SE: Is teleworking during a secondment in the frame of a MSCA Staff Exchanges project allowed?

Once the fellow moved to the place where the hosting organisation is established, they are intended to be subjected to the same conditions of the staff of the hosting organisation. The MSCA financial guide foresee the following obligation towards the seconded staff (p. 16):

‘Ensure that the researchers enjoy at the place of the implementation at least the same standards and working conditions as those applicable to local researchers holding a similar position.’

Therefore, if national law or internal practice of the hosting organisation allows limited teleworking, this is not in contrast with Staff Exchanges rules, as long as the transnational mobility took place. However, the possibility of teleworking should be consistent with the type of tasks foreseen in the Grant Agreement and its annexes to be performed during the secondment.

PF: Could limited teleworking from abroad be considered a violation of the mobility rule and the fact that the project has to be carried out ‘on host institution premises’?

Teleworking from abroad is NOT permitted during the implementation of an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships project which must be implemented in the host country at the host institution.

However, teleworking within the host country CAN be permitted, where the nature of the project allows and where this is in line with the teleworking rules at the host institution. However, the principle remains that the researcher is supposed to be hosted at the premises of the host institution, therefore teleworking from the host country should only constitute a limited part of the fellowship.