Frequently asked questions (FAQs) HR Excellence in Research (HREiR) Award

Vitae has been involved in the HR Excellence in Research initiative since 2005, when the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers was launched at the UK presidency conference, and are proud of the role we have played in helping so many UK institutions to achieve the HR Excellence in Research Award.

Specifically, Vitae:

• agreed the UK process to allow submissions based on implementation strategies for existing UK requirements and guidelines rather than multiple reporting
• continues to work with the European Commission (EC) and the Concordat Strategy Group to agree approaches to the review process
• keeps up to date with European Commission thinking and provides briefings for UK and Vitae member institutions
• reviews and provides feedback to institutions on both initial submissions and submissions for the on-going review process
• publishes reports and undertakes research to support the process
• manages the Concordat Strategy and Executive Groups
• plays a strong support and co-ordination role in both the Careers in Research Online Survey and the Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey: biennial surveys that enable institutions to measure implementation progress and make comparisons with the national picture and groups of other institutions
• co-ordinates UK input to EC plans for European certification of HR management for researchers

We would be happy to talk to Vitae member organisations from outside the UK about support we offer.

Any UK organisation employing or funding researchers is eligible to apply for the Award. We would be happy to talk to member organisations from outside the UK about the support we could offer.

The list of institutions who have achieved recognition is published on the EURAXESS website.

The European Union’s flagship R&I framework programme ‘Horizon Europe’ frequently references the European Charter and Code for Researchers within its funding calls. This includes the European Research Council and the Marie Sklowdowska-Curie Actions where it is stated that organisations should provide an environment for researchers which is based on the European ‘Charter and Code’ principles.

Contact Vitae to find out the next application submission deadline.

Take a look at the process step-by-step timeline.

Briefly, when renewing their Award, institutions prepare three documents to publish online on a publicly visible webpage. These are then reviewed by an external peer review team, who also conduct an interview call with representatives of your institution. The peer review team compiles a report, and sends this to the UK HREiR panel, who decide on an outcome for your institution. This may require resubmitting one or more documents with specific changes made.

Institutions should submit three documents, comprising a summary report, a backwards action plan and a forward action plan.

Vitae will provide time and date options to the institution to hold a one-hour interview call via Zoom. During the interview, the external peer review team will pose questions surrounding Concordat implementation and on any outstanding items not covered in the documentation submitted.

You can check our website for an overview of the Award process, including an introductory video and more details on the support Vitae offers, how to learn from others, and how to develop strong success measures.

The logo can be used in relation to:

• activities that are specifically part of the implementation of the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers
• activities that are specifically part of the implementation of the precepts of the QAA Quality Code – Chapter B11: Research Degrees, including doctoral training and career development programmes
• researcher development activities
• job vacancies advertised on the EURAXESS jobs site
• recruitment activities for postgraduate researchers and research staff.

UK Award holders will be sent the logo in a variety of formats along with a pdf file with guidelines for use. Use of the logo in the UK has specific guidelines and wording, that should be adhered to.

The HR Excellence in Research logo must be used by UK institutions only in conjunction with the following sentence:

‘A UK-wide process, incorporating the QAA Quality Code – Chapter B11: Research Degrees and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, enables institutions to gain the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award, acknowledging alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment’

When used on the institution’s website or intranet, there should be a ‘home’ logo that includes the full sentence above and the context for the logo. We suggest that the ‘home’ logo is on the page where your action/implementation plan is located. All other logos appearing on institutional websites and intranet must link back to the ‘home’ logo.

Where the logo is used in print, any document must include the full sentence above.

For further information or queries about the use of the HR Excellence in Research logo in the UK context, please contact us.