SE: How can an umbrella organisation send a staff member on secondments when the staff member is hired by different organisations within the umbrella organisation?

The type of relationship between the seconded staff member and the sending organisation (i.e. employment contract, fellowship or other) is NOT relevant as long as:

− it complies with national law

− it complies with internal practices and

− during the secondment it confers legal authority on the sending beneficiary (or associated partner) that enables them to ensure compliance with the Grant Agreement obligations.

As regards staff having contracts with different entities within an umbrella organisation - if the umbrella organisation can justify that the fellow / staff member is assimilated to their own staff under national law or internal practices, then that individual can be considered as a staff member of the beneficiary and so be seconded.

If this is not the case, then the entity holding the contract may be added as an Associated partner linked to a beneficiary, provided the relevant conditions are fulfilled (legal or capital link – longstanding research agreement / collaboration going beyond the project duration).

SE: If the sending institution in a Staff Exchanges proposal is an ‘umbrella organisation’, that has many member organisations, does it suffice to be employed by one of the member organisations or does the term ‘engaged’ mean ‘employed by’ the umbrella organisation?

‘Umbrella organisations’ could not be suitable partners for Staff Exchanges projects. Problems may arise with the engagement or link of the staff implementing secondments and the impact in the organisations when they finish their secondments. It should be noted where those researchers are working - at the umbrella organisation or at their origin organisations and how the impact in the umbrella organisation will be measured.