How does the “HR Excellence in Research” distinction impact the development of University of Warsaw employees? How is the action plan for the coming years being prepared? These are among the topics discussed by the UW Vice Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources and the Chair of the Working Group on the Implementation of the EKN.

The “Spring with HR Excellence in Research” series opens with an interview with Prof. Sambor Grucza, UW Vice Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources and Chair of the Steering Committee for the Implementation of the European Charter for Researchers, and Prof. Julia Kubisa, Dean of the Faculty of Sociology and Chair of the Working Group on the Implementation of the European Charter for Researchers.

It has been ten years since the University of Warsaw committed itself to upholding the principles of the European Charter for Researchers concerning researchers’ working conditions and was granted the right to use the HR Excellence in Research award. How would you assess the impact of the award over time on changes in the way our University operates?

PROF. SAMBOR GRUCZA: I have been serving as Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources for over six years, while also acting as Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers. Today, from this perspective, I can see how many changes have been introduced:

• support for obtaining research grants has been expanded, particularly for the most prestigious ones awarded by the European Research Council,
• the Gender Equality Plan has been implemented, along with a range of measures aimed at ensuring equality, inclusiveness, and preventing mobbing at the University,
• work in the Senate of the University of Warsaw on the Code of Ethics, which will comprehensively regulate the principles of cooperation within the University, is in its final stages,
• the Human Resources Office provides more than 200 training sessions each year for academics, including comprehensive programmes such as the Academy of Science Communication and the Programme for Young Female Researchers and Teachers, aimed at promoting equal opportunities.

The European Charter for Researchers places considerable emphasis on the internationalisation of universities as a key driver of scientific development. During and after the pandemic, geographic mobility funded under the Erasmus+ Programme declined significantly. At that time, obtaining the status of a research university and the inclusion of the University of Warsaw in the Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) programme proved extremely beneficial. The programme made it possible to:

• intensify academic exchange not only within the activities of the International Relations Office, but also by funding additional mobility through the Microgrants Programme and by inviting distinguished researchers from abroad under the Mentor Programme,
• significantly expand the range of support offered by Welcome Point for researchers employed at the University. A system for registering international visitors was also implemented, enabling the collection of data on incoming mobility.

All these initiatives have proven highly effective. However, there is still much to be done. The proportion of academics holding non-Polish citizenship currently stands at around 10%. While this is high compared to other Polish universities, it is still not sufficient for us. We know that international mobility leads to direct contacts, often resulting in further research and teaching collaboration, new ideas, joint research projects and ultimately publications. This is of great importance to us, as we recognise it as one of the key factors in strengthening the position of our University. For this reason, we deliberately incorporate such initiatives into the Action Plan.

PROF. JULIA KUBISA: As Chairperson of the Working Team for the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers, I would like to emphasise that maintaining the award requires undergoing a continuous audit process and ensuring the University’s consistent commitment to improvement. Every three years, external experts from the European Commission assess whether the University is making sufficient progress in improving working conditions and career development for researchers. On each occasion, the University prepares an Action Plan (PL) for the coming years and reports on the actions previously implemented. Every six years, the evaluation takes place onsite in Warsaw, during which experts meet with researchers at different career stages, as well as with representatives of areas such as mobility, competence development and research. At the end of last year, as part of the evaluation process, we submitted the Periodic Evaluation (PL), in which we highlighted, among other things, the introduction of a more transparent approach to organising recruitment for academic positions, the establishment of the Equality Observatory, the development of the Open Science Policy and the launch of the Institutional Repository at the University of Warsaw.

All documents submitted to the European Commission are regularly published on the University’s main website and are available at the following link.

How is the Action Plan for the next period developed?

PROF. SAMBOR GRUCZA: When planning activities under the HR Excellence in Research framework, we make every effort to ensure that the proposed actions are aligned with the University of Warsaw’s strategy and the needs of academic staff. The several dozen individuals serving on the Steering Committee and forming the Working Team are continuously attentive to the needs of academics in their day-to-day work. In addition, before preparing the Action Plan, we:

• conduct a survey, developed for many years by the Teaching and Learning Quality Evaluation Lab,
• rely on other available research findings and consultations carried out within the academic community,
• as well as use materials and analyses prepared for university-wide administration units and other University units.

It is important to note that both the Steering Committee and the Working Team include academics who are familiar with the conditions of researchers’ work from their own experience. In 2021, when we revised the way the process of maintaining the award was managed, we were particularly keen to achieve synergy with other University activities. For this reason, members of the Working Team are representatives of units most actively involved in implementing the actions, while also participating in other projects and programmes of strategic importance to the University. Members of the Steering Committee, in turn, are individuals responsible for managing the University and have the most comprehensive overview of the institution as a whole. This structure of the Steering Committee and the Working Team ensures an appropriate distribution of competences and a transparent allocation of responsibilities, and consequently enables effective work on aligning the University with the requirements of the European Charter for Researchers.

How are these activities funded?

PROF. JULIA KUBISA: The University seeks to cover the costs of these activities primarily from external funding, which accelerates their implementation. It also enables additional initiatives that would not be possible without such support. To date, these have included mainly the Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) programme and the Integrated Development Programme of the University of Warsaw (ZIP), implemented in 2018-2023, as well as its current continuation, ZIP 2.0, Erasmus+, and the project “UWażni na dostępność – University of Equal Opportunities”. We strive to make the most effective use of the time and resources invested.