Contract extensions in the case of force majeure

Preamble

This note proposes to clarify the terms and conditions for extending the contracts of certain intermediate staff members in order to confirm the situations that fall under the category of force majeure justifying a contractual extension within the meaning of Article 24 RA-UL. It should be emphasized that it is not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it aims to perpetuate the taking into account of additional reasons in the application of the provisions of the RA-UL, art. 24 in particular, in circumstances with similar effects (pandemics, armed conflicts, natural disasters, etc.)

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Eligibility Requirements

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Relevant situations

The following situations may justify a contractual extension, in the sense of force majeure, pursuant to Art. 24. RA-UL :

a) Situations in which access to infrastructure, resources, research data or persons essential to the advancement of one's personal research, whether in Switzerland or abroad, is impossible or severely impeded;

b) Situations in which the person concerned is unable to carry out the qualifying or formal steps necessary for the advancement or finalization of his/her doctoral work, it being understood that these are conditions required in the doctoral regulations of the faculty concerned.

In accordance with the established practice of the notion of force majeure, these impossibilities must be due to an event that is unforeseen, insurmountable, resulting from external conditions and beyond the control of the researcher.

Concerned persons

The Regulation of June 13, 2007 on assistants at the University of Lausanne applies, with regard to the intermediate body, to functions hired from the funds of the State of Vaud, namely :

graduate assistants ;
first assistants.

By analogy with the RA-UL, members of the intermediate corps financed by third-party funds may also claim a contractual extension for cases of force majeure, on the same grounds, according to the terms and conditions specific to their respective statutes. The functions concerned are the following

SNSF or FE doctoral students
senior SNSF researchers
graduate assistants FE
first assistants FE (and financed by the SNSF for the Faculty of Biology and Medicine).

Procedures

Procedure for funding from state funds:

Procedure for funding from external funds / SNSF