given:

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/

In the event of an accident/theft participants must obtain a police report in order to file a claim.

Information related to travel insurance is available at the following link:

https://www.ul.ie/buildings/services/insurance-service

Failure to register on the DFA website and follow the advice provided may result in difficulties in the event of an incident.

• Do you already have contacts at or an interest in a particular European institution?
• Is there a particular aspect of your role that you would like to develop through teaching/training/job-shadowing?
• Is there an institution with a specialism relevant to your role/ research interest?

If you are interested in completing an Erasmus+ EU Staff Training mobility, attending a Staff Week organised by one of UL's partner universities may be a good option.

Staff Weeks are usually designed to give an overview of the host university's institution and departments, while bringing together teaching and non-teaching staff to share ideas and potentially establish connections for future collaboration.

Many university Staff Weeks are advertised on the IMOTION website: http://staffmobility.eu/

Please note that individual Staff Week participation costs are not covered under Erasmus+, with participants eligible to receive a travel grant and daily subsistence grant only under the Programme.

UL faculty participating in Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching must ensure that the receiving institution is a university with whom the University of Limerick has a signed 'inter-institutional' agreement.

We would ask that you please check with UL Global prior to submitting your application to ensure the institution to which you are considering travelling holds a valid mobility agreement with UL.

Please note that as UL aims to ensure as many staff members as possible are afforded the opportunity to avail of staff mobility, a funded duration for staff mobility must be a minimum of 2 days (excluding travel) and a maximum of 7 days (including travel) at present.

UL faculty attending a partner institution as part of Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching must fulfil a minimum of 8 teaching hours per week during their mobility.

UL staff participating in Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training must ensure that the receiving institution/enterprise is either a university awarded with an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education or any public or private organisation such as:

• A small, medium or large enterprise (including social enterprises).
• A public body at local, regional or national level.
• A social partner or other representative of working life, including chambers of commerce, craft/professional associations and trade unions.
• A research institute; a foundation; a school/institute/educational centre.
• A non-profit organisation, association or NGO.
• A body providing career guidance, professional counselling, and information services.

As UL aims to ensure as many staff members as possible are afforded the opportunity to avail of staff mobility, a funded duration for staff mobility must be a minimum of 2 days (excluding travel) and a maximum of 7 days (including travel).

*Travel distance is calculated using the distance calculator supported by the European Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/tools/distance_en.htm).The distance of a one-way travel must be used to calculate the amount of the EU grant that will support the round trip.   

Incoming staff wishing to participate in Erasmus+ Staff Teaching or Training activities must be individually accepted by a staff member in the host department who is responsible for organising the teaching and/or training activities.

Acceptance is dependent on all parties in advance. The parties are:

• The participant.
• The sending institution.
• The host department at the University of Limerick.

Agreement for hosting staff members is dependent on:

• Agreeing in advance to the contents of the teaching/training plan.
• The timing of the mobility.
• The presence of a signed Erasmus+ inter-institutional agreement (mandatory requirement for Staff Mobility for Teaching).

Potential visiting staff members will need to contact the relevant department in the first instance, with contact details to be found at https://www.ul.ie/.