InCITIES HRS4R Colloquium at TH Köln

The colloquium started with a greeting by TH Köln’s president Prof. Dr. Herzig. Subsequently, Michele Rosa-Clot (Portfolio manager, HR Excellence in Research, European Commission DG R&I - ERA, Spreading Excellence and Research Careers) introduced the New Charter for Researchers and answered questions from the audience. Based on this discussion, the participants reflected on the state of the principles of the New Charter for Researchers at their institutions and identified opportunities to address gaps individually and collaboratively in the consortium. In the afternoon session, several representatives from TH Köln introduced current initiatives and practices in the fields of equality, diversity, inclusion and recruitment. Mika Laurikani, Senior Specialist at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland), discussed ties between activities in InCITIES and the action plan laid out by the PIONEER Alliance in particular in the field of Transformative Leadership.

On the second day, the group presented actions at each member institution in the HRS4R process and discussed their experiences and best practices. With the results of the colloquium, the partners will now engage in the finalization of their Human Resources Strategies and Action Plans at their institutions to hand in their applications for the HR Excellence in Research Awards within the next year.

The HR Excellence in Research award gives recognition to research institutions that develop and adhere to a university-specific ‘Human Resources Strategy for Researchers’ (HRS4R), which applies the principles of the European Charter for Researchers. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of research culture at European universities. In the global competition for top researchers, the award is a seal of quality that is synonymous with fair and transparent recruitment processes, respect for intellectual property rights and a stimulating working environment with ample training opportunities.