Rules for Long Term Visitors to CERN

A.    Definition of a LARP long-term visitor (LTV):

A visitor to CERN from a U.S. DOE-supported institution for at least four contiguous months who is there exclusively to help with one or more  aspects of the LHC accelerator and its injectors, including upgrades.

B.     Minimum requirements:

The prospective LTV must be able to assure LARP and CERN that he or she 

• has permission from his or her home institution to be assigned to CERN during the stated time, 
• has a guaranteed job to return to,
• will have salary and medical insurance paid by his or her home institution.  Please see the discussion under "financial considerations" below for details about the support of LTV's.

C. The selection process:

Before submitting a formal application, it is expected that a prospective LTV will have identified a project of interest at CERN and will have made contact with a member of the CERN staff who will be willing to act as host.  Those who are interested in becoming an LTV but have not yet identified a project and/or host should feel free to contact the LARP LTV Coordinator or Program Manager for suggestions.

Once a project and host have been identified, the applicant should provide the LTV Coordinator with the following:

• a cover letter describing the project and niming the prospective host.
• the dates proposed for relocation to CERN.
• a current CV.
• a letter (email is fine) from the prospective host with a candid evaluation of the candidate and the project.

Applications will be evaluated by ad hoc committee formed by the LTV Coordinator. It is possible that additional support letters will be requested.  If the application is accepted by the committee, a letter from the applicants supervisor will be required stating that he or she meets the requirements outlined in the previous section.

Upon selection by the committee, the application will be forwarded to CERN for final approval.  

D.    Financial considerations:

The LARP LTV budget will reimburse the LTV for extraordinary expenses incurred during the relocation to CERN. These include:

• initial travel and final return from CERN for the LTV and his or her accompanying immediate family members; 
• a cost-of-living allowance (COLA); 
• reasonable relocation expenses in going to and returning from CERN if the LTV meets the relocation criteria of the home institution.

In general, support will be based on laboratory policies regarding staff working on the large LHC experiments (usually CMS at Fermilab and ATLAS at the other labs); however, the details are subject to the approval of the LARP Program Manager, who reserves the right to modify them if he/she sees fit.

As discussed in the "Minimum Requirements" section above, the LTV must establish that his or her home instituion will continue to pay his or her salary and medical insurance while at CERN. Depending on the nature of the work being carried out, it is possible that LARP may subsidize some or all of the LTV's salary while at CERN; however, this is a separate negotiation and is in no way implied by the selection of the candidate into the LTV program. If the approval of the home institution is contingent on LARP support, this must be approved in advance by LARP management.

It is the sole responsibility of the LTV to understand and comply with applicable tax laws.  LARP makes no representations or recommendations with regard to tax liability.