We were granted the HR Excellence in Research Award

5 May 2021

Our Path to the HR Award

Initial Phase

On December 4, 2019, the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University launched the application process for the HR Excellence in Research Award ("HR Award") by submitting an Endorsement Letter to the European Commission – acceptance of the Charter and the Code principles.

In the beginning, we conducted a questionnaire survey and focus groups among academic employees (10.2.– 25.2.2020) to receive feedback on the current perception on implementation of The European Charter for Researchers, The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers principles in our faculty. The information collected was used as the foundation for creating the Gap Analysis, which mapped areas that did not conform to the principles and uncovered opportunities for improvement. Individual areas with actions were assembled into an Action Plan which will be implemented over the next two years. The recruitment and selection process was also mapped according to the OTM-R checklist.

Created documents were submitted to the European Commission's evaluators at the end of 2020. Afterward, we anticipated their evaluation and the award. In March 2021, the European Commission informed us about the postponement of the decision to grant the award in two months. The HR Award certification was granted to the Faculty of Education on 23 April 2021; we have become one of the HR Award-certified institutions with a total of 594 institutions in Europe and 35 institutions in the Czech Republic.

Where are we now?

Implementation Phase

By granting the award, we proceeded to the implementation phase of the HR Award process. We will adjust current procedures and implement the activities of the approved action plan during the following 24 months.

Before the expiration of this period, we will prepare an Interim Assessment, in which we will describe the implementation of the activities and fulfillment of the action plan steps. We will prepare a new Action Plan for the coming period, which will be submitted to the European Commission for evaluation. If approved, the new Action Plan will be implemented over the next 36 months (again, followed by an assessment by the European Commission).

Where are we going?

Award Renewal Phase

The internal evaluation of the institution (recertification) is carried out by the external group of independent evaluators appointed by the European Commission, followed by a site visit – assessment of the institution's development. During this phase, the HR Award logo can be removed from the institution, which would result in a ban on the use of the HR Award, with the possibility of re-application after 3 years.