General information

Project Associates are physicists, engineers or technicians, originating from the Member States, Associate Member States or non-Member States, who come to CERN to contribute on behalf of their home institute to the execution of work linked to projects assigned by the Director-General under a collaboration agreement between CERN and their home institute.

Project Associates must be employed at least 55% of their time by their home institute, which cannot be a commercial enterprise. Students cannot be considered for project associate contracts.

The initial duration of a project associate contract cannot be:

• less than one month
• more than three years

Information needed to establish a PJAS contract (NB. prior agreement by the Institute as well as project/group at CERN)

1. Fill in the Registration form and Home Institute declaration.
How to fill out the document on the following link.
If applicable, complete the form for Supplement to subsistence allowance due to family situation.

2. Job description and CERN staff/fellow who has agreed to act as an official supervisor

3. Copy of your passport or ID document for the person and if applicable, all the family members included wedding/birth certificates as pdf files.

4. If you are subject to visa requirements, please request an invitation letter via the CMS invitation letter website (works with CERN account only).
If you have no CERN account,  you can register your account as CERN Lightweight account following the instructions on the CERN Account Management  main page and, once registered, please send a confirmation to the CMS secretariat.

5. Budget code/Third Party Account number

6. Please send the necessary information as listed above, latest 5 weeks before the contract start that can only be the 1st of the month,  to: kirsti.aspola@cern.ch, cc. sara.bejaj@cern.ch

Subsistence allowance:

The subsistence allowance is a financial benefit paid by the Organization to an associated member of the personnel in order to compensate for the additional living expenses incurred locally. Under no circumstances is the subsistence allowance to be interpreted as a payment or compensation for any work that may be performed.

Project Associates may receive a family supplement, subject to eligibility and within the ceilings set out in Administrative Circular No. 11.

Insurance:

The social insurance is the responsibility of the home institute. Project Associates, and any family members who accompany them, must be members of a health and accident insurance scheme that provides them with adequate protection in the two Host States against the economic consequences of illness and accidents, including occupational illnesses and accidents in the case of members of the personnel. Project Associates must also have adequate cover for all countries they may visit on duty travel.

Additional information: 

Contact: kirsti.aspola@cern.ch, sara.bejaj@cern.ch.

See also: Admin e-guide