HR Excellence in Research Award for the University of Warsaw

On 4th July 2016, in response to the declaration submitted by the Rector of the University of Warsaw regarding the University’s adherence to the European Charter for Researchers (the Charter) and its commitment to the ongoing improvement of institutional practices, the University of Warsaw was granted the right to use the prestigious HR Excellence in Research award by the European Commission.

 

The principles of the European Charter for Researchers (the Charter) are fundamental to the University of Warsaw, as reflected in the University Statute. They are inherently linked to the UW’s long-term strategy, including the UW Strategy for 2023–2032, which focuses on consolidating the University’s position as a globally recognised institution with a leading role in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

The award is granted for a period of three years, based on the HR Strategy for Researchers at the University of Warsaw (HRS4R) PL EN developed by the University. Its renewal requires a continuous process of improving internal procedures and practices to enhance the working conditions for researchers, in line with the detailed principles of the Charter, grouped into four thematic areas:

• Ethics, integrity, gender and open science
• Researchers’ assessment, recruitment and progression
• Working conditions and practices
• Research careers and talent development

The implementation of the Charter is carried out by two panels: The Working Panel (the Panel), chaired by prof. UW, dr hab. Julia Kubisa, responsible for the implementation process, and the Steering Committee (the Committee), chaired by prof. dr hab. Sambor Grucza, responsible for supporting and monitoring the implementation of the Charter. The Working Panel consists of individuals involved in implementing the actions set out in the Action Plan.

 

Representatives of the Committee and the Panel remain in close cooperation. Representatives of the Human Resources Office regularly participate in information meetings organised by the European Commission, the National Contact Point, as well as in individual consultations.

 

The objective of the HRS4R and the Action Plan for 2022-2027 was to develop a coherent, ambitious, yet realistic and evidence-based vision that would strengthen the previous achievements of HRS4R at the University of Warsaw in the years 2015-2021 and enable new initiatives supporting the University’s research environment.

 

The University engages its academic community in various ways, reinforcing the initiatives and values promoted by the Charter:

• professional engagement: the Committee and the Panel include both academic staff and administrative employees of the UW;
• institutional engagement: each edition of HRS4R, for the years 2015-2021 and 2022-2027, was approved by the Rector. The Statute of the University of Warsaw, adopted in 2019, refers to the Charter as the set of principles guiding the University. The implementation of selected actions, such as the development of the Code of Ethics or the Rules and Regulations on Intellectual Property Management, requires the involvement of the University Senate;
• opportunity to express views and influence decisions: regular surveys are conducted to assess the opinions and experience of academics regarding the compliance of university practices with the Charter principles (studies carried out in 2018, 2021 and 2025); surveys among doctoral candidates (in 2022 and 2025); qualitative studies and consultations with different groups of academics, including early-stage researchers, academic teachers, parents, etc.

 

Horizontal solutions supporting the academic community

As part of the HRS4R for the years 2022-2027, over the past three years (2022-2025), the University has:

 

• strengthened its dialogue with the doctoral candidates’ self-government body of the UW, which has led to the introduction of many social and related initiatives. The scholarship amount has been increased, and additional scholarships have been introduced. Moreover, the rules for accessing the University’s research and IT infrastructure, as well as the University canteen, have been regulated (Office of the Vice-Rectors for Doctoral and Legal Affairs);
• established the Equality Observatory, collecting data on gender balance at the University (Equality Team);
• carried out a gender pay gap survey (Equality Team);
• revised its approach to competitions for academic positions by introducing a more holistic assessment of candidates’ experience, record and competencies, as well as training for competition committees and recruitment support staff, along with a new form of communication with candidates (Human Resources Office);
• created the Recruitment Section offering training and consultations. Moreover, the University has launched a new website gathering all relevant information (Human Resources Office).

 

Additionally, funded by the Excellence Initiative – Research University Programme:

• the Open Science Policy at the University of Warsaw was developed, and the Institutional Repository was launched (University of Warsaw Library);
• numerous funding calls were launched to support research activities, including three competitions dedicated to doctoral candidates for publishing and research – more than 350 scholarships for doctoral dissertations were awarded, amounting in total to PLN 4.3 million;
• individual academic career development counselling for researchers was introduced (Office for International Research and Liaison);
• the Mentor Programme was implemented, enabling 80 distinguished researchers to come to Poland at the invitation of the University of Warsaw research teams (IDUB Team in the Research Services Office);
• the Programme for the Inclusion of Talented Young Scientists Employed at the University of Warsaw and Partner Universities in Research Teams was carried out (International Relations Office);
• the Programme for Young Female Researchers and Teachers and the Programme for Young Researchers in the Social Sciences were delivered, offering career development counselling, mentoring support, and competence development for 50 participants (Human Resources Office);
• the Welcome to UW Programme was implemented for newly employed academics and administrative staff (Human Resources Office), along with extensive support for newly employed international staff, including intercultural training, Polish language courses, individual tax advisory services, and many other activities facilitating adaptation to the new work environment (Welcome Point),

and many other initiatives described in more detail in the Action Plan for 2022-2027.

 

Selected examples of the implementation of the HR Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) at the University of Warsaw in 2022–2027

• Internet Registration of International Visitors PL EN
• Open Science Policy at the University of Warsaw PL EN
• Mentor Programme PL EN
• New website dedicated to competitions for academic positions PL EN
• Knowledge and Research Management Platform PL EN

 

Other important documents/links

Declaration of support for the principles of the European Charter for Researchers

European Commission – EURAXESS portal:

Human Resources Strategy for Researchers – HRS4

Gender Equality Plan for the UW and the Equality Action Plan for 2020-2024

Rector’s Ordinance on policies on preventing unequal treatment, discrimination, mobbing, and other undesirable behaviour at the University of Warsaw

Rector’s Ordinance on the appointment of the Rector’s Team for Counteracting Hate at the University of Warsaw

Support institutions at the UW

Equality Observatory at the UW (equality data)