European Commission 'HR excellence in research' badge

UK HEI alignment with the European Charter and Code and use of European Commission ‘HR excellence in research' logo

A UK-wide process enables UK HEIs to gain the European Commission's ‘HR excellence in research' badge, which acknowledges their alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment. The UK process incorporates both the 'QAA Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes' and the 'Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers' to enable institutions that have published Concordat implementation plans to gain the ‘HR excellence in research' badge. The UK approach includes ongoing national evaluation and benchmarking.

For UK HEIs data from the ‘Higher education institution's strategic response to the Concordat' is presented alongside links to published Concordat implementation strategies or action plans.

The third tranche of UK submissions need to be received on Friday 29 April 2011. If you would like to submit and/or would like advice from Vitae on any aspect of your submission please email Ellen Pearce on ellen.pearce@vitae.ac.uk. Ellen Pearce is the UK representative on the European Commission's ‘Institutional HR Strategy Group' which supports the ‘HR excellence in research' badging process.

To gain the European Commission ‘HR excellence in research' badging institutions need to follow the five stage process outlined by the European Commission in the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers process:

1. The institution conducts an internal analysis to compare practice against the Charter and Code; [in the UK, the analysis should compare institutional policy and practice against the Concordat principles]

2. The institution publishes an action plan for aligning more closely with the Charter and Code (what, by when, by whom); [in the UK, the implementation/action plan should relate to the Concordat]

3. The Commission will acknowledge the strategy [and award the ‘HR excellence in research' logo. In the UK there are some specific guidelines for use of the logo, given that it relates to both the QAA Code for postgraduate researchers and the Concordat for research staff]

4. Through their own internal quality assurance mechanism, institutions will carry out a self-assessment at least every two years to test and update their action plans [in the UK this will be linked with the Concordat progress monitoring through the Concordat Strategy Group]

5. At least every four years an external evaluation will take place [it is anticipated that this will be undertaken on a UK basis].