Practical guide for foreign researchers in Spain 2008

19. Spanish Network of Mobility Centers

19.1. Network of centers for the mobility of researchers

The European Researcher's Mobility Network (EURAXESS Services) is an initiative of the European Commission and the Member States which seeks to help overcome the obstacles found in practice by researchers when traveling to or within Europe.

The information available through these centers covers both professional and private matters: visas, residence and work permits for researchers and their families, taxation matters, social security, information on the different types of contracts, grants, research job vacancies, etc. It also provides information on the day-to-day difficulties that researchers may run into when arriving at their new residence and how to overcome them, such as finding schools, nurseries, renting apartments, where to register on the electoral roll and other cultural questions related to each country.

The network is articulated around two structures:

European: there is one center in each of the 32 countries associated with the European network, which are also responsible for vitalizing and coordinating the national network.

Europea: existe un centro en cada uno de los 32 países vinculados a la red europea que además son los encargados de dinamizar y coordinar la red nacional.

Figura 1. European Network of Mobility Centers

National: the centers in each country are organized in a national network in order to offer assistance as near and directly to the researchers as possible. The Spanish network will have 17 mobility centers (one in each of the Autonomous Communities).

The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) is responsible for coordinating the national Network. Its responsibilities include the following tasks:

• Acting as a link between the National and the European Networks.
• Creating and vitalizing the National Network.
• Acting as an information resource and offering national coverage.

The mobility centers in Spain offer assistance close to the researchers. Their function is to offer occasional help to foreign researchers who request it. These centers are also responsible for carrying out the following tasks:

• Carrying out the implementation and functions of the regional mobility center, ensuring coordination with the regional entities (regional offices and departments, research centers, universities, etc.).
• Drafting and updating the information provided by them, primarily on regional and local aspects.
• Promoting the objectives and activities at the regional level.

All of the information related to the Spanish Network of Mobility Centers and the contact details for each of the centers in Spain is available at http://www.euraxess.es.

Figura 2. Spanish Network of Mobility Centers

The following centers are currently included in the network: