Maternity Leave Return Support

The aim of this programme is to facilitate a fast return of female employees in postdoctoral positions to academic research after the birth of a child and to minimise any disadvantages women might face in their academic careers. Every female University Assistant Post-Doc and every female project employee Post-Doc at the Faculty may, upon their return from maternity protection and/or parental leave, apply once for funding of up to EUR 7,500 to cover material expenses (e.g. freelance contracts, contracts for work, coaching, trainings or seminars, reimbursement of documented, eligible expenses for travelling to conferences/meetings). Lump sums cannot be taken into account. Expenses for meals, for instance, are not eligible (exemptions: overnight stays including breakfast, conference dinners for networking purposes). In addition, subsequent debits of flight costs from the financing cost centre or internal order of the University of Vienna for reasons of sustainability are not eligible (see the u:wiki “FAQs regarding sustainable business trips”). Moreover, when returning to work, the employee’s employment contract must have at least another 12 months left to run. In addition, she must be able to complete the intended initiative by the end of her period of employment, within two years after the funding has been granted at the latest.

Interested female scientists of the FGGA may submit an informal application, specifying the following information:

1. Child’s date of birth
2. Date of planned return to work
3. Amount and planned use of the requested financial assistance
4. Statement on how the requested financial assistance will support the planned return to academic science
5. Benefit for their own career development

The application should be submitted, if possible, at least three months prior to the planned return to work to dekan.fgga@univie.ac.at.
Upon approval of the funding request, the applicant, subunit and Dean’s office agree on an individual basis how much funding will be provided when and in what form. By 15 December each year, the applicant has to submit a brief, informative report to dekanat.fgga@univie.ac.at on the use of the granted financial assistance in the respective year as well as a plan on how they intend to use the granted funding in the following year. Upon approval of this plan, they may use the funds accordingly in the following year. Deviations from the approved plan by more than 15 % require approval from the responsible member of the Dean’s team.

This is a translation. The only legally binding version of this text is the German version.