PHASE 1: Identify your modality and check your prerequisites
Before contacting us, please check what type of stay you will be making:
Curricular Internships (Degree): You must have passed a minimum of 120 ECTS credits of your degree to ensure a sufficient theoretical foundation. In addition, you must be enrolled in the practicum course (e.g., Neuropsychology Track).
Extracurricular Internships: You must have the acceptance of the c3n itself and also contact the OPE.
Master’s Thesis (TFM): You must be formally enrolled in the subject “Master’s Thesis” of the corresponding official study plan.
PHASE 2: What is your home university?
The bureaucratic procedures vary depending on where you are enrolled:
If you are a UCM student: And your internship is part of your curriculum, you must contact the internship coordinator for your degree program (undergraduate or master’s track). If your internship is extracurricular, you will need acceptance from the C3N and the OPE.
If you are a student from ANOTHER university (External): Your participation is exceptional. Before evaluating your profile, you must check if there is a current “Framework Agreement for Educational Cooperation” between your university and the UCM. You will also be required to provide documentation of your private liability and accident insurance policies (the processing of which will depend on your home university). Your home university will manage your internship.
FASE 3: Contacto y Diseño del Proyecto
Solicitud: Revisa las ofertas en GIPE o contacta con los Investigadores Principales (IP) de nuestros grupos enviando tu CV y expediente académico.
El Proyecto Formativo: Si eres seleccionado, redactarás junto a tu tutor en el C3N un «Proyecto Formativo» (Anexo) donde se reflejan tus horarios, las competencias a adquirir y tus tareas específicas.
Atención a los horarios: Recuerda que tu estancia presencial en el laboratorio nunca podrá superar las 5 horas diarias (25h/semana) en periodo lectivo para no interferir con tus clases.
PHASE 4: Administrative Procedures and Mandatory Insurance
Una vez acordado el proyecto, no podrás entrar al laboratorio sin tener en regla lo siguiente:
Digital Signature: You must digitally sign your internship agreement (via SSO-UCM or the system enabled in GIPE).
Social Security Registration: As of January 1, 2024, it is mandatory to register students on unpaid internships with Social Security. We will coordinate this mandatory procedure with you and your faculty, as it is the responsibility of the educational institution where the internship takes place.
Accident Insurance: If you are under 28 years old, you are automatically covered by the Student Insurance. However, if you are over 28, UCM regulations require you to purchase specific private accident insurance for the duration of your stay (this usually involves a single annual payment of around €16). If you are going to another university, please consult that institution’s regulations.
PHASE 5: Security and Data Protection Accreditation (Onboarding at the C3N)
To ensure your safety and the security of our projects, your first week will be dedicated to training:
Occupational Risk Prevention: You are required to complete and pass the “Basic Course in Occupational Risk Prevention (50 hours)” offered by the UCM, paying particular attention to the modules on biological and chemical risks.
Privacy and Ethics: We handle sensitive data. You must read our Standard Operating Procedures and sign the confidentiality agreement for the handling of anonymized/pseudonymized clinical data and neuroimaging.
If you are a predoctoral or postdoctoral researcher, or an established scientist from another university (national or international) and wish to undertake a research stay at the Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience (C3N), this is the official procedure.
Important note: Unlike student internships, this option does NOT require a prior Framework Agreement between your home institution and the UCM.
PHASE 1: Application for Admission (Before traveling)
The process begins by contacting the Principal Investigator (PI) of the C3N group you wish to join. You will need to email them the following documentation:
Annex I (Application): The official UCM “Application for Visiting Researchers” form, duly completed.
Project: A detailed description of the research activity you intend to carry out in our laboratories.
Updated Curriculum Vitae.
Funding: Proof of your financial support (grant award, application for one, or a commitment to self-funding).
PHASE 2: Evaluation and Letter of Invitation
Review: The Principal Investigator and the center’s management will evaluate your proposal and the availability of resources and infrastructure on the requested dates.
Annex II (Letter of Invitation): If your stay is accepted, the C3N will issue and send you Annex II, which constitutes your official institutional Letter of Invitation, detailing the resources made available to you.
Legal and Medical Procedures: Once you receive this letter, it is your sole responsibility to obtain the corresponding visa (if traveling from outside the EU) and to have medical insurance (or apply for the European Health Insurance Card) and liability insurance (if applicable), as the UCM is exempt from liability during your stay.
PHASE 3: Arrival in Madrid and Official Registration
Welcome! Upon your arrival at the UCM, and before starting your laboratory work at the C3N, you must register in person at the Personnel Office of your host Faculty.
You will need to submit physical copies of the following documents:
- Copy of your ID card or passport.
- Copy of your visa (only if your nationality requires it).
- Copy of proof of health insurance or European Health Insurance Card.
- Copy of the application submitted (Annex I) and the acceptance letter received (Annex II).
Completion of the process:
Once you have submitted the required documents, the Personnel Department will register you in the “Register of Visiting Researchers of the Complutense University” and issue you the official ID card that accredits you as a Visiting Researcher. With this accreditation, you will have full access to the C3N facilities and equipment to begin your research. At the end of your stay, if needed, a certificate of your visit, endorsed by the Vice-Rectorate for Research, can be obtained.
