The ERA-SHUTTLE project will implement temporary secondments of R&I talents between academic and non-academic, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and talent circulation.

These secondments will be tailored to the specific needs of the participants, focusing on improving transferable, entrepreneurial, and research skills. Enriched with capacity-building activities, such as training and workshops, the secondments will support the development of R&I capacity in home institutions.

Below is a summary of the application process:

1. Eligibility and Verification

Use the following step-by-step guide to verify that you are eligible for a secondment:

  1. You are a researcher or a research manager formally employed at one the partner Universities
  2. You have been employed for at least 6 months (within the said University as per point 1) prior to the application for secondment
  3. You have discussed your secondment with your line manager/head of Department and obtained their provisional approval
  4. You have drawn the concept note of your secondment, proposing the objectives and key words pertaining to your field of research/training.

2. Select the host institution

Based on the concept note you provided at the eligibility check stage, you will be assisted in finding the host institution for your secondment.

The ERA-Shuttle project provides an opportunity to be seconded to the following project partners:

Steinbeis Wissens Und Technologietransfer GMBH

Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium (CERIC-ERIC)

Association of European Science & Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP)

3. Familiarise yourself with the Secondment Agreement template

ERA-Shuttle project manager will provide you with the template for the secondment agreement. Your role is to familiarise yourself with the text of the agreement and discuss anything that you would like to clarify. 

Familiarise yourself with an example of the secondment plan that will be attached to your secondment agreement.

4. Write a Secondment Plan for your Future Host

After you have selected your host institution and agreed on the approximate dates of secondment, you can go on to:

  1. Finalise your Secondment Plan (to be attached to the Secondment Agreement);
  2. Review the Secondment Agreement between the University you are coming from , yourself, and the institution hosting you;
  3. After the Secondment Agreement is signed, you will be contacted by the ERA-Shuttle Project Officer to arrange your travel and subsistence modalities.

5. Request your home University to apply for A1 certificate

The European Union has defined a set of regulations (EU regulation 883/2004) on the coordination of social security systems in the EU and EFTA Member States, which was put in force in 2010.

The EU regulation defines rights and rules for posted workers, who are employees in an EU or EFTA Member State and sent by their employers to carry out a service or seconded to another EU or EFTA Member State on a temporary basis.

The EU regulation requires posted workers to carry an A1 certificate with them at all times. This document certifies the social security situation of the secondee.

As secondees will not form part of the host institution’s  social security coverage, they have to comply with their national social security laws that are applicable to them. In particular, they have to carry an A1 certificate with them at all times when travelling to and while at the host institution in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, and Germany.

The A1 certificate should be requested by the employee (the secondee) from the employer (the home institution).

Submission Deadline: