At the UFC, the procedure to follow for travel in the context of your thesis has been clarified with the Human Resources Department of the UFC and by decision of the Academic Council of UFC (06/05/2014) :

When you are going to travel in the framework of your doctoral research (work on site, participation in a conference, a seminar…), you must first complete a request for absence approval, whatever your status (employee, student…).

– If you are an employee of the University of Franche-Comté, and in particular if you have a doctoral contract paid for by the UFC, you must imperatively complete a “request for authorisation of absence of higher education staff (valid for mission order)” and send it within the required time for signature to your research unit director and to the dean of your UFR (or even to the President of the UFC in certain cases): see UFC personnel website.

– If you are not an employee of the UFC, you must establish a Mission Order free of charge from your establishment (UFC, UB, UBFC, UTBM, ENSMM or AgroSup), sign it and have it signed by your employer. This form will enable you to obtain the establishment’s agreement to the trip you are planning. If you do not fill in this document beforehand, you will not have the permission of the establishment for your trip, which cannot be considered as part of your studies (with the consequences that this may have for possible requests for reimbursement of expenses, especially in terms of liability and insurance).

This administrative procedure does not exempt you, on the contrary, from obtaining the approval of your supervisor for your travel in the framework of your research and informing your doctoral school, but these agreements in principle cannot replace the official procedure that you must follow.

If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact your laboratory or the human resources department of your component (doctoral schools are not involved in the signature circuit of this form).