Date added: 2022-10-14
Why do we need the HR4R Strategy?
The HR4R strategy and the HR Excellence in Research distinction (the so-called HR Logo) are the hallmarks of scientific institutions that care for their researchers, providing them with the best working and development conditions in the European Union. The high standard of activities undertaken by Gdańsk University of Technology in this area was appreciated by the European Commission already 5 years ago, when we were granted the right to use the HR Logo.
The current HR4R Strategy is a 3-year action plan of our University in the area of HR. The overriding goal of the undertaken activities is to ensure optimal and stable employment conditions, conducive to the development of researchers and science at Gdańsk Tech. This document is based on the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, as well as the university's own good management practices. The European Commission promotes the awarded institutions on the European portal for mobile researchers named EURAXESS, which contains the largest database of job offers and research grants, enabling publication of job advertisements with the HR logo next to the name of the university. That is why, Gdańsk University of Technology has an increased chance to reinforce our staff with the best foreign experts.
The HR distinction is an additional asset for our University indicating high employment standards and increasing the value of our applications in Horizon Europe projects, particularly in funding competitions announced as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. However, the HR4R strategy is important to us due to the implemented - sometimes small - initiatives, commitment and efforts of hundreds of academics and administrative employees, and doctoral students. For the past 5 years, we have been identifying barriers that hinder the functioning, work and development at our University, defining our needs to make our work better and more efficiently, we define and implement tasks that improve the working and cooperation conditions. Thanks to these activities, it was possible to develop the "PhD student survey" (assessment of research supervisors), "Employee adaptation guide", launching numerous training courses, introduction of career counseling for researchers, implementation of a teaching load reduction system, translation and dissemination of relevant legal acts among employees.
The HR Center organizes meetings with various groups of employees, talks to young scientists as well as the rector's collegium, collects information about our needs, observed irregularities, ideas for improvement, in order to propose solutions in the following 3-year perspective, which will be presented to European Commission in November this year. We hope that with each successive HR4R Strategy, our University will be successivelybetter adapted to the needs and expectations of employees.
