Visitors to the BSD

As the old saying goes, "it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."  Visits pose risks to the visitor and our community, especially with respect to safety, behavior, and intellectual property, among others.  Our management practices are intended to protect the visitors and us against these risks.

If a visit is for two weeks (i.e., ten business days) or less and is mainly for discussion of academic matters in unrestricted facilities, common sense will ordinarily suffice. Longer visits or those involving activities creating additional risks should be managed according to our policies.

Engagement of foreign nationals for research may implicate export control laws as well as additional disclosure requirements for the host PI.This is a rapidly evolving area, and the answer depends on many factors including the visitor's home institution and the nature of the intended visit, among others too numerous to mention here. Furthermore, depending on the circumstances, the visitor may be restricted from accessing certain facilities or equipment. Violations of these restrictions or reporting obligations can result in severe penalties. For additional information or advice about these issues, please contact Stefan Jellicoe, J.D., Export Control Compliance Officer, (773) 702-3793, jellicoe@uchicago.edu.

Note that if the visitor is not a US citizen and an honorarium will be paid, the visit must not exceed nine days and other restrictions apply; see guidance from Financial Services.

Visiting Scholars come to collaborate, learn techniques, use our Libraries or other research facilities while on leave from their home institution, but not to provide services to the University. Usually they pursue a pre-existing project that they "own" and continue the project after they return to their home institution. While here they often participate in the life of the University, attending departmental research seminars/colloquia for example. Visits are normally six months or less, and are initiated by completing a form. EARS engage in mentored training and sustained interaction with a PI and the PI's research group very similar to postdoctoral researchers, but are already academic appointees at their home institutions, from which they are on leave and expected to return. Visits are normally for more than six months, often for a full year; their initiation is described below. When a visitor is not clearly one or the other, please contact the BSD Office of Academic Affairs.

Because the interaction of an EARS with our community is expected to be prolonged and intense and the EARS is an employee of a different institution, we require a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UChicago and the home institution of the EARS.  Once an MOU has been executed for the first EARS from a given home institution, another is not necessary for the term of the MOU.  The MOU itself is a form that is countersigned by each institution. Units or PIs that anticipate an EARS may ask the home institution to execute the MOU in advance. A sample of a filled-in MOU form is available; see pages 3-4. Before requesting that the home institution begin to execute an MOU, feel free to inquire of the Office of Academic Affairs if one is already in place.

Once the MOU has been executed by the home institution and UChicago, the BSD Office of Academic Affairs will also require:

• A current CV
• A signed letter or statement from the provider(s) of funding for the term of the EARS stating the funds to be provided.  These may come from an academic or non-governmental institution or foundation, or from a government.  The funds may not come from the savings or personal wealth of the prospective EARS or his/her family/friends.
• Completion of the EARS agreement form (excepting the signatures of the Dean and Provost). A sample of a filled-in EARS agreement form is available; see pages 1-2.
• A one-page statement of the training and research to be accomplished by the EARS.

Once these materials join the MOU in the Office of the Provost, they will be reviewed and an official invitation to become an EARS issued.

• External Advanced Research Scientist (EARS) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) form
• External Advanced Research Scientist (EARS) Agreement form

In that case the Office of Academic Affairs will need materials in addition to those listed above:

• Form required by the Office of International Affairs
• Five-point letter if visitor is a physician or can otherwise care for patients

Fairness. $4000/month is approximately the minimum stipend expected for a UChicago trainee undergoing prolonged and intense training similar to that expected for an EARS.  

The BSD Office of Academic Affairs will require:

• The visitor's current CV
• A signed letter or statement from the provider(s) of funding for the term of the Visiting Scholar's visit stating the funds to be provided.  These may come from an academic or non-governmental institution or foundation, or from a government.  The funds may not come from the savings or personal wealth of the prospective Visiting Scholar or his/her family/friends.
• Completion of the Visiting Scholar agreement form (excepting the signatures of the Dean and Provost) 
• If visitor is not a US citizen or resident alien, form required by the Office of International Affairs
• If visitor is not a US citizen or resident alien, five-point letter if visitor is a physician or can otherwise care for patients

Ordinarily a MOU with the host institution is not required.

Judge for yourself:

• Columbia University
• Harvard University
• Yale Universirty 
• Stanford University
• Washington University
• University of Washington
• University of California San Francisco
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Pennsylvania 1  2  3