Guest Collaborator
Definition
A guest collaborator is an individual who is conducting short-term projects, collaborating with institute employees on research, or learning a technique or procedure. They do not hold a formal appointment or contract with Caltech, are not on the Caltech payroll, and are not volunteering services to the Institute. Instead, they are on campus as a "guest collaborator" of a division/department for a predetermined duration. Please review assignment duration by type of guest collaborators below.
An individual requesting remote access for high-performance computing (HPC) may be processed as a guest collaborator with remote access only. This is allowed if the Caltech sponsor agrees to bear HPC costs, there are no campus visits, and an export control review is conducted for individuals in foreign locations. When submitting the request for the visitor, please indicate the assignment is for remote access only and HPC access.
Who may be a Guest Collaborator
- A former graduate student or postdoc needing access to Caltech facilities or systems typically for a period of six months or less to complete activities related to publication of their research conducted while a Caltech student or postdoc. The maximum term is twelve months, subject to renewal.
- A periodic collaborator who comes to campus for a month or less per year to perform research or otherwise collaborate with a Caltech researcher. The term is twelve months or less, subject to renewal.
- A researcher visiting from another institution for six months or less to learn a technique, procedure or how to use equipment. The six-month term can be renewed once for a total of twelve months.
- A research collaborator from another institution who only requires remote access. The term of such appointments will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the needs of the Caltech faculty sponsor. The maximum term for remote access is 2 years, subject to renewal.
Guidelines
A guest collaborator is not on paid leave, sabbatical, or loan from their home institution.
Students in good standing at recognized universities (accredited or equivalent) who request access to high-performance computing (HPC) may be guest collaborators for one year. This status can be renewed annually, provided the guest collaborator continues to be a student in good standing at their recognized university. VAR recertification is required for renewal.
An employee may not become a guest collaborator at the Institute in the same capacity in which they were employed at the Institute, or which is essentially similar to the individual's regular work at the Institute. Guest collaborators should not displace regular employees or duties that a paid employee would otherwise perform.
Access is subject to export control and research security restrictions, determined by where the guest collaborator is from (e.g., foreign country) or, if accessing systems only, where the guest collaborator is physically located while accessing systems (e.g., foreign country).
Additional Guidelines
Foreign nationals may not have guest collaborator status unless they have an appropriate visa status authorizing such activities and they are not working on export controlled or research security restricted projects. The Visa Waiver Program (WT/WB Status) and visa for tourism authorization (B-2) does not authorize an individual to engage in the performance of guest collaborator services at Caltech.
Foreign nationals being considered for guest collaborator assignments will be subject to an export control review. For more information on export review, please refer to the FPQ guidelines.
If the guest collaborator will be on campus for ten days or less, a VAR does not need to be processed, and the sponsoring division/department is responsible for maintaining information on the individual for safety and security purposes. If there are potential export control concerns regarding the visitor, the division/department is responsible for contacting [email protected] prior to the visit.
Please adhere to the assignment guidelines provided above. To renew, the sponsoring division/department must initiate the recertification process in VAR to review and update visit details. This is subject to review and approval.
Payment for research or services provided by guest collaborators is not allowed. However, the Institute may reimburse guest collaborators for actual and reasonable expenses incurred in connection with their guest collaborator activities, in accordance with standard Caltech reimbursement guidelines.
For any questions, please contact Human Resources at (626) 395-3300 or [email protected].