HR Award is the short name for the Human Resources Excellence in Research Award. It is an award given by the European Commission to institutions active in science and research for following The European Charter for Researchers (the Charter) when employing researchers. In addition to adherence to the Charter and Code, the award is conditional on the implementation of a human resources management strategy (HR Strategy for Researchers or HRS4R). This strategy is tailor-made for each institution in the form of an action plan. The implementation of the strategy is regularly evaluated by the European Commission.

The European market and research area has long struggled to remain competitive with the US and Asian countries. To support research and innovation, the European Commission has developed, among other things, a set of principles, called The European Charter for Researchers (the Charter), to guide European research institutions and to underpin their strategy for working with staff and Ph.D. students. Institutions should create working conditions that enable their staff to achieve scientific excellence and to feel comfortable in their working environment. At the same time, mobility is promoted as one of the means of excellence, hence the need for comparability of working conditions in research institutions across Europe. 

The HR Award focuses on 4 areas:

1. Ethics and professionalism;

2. Staffing;

3. Working conditions;

4. Training and development.

The University is to implement a Human Resources Management Strategy (HR Strategy for Researchers/HRS4R) that leads to compliance with the 40 principles set out inThe European Charter for Researchers.

An internal GAP analysis was carried out at MENDELU in 2018, which compared the University's practice with the requirements of the Charter and the Code. On the basis of these results, a first action plan was drawn up to proceed with the implementation of measures aimed at fulfilling the principles enshrined in the Charter and the Code. We are currently implementing the second action plan that emerged from the internal evaluation in 2020.

It is an advantage for European grant applicants, not a requirement. It gives the funders a guarantee that the funding will be used in line with EU requirements.

Prestige, visibility, attracting foreign scientists, guaranteeing a working environment that meets European standards, preferential treatment from funders, cooperation with other institutions.

There is no fee for the award. However, the University does fund staff who work on the implementation of the strategy, either in the Human Resources Management Office or as part of a working group which is identical to the Chancellor's Staff Development Committee. In the preparation and subsequent implementation phase of the strategy (2018 - Q1 2023), the working group and HR professional staff were funded by the OP VVV RKVV I and II. Now the HRMO staff positions are funded by the University's core resource and the Strategic Management Support Programme.

Today, 64 awards have already been granted in the Czech Republic (data valid as of 31 May 2023). They are held by public, state and private universities, institutes of the Academy of Sciences and other scientific or research funding institutions. In some universities, individual faculties are the award holders. MENDELU was the first in the Czech Republic to receive this award. An overview of all European recipients.

We know that the term "human resources" doesn't sound very friendly, but it's an established term in management. Human resource management is an integral part of managing an organization because it sets procedures for dealing with the most valuable asset an organization has - its employees. Strategic human resource management sets consistent practices across the organization, expertly providing individual HR processes and support for employees at all levels of management and the rank and file. This benefits both the organisation (saves financial resources, streamlines operations) and the individual (level playing field).

The university is becoming a modern organization that provides comparable working conditions with companies and foreign institutions. It is more professional, better quality and more competitive. It supports your career development (Ph.D. school, training courses, coaching, personal plans, etc.) and equal treatment. We try not to say anymore: "You work at a university? I guess it's very rigid there, huh?" or "I was in a university selection process. It was like I was back in the final exams."

Your feedback is very important to us. That's why we regularly contact staff and Ph.D. students via questionnaire surveys to find out how satisfied they are with their work at the University. We also organise roundtables where we discuss individual topics. Coming soon: 13 June 2023 HR Award Roundtable - Questions and Answers (in Czech). We will keep you informed about the events on the HRMO website.

The activities are coordinated by the Human Resources Management Office, which is methodically led by the Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Internal Affairs Lea Kubíčková. In addition to the HRMO, a working group (the Rector's Commission for Human Resources Development) and the Steering Committee are involved in the implementation of the activities.

The renewal will take place in two phases:

1. We will conduct a self-assessment and propose an action plan for the next three-year period by 26 February, 2024.

2. Subsequently, within 3 months, three European Commission evaluators(s) will visit the university in person and an on-site evaluation will take place with the participation of the university management, the involved staff and representatives of different categories of staff and Ph.D. students.

The European Commission will inform the University within 1 month whether it will retain the HR Award for a further period of 3 years.