If you are a researcher, whether or not you hold a PhD, you can conduct research at UCLouvain under different statuses. These depend on your personal situation.
This status is granted to researchers who enrol for a PhD at UCLouvain and are hosted here to complete their theses. The scholarship is subject (partially or entirely, depending on the student’s country of origin) to social security for salaried workers and is tax-exempt. A work permit is not required, whatever the scholarship recipient’s nationality. The visa will be obtained on the basis of the student’s enrolment and the letter of invitation issued by the Personnel Department.
This status is intended for internationally mobile researchers (who have not lived, studied or worked in Belgium for more than 24 months in the last three years prior to the first scholarship period) and who are awarded a grant by UCLouvain, which must begin no later than six years after obtaining their PhD. The grant is subject (partially or entirely, depending on the grant holder's country of origin) to social security for salaried workers and is tax-exempt. A work permit is not required, whatever the grant recipient’s nationality. The visa will be obtained on the basis of the letter of invitation issued by the Personnel Department.
This status is intended for researchers who want to spend a research period at UCLouvain without enrolling for a PhD at UCLouvain, provided that they are enrolled for a PhD at their home university.
For a stay of less than three months, non-European researchers may enter Belgium on the basis of a letter of invitation issued by the Personnel Department. For a stay of more than three months, non-European researchers will be enrolled for the “Research Certificate”, which will enable them to apply for a visa from the Belgian diplomatic representation in their country.
This status is that of a researcher hired – at the request of a professor – by UCLouvain on the basis of an externally funded employment contract. The researcher is subject to Belgian legislation on employment contracts. The amount of the salary is defined by grade, scale and seniority in accordance with the rules governing their contractual situation. The researcher is fully covered by social security for salaried workers and their salary is subject to tax.
A work permit or hosting agreement (depending on contract length and gross monthly salary) is required if the researcher is a non-EU national.
The documents required to obtain a visa will be sent by the Personnel Department.
Being employed as an assistant at UCLouvain is also a way to work as a researcher.
Assistants are employed on a two-year renewable contract.
They are required to work on a PhD thesis and provide support services.
Assistants are also fully covered by the social security system for salaried employees and their salaries are subject to tax.
The recruitment procedure for assistants is carried out once a year, starting in May.
Non-European candidates can only obtain a visa once they have obtained a work permit issued by the Personnel Department.
Academic staff members are appointed on a temporary or permanent basis by the Board of Governors to teach and conduct research at UCLouvain.
Their career development is defined in a statute which respects a legislative framework common to all universities in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
Academic staff are recruited once a year.
Applicants for these posts must hold a thesis-based PhD.
Academic staff are fully covered by the social security system for salaried workers (temporary appointment) or specific to the public sector (permanent appointment) and their salary is subject to tax.
Non-European academics cannot obtain a visa until they have obtained a work permit issued by the Personnel Department.
Visiting professors are not appointed but rather taken on by UCLouvain on the basis of a faculty proposal submitted to the Board of Governors for a decision following a favourable opinion from the faculties. These invitations are exclusively linked to the allocation of teaching responsibilities. The total duration of these invitations is limited to three years, and is renewable. Visiting professors are fully covered by the social security system for salaried employees and their salaries are subject to tax. Non-European visiting professors will only be able to obtain a visa once they have obtained a work permit.
This visiting status is intended for postdoctoral researchers or professors who carry out a research stay at UCLouvain while remaining administratively attached to their home institution. They are invited by a university staff member and welcomed as visiting researchers or professors.
Non-European visiting researchers/professors who come for more than three months need a work permit and proof of sufficient remuneration from their university and of social security cover in their country.
They will not be able to obtain their visa until they have obtained the work permit, which will be issued by the Personnel Department.