Materials and information

What is the HR Excellence in Research distinction?

The benefits of the distinction

What is HRS4R?

What are the Charter and the Code?

What is OTM-R?


What is the HR Excellence in Research distinction?

It is a prestigious distinction granted by the European Commission to institutions operating within the R&D sector which have undertaken to implement and follow the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

The right to use this distinction applies only to those institutions which effectively fulfil the obligations resulting from the award, and this entails the constant process of self-improvement based on internal and external verification of compliance with the HRS4R principles and implementation of individual action plans.

The benefits of the distinction

The distinction carries with itself mutual benefits for both the Institute and researchers.

  • Attractive and stable working conditions
  • Support at every stage of development
  • Favorable work environment
  • Transparent recruitment and assessment procedures
  • Higher ranks in domestic and international grants and projects and in the parametric assessment
  • A clear signal to candidates an attractive employer
  • Improvement in function – constant analysis and perfection of internal processes

What is HRS4R?

It is a strategy of the European Commission which aims at improving the attractiveness of working conditions and career development opportunities for researchers in the European Union. The primary documents and tools to implement this strategy are:

  • the European Charter for Researchers,
  • the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers,
  • OTM-R.

Creating an environment of excellence 4 researchers in Europe

Creating an environment of excellence 4 researchers in Europe

What are the Charter and the Code?

Documents issued by the European Commission (2005) and dedicated mainly to researchers and employers and research funding bodies.

They contain a set of rights and obligations that researchers and their employing institutions as well as research funding organizations are subject to (read more).

The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

What is OTM-R?

OTM-R (Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment) is a set of practical tools for developing an open and transparent recruitment policy based on candidates’ qualifications (read more).