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HRS4R
From the administrative staff to our highly qualified and specialized international researchers, the people within BCAM is the driving force of the Center. Embedded in a multicultural environment, BCAM provides the right atmosphere for research and promotes the creation of hard-working international and interdisciplinary teams.
The Human Resources Strategy For Researchers (HRS4R)
The European Commission adopted the European Researchers’ Charter and the Code of Conduct for Researcher Recruitment, drafting two documents aimed at researchers as well as employers and providers of public and private sector funding. Both documents have become key elements of European Union policy, making research an attractive career and stimulating economic growth and employment in Europe.
Specifically, the European Charter for Researchers outlines the functions, responsibilities and rights of investigators and their employers. The aim is to ensure that the relation between these parties contributes to successful performance in the generation, transfer and shared use of knowledge, as well as the professional development of researchers from the early stages.
Moreover, the Code of Conduct for the hiring of researchers was drawn up to improve enrolment, so that selection procedures are fair and transparent. The researcher’s merit should be measured not only by the number of publications, but also by a wider range of evaluation criteria such as education and teaching, supervision, teamwork, knowledge transfer, management and public awareness-raising activities.
To help accommodate the research institutions to the Charter and Code principles, the Commission set out a procedure through which those institutions interested in including them, could design their own Human Resources (HR) Strategy.
This procedure consists of five steps:
- Preparation of a rigorous Internal Analysis.
- Publication of the Institution Strategy in the corporate website to maintain and improve the Charter and Code.
- Evaluation and approval of the Strategy by the Commission.
- Application and continuous self-assessment of the process by the institution.
- And finally, have the Strategy and its deployment evaluate externally by the Commission every four years after initiating the process.
The initiative of defining and deploying this Strategy is carried out in collaboration with the Commission and other institutions, members of the pilot group, including the other institutions that already have this acknowledgement and those in the process of obtaining it, which constitutes the best forum for exchanging and sharing best practices.
HRS4R In BCAM
BCAM signed its commitment to the 40 principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (C&C) in December 2008.
At the beginning of 2015 BCAM decided to go one step forward in its compromise with people management and it started the internal analysis process of "the Human Resources Strategy For Researchers (HRS4R)" promoted by the European Commission. HRS4R is a mechanism to support the put into practice European Researchers' Charter and the Code of Conduct for Researcher Recruitment (C&C).
The outcome of that process was the Internal Analysis and the Action Plan 2016. As a consequent of this, in June 2016, BCAM was awarded the "HR Excellence in Research" logo and recognition.
In July 2018, two years after obtaining the "HR Excellence in Research" award, BCAM has carried out the self-assessment process for reviewing and improving the previous Action Plan. For that, it has been analyzed the status of each action defined in the Action Plan of 2016 (BCAM HR Action Plan Review 2018) and a survey has been conducted among all employees. As a result, BCAM has carried out a GAP analysis and has elaborated the Internal Review document.
BCAM currently continues working on the principles and maintains its commitment with the Charter and Code and the HRS4R as part of the Centre's Strategy for the upcoming years. For that, and with the information obtained in the previous Internal Review, HR Strategy and Action Plan for the next 3 years (2018-2021) was developed. In 2021, BCAM has carried out a new self-assessment process (GAP Analysis 2020), with the aim of drawing up the 2021-2024 Improved Action Plan.
Open, Transparent And Merit-Based Recruitment Of Researchers (OTM-R)
Open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) is one of the pillars of the European Charter for Researchers and in particular of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. OTM-R brings benefits to researchers, institutions and a country's research system. More specifically, OTM-R makes research careers more attractive, ensures equal opportunities for all candidates and facilitates mobility. Overall, it may contribute to an increase in the cost-effectiveness of investments in research.
BCAM analyzed and completed the first OMT-Checklist, and integrated the recommendations and principles of OTM-R into its internal recruitment policies. Nevertheless, the systematic review of our recruitment process using the OTM-R checklist has enabled BCAM to improve its internal analysis, resulting in an improved OTM-R policy.