HR4RS stamp
Alberto Rosa/Writing
The rector of the URJC, Javier Ramos, presented this Friday, December 10, the Quality Seal Strategy of the European Commission “HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY FOR RESEARCHERS (HRS4R)” at the URJC, in an event that was attended by the Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Business Relations, Fernando García Muiña, and the Vice-Rector for Research, Visitación López-Miranda.
The URJC has held the European accreditation of the Seal since 2020, after having adhered to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers in September 2018, thereby committing itself to developing a strategy that represents an institutional boost to the quality of research and a collective commitment to promote and support a research culture that attracts, retains and fosters the best scientific talent.
The rector, Javier Ramos, highlighted the importance of research for the university and society as a whole: "If we want to train the professionals and critical people of the next generation, our university has to generate new knowledge and there is no university teaching without research”.
Ramos also spoke about the Human Resources Seal Strategy for Researchers as an opportunity to promote a successful, dynamic and inclusive research culture at URJC. The different actions of the Strategy make it possible to promote tools for the recruitment, well-being, training of researchers in the development of their activity.
“The best lever to improve society are universities and these are nothing more than generating new knowledge and transmitting it to society as a whole. Therefore, we have to investigate, worry about taking care of the people who investigate and that is what this seal consists of”, the rector pointed out.
The Strategy and its work plan
This Strategy contemplates a work plan that integrates 18 actions aimed at improving, among other aspects, working conditions and the selection and recruitment systems for researchers, issues related to ethics in research and also career development. professional researchers.
The work plan will run until 2025, when the European Commission will visit the URJC facilities to assess whether concrete measures have been implemented and indicators have been collected that show how support for quality research is a reality in the day to day of the institution.
The Vice-Rector for Research, Visitación López, explained the importance of the Code of Conduct for Recruitment and the European Charter for Researchers: “These documents set out the principles on which institutions must base ourselves in order to generate a good scientific culture and a favorable environment for research and attract professionals.
The ultimate goal is to ensure transparency of the recruitment process and equal treatment of all applicants, in particular with regard to the development of an attractive, open and sustainable European labor market for researchers.
For his part, the vice-rector for Innovation, Transfer and Relations with Companies, Fernando Enrique García Muiña, spoke about some of the lines of work that the implementation of this strategy follows, such as the creation of a Manual of Good Practices for Researchers: “ We want it to be a reference document for anyone who approaches the world of research. We want it to include ethical principles, equality policies and for us to know what the difficulties are in this area and how to deal with them”.
Benefits of joining the HRS4R seal
Institutionally, accreditation means joining a European network linked to research, benefiting from the visibility generated by being on its website, Euraxess, as well as an incentive to achieve a change in the work culture focused on achieving a stimulating and favorable for researchers. Also, currently some funding bodies take into account the HRS4R Seal when assessing the suitability of the organizations and research centers they fund.
For researchers, for their part, choosing an accredited entity implies guarantees regarding their rights as a professional, working conditions favorable to mobility, conciliation and transparency in the processes.