IRO for Staff

There are various opportunities for staff members to actively participate in the internationalization of the university and to benefit from the services of the International Relations Office (IRO). Among other things, we offer support in the development of new international agreements, and we have financial resources to fund staff mobility in and beyond Europe for teaching and training purposes. 

 

  • International Agreements

    Professors and lecturers at the University of Fribourg can actively contribute to the development of the University's international relations.

    They can initiate partnership agreements (bilateral agreements with European universities or conventions with non-European universities), which

    • strengthen their contacts with colleagues at partner universities,
    • enable students to complete an exchange semester or a year abroad,
    • allow members of the teaching staff to be invited to partner universities.

    Partnership agreements that relate to a European university must be distinguished from those made with non-European universities as partnerships with European universities are usually concluded as part of the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP).

    Swissuniversities has developed guidelines for responsible international cooperation. These guidelines provide useful information on how to organize academic collaboration.

     

    • Partnership Agreements with European Universities

      Partnerships with European universities are established within the framework of the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP). On the one hand, this program offers students the opportunity to study for one or two semesters at a European university, and on the other hand it allows professors to establish collaborations and carry out short teaching stays abroad, invite colleagues for short-term teaching assignments, and host students for internships.

      A Bilateral Agreement functions as the basis of the staff or student mobility. It specifies the number of students and/or staff members, the education level required of the students, and the duration of the stay.

       Personal contacts among professors from both institutions are key to the success of a bilateral agreement.

      Key Elements

      • An agreement is established in a specific field of study.
      • The agreement may involve the mobility of both students and teaching staff.
      • The students’ level of education is specified (Bachelor's, Master's, and/or Doctorate).
      • All Unifr professors and senior lecturers (MER) can initiate an exchange agreement.
      • The successful conclusion of an agreement for staff mobility does not necessarily guarantee its funding. More information on this subject can be found under the SEMP Teaching Mobility tab.

      Procedure

      1. Verification of existing agreements

      Please check for a pre-existing partnership agreement with the desired university: Partner universities

      1. Contact at the partner university

      A contact with a professor at the desired university is recommended in order to create a solid partnership agreement for students’ and/or professors’ mobility.

      1. Request on MyUnifr

      To establish a partnership agreement, a request must be submitted through MyUnifr. The request should contain the following information:

      • Name of partner university,
      • Name and email address of your contact person at the partner university,
      • Type of mobility that is wished: students and/or staff,
      • Level of studies (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and/or PhD).
      1. Partnership contract

      IRO establishes the contract and shares it with the partner university.

      1. After the request has been submitted

      IRO is in charge of the follow-up and will let the professor know of any complications that may arise.

      Deadlines

      There are no specific deadlines to initiate an exchange agreement. Ideally, agreements involving student mobility should be established in October, so the students can benefit from it the following academic year.

       An exchange agreement for a teaching stay can be signed at any moment during the academic year, as long as the partner university allows it.

    • Partnership Agreements with non-European Universities

      This section is designed for professors who wish to formalize connections with colleagues abroad (outside the EU) and enable mobility for their students during their studies at Unifr. It is horizontal mobility, meaning that the students remain enrolled at their home university, and their degree will be delivered by their home university. The aim is to acquire a limited number of credits from the partner university in accordance with a program approved before the student’s departure.

      The International Relations Office is the main contact at the University of Fribourg for all information concerning the preliminary stages, management, and monitoring of such projects.

      The template of a partnership agreement can be downloaded here. This document has already been approved by the Rectorate to expedite the procedure.

      Whether the candidates come from inside or outside the EU does not change the way in which their applications are processed.

    • Unifr’s Partner Universities
  • Teaching Mobility funded by SEMP

    As part of the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP), professors and instructors from Unifr can teach at partner universities and host colleagues from partner universities. They can receive financial support from the Swiss European Mobility Programme, funded by the Swiss Confederation.

     Conditions for outgoing and incoming teaching mobility

    • Staff mobility for teaching must be specified in the exchange agreement with the European partner university (see “Partnership Agreements with European Universities” in “International Agreements”).
    • The teaching stay must last a minimum of 2 days (excluding travel days) and a maximum of 8 weeks.
    • Professors must teach at least 8 hours per stay, or per week if the stay is longer than one week.
    • Participation in a conference is not considered as teaching and can therefore not be supported by SEMP.
    • A teaching programme for the stay (Mobility Agreement) must be defined in advance (see procedure below).
    • Both outgoing teaching staff from the University of Fribourg and their incoming colleagues from partner universities can receive financial support, provided that the annual SEMP budget allows it.
    • The amount of the subsidy depends on the duration of the stay. Regardless of the country in which the partner university is located, the grant is set to CHF 170 per work or travel day (CHF 80 from the 15th day onward). Travel costs are refunded up to a maximum of CHF 500, and participation in the purchase of a half-fare or GA pass is not possible.
    • Even if staff mobility for teaching is specified in the partnership agreement, it is not funded automatically, and an application must be submitted every time.

    NEW: In the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic years, teaching stays outside of Europe can also be funded through the SEMP program, provided that an exchange agreement with the partner university already exists. The conditions and the amount of financial support remain the same as for mobility within Europe, with the exception of the following points, which apply to worldwide stays:

    • The stay must last a minimum of 5 days, excluding travel days.
    • Travel expenses are reimbursed up to a maximum of CHF 1’300.

    Procedure for Teaching Mobility

    Description of the procedure for OUTGOING mobility for teaching in French and German.

    Application & deadline

    Applications for funding for staff mobility for teaching can be submitted online via MyUnifr in the section “Enseignement/Unterricht.”

    Applications for staff mobility in 2025/26 must be submitted to IRO by October 1, 2025. Applications submitted after this date can only be considered if sufficient budget is still available and if the application is submitted at least one month before the beginning of the teaching stay.

    Please note: During the academic year 2025/26, incoming teaching stays from European universities can be funded by SEMP again.

     

  • Staff Mobility for Training funded by SEMP

    Staff members of the University of Fribourg who wish to undertake further training (continuing education) abroad can apply for financial support from the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP).

    The International Relations Office (IRO) and the University's Human Resources Service recommend taking advantage of this opportunity, as completing further training in an international context provides valuable professional input and promotes the internationalization of the University.

    NEW: in 2024/2025 and 2025/26, continuing education outside of Europe (worldwide) can also be funded by SEMP.

    IRO will gladly answer any questions you may have: international-outgoing@unifr.ch

    • Conditions

      IRO and the Human Resources Service have defined the 3 following conditions for staff members who wish to apply for SEMP funding for continuing education in or beyond Europe:

      1. The stay must be approved by their hierarchical superior.
      2. International perspective: the employee must explain how the desired continuing education abroad represents an asset. How does this international experience benefit their own work and department?
      3. Their department must be prepared to welcome an incoming instructor who wishes to pursue continuing education at Unifr (such requests are rare).

      The Swiss European Mobility Programme imposes the following conditions:

      • The host institution must be a university or a private or public institution involved in education, research, and/or training, and it must be located in a SEMP-program country (list).
      • The training must last a minimum of 2 days (excluding travel days) and a maximum of 8 weeks.
      • The following are recognized as training: (language) courses, job-shadowing, workshops, and participation in staff weeks (). Participation in conferences is not considered as training.

      NEW: In the 2024/2025 and 2025/26 academic years, mobility for training (continuing education) taking place outside of Europe (i.e., not in one of the SEMP-program countries) can also be funded by SEMP. The conditions and the amount of financial support remain the same as for mobility within Europe, with the exception of the following points, which apply to worldwide stays:

      • The stay must last a minimum of 5 days, excluding travel days.
      • Travel expenses are reimbursed up to a maximum of CHF 1’300.

       

       

    • Financial Support

      Financial support consists of a daily allowance of CHF 170 (CHF 80 from the 15th day onward) for each training and travel day (outward and return journey), plus the refund of travel expenses. Travel expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of CHF 500 (or CHF 1’300 for stays outside of Europe).

      The yearly budget for staff mobility is limited. Applications that meet all the conditions can only be supported if sufficient funds are available.

    • Procedure to submit an application
      1. Submit your application via the MyUnifr Portal (in French: RH > Formation et Développement > Formation continue en Europe / in German: HR > Bildung und Entwicklung > Weiterbildung in Europa)
      2. IRO examines the application and will endeavor to distribute funding among different departments.
      3. When a request is accepted, IRO informs the Human Resources Service, who verifies the need to establish . If such an agreement is needed, Human Resources inform the applicant.
      4. IRO confirms to the applicant that financial support has been granted. A month before the training, IRO sends the applicant the documents to be completed before, during, and after the training via MyUnifr (see Mobility procedure below).
    • Mobility Procedure

      Here is a step-by-step description of the procedure for staff mobility for training in French and German.

    • Deadline to Submit an Application

      Funding for continuing education is limited and tied to the academic year. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible, and at least 1 month before the start of your stay.

      Apply via the MyUnifr Portal (in French: RH > Formation et Développement > Formation continue en Europe / in German: HR > Bildung und Entwicklung > Weiterbildung in Europa)

    • Staff Weeks

      A Staff Week is a training week organized by universities for staff members from other universities. Staff Weeks are often aimed at international-relations staff, but there are an increasing number of offers for staff members from other departments.

      The following website presents the Staff Weeks offers.

  • Research Stay in Jerusalem
  • International Cooperation in the Field of Education

    There are various funding options for international cooperation projects within the framework of Erasmus+. Swiss universities can participate in these Erasmus+ cooperation partnerships, but they must choose between official participation funded by Erasmus+ or associated participation with funding from Movetia, the Swiss Foundation for Exchange and Mobility.

    Further information can be found on the Movetia website.

  • AcrossEU Virtual Coffee Break for Staff Members

    The Virtual Coffee Breaks proposed by AcrossEU are informal virtual short meetings between members of AcrossEU universities to discuss  selected topics. The goal of these meetings is to exchange in English with colleagues from partner universities and get to know more of each other during a relaxing moment.

    Every first Friday of the month at 1pm, duration: 30 minutes. Don’t miss the promotional video on https://acrosseu.unicaen.fr/acrosseu-virtual-coffee-break/