REGULATION
for attracting teaching staff and associated researchers and establishing the Visiting@UPT grant program

Chapter I
General provisions

Art. 1. This regulation was developed based on the provisions of:
a. Law no. 199/2023 – Higher Education Law, with subsequent amendments and additions
b. Order of the Minister of Public Finance no. 1.792/2002 for the approval of the Methodological Norms regarding the commitment, liquidation, ordering and payment of public institutions’ expenses, as well as the organization, recording and reporting of budgetary and legal commitments, with subsequent amendments and completions
c. Charter of Politehnica University Timişoara
d. Strategic Plan of Politehnica University Timişoara for institutional development
e. Other specific legal regulations

Art. 2. (1) Politehnica University Timişoara (UPT) is a university of advanced research and education, being established as a higher education institution with tradition and recognition at national and international level. Its assumed mission is higher professional training, the generation of high-quality research and innovation at national and international level, as well as the decisive contribution to modern and sustainable development at local, regional or national level.
(2) Through the internationalization strategy, UPT has defined its concern for implementing the new trends in the field of internationalization identified within the framework of European directives and policies in the field of higher education. Thus, on the one hand, the development of the international dimension of the university contributes to increasing its visibility and leads to improving the compatibility of study programs and partnerships with other prestigious universities and the economic environment.

Art. 3. (1) The main objective of this regulation is to establish the general framework for the introduction and implementation of the program entitled Visiting@UPT, a program intended to attract from abroad academic staff and researchers with recognized value in the field, as visiting professors or visiting researchers.
(2) The purpose of this initiative is to stimulate the exchange of knowledge, the development of sustainable partnerships and the consolidation of the internationalization of the university environment, in order to support the study programs of UPT, by attracting university teaching staff and research specialists to support courses, trainings and/or workshops dedicated to adapting the offer and the content of the study programs to the new technologies implemented in industry and administration, respectively to increase the research-innovation-technology transfer capability. At the same time, the human resources attracted ensure the possibility of continuing the activity in the conditions of staff fluctuation. Attracting researchers with a recognized international reputation will contribute to the improvement of scientific production and the stimulation and development of research project proposals based on innovative ideas, which will be supported by the involvement of joint teams and an extensive research infrastructure.
(3) The Visiting@UPT program is directly addressed to the ten faculties and departments within the Politehnica University of Timișoara.

Chapter II
Description of the Visiting@UPT program

Art. 4. (1) The Visiting@UPT grant program has two components, namely:
– Visiting professor – in which the applicant is a university lecturer at a university abroad, with a remarkable/internationally recognized activity;
– Visiting researcher – in which the applicant is a university lecturer or researcher with recognized professional value in the field, from abroad.
(2) The program applies to qualified academic staff, regardless of citizenship, affiliated with an accredited educational institution and/or a research institute abroad, respectively to staff specialized in research activities engaged in the economic environment if their professional experience at the international level is relevant for the strategic development objectives of the faculty/independent department of UPT.
(3) The eligibility criteria for applicants are considered met if they have significant international visibility in the field, which can be proven through publications as author and/or co-author in specialized journals and/or proceedings of prestigious international conferences, a significant number of citations of the works, management of national and/or international research grants, obtaining academic awards, holding membership in professional associations in the field in which they work. At the same time, the candidate’s teaching achievements, proven by the ability to develop new courses, coordinate student activities, organize prestigious international conferences, summer schools and/or obtain awards in the field of activity, may be considered in the assessment of eligibility.

Art. 5. (1) Visiting@UPT type grants are granted for a period of 1-3 months. A period of one month is understood to mean a period of at least 30 calendar days.
(2) Exceptionally, in well-justified situations, the Board of Directors may approve that the grant be carried out for a minimum period of two weeks (14 consecutive days), without reducing the value of the grant, but with the mandatory condition that the beneficiary carries out all the activities provided for the specific grant type specified in Chapter IV of these regulations.
(3) In each academic year, a number of specific Visiting@UPT type grants will be awarded, depending on the available financial resources and the resources attracted by UPT within specific funding programs, each with a value of 7500 lei/month. The initial budget allocated for the program will take into account an equivalent value of a Visiting@UPT grant with a duration of 3 months, which may be increased/decreased depending on necessity and availability. The budget will be established annually by decision of the UPT Board of Directors.
(4) Grants awarded to academic staff and/or researchers from abroad are awarded in the form of a gross lump sum, which includes all expenses related to teaching/research mobility.
(5) Each faculty within UPT (with the related departments) will be able to benefit annually from one or more grants allocated within the budget limit of a 3-month grant, and each independent department from a 1-month grant.

Art. 6. During the Visiting@UPT grant, the host department will provide the beneficiaries with a workspace (office) within the host institution, unlimited access to the facilities offered by UPT, full access to UPT electronic resources, as well as the creation of an institutional account firstname.lastname@upt.ro.

Art. 7. During the Visiting@UPT grant period, through the care of the administrative departments, with the approval of the Board of Directors, free accommodation can be provided to the beneficiaries in the spaces owned by the university.

Chapter III
Description of the application and selection process within the Visiting@UPT program

Art. 8. In order to participate in the selection process, candidates will submit an application file to the department in which they are to carry out the activities, which will include:
– Application form (Annex 1);
– Curriculum Vitae;
– Selective list of relevant publications (maximum 20);
– Document justifying the quality of employee from which the position/degree/academic/scientific title held issued by the institution of origin should be shown;
– Project proposal (max 3 pages) presented in free format detailing the interest in collaboration and the benefits that will result for the host institution. Proposals for courses/research topic proposals, scientific papers presenting – title, summary, topics, objectives, methods, targeted results, selective bibliography, etc. will be considered.
– Consent agreement for the processing of personal data GDPR – (Annex 2).

Art. 9. (1) Current calls for applications will be launched by UPT, as a rule, according to the following calendar:
– First call (grants awarded for the first semester or the entire following academic year) – continuous submission: March 1 – June 1;
– Second call (for the second semester of the academic year) – continuous submission:
September 1 – December 1.
(2) The launch of additional or special calls for applications, outside of the current calls defined in (1), can only be done with the express approval of the Board of Directors.

Art. 10. (1) The evaluation of the applications at the department level will be carried out within a maximum of 1 month from the end of the registration periods, by the department council.
(2) The evaluation is completed with a report of the department council (free format) in which the arguments for the admission or rejection of the application, as the case may be, and the related resolution will be mentioned: ADMITTED / REJECTED. In the case of multiple applications submitted to the same department, the committee will take into account the maximum number of grants that can be allocated within the budget limit provided for in Art. 5., the candidates being ranked according to their scientific and academic performances, reflected in the registration form.
(3) The report of the department council, together with the complete application file, is submitted by the department director to the faculty council. The dean of the faculty presents the report of the department council to the faculty council for validation. In the case of independent departments, the Visiting Professor file will usually be validated by the faculty council where the person will carry out his/her teaching activity, while the Visiting Researcher file will be validated by the faculty council with the profile closest to the invited researcher.
(4) The report validated by the faculty council, together with the complete files of the candidates, is submitted through the care of the faculty dean, to the Department of International Relations (DRI) of UPT, which takes it into account and then submits it for approval to the UPT Board of Directors.

Art. 11. After the approval of the grant by the Board of Directors, the beneficiary shall submit to UPT an account statement and sign a financial contract with UPT (Annex 3). The payment of the Visiting@UPT grant shall be made monthly to the beneficiary’s account, based on a payment proposal drawn up at the DRI and endorsed by the head of the receiving structure (Department Director) by applying the signature Certified as to reality, regularity and legality (the “payment voucher” visa). In the case of external payments, the amount resulting from the currency exchange from RON will be transferred to the currency in which the payment will be made. Exchange rate losses will be borne by the beneficiary. Transfer fees will be borne by both parties involved in the transaction.

Chapter IV
Obligations of grant recipients within the Visiting@UPT program

Art. 12. Each grant recipient within the Visiting@UPT program must comply with the following general obligations:
– to mention the (co)affiliation with UPT, in each published work, participation in conferences, organization of events, submission of projects or patents obtained during or as a result of the grant obtained;
– to notify UPT of any change in professional status from the moment of participation in the selection for the Visiting@UPT grant until the moment of signing the financial contract;
– not to have concluded another study contract (of any level), an employment contract or any other written agreement with UPT for the period between the moment of participation in the selection for the Visiting@UPT grant and the moment at which the granted grant ends;
– to actively participate in the activities and events of the UPT academic community and to support the academic initiatives of the host department;
– to submit a detailed activity report to the department director at the end of each month of the period covered by the Visiting@UPT grant (Annex 4);
– to act as a “UPT Promoter” in the universities and institutions of origin, and to present the Visiting@UPT grant program to the respective communities.

Art. 13. The specific obligations in the case of the Visiting professor grant are:
– to propose and support at least one academic discipline, including the related course and/or seminar activities, carried out entirely during a semester;
– to organize at least one additional academic activity (course, seminar, lecture, round table, etc.) and/or to carry out (co)tutoring, (co)coordinating works, editing volumes or other similar initiatives, in accordance with the proposal in the application file and with the provisions of the contract concluded with UPT;
– to carry out research activities in accordance with the plan provided in the application file and with the provisions of the contract concluded with UPT (as applicable).

Art. 14. (1) The specific obligations in the case of the Visiting researcher grant are:

– to carry out research activities in accordance with the plan provided in the application file and with the provisions of the contract concluded with UPT;

– beneficiaries of grants of no more than 1 month are obliged to submit for publication at least 1 article in a journal indexed in the Web of Science database, quartiles Q1 or

Q2 (depending on the impact factor), which address topics related to the main research areas of the host department;
– in the case of grants longer than 1 month, beneficiaries are required to submit for publication at least 1 article in journals indexed in the Web of Science database, classified in the Q1 quartile (depending on the impact factor), which address topics related to the main research areas of the host department.

(2) The articles submitted for publication, referred to in paragraph (1) of this article, must have at least one (co)author who is a member of the host department. The author beneficiary of the Visiting@UPT grant will have mandatory declared (co)affiliation with UPT.

Chapter V
Final Provisions

Art. 15. All faculties and departments within UPT will collaborate with the administrative departments within UPT regarding the entire process of implementing the Visiting@UPT program.
Thus, the host department will take all necessary steps to:
– provide the grantee with an office in order to carry out the teaching/research activity carried out during his/her stay at UPT;
– ensure the grantee unlimited access to UPT and host department facilities, respectively free access to UPT electronic resources;
– create an institutional account nume.prenume@upt.ro in the name of the beneficiary of a Visiting@UPT grant;
– request free accommodation for the beneficiary of a Visiting@UPT grant in the premises owned by the university (if applicable).

Art. 16. The host department assumes, through the signature of the department director, the financial contract drawn up through DRI by UPT, with the beneficiary of the Visiting@UPT grant (according to Annex 3).

Art. 17. The host department approves, through the signature of the Department Director, the payment proposal for the Visiting@UPT grant, prepared monthly by the DRI.

Art. 18. The host department verifies the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the beneficiary of a Visiting@UPT grant and approves with or without observations, through the signature of the department director, the monthly activity report (Annex 4);

Art. 19. The host department transmits, through the department director, to the DRI the approved Activity Report, in order to issue the Certificate of Attendance (Annex 5);

Art. 20. In order to respond to exceptional contexts that the international academic community may face (war, natural disasters, etc.), the Visiting@UPT program will include specific actions aimed at supporting the grant beneficiary.

Application period: October 1st – 15th, 2025

Review of the application files at department level: October 16th-22nd, 2025

Review of the application file at faculty council level: October 23rd-29th, 2025

Approval by the Administration Council of UPT: October 30th – November 5th, 2025

Mobilities will take place between: November 6th, 2025 – December 5th, 2025

Prof. Dr. ec. Claudiu ALBULESCU
Phone: +40-256-403033
E-mail: claudiu.albulescu@upt.ro