Application for the HR Excellence in Research Award
The university of Gothenburg has initiated the process to apply for the HR Excellence in Research Award, a tool in the European Commission's HR Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R). The Award is a European quality label recognising institutions committed to attractive, open, and sustainable conditions for researchers.
Process at the University of Gothenburg
The University of Gothenburg has initiated the process for the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) award. A formal decision by the rector has been made, and the rector’s Letter of Endorsement and Commitment has been submitted through the designated EU portal.
Current status and deliverables
The University of Gothenburg is currently in the initial phase, during which the university is required to complete and submit four key documents within twelve months of endorsement confirmation:
Process description: This document explains how the consultation and involvement of both internal and external stakeholders (e.g., researchers, human resources, leadership, and doctoral students) are conducted to prepare the GAP analysis.
GAP analysis: This is a mapping of GU’s current policies, practices, and environment in relation to the principles of the European Charter for Researchers. It identifies strengths, weaknesses, and priority areas for improvement through broad stakeholder consultation.
Action plan: Based on the GAP analysis, this plan outlines clear objectives, specific actions, assigned responsibilities, timelines, and success indicators to address identified gaps.
Open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) checklist: This checklist evaluates the University’s recruitment processes to ensure they are aligned with the principles of openness, transparency, and meritocracy.
Next phases
Following the granting of the award, we will enter:
The Interim phase (24 months after award grant): The university will monitor and assess the implementation of the initial Action Plan. An updated, revised Action Plan will be developed for the next three-year period based on continuous feedback and ongoing consultations with researchers and stakeholders.
The Renewal phases (every 36 months thereafter): These phases involve evaluating the implementation of the revised Action Plan and drafting improved plans for subsequent three-year cycles. The renewal process alternates between site visits (e.g., during the first renewal) and remote assessments to ensure sustained commitment and progress.
Throughout all phases, ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders is crucial to anchor the process institutionally and to ensure effective, lasting improvements aligned with the European Charter for Researchers.
About the HR Excellence in Research Award
The HR Excellence in Research Award recognizes research performing organisations that demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing the 20 principles of the European Charter for Researchers. The HR Excellence in Research process is a long-term commitment based on a voluntary, structured, and periodically audited mechanism, centred on three-year cycles of continuous assessment based on gap analysis and action plans.
The HR Award Process
The HR award process is the implementation mechanism of the European Charter for Researchers. It is a voluntary, structured, and monitored auditing mechanism, centred on a continuous assessment in three-year cycles and based on a sequence of assessments, centred on gap-analysis and action plans for the implementation of the principles of the European Charter for Researchers.
The HR award process comprises three distinct phases:
- The initial phase, leading to the granting of the HR Excellence in Research award.
- The interim phase, which is an intermediate phase between initial and renewal phase and is meant to provide guidance in the first stages of the HR award process.
- The renewal phases for the renewal of the HR award. The renewal phases are based on a three-year cycle alternating site visits and remote assessments.
Phases in detail
The Initial Phase
- Registration in the e-tool
- Submission of the application for the "HR Excellence in Research Award" by uploading the “Letter of endorsement and commitment”
- Within a year from the acceptance of the registration of the letter in the e-Tool, the organisation shall complete the four forms: Process Description, Gap Analysis, Action Plan, and OTM-R checklist
- Initial granting of the HR award
The Interim Phase
Two years (24 months) after the initial granting of the HR award:
- Assessment of implementation of the Initial Action Plan published at initial phase
- Publication and assessment of the Revised Action Plan, which will cover the upcoming three years (36 months)
The Renewal Phase(s)
Three years (36 months) after the interim assessment:
- Assessment of the implementation of the Revised Action Plan published at interim phase
- Publication and assessment of the Improved Action Plan, which will cover the upcoming three years (36 months)
The first Renewal Phase will also include a Site Visit on the premises of the organisation.
All the subsequent Renewal Phases will keep implementing the Improved Action Plan alternating every three years (every 36 months) a Renewal with site visit and a Renewal without site visit (i.e., 1st renewal with site visit, 2nd renewal without site visit, 3rd renewal with site visit, 4th renewal without site visit, and so on…)
The European charter for researchers
The European Charter for Researchers is a set of principles underpinning the development of attractive research careers to support excellence in research and innovation across Europe. The focus of the European Charter for Researchers (‘Charter for Researchers’) is the rights and responsibilities of researchers, employers, funders and policy makers; it consists of 20 key principles. These are classified under the following four pillars:
- Ethics, Integrity, Gender and Open Science;
- Researchers’ Assessment, Recruitment and Progression;
- Working Conditions and Practices;
- Research Careers and Talent Development.
It addresses researchers across all disciplines including science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social sciences and humanities (SSH). It covers all types of research, namely frontier, targeted, strategic, applied and close to market.
The European Charter for Researchers aims at strengthening the European Research Area, by contributing to the development of an attractive, open and sustainable European labour market for researchers where the framework conditions allow for recruiting and retaining high calibre researchers.
The objective of the Charter is to ensure that the nature of the relationship between researchers and employers or funders is conducive to successful performance in generating, transferring, sharing and disseminating knowledge and technological development, and to the career development of researchers.
The Charter addresses all researchers in the European Union at all stages of their career, across all sectors and disciplines, irrespective of the nature of the appointment or employment, the legal status of their employer or the type of organisation or establishment in which the work is carried out. It takes into account the multiple roles of researchers, who are appointed not only to conduct research and/or to carry out development activities, but are also involved in supervision, mentoring, management or administrative tasks.
Definitions in the context of HR Excellence in Research Award
‘Researchers’ means professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new scientific knowledge based on original concepts or hypotheses. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, infrastructures, techniques, instrumentation, software or operational methods.
Researchers may be involved fully or partially in different types of activities – such as basic or applied research, experimental development, operating research equipment in any sector of the economy or society and disseminating and valorising research results. They may also be partially involved in, among others, project management, teaching, mentoring, supporting evidence-informed policy making, open science practices, knowledge and technological transfer activities, and science communication. Researchers identify options for new research and development activities, and plan for and manage them by using high-level skills and knowledge developed through formal education and training or from experience.
All researchers, regardless of their status and sector of employment, should be framed in the following profiles:
- R1 – First Stage Researcher: Researchers doing research under supervision up to the point of a PhD or equivalent level of competence and experience.
- R2 – Recognised Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of competence and experience who have not yet established a significant level of independence in developing their own research, attracting funding, or leading a research group.
- R3 – Established Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of competence and experience who are able to independently develop their own research, attract funding, and lead a research group.
- R4 – Leading Researcher: Researchers with a PhD or equivalent level of competence and experience who are recognised as leading their research field by their peers.
For the purposes of this Recommendation, R1 and R2 profiles should be considered early-career researchers, and R3 and R4 profiles should be considered senior researchers.
Useful links and contacts
For more information about the HR Excellence in Research award and related resources, you can visit:
The project is carried out by the HRS4R work group, which includes: Per Åberg (Project Leader), representatives from FIK and representatives from Human Resources department.
The work group also involves additional experts as needed, for example from the Communications department.
The contact persons for the HR Excellence in Research process at the University of Gothenburg are:
- Per Åberg, project leader: per.aberg@gu.se
- Andreea Maris, project coordinator andreea.maris@gu.se