HRS4R process at the Ruhr University Bochum: Quality development to promote academic careers

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The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers - HRS4R for short - is a quality development process for the working conditions and career development of scientific staff. scientific staff development. It identifies institutions in the European Higher Education Area that provide excellent framework conditions for researchers.

The HRS4R process is guided by two European Commission documents: the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, and by the principle of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment practices in science.

The Charter and Code of Conduct are divided into four thematic areas:

• Ethical and professional aspects
  Freedom of research, contractual and legal obligations, non-discrimination, good scientific practice.

• Recruitment and hiring process
  Selection, admission standards, transparency, recognition of mobility

• Working conditions and social security
  Stability of employment, funding, salaries, work-life balance.

• Career and further education
  Professional development, teaching, supervisory and management duties.

Objectives of the process

Among other things, the process serves

• to improve the working conditions of researchers at the RUB
• to ensure equality of opportunity
• to make career prospects in science more transparent
• to promote mobility
• to strengthen Bochum as a center of science
• to enable critical self-reflection of the institution and to better link actors at the RUB and create synergy effects.

Central actors

The project is coordinated in the Administrative Department of Organizational and Human Resources Development and is under the control of Prof. Dr. Denise Manahan-Vaughan (Vice-Rector for Structure, Strategy and Planning) and Andrea Kaus (Head of the Administrative Department for Organizational and Professional Development).

Numerous stakeholders from science, administration and interest groups are involved.

Procedure of the certification process

Ruhr University Bochum has gone through the elaborate process and submitted the application documents (gap analysis, OTM-R checklist and action plan) for certification. With the award, Ruhr University enters the implementation phase and starts implementing the planned measures.

After two years, an interim evaluation takes place, which provides orientation for the further implementation of the measures in the following three years. At the end of this five-year phase, a new evaluation is carried out in the form of an inspection by the European Commission. Subsequently, a further evaluation is carried out every three years.

Through the certification, Ruhr University would like to contribute to the optimization of research conditions according to European standards in the long term.

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