Information for Hosts

Guest researcher and host discuss about solar energy

Photo: Patrick Pollmeier / HSBI

Would you like to receive guests or new employees from abroad at HSBI? Wonderful! Find out below how to prepare the stay with the Welcome Center.

If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or by e-mail at welcome@hsbi.de.

1) Inform the Welcome Center

If you would like to welcome guests or new employees from abroad, please inform the Welcome Center as early as possible. We will then offer advice and support on the following topics:

  • Necessity of an export control assessment
  • Scholarships, salary, taxes and pension
  • Visa, residence permit and dealing with the authorities
  • Arrival and accommodation
  • Cultural issues (in academia) and language courses
  • Insurance, medical care, bank account
  • Childcare, school and other family issues

2) Export control assessment

The invitation of guest scholars and recruitment of international employees must usually be assessed for implications under export control legislation. This applies, in particular, if the guests/employees are not from the EU, Australia, Iceland, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom or the United States. Please find background information here.

We will be happy to support you with initiating the export control assessment. Only when the assessment has been completed successfully may invitations be issued and research positions be offered.

3) Clarify financing

If you would like to receive a guest from abroad, but financing is still unclear, we will be happy to advise you on various options and support you in the preparation of the necessary application documents on the part of HSBI (e.g., letter confirming academic supervision, invitation letter, etc.):

4) Provide documents for visa/residence permit

Depending on for how long and from which country your guest or new employee comes to Germany, a visa and/or residence permit may be required for the stay. The visa application process may take several months and should therefore be initiated as early as possible. An invitation letter from your faculty or an admission agreement is often required for the visa. We will be happy to inform you about which documents are required and provide you with templates.

5) Employment contract or guest scholar agreement

For international employees, you can ask the personnel department to draw up an employment contract as is usual. However, for guest scholars, a guest scholar agreement must be made. If you have informed the Welcome Center of inviting the guest scholar, we will take care of the necessary paperwork.

6) Prepare the workstation and access rights

Make sure in good time that your guest or new employee is provided with a workstation in your faculty. Remember that the PC’s operating system language and keyboard layout may need to be changed. For longer stays, also have the door label changed by Facility Management. Also make sure to have locking authorisations set up.

Guest scholars will not receive a CampusCard, but they can get a locking card. If a guest’s stay is short-term and they do not receive HSBI credentials, you can request guest access to the eduroam from the IT ServiceDesk.

7) Organise a welcome session and onboarding

On request, the Welcome Center will provide you with a welcome bag for international employees or guest scholars. It will contain information on HSBI, the OWL region and small welcome gifts.

Department III: Personnel and Organisation provides guidelines for the introduction of new employees on the Intranet. Be sure to assign mentors to new employees from abroad, as many processes at a German university can be different from those in their home countries. For example, onboarding should cover the topics below:

    • Official welcome on the first day at the university
    • Guided tour of the university and the faculty
    • Introducing colleagues
    • Using the CampusCard (guest scholars will not have a CampusCard)
    • Food and drink on campus
    • University culture (Duzen and Siezen, dress code at the faculty, hierarchy and roles, e.g. between teaching staff and students)
    • Printing, using the telephone, Wi-Fi and Intranet
    • Recording working time, overtime, annual leave, reporting sick, travelling on university business
8) Recommended activities with international guests

Hosts often ask us which programme they can offer short-term guests to Bielefeld. Here are a few recommendations:

  • Participating in work meetings of research groups
  • Sitting in on courses or providing international input to courses
  • Visiting cooperation partners (companies, social institutions, cultural institutions, etc.)
  • Q&A with students on studies at HSBI and at the guest’s home university

  • Presentation of the guest’s home university, e.g. during a course session (in order to encourage students to study abroad) or at a work meeting (in order to spark colleagues’ interest in returning the visit)

  • Campus tour and presentation of HSBI (on request, by the Welcome Center)

  • Lunch at the cafeteria/canteen

  • Dinner in the city centre (we will be happy to provide a list of restaurants)

  • Sightseeing in OWL (we will be happy to provide a list of possible sights)