HR excellence in research

In order to establish equality of employment of researchers in Europe, increase the transparency of this process, as well as ensure equal rights and obligations of scientific researchers, the European Commission has adopted the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Recruitment.

Following the principles defined in those documents, the Senate of the University of Kragujevac adopted the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers in October 2016, along with the Action Plan for the Implementation.

By adopting these principles, the University of Kragujevac committed itself to the continuous improvement of the position of its research staff, and thus became entitled to apply for the prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award, given by the European Commission. This recognition also entitles the awarded institutions to use the HR label which is the internationally accepted mark of the quality standards in this field.

The efforts of the University of Kragujevac in this field resulted in success. After the thorough analysis and evaluation of the strategic documents submitted, the European Commission granted the University of Kragujevac the HR Excellence in Research award, which was a significant step for the University in terms of better positioning and ranking in the international context, improving the quality of work in the research sector and linking with the leading research organizations in Europe.

As part of the adopted HR strategy, the University also defined and updated the procedures for the recruitment of researchers included in the Open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) policy as a set of practical and useful tools and internal acts covering various aspects of recruitment of researchers.

In its efforts to maintain the quality of working conditions and opportunities for researchers, the University has committed itself to continuous improvements of the OTM-R policy. The HRS4R Strategy was revised in September of 2020 and the accompanying Action Plan was updated accordingly.

After revising the Action Plan in 2020, the University of Kragujevac continued to implement the activities and principles of the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers. Many activities have continued, and a certain number have been fully realized. In accordance with the priorities of the University of Kragujevac for the next three-year period, the Action Plan was updated, and new activities introduced in order to further improve working conditions for researchers were presented in it.