Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Hardship funds

University of Zurich (UZH)

Advance payment

It is possible to obtain an advance payment for expenses to go to a conference, or a field trip and send the receipts afterwards. Costs of visa, covid tests and travel insurance as well as travel costs can be included in the advance.

PROCEDURE:

The payment can either be picked up in cash at the Main Cash Desk or can be paid to the bank account of the employee.

The following documents must be filled: Proposal form.

MORE INFORMATION:

Further details on eligibility and procedure can be found in the here. You can find more information regarding advance payments in this leaflet.

Childcare

Please get in touch with your supervisor regarding the costs of childcare, if he/she is willing to allow it as well.

Financial Support

Please get in touch with the HR department to clarify if an advance payment of the salary is possible. The Student Financial Aid Office could also be of help in this matter.

University of Geneva (UNIGE)
Advance Payment

An advance for the costs of travel in case of conference, workshop, etc. for your research can be asked, according to the UNIGE Memento. In case you need to travel professionally (within or outside of Switzerland), you can ask for an advance using the following link: Memento – UNIGE (the link is in French, as there is no official translation to English we could find)

CONDITIONS:

The beneficiary needs to justify their reason for an advance and give an estimate to the accounting department.

If the sum is lower or up to CHF 3’500.–, the application needs to be signed by the person responsible for the funds

If the sum is between CHF 3’501.– and CHF 5’000.–, the request has to be countersigned by the direct supervisor following directive 0069 (here)

If the sum exceeds CHF 5’000.–, the advance request must be countersigned by the Dean of the Faculty of the beneficiary, by the Rector for the Deans, members of the Rectorate and attached services, by the Vice-Rectors for the central administration.

Each expense must comply with the procedures in force at the University

The validity of the expense is attested by the beneficiary.

Each expense must be justified by an original receipt.

The original receipts have to be given to the accounting department no later than two weeks after the event.

There is a possibility to get reimbursed for childcare, you will find it here (again the link is in French).

Advance on salary

If you need an exceptional advance on your salary, you can ask for one once a year, the procedure can be found here.

LNDS Travel Grants

The PhD Program LNDS offers travel grants with three yearly deadlines and allows funds for travelling for conferences, workshops or advanced doctoral courses in Switzerland or abroad. Find more information here.

University of Neuchatel (UniNE)

UNINE has a social office, dedicated to helping students and PhDs with their struggles. One part of this office is dedicated to financial help. You can find it here. They can provide occasional assistance, help with medical costs or tuition costs, loan money, etc. There is a contact person at the bottom of the page, to whom you can address all your inquiries.

UNIL and EPFL

At EPFL, to get an advance on travelling costs, there is a form you can fill out, and visa fees, covid tests and travel insurance are all reimbursed. You can find a contact here. To see if childcare costs can be mitigated, you can get in touch with HR.

At UNIL, the university has a student association called FAE, with useful links to financial help in case of need. Moreover, the association ACIDUL, especially in place to help PhDs, postdocs and every member of the UNIL community with a temporary contract, also has a solidarity fund for PhDs in case of need. They can also help you in finding financial support at UNIL. You can find them here.

University of Basel (UNIBAS)
The university of Basel has a budget advice office that helps students and PhDs to set up a budget to try and prevent financial struggle. You can find them here.

This is a whole service dedicated to help in case of financial struggle, they can provide advice on:

possibilities for budget savings

where to find support at the university

applications for cantonal scholarships

applications to private foundations and funds

University of Fribourg (UNIFR)

The university of Fribourg has a financial support system in place for students and PhDs. You can get non-refundable financial help in case of hardship, and for foreigners, if you have been there for three semesters, you can also benefit from it. There is a form to fill out, you can find it here. All the information on financial aid can be found at this address: www.uni-social.ch.

Emergency childcare

NCCR members can all benefit from our emergency childcare policy: Emergency Childcare NCCR

Bottom-up measures

The NCCR is launching a call for bottom-up Equal Opportunity (EO) measures for EO activities proposed by NCCR members. This instrument is intended to support and finance EO activities proposed by NCCR members. In this way, the NCCR would like to offer the opportunity to its members to articulate their needs in the domain of EO and actively shape its EO program.

Please consult the NCCR budget guidelines for-eligible costs before submitting a proposal. We recommend you to opt for specific measures rather than a “package” of measures, as this reduces the likelihood of incurring non-eligible costs.

Conditions & Eligibility

Proposals can be submitted by all NCCR members (i.e. PIs, AIs, NCCR Researchers, and Internal Collaborators). The Steering Committee reserves the right to cut requested budgets depending on the total number of incoming applications. These amounts can be spent on any type of costs eligible according to the NCCR Budget Guidelines.

Application procedure

Grant applications have to be uploaded below by November 30, 2023. The application (max. length of 2 pages – excluding tables, illustrations, and references) does not need to adhere to any particular form. However, it should…

clearly state the object and purpose of the proposed EO measures (e.g. why the relevant measures are necessary and how they complement existing instruments inside and outside of the NCCR).
contain a project plan including (1) a budget, (2) a project implementation plan, and (3) a list of the people involved and their relevant tasks.

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by the Steering Committee based on the following criteria:

Feasibility
Impact
Complementarity to existing measures

Application form

Anonymous form

At the NCCR Evolving Language, we made the choice of inclusivity and are working towards an inclusive, equal and safe working environment for all. Your input would be extremely valuable to us. This form is strictly confidential.

Childcare During Events

During NCCR Events, a childcare solution is usually proposed to NCCR parents in need.

Workshops

The NCCR organises workshops on different topics pertaining to equal opportunities. NCCR members are welcome to suggest workshops ideas or roundtables subjects they would like to attend.

In 2023, a workshop on harrassment and power dynamics was successfully organised.

In 2024, as a follow-up on harassment and power dynamics, a workshop on best communication practices and how to diffuse conflict has been organised.

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Hardship funds

Advance payment

PROCEDURE:

MORE INFORMATION:

Childcare

Financial Support

Advance Payment

CONDITIONS:

Advance on salary

LNDS Travel Grants