HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R)

Una parte importante de la estrategia HRS4R es encontrar áreas de mejora a través de un análisis de carencias (denominado gap análisis), y desarrollar un plan de acción capaz de cubrir dichas carencias a través de acciones focalizadas que ayuden a la mejora de la institución y al cumplimiento de los principios del C&C.

Las acciones para implementar en el Plan en los primeros 24 meses son:

1. Create the UR OTMR policy by updating the recruitment procedures to HRS4R and OTMR criteria.

• Align contracting procedures to OTM-R’s contracting policies, for example:
• Modify the scales of UR’s job offers insisting that career breaks are not considered when assessing a candidate's CV.
• Consider interviews as part of the selection process
• Create common pre-established scales for all calls and specific criteria for each call, applying the framework scale for all calls.
• To homogenise the structure of the web page for job calls of applications from consolidated research teaching staff and research staff.
• To offer training courses for researchers participating in committees.
• To include information on career development perspectives in the job offer.
• To decouple the selection of teaching candidates from the departments and to set up an external committee to make the selection. In some cases, to include an external evaluator for the selection process.
• To draw up the UR's calls for applications in English.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

2. Consider regulatory changes that would help stabilize research staff, such as the adoption of the figure of Research Staff.

• Carry out a comparison of the regulations of the Universities with research staff regulations and write and approve UR´s own regulation.
• To study the possibility of using the call for research excellence incorporation programmes to enable the future stabilisation of researchers.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

3. Improve the employability of R1 and R2 researchers.

• Develop guides and materials to explore career options (including a document on career options, Guide to individual support, etc.) and publish them in an online space.
• Provide training for researchers on career options, through presentations on career guidance to new doctoral students.
• Reactivate the UR Alumni programme, AUREA.
• Include relevant information in the welcome handbook and on the website.

4. Design a pilot Mentoring Programme to support career development for researchers.

• Design a pilot mentoring programme on research career options for R2 researchers following the methodology developed in the REBECA project of Euraxess. In the pilot version, profiles with a diverse professional career will be sought to be the candidates for mentoring and a selection of R2 researchers from different areas of knowledge.
• Evaluate the pilot programme, redesign and make it available to all researchers.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

5. Enhancing the mobility of researchers.

• Create specific travel grants for R1s
• Include international mobility experiences and experience in private sector research in the scales of the University's job offers.
• Incorporate external agents from the UR's research ecosystem, both foreign and industrial, in evaluation commissions.
• Encourage the internationalization of researchers by generating projects with international

6. Display the communication events developed by the UR.

• Improve the UR's communication pages, especially the Campus Iberus page.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

7. Promote initiatives to disseminate equality.

• Highlight the actions carried out for the dissemination of equality in the UR.

8. Draft and approve a law on coexistence.

• To develop coexistence regulations by establishing the bases for coexistence in the university environment, promoting the preferential use of alternative methods of resolving conflicts that could alter it, or that prevent the normal development of the essential functions of teaching, research, and knowledge transfer and, on the other hand, by updating the sanctioning regime for university students.

9. Foster UR internal and external collaborations:

• To promote collaboration between research groups or departments.
• To create structures such as centres or institutes.
• To apply for networks of excellence in national calls for proposals.
• To improve the infrastructure and scientific and technical equipment.
• To promote inter multi- or trans-research networks.

10. Write a good research manual including research ethical issues.

• To write a document on good research practice, including sections on co-authorship, personal data protection and research ethics.

11. To create a work-life balance policy or norm for researchers.

• To be included at researchers’ policies compendium, and implement this policy

12.  Design a process for the evaluation of researchers hired by research projects.

• To carry out an evaluation of the researchers recruited under research projects and those financed by the UR self-funded calls for proposals, providing them with a certification of the evaluation.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

13. The creation of a Research Ethics Committee.

• To define the praxis in the area of research ethics.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

14. Write a welcome handbook.

• Write and update annually the welcome manual (in digital version), available in Spanish and English.
• Present its contents in the welcome sessions for new researchers.
• Include relevant information in the welcome manual and on the website.

15. Launch, awareness raising, communication in HRS4R and OTM-R and evaluation.

• Project kick-off.
• Awareness-raising seminar for researchers and managers (e.g. in the framework of the annual researchers' conference).
• Elaborate contents in Spanish and English for the HRS4R website.
• Periodically evaluate the level of knowledge and involvement of researchers.