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How to organise your external sabbatical

Are you eligible?

To be eligible to apply for a sabbatical you have to satisfy the following three requirements:

  1. You must be a young group leader, a senior lecturer or a professor,
  2. You must have the necessary level of funding to finance the extra costs associated with the sabbatical, and
  3. Your funding agency must approve of the use of their funds for the purposes of a sabbatical.

Do you have permission?

Before going too far in the organisation of a sabbatical it is necessary to seek the permission of your Unit head and, where relevant, other departmental leaders. As a general rule, you will need to be relieved of a number of responsibilities and duties in order to go on a sabbatical (that is teaching, working on committees, and such) and this needs to be discussed with those who will be most affected by your absence (that is course leaders, committee chairs, group members and such).

Choose the location of your sabbatical and organise the necessary infrastructure

This is usually a decision based on academic and family considerations. You will need to have a sabbatical host at the receiving institution that can provide the basic infrastructure for your stay (like office, internet, access card, and such) as well as the desired intellectual environment. Then there is the question of adequate housing and, if necessary, schools. The receiving host will often have good advice regarding the latter questions. Regarding schools, it will also be necessary to obtain the permission of your child’s school in Sweden before embarking on a longer leave of absence.

If your sabbatical abroad is longer than 6 months, draw up a URA contract with the university

For state employees stationed abroad, it is highly recommended that a URA contract (“utlandskontrakt”) is drawn up and signed. Our HR administrators will be happy to assist you in this process. Please contact them at the latest two months before departure. This contract specifies which costs will be covered by the university (your research grant) during the sabbatical and which employment benefits you will retain while abroad. It also specifies the level of insurance that applies to accompanying family members. The range of costs covered is broad and, in some cases, are pre-specified sums depending on the country chosen for the sabbatical. A selection of possible costs covered by the URA contract includes family travel costs, family removal costs, housing costs, and costs incurred due to the loss of income by an adult family member. The university has good information to assist in drawing up a URA contract.

Go on sabbatical!

Plan your trip and enjoy your sabbatical. This is an amazing opportunity to have undisturbed time to think, do research in peace, learn new methods and techniques and make new contacts and friends. It is also an absolutely marvellous experience for the entire family!

HR administrators

Sara Bengtsson
HR Administrator
Department of Biology

Telephone: +46 46 222 93 50
E-mail: Sara [dot] Bengtsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se

Izabella Kehlmeier
HR Administrator
Department of Biology

Telephone: +46 46 222 02 85
E-mail: Izabella [dot] Kehlmeier [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se

Ewa Kralik
HR Administrator
Department of Biology

Telephone :+46 46 222 79 21
E-mail: Ewa [dot] Kralik [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se