Portuguese sunshine, Atlantic breeze, and exceptional opportunities for scientific growth — these are just some of the experiences offered by the SEA-EU research secondments.
As part of the Early Career Researcher programme, scientists who have obtained their PhD within the last seven years have the opportunity to undertake a several-week research secondment within one of the research groups at the universities belonging to the SEA-EU alliance.
The period following the completion of a PhD is a crucial stage in an academic career — a time for gaining independence, developing one’s own research, and building a scientific identity. The Early Career Researcher initiative provides an opportunity to make the most of this phase by developing competencies in an international environment.
Early Career Researcher is a funding programme supporting international research secondments at one of the SEA-EU partner universities. Participants may receive support for stays lasting from 10 to 60 days, to be completed by 31 August 2026. The initiative is addressed to UG employees who are academic teachers and who have obtained their doctoral degree within the last 7 years.
Participation in the initiative offers not only a chance to gain new skills but also to broaden one’s perspective through the experience of working within a foreign research group. Collaboration with researchers from SEA-EU universities is an investment in the future — in the development of contacts, projects, and academic careers. For the past six years, the alliance has supported various forms of cooperation among the staff of nine coastal universities, and its continuation as a strategic project has been secured regardless of external funding.
List of available secondments
🌍 EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Secondment: Paleoclimate Modeling (Kiel)
Secondment at the Arctic Research Group: Environment and Societies (Bodo)
⚖️LEGAL STUDIES
Secondment: International Law of the Sea and Climate Change (Kiel)
💻COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Secondment: Machine Learning and/or Remote sensing applications in Agricultural Economics (Kiel)
Secondment: Computer Science Education Research (Kiel)
⚗️CHEMICAL SCIENCES
Secondment: Photochemical Tools for the Selective Skeletal Editing of Organic (Kiel)
🧠BIOMEDICAL AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES
Secondment: The neural mechanisms of speech production (Algarve)
💼 ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
Secondment: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy in Business Development (Bodo)
🧮MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND DIDACTICS
Secondment at the Research group „Mathematics teaching and learning” (Bodo)
🏃♀️SPORT AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Secondment: Research collaboration in Sports science (Bodo)
Secondment: Sport and Society (Bodo)
📰SOCIAL AND HUMANISTIC SCIENCES
Secondment: Collaboration in Journalism and Communication Research (Bodo)
Secondment: Research Collaboration in Sociology (Bodo)
⚠️Participation requires the use of research infrastructure at a university registered in the Research Potential Database. The database also allows you to independently search for a collaboration partner for the secondment.
About the Program
Secondment duration: from 10 to 60 calendar days
Secondment period: until 31 August 2026
Application deadline: 1 August 2026 or until all positions are filled
The secondment can be carried out on-site only at one of the SEA-EU partner universities:
University of Cádiz (Spain), University of Western Brittany (France), Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (Germany), University of Split (Croatia), University of Malta (Malta), as well as at universities that joined the alliance in 2023: University of Algarve (Portugal), Parthenope University of Naples (Italy), and Nord University (Norway).
Participation requires the use of research infrastructure at a university registered in the Research Potential Database. The database also allows you to independently search for a collaboration partner for the secondment.
Who can apply
The program is open to employees of the University of Gdańsk employed as academic staff (in either the research-and-teaching or research-only track) who:
- have obtained their PhD no earlier than 7 years before submitting the application,
- are not on any leave during the application process or the secondment period.
Application Procedure
- Selection of the secondment offer and contact with its supervisor (email address is provided in the announcement).
- In consultation with the supervisor, complete the application form, which will be evaluated. Applications must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the planned start date of the secondment.
- Send the completed form to seaenergy@ug.edu.pl with the note “Secondments” in the subject line.
The evaluation result will be communicated within 7 days of submitting the documents.
Recruitment is conducted in accordance with the horizontal principles described in the Project Regulations §2, point 8.
If support is needed during the recruitment process for persons with disabilities or special needs, please contact the project coordinator at seaenergy@ug.edu.pl.
Formalities before and after the mobility
Academic staff with teaching duties may request a substitute or conduct their classes remotely. For secondments longer than 30 days, a formal request for a substitute and the Dean’s approval are required.
Qualified participants will be required to complete:
- a business trip request via the employee portal,
- an electronic pre-test self-assessment of skills before the secondment,
- a form on the NAWA platform confirming the participant’s eligibility.
After the secondment, participants must submit a business mobility settlement, a certificate of stay, the secondment program, and complete a post-test evaluating the skills acquired during the secondment.
Financial suport
The funds are provided in the form of a lump sum, which covers travel, accommodation, and daily allowances. A detailed list of the funding rates is provided below.
| Living and accommodation expenses | Per diem |
| Croatia, Germany, France, Malta, Italy, Spain, Portugal | PLN 400.00 |
| Norway | PLN 500.00 |
| Travel expenses | Lump sum |
| Croatia, Germany | PLN 1,500.00 |
| France, Malta, Italy, Norway | PLN 2,000.00 |
| Spain, Portugal | PLN 3,000.00 |
The initiative is implemented as part of the project “Support for synergistic and complementary activities of the SEA-EU 2.0 project – SEA-nergy”, which is part of the NAWA program “Support for European University Alliances”, funded by the European Funds for Social Development.
