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International mobility (internships)
of doctoral students/studentemployees
of the RECETOX Centre
DSP – EnvironmentAL Health SCIENCES
RECETOX Centre, update: 02/08/2021
1. Basic principles
Doctoral studies are an important decision by which the student, supervisor, and department make a
commitment to support one another in fulfilling the goals of the doctoral project.
The study rules of the Environmental Health Sciences doctoral study programme are set in these directions as
described the propositions [www], study progress requirements [www] and general doctoral study rules in
the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University [www].
In the RECETOX Centre, there are also rules for funding and employment in the director’s measure Financial
conditions for students of the RECETOX Centre’s doctoral programme [www].
The standard and preferred form of doctoral studies is full time, supplemented by an employment relationship
with the RECETOX Centre. The student is usually expected to devote at least normal working hours, i.e. 40 per
week, to all obligations arising from the doctoral studies.
2. Doctoral studies and funding
RECETOX Centre employees actively support doctoral students’ involvement and the implementation of
doctoral research, primarily
a. via funding the direct research costs (provision of infrastructural capacity, instruments,
research materials, etc.);
b. in the form of scholarships;
c. by employing students full time (usually 20 hours per week), including the full provision of
employee benefits and equipment.
As part of the employment, which is usually paid in full or in part from the supervisor’s/department head’s
project resources, the doctoral student performs activities leading to the output necessary for the completion
of the dissertation, and devotes themselves to the dissertation research topic. In this respect, the employment
is a synergistic complementary addition to the completion of the doctoral studies.
As part of his/her professional development (gaining experience with grant preparation, participation in
teaching, etc.), the doctoral student proactively seeks and looks for opportunities to obtain additional sources
of funding, both for their own research (student grants, awards), and for other related activities - e.g. grants
supporting participation in congresses, or grants and scholarships for the support of international mobility.
3. Doctoral studies and international mobility (internship)
An internship abroad is a key activity in doctoral studies, and one which develops both the student and the
home department (RECETOX) and university. During the internship, the doctoral students gain international
experience, thanks to which they gradually become an independent researchers. Thereby, the international
mobility is considered a joint and generally advantageous investment, the arrangement of which, including
finances, involves both the department/faculty and the student.
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We can distinguish two types of mobilities - mandatory and additional.
3.1 Mandatory mobility
The doctoral student’s obligation to gain international experience as part of the completion of their
studies/dissertation is also legislatively required in Government Regulation no. 274/2016 Coll., on
standards for accreditation in higher education. This requirement is achieved primarily in the form of
a longer stay abroad of at least 1 month, or via alternative fulfilment.
3.1.1 30+ day mobility
This is the preferred variant for a trip abroad for a doctoral student, serving to fulfil both
the doctoral student’s study obligations. Also, longer mobilities are the budget indicator*,
which is reported to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and used during budgeting
within the Masaryk University.
*Internships longer than 14 days are reported to Masaryk University and the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Sport; trips lasting 30+ days are positively included in faculty and
institution budgets.
In experimental research fields, a longer internship period (several months, a semester,
etc.) may be more appropriate.
3.1.2 Alternative fulfilment
Other forms of fulfilment of the mobility obligation are not excluded (e.g. a combination of
several shorter stays, or participation in an international project); nevertheless, these are
exceptions that must be justified by the programme type, dissertation topic, or the doctoral
student’s specific life situation. Upon the student’s request, an exception from the 30+ day
mobility obligation is individually assessed and approved by the PhD board and the faculty’s
vice-dean.
As part of this mandatory mobility, the students devote themselves to activities connected with their
dissertation research, or broader scientific development in an area connected with the dissertation
research. Ideally, the student will use the results from the internship directly in the dissertation.
The completion of an internship with a different goal and activities (for example development of
methodological skills or general scientific competencies, research in directions other than those
directly connected with the dissertation topic, etc.) is only possible in exceptional circumstances, and
after careful consideration by the doctoral student and the supervisor/department head.
3.2 Additional mobility variants – other purposes
Shorter stays abroad (<14 days) usually fulfil different goals such as presentation of results at
conferences, international networking, training activities, etc. The implementation of these shorter
stays, either paid by the department or the student themselves, is the responsibility of the student, in
collaboration with the supervisor and the head of the department. These trips are not usually included
in mandatory mobility (see above).
RECETOX Centre, update: 02/08/2021
3.3 Requirements for host institutions
The strategic connection of host universities with the RECETOX Centre/faculty is of importance for the
support of internships abroad (both mandatory and additional).
The Centre/faculty primarily offers financial support to internships in institutions abroad with which
they are building long-term partnerships (implementation of joint international research grants, etc.)
and at high-quality universities abroad (Top 300 according to international rankings).
Conversely, ad hoc additional mobilities to other (albeit attractive) locations are assessed more as the
student’s personal interest, and financial support may not be provided by the RECETOX Centre,
particularly if there is a lack of funds.
4. Mobility planning
4.1 Planning procedure
1. The doctoral student prepares an International Mobility Plan with the supervisor/department
head. It is advisable to draw up the plan (at least think over and plan out a framework) during the
beginning of the studies. When drawing up the plan, the principles described in this document
should be taken into consideration.
When compiling the plan, the following auxiliary materials will come in useful:
 PhD student International Mobility Plan - cost calculation [www].
 Documents of the Faculty of Science regarding trips by PhD students during concurrent fulltime
study and employment; suggesting also suitable solution for the specific trip within the
set framework [www].
2. The doctoral student consults the internship, as necessary, with:
a. the Centre’s study administrator (and/or ERASMUS+ coordinator) - in relation to
confirmation of the Learning Agreement, recording of mobility, etc.
b. the Centre’s Human Resources Department - in relation to general resource combination
rules, trip orders, employment, etc.;
c. the organiser and coordinator of the project(s) from which the employment is paid - in
relation to the project’s conditions,
d. or other specialists.
3. The doctoral student completes the necessary steps from the plan – e.g. application for external
funds, creation of a business trip order, temporary employment contract modifications, recording
of the trip in IS and ISOIS, etc.
The mobility parameter (the plan and its fulfilment) is monitored in the RECETOX Centre as part of the annual
evaluation of PhD students.
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4.2 Mobility plan content
As part of the mobility plan, the student and the supervisor think through the following internship
parameters (note: the points below primarily concerns the fulfilment of mandatory mobility):
a. The internship’s purpose and goals in relation to the research topic, relevance, and the doctoral
student’s developmental needs
b. Expected period (specific/foreseen semester or a specific schedule)
c. Duration and consequent type of reported mobility (in accordance with point 3)
d. Internship location/host department (in accordance with point 3.3)
e. Financial balance sheet – estimated cost plan for the trip in a detailed structure - travel expenses,
accommodation expenses, etc.
f. Proposed method of financial securing of costs – see below
4.3 Financial security
When planning the methods by which the internship will be paid, consideration is given to the principle
that the internship is in the interest of both the student and the university, and both should also
participate in covering the costs.
At the same time, it is necessary to prevent double funding, the non-eligible costs, incompatible resource
combinations, etc.
If the doctoral student has a concluded labour-law relationship (contract of employment, etc.) with
Masaryk University (or another employer – e.g. the Czech Academy of Sciences), then the compatibility of
the trip with the content of the employment must be taken into consideration, and a business trip, unpaid
leave, etc., must be planned.
The decision-making mainly includes the consideration of the following questions and parameters:
1. What are the funding options?
a. What external sources are/will be obtained by the doctoral student? (e.g. ERASMUS+,
government scholarships, subsidies, other ”grant“ resources, etc.)
b. What resources will be provided by Masaryk University/ faculty (e.g. faculty resources for
supporting student mobility, scholarships, the doctoral student’s projects)
c. What are the needed internal resources of the department (e.g. supervisor’s grants, student’s
grant, RECETOX Centre scholarships)
2. What are the conditions for combining different sources and forms of funding?
a. From the point of view of the resources used: am I an employee or a student? (In some cases,
the type of trip determines the source, e.g. the application of funding from some Erasmus+
sources (in particular a "study ERASMUS+ stay") cannot be combined with a business trip).
b. In what way will the labour-law relationship (contract of employment, etc.) for the period of
the trip be set: will it be necessary to create a trip order, take unpaid leave, change the salary
funding source, etc.?
c. How is the trip compatible with the project which the student is now working on in terms of
activities, obligations, and project conditions?
RECETOX Centre, update: 02/08/2021
d. How to combine funding within the scope of the trip order with “co-funding” by another
source?
Funding compatibility is specified in a document of Faculty of Science - PhD student trips during
concurrent full-time study and employment [www].
5. Mobility records
The student ensures that the stay abroad is recorded in advance, so that the planned stay abroad is
formally and correctly recorded in the university systems, IS MUNI and ISOIS, and can be correctly reported
and recognised (namely internship abroad requirement as part of PhD studies – fulfilment of XD110; or
reporting of mobilities as a budget indicator, etc.).
Every stay abroad longer than 14 days MUST be recorded in the IS, regardless of whether the student
wants the stay to be recognised! We highly recommend that all stays, including conferences, are formally
recorded in IS MUNI.
The instructions below describe the procedure in brief, they may be updated over time according to
university rules; you’ll find the most up-to-date instructions on the SCI MUNI website [www].
5.1 Before leaving for a stay abroad
1. The student creates a record of the stay in IS MUNI – Student section, Internships and Stays
application. Instructions here. They upload a contract/document relating to the stay to the
stay record. E.g., for Erasmus+, this means the Learning Agreement and Training Agreement;
in other cases the Training Agreement or Acceptance letter.
2. The student creates an application form in ISOIS* - https://isois.ois.muni.cz/cs/outgoing-
application/application/
*IS MUNI is primarily used for record-keeping. If the student is travelling outside of programmes administered by
Masaryk University, and which cannot be recorded in the ISOIS system, then they only create a record in IS MUNI.
5.2 After returning from a stay abroad
3. The student uploads a document confirming the successful completion of the stay
(Confirmation of Placement Period) in the stay record in IS MUNI.
4. If the student wants the stay abroad to be recognised as the subject of an XD110 Work Stay
Abroad, then after inserting the stay record documents in IS MUNI, they submit an application
for recognition of an XD110 subject via this record. Instructions here [www].
Information on the recognition of internships abroad on the faculty website [www]
General information on stays abroad on the CZS website [www] or [www]
*In addition to this general “Record-keeping” procedure, the student must also fulfil other requirements connected, for example,
with the granting of the specific type of scholarship (recording of documents from the trip, etc.).
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6. Useful information and links
SCI MUNI website [www]
Faculty of Science, Masaryk University trip methodology during concurrent study and employment [www]
Overview of trip options on the Centre for International Cooperation (CZS) [www] or [www]
List of valid contracts (for Erasmus+ study stay/employee educational mobility, etc.) [www]
TOP 300 world universities (QS ranking) [www]
Faculty of Science scholarships [www]
Faculty of Science mobility support methodology (programme A.6) [www]
PhD student International Mobility Plan - cost calculation [www]
Faculty of Science PhD student trips during concurrent full-time study and employment [www]
Business trips instructions and manual [www]
7. Important contacts
RECETOX Centre
HR Department – Jana Vičarová, jana.vicarova@recetox.muni.cz
Study Administrator – Tereza Nováková, tereza.novakova@recetox.muni.cz
RECETOX Intranet/Study [www]
Faculty of Science
Office for Doctoral Studies, Quality, Academic Affairs and Internationalization [www]