Information about handling the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

The University of Erfurt has set up a crisis team. It continuously assesses the very rapidly changing situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) and makes recommendations to the Presidential Board regarding suitable protective measures. The crisis team follows the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute in its assessment and is in close contact with the Student services organisation (Studierendenwerk), the city of Erfurt, the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science and Digital Society and the other Thuringian universities.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the crisis management team developed a catalogue of measures, the implementation of which is intended to protect the health of employees, students and other people. These measures include postponing the start of lectures in the summer semester, temporarily suspending campus attendance, switching to digital teaching and learning formats, temporarily suspending business trips and making working hours more flexible. In addition, a protection concept has been drawn up which will be updated as necessary. The current version (as of July, 6 2020) can be found here (German only).

The summer semester 2020 will take place with a maximum of flexibility in the study structure and with extensive use of digital teaching formats. This also applies to the exams. As it is currently difficult to predict the further course of the pandemic, the University of Erfurt is also planning the winter semester 2020/21 at least partially digitally, i.e. as a so-called "hybrid semester".

Students are asked to contact their teachers by e-mail first if they need advice. We ask for your understanding that there are still some, especially organisational, questions that remain unanswered. We will do our best to clarify them as quickly as possible and provide you with up-to-date information on this website.

Until further notice, the following instructions apply to students and employees (teaching staff, lecturers, guest lecturers and employees) at the University of Erfurt. Persons who:

• who had contact with a sick person;
• who are staying abroad, but who cannot return to Germany due to safety regulations in the sense of the quarantine measure;
• are themselves ill (with unspecific general symptoms or respiratory problems)
• are in quarantine;

please report immediately by telephone or e-mail to your superior and in Department 2: Personnel at e-mail: personal@uni-erfurt.de (employees) or in Department 1: Registrar‘s Office at e-mail: studierendenangelegenheiten@uni-erfurt.de (students). Together with you, the colleagues will then discuss the further procedure, such as the possibility of teleworking. The Health Office of the City of Erfurt has named the Medical Care Centre Dr. Kielstein as the central information point for returnees from risk areas – with and without symptoms. There, a smear test can be taken by telephone on +49 (0)361 6010930 and the results will be available within 48 hours. Please note that the infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is notifiable. You can reach the Kassenärztlicher Notdienst outside the office hours of the (family doctor) practices by calling 116117.

Persons who have stayed in a risk area designated by the Robert Koch Institute, or persons who have had contact with a person suffering from coronavirus and who develop signs of illness such as fever or respiratory problems within 14 days, please contact the hotline of the Erfurt Health Office immediately by phone: +49(0)361/ 655-267662 and enter domestic quarantine.

If acute respiratory symptoms occur, you should observe the coughing and sneezing label and good hand hygiene, avoid unnecessary contact and stay at home if possible.

In addition, please contact your supervisor immediately by telephone or e-mail and in Department 2: Human Ressources at e-mail: personal@uni-erfurt.de (employees) or in Department 1: Registrar‘s Office at e-mail: studierendenangelegenheiten@uni-erfurt.de (students).

The Health Department of the City of Erfurt has designated the Medical Care Centre Dr. Kielstein as the central information point for persons with symptoms of the coronavirus SARSCoV-2 . There, after registering by telephone on +49 (0)361 6010930, a smear test can be taken, the results of which are available within about 48 hours. Please note that the infection with the coronavirus SARSCoV-2 is notifiable. You can reach the Kassenärztliche Emergency Service outside the office hours of the (family doctor) practices by calling 116117.

With simple measures you can help to protect yourself and others from the corona virus:

• When coughing or sneezing, keep the greatest possible distance from other people - and it is best to turn away.
• Sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm or into a handkerchief - and then dispose of the handkerchief in a bin with a lid.
• Washing hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is considered a sufficient hygiene measure. In particular, this hygiene measure must be taken after blowing the nose, sneezing or coughing. 

A brochure from the Federal Centre for Health Education provides further tips. (only available in german)

Compulsory internships during studies that do not take place at the university can be continued, but the continuation is at the discretion of the respective internship provider.

Please also note the Website of Erfurt School of Education.

Against the background of the corona pandemic, the University of Erfurt has decided to hold examinations in the summer semester 2020 - and beyond if necessary - as online examinations.

This will be based on the Corona Mantel Act passed by the Thuringian state parliament and a statute based on it, which enables and regulates the implementation of modified examination formats. After a data protection follow-up assessment, the university acquired a license for the examination software WISEflow from the provider UniWise in the summer semester.

This means that both the legal and technical requirements for electronic examinations will be available from 13th July 2020. The focus will be on the electronically conducted distance exams, which will enable students to write their exams under supervision at home if they have a computer with webcam and a stable internet connection. However, both the submission of written papers via WISEflow and the conduct of oral distance examinations can be realized with WISEflow.

Please also see our website on online exams. There you will find continuous and further information.

With a view to the closure of the libraries, the deadlines for submission of final papers and term papers after 16 March will be extended by eight weeks. This is done automatically and does not need to be requested additionally.

Consultations can currently only take place by telephone or, where possible, by video-conference, or by e-mail.

Due to the current corona pandemic, the income situation has worsened considerably for many students and their parents - whether due to job loss or short-time work. The "Deutsches Studentenwerk" (DSW) has therefore informed that BAföG applications can be made at short notice to alleviate these financial difficulties: press release (only available in German)

In addition, students who have run into financial difficulties for a short period of time can apply for a bridging loan of up to 800 euros from the "Studierendenwerk". This applies especially for students who are not entitled to BAföG and for foreign students. The contact person for this is the General Social Counseling Service, which can be reached under e-mail: asb@stw-thueringen.de.

Students in Thuringia, who got into financial difficulties through no fault of their own due to the Corona crisis, can also apply for an interest-free social loan (supported by the universities) up to a maximum of 800 Euros at the Student services organisation (Studierendenwerk Thüringen) since the beginning of April. The state has agreed to take over half of this loan amount and thus convert the loans into Corona financial aid.

Further information on this can be found in the news on this page.

Yes, without the receipt of the semester fee no re-registration is possible. If you have any questions, please contact the Department 1: Registrar‘s Office by phone or e-mail.

In the course of the corona pandemic, the application deadlines for the winter semester 2020/21 for studying at the University of Erfurt will also be postponed in some cases.

For example, the application period for the Bachelor's degree courses with restricted admissions will be postponed - the application portal at hochschulstart.de was opened on 15th July 2020. The later start of the application period also has an effect on all subsequent dates and deadlines: For example, this year the cut-off deadline for applications for NC degree courses at the University of Erfurt has been moved from the original 15th July to 20th August.

Prospective students who wish to apply for a non-admission restricted Bachelor's programme can do so from 1th June to 30th September. This also applies to the "Magister Theologiae".

Whether the application deadline for Master's programmes in the winter semester 2020/21 at the University of Erfurt of 15th July can also be postponed to 20th August is decided individually by the departments. Please contact the respective departmental advisor for information.

The Vice-President for Academic Affairs presented the possibilities of digital teaching formats to all teachers in a circular letter.

You do not have to be a student in order to receive a certificate. What is important is that you passed the last exam on the day you took it. This means: If everything has been submitted by the student, he/she can exmatriculate. However, he/she can also remain enrolled or re-register as long as he/she does not know the result of the evaluation. However, he/she must be de-registered at the end of the semester in which he/she receives his/her graduation documents.

If the evaluation shows that the course of study has not yet been completed and he/she is already de-registered at this time, he/she must then re-register in Department 1: Registrar‘s Office for the missing study and examination papers. Then the general rules apply, i.e. if the student has not applied for a semester off, the semester fee is due. Due to the pandemic, however, no late re-registration fees are currently charged for late re-registration.

Due to the current situation, the procedures for evaluating degrees will be changed. Personal meetings will no longer be necessary. The university will determine the degrees with the best possible final grade on the basis of the grade reports according to the rules of the examination regulations after the decision of the examination boards. When the Registrar's Office has received all the necessary data, the result of the evaluation will be communicated by post.

The formal regulation of the examinations is the responsibility of the examination committees, the concrete implementation is the responsibility of the examiners. The Presidium can only appeal to the examiners in this matter, but cannot prescribe anything.

The problem with examination and data protection law is that if the students object, the "basis of dispute" would be the written paper. It is regarded as proof of the work submitted. As long as there are no objections based on the argument "This is not the paper I sent you by e-mail", examiners do not have to insist on paper versions. If there is a case where this formal argument is used, all examiners will insist on paper versions. And these must be submitted by the deadline.

In order to meet deadlines, the e-mail version can be accepted and then the paper version can be submitted by post as the binding version. The postal service also works during pandemic times.

The eight-week extension applies to term papers and final papers. For some of them it ends in May, for others later. Some students conduct a survey for their work, e.g. of pupils, which requires direct contact and is currently not possible due to school closures. Will there be another deadline extension for these students?
 
These cases have to be arranged individually with the supervisors. The urgent recommendation, however, is to adapt the projects concerned in such a way that these face-to-face contacts are not necessary and the work can be completed within the deadlines that are now fixed.

An extension of the doctoral period must be discussed with the respective supervisors and cannot be regulated by the Presidium, which is, however, happy to promote uncomplicated solutions in the various committees and conferences.

The extension of funding means two things: On the one hand, it may involve the extension of posts. The Federal Government has announced that it will modify the "Wissenschaftszeitgesetz" (Law on the Temporary Employment of Researchers) and make it possible to extend posts for employees. However, the text of the law, which the university management will then discuss with the faculties, is not yet available. Presumably, this will be about examinations in individual cases. However, we will not be able to fill any additional posts, because there are no budgetary funds available for this purpose, but can only extend existing contracts.

Secondly, there is the question of extending grants. There is no additional money available for this either. Extensions are therefore only possible within the budget. We will presumably orientate ourselves to the DFG guidelines in the case of a regulation for our university, which still needs to be discussed, and will therefore conduct individual case studies. The other universities in Thuringia are doing the same.

According to initial information, the study promotion agencies, which also award doctoral scholarships, have already reacted to the current situation and decided how to proceed with the extension of scholarships. The affected doctoral students are kindly requested to inform themselves on the respective homepages and, in case there are further problems, to contact the liaison lecturers of the individual funding institutions at our university. The DFG, for example, has now also developed corresponding guidelines.

The student council has Thinkpads for students to borrow. If you need one of them, please contact the students council directly via e-mail: stura.vorstand@uni-erfurt.de.

The canteen and the glass box are closed until further notice. However, the student services organisation ("Studierendenwerk Thüringen") offers lunch in the café "Hörsaal 7" from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It has also announced that it will gradually adjust the offer to meet demand.

Since April 20, committee meetings or appointment committees have been taking place again - but initially largely online via video conference. When smaller groups can meet again on campus - in compliance with the applicable distance regulations and appropriate hygiene measures - depends on the decisions of the health authorities.

Department 2: Personnel ("Dezernat 2: Personal") has prepared an information sheet [in German only].

(Update 30 April 2020)
The University of Erfurt today issued a circular letter informing employees about the working time regulations as of May 4 and how they will be recorded. The regulations apply exclusively to employees who are covered by electronic time recording (flexitime), i.e. employees in technology and administration, but not to professors and academic staff. Here you can find the letter and the template for recording [in German only].

For the support that the University Computer and Media Center provides, please click here. Apart from this the University Computer and Media Center provides appropriate information on the possibilities of organizing video conferences on its service pages. (Attention: Login required).

Yes, the post office in the Erfurt University Library building is open. The mailbox at the main entrance to the campus is emptied regularly.

No, this is not possible for security reasons. The WebDAV service can be used for encrypted access to business drives. The URMZ staff will be happy to answer any questions and provide support.

In connection with the coronavirus pandemic, the major German science funding institutions as well as the EU have presented measures and regulations to continue their funding activities as unrestrictedly as possible and to limit possible disadvantages for the funding recipients. The DFG has extended the deadline for participation in a number of ongoing calls for proposals and announced that it will cushion the temporal and financial impact of the Covid 19 crisis on projects already funded and on recipients of grants and fellowships. The DAAD offers its German scholarship holders abroad the opportunity to return to Germany if the costs are covered by the DAAD. All selection meetings with a personal introduction are also suspended until further notice. At the Humboldt Foundation, the processing and evaluation of sponsorship applications is to continue with minor restrictions; however, for some alumni sponsorship programmes, no new applications can be accepted at present. The EU Commission has extended application deadlines in the Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 sponsorship programmes. Individual mobilities and projects funded under Erasmus+ can also rely on „force majeure“ regulations.

The student services organisation ("Studierendenwerk Thüringen") offers to rent out some of its dormitories on short notice - for one or two months. The dormitories are equipped with WLAN throughout. Those interested can contact the student services organisation directly. Contact them at: www.stw-thueringen.de/deutsch/wohnen/index.html

The university also offers to open rooms on the campus for students on weekdays, who can then work there with their own laptops during the day while observing the applicable distance regulations and hygiene measures. The campus is fully equipped with WLAN. The use of the pool rooms in the KIZ and the computer workstations in the library is not possible for the time being, as the disinfection of computers and keyboards cannot be guaranteed without interruption.

Since 4 May 2020, the University Library of Erfurt has been open again. The library provides up-to-date information about its services and the regulations for ensuring hygiene protection measures on its  web pages.

No, after extensive discussion, the Presidium has come to the decision that in the summer semester 2020, as a digitally converted semester, students cannot be obliged or encouraged to be on campus. Only for very few exceptions, which require the presence of equipment (machines, instruments) on campus, will teaching take place on the premises of the University of Erfurt. The reason for this decision is, on the one hand, to eliminate the risk of infection on campus by not generating social contacts; on the other hand, students would be exposed to unnecessary risks of infection if they only used public transport for one appointment at the University of Erfurt on their way there and back.

The Presidium and the Research and Young Investigators' Office of the University of Erfurt have intensively dealt with the problem situation of doctoral students and also with the question of possible scholarship extensions. Here's the result:

It is important that scholarship holders in doctoral sponsorship should first of all use the time that was planned for projects that might not be feasible due to the pandemic to work on other questions or aspects of the dissertation project. In short, we would ask that in any case it be checked whether the work plans for the individual doctoral project cannot be changed.

And: The funds for extending the duration of doctoral scholarships must be taken from the funds planned for scholarships in the coming years. Approval of applications for extensions thus means that the number of new fellowships will be lower than planned. We therefore ask all scholarship holders concerned to apply for extensions only to the extent that they are really necessary.

If it is not possible to work on other questions and aspects of the dissertation project in a meaningful way, an interruption of the grant can be requested. Alternatively, an extension of the scholarship can be requested on a case-by-case basis. Applications for an extension of the duration of doctoral scholarships can be submitted first by the scholarship holder*in the 2017 cohort and later in 2020 by the 2018 cohort.

Any interruption in funding is handled directly by the Research and Young Investigators Unit and the Vice President. Applications for extensions of funding are reviewed by the staff of the Research and Young Investigators Unit and the Vice President, a recommendation is prepared and the applications are then forwarded to the Awards Committee with a request for a vote.

The following applies to applications for extensions of the duration of doctoral scholarships:

a) An extension of two months can be applied for with reference to the closure of the University Library of Erfurt or the loss of a job. The prerequisite is that the workstation was not accessible at all times or that work materials could only have been obtained at the University Library of Erfurt.

b) An extension of up to four months can be requested,

• if work in other libraries or archives or scientific institutions in Germany for a period of at least four weeks and correspondingly planned travel or research stays were not possible or
• if there was an acute illness with the COVID19 virus.

(c) An extension of up to six months may be requested,

• if empirical investigations or studies or researches for which research stays abroad were or are necessary could not be carried out or
• if doctoral candidates had to/must look after children who are under ten years of age and cannot/could not go to day-care centres or primary schools or for whom emergency care could not/could not be taken.

For the application please use the form we have sent you by e-mail. The Staff Unit for Research and Promotion of Young Researchers and the Vice President will ensure that applications are processed quickly.

We hope that the possibility of extending scholarships will help doctoral students who are experiencing difficulties with their project in the current situation. The Vice-President for Research and Promotion of Young Researchers, Prof. Dr. Benedikt Kranemann, will be happy to answer any questions.

Two further remarks: Doctoral students who are supported by sponsors other than the University must please contact the relevant institutions directly. And: For the extension of budget-financed positions, doctoral candidates must contact their respective supervisors and the respective dean's office.

As a university, we reacted early on and opened up the possibility of extending doctoral scholarships for which the university is responsible after an individual case examination: It is important to us that ongoing qualification work is not affected by the pandemic, and we do not want any time-consuming bureaucratic procedures to apply for such extensions. At the same time, our budgetary resources are very limited, which is why the financing of the extensions will be funded from the research promotion budget. As a result, we may be able to award fewer grants over the next two or three years.

Of course, we also have an eye on the situation of employees who are not supported by university scholarships. First of all, let's talk about those who receive scholarships from non-university sources: The state of Thuringia has made it possible to extend these scholarships. The university cannot become active in relation to other donors. We are not the negotiating partner, but rather those who receive such a scholarship. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has made it possible to extend the scholarships financed by the federal government by up to six months, even if the maximum funding period has already been used. Please enquire at the respective funding agencies or institutions about how they proceed. You are welcome to refer to the position of the state and the university, which in turn have extended the funding periods of their programmes.

We have also already discussed the extension of positions for all academic staff on budget positions. Information on this has been available on this website for some time now: "An extension of the doctoral period must be discussed with the respective supervisors and cannot be arranged by the Presidential Board, which is, however, happy to promote uncomplicated solutions in the various committees and conferences. The extension of such positions has already been made possible by the Federal Government through the modification of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz. Details can be found in a BMBF press release. However, it remains the case that we, as the university management, cannot provide additional budget funds for such extensions. All funds have been allocated to the faculties or via the ProResearch 2020 programme. Positions that are extended now can only be filled later. There is no financial leeway for additional appointments. The new framework agreement has not yet been adopted, and we are about to negotiate the new target and performance agreements with the state, the financial consequences of which we cannot yet foresee. That is why, within the framework of what has been described, there is the possibility of extending the duration of posts. Please clarify this at the professorships and within the faculty.

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(Update 3 July 2020)

With the publication of the Science and Student Support Act, the "Corona Regulation" for the possible extension of employment contracts of research assistants who are limited in time according to the WissZeitVG came into force. The content of the amendment to the law is an extension of the maximum fixed-term contract period by six months for the time being. This possibility only applies to qualification positions which are limited in time according to § 2 paragraph 1 WissZeitVG, and not to those which are limited in time by third-party funding according to § 2 paragraph 2 WissZeitVG. The prerequisite is that

•     the employment relationship exists between 1 March and 30 September 2020,
•     the achievement of the qualification target is impaired by the pandemic and therefore a contract extension is necessary,
•     the extension is requested on a case-by-case basis and its necessity and scope are justified accordingly, and
•     the extension can be covered by the faculty's job quota (vacant position or corresponding postponement of the replacement)

Please note: The extension of the maximum fixed-term limit does not result in a mandatory or automatic extension of employment contracts. The extent to which use can be made of the option to extend the contract must be decided on a case-by-case basis. In order to extend the contract, an application for continued employment must be submitted. As usual, the application must be accompanied by the "Supplement to the Statement of the Reason for a Fixed-Term Employment Contract in Accordance with § 2 Para. 1 WissZeitVG", since it is still necessary to justify and examine the extension in each individual case.