At the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS, we strive to create the best conditions and non-discriminatory opportunities for our researchers to ensure they can research freely, creatively, responsibly and for the benefit of the society. Our efforts and ambitions are summarized in our Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R).

The Institute is governed in particular by the following Czech laws:

• Act No. 341/2005 Coll. on Public Research Institutions
• Act No. 130/2002 Coll. on the Support of Research and Development from Public Funds amended by Act No. 50/2020 Coll. and Ac tNo. 215/2004 Coll.
• Act No. 262/2006 Coll. (Labour Code)
• Act No. 134/2016 Coll. on Public Procurement
• Act No. 340/2015 Coll. on the Register of Contracts
• Act No. 207/2000 Coll. on the Protection of Industrial Designs
• Act No. 106/1999 Coll. on Free Access to Information

More information about our mission can be found in the Institute Foundation Deed.

Recruitment

Calls for applications for vacancies are announced by the Institute director and published at least 3 weeks before the deadline for applications in the Career section of the Institute website and using other channels (e.g. Career on the CAS website, Euraxess, ResearchJobs). The job advert contains the following basic information:

• description of work
• employee grade*
• required degree and research field
• job requirements
• type of contract
• location of work and department
• application deadline
• envisaged starting date
• description of the selection process and required application documents
• composition of the selection committee
• contact for applications

The job advert lists essential, desired and specific requirements on candidates and the eligibility criteria.

*The Career Development Rules of the CAS Employees with a University Degree define the following employee grades for researchers:

V1 - Research assistant - first-stage researchers with a university degree doing research under supervision

V2 - PhD student - doctoral candidates doing research under the supervision of a PhD thesis supervisor or co-supervisor. Note: The Institute is a non-university public research institution and does not offer PhD programmes. Candidates for PhD student positions must be enrolled in a PhD progamme at a university and they can by employed by the Institute as first-stage researchers (usually on a part-time contract).

V3 - Postdoctoral research fellow - doctorate (PhD or equivalent) degree holders doing research under the supervision of senior researchers or with some degree of independence and publishing papers as lead authors or co-authors. The maximum duration of a postdoctoral appointment is limited to 5 years after the award of the PhD degree.

V4 - Associate scientist - doctorate (PhD or equivalent) degree holders who have not been appointed to the employee grade V5 or V6 after 5 years after the award of the PhD degree.

V5 - Research scientist - doctorate (PhD or equivalent) degree holders doing research independently, solving complex research problems in their field. Research scientists regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals and are usually lead investigators of research grants.

V6 - Senior research scientist - V5s who are leading researchers significantly contributing to the development of their research field on the international scale.

Selection

The Institute director appoints a selection committee consisting of a minimum of 3 members. The selection process has the following steps:

1. The selection committee checks the completness of applications and the eligibility of candidates. Incomplete applications and ineligible candidates are not considered for selection.
2. The candidates are rated against the job requirements and shortlisted for interviews.
3. The shortlisted candidates are invited for an interview (presence-based or online).
4. The selection committee determines the order of interviewed candidates and recommends the best candidates to the Institute director for review.
5. The Institute director decides about the winning candidate and determines the employee grade and terms of contract.
6. A job offer e-mail is sent to the winning candidate detailing the remuneration terms and employee benefits. In case the winning candidate does not respond or rejects the offer, the job offer is sent to the next candidate determined by the Institute director.
7. Interviewed candidates are informed about the selection result by e-mail.

Remuneration

The wages are defined by the wage regulation and are comparable with those in other public research institutions in the Czech Republic. The wage is determined by the Institute director based on the quality of the winning candidate and with respect to the available budget or project funding rules. The wage consists of a fixed and a variable performance-based component. Bonuses are awarded at the discretion of the Institute director who takes into account recommendations of the research department head. Additional bonuses are awarded for publishing in journal papers with an impact factor.

Links:

Open positions on the Institute website

Open positions in the Czech Academy of Sciences

Euraxess Czech Republic

Career Development Rules of the CAS Employees with a University Degree

Statutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences (especially Article 23 of Appendix B)

Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS

Employee benefits

• Flexible working hours**
• 5 weeks of vacation/year
• 5 days of sick leave/year
• Subsidized meal and food passes worth 80 CZK/day
• Subsidized language courses in the Czech Language Institute of the CAS – English, German, French (subject to approval by management)
• Own recreational facility in the Ore Mountains
• Support for Supplementary Pension Insurance (only available to persons entitled to a Czech pension, max. 500 CZK/month)
• 30-40% extra allowance for foreign trips
• Paid leave for child birth, family caregiving, marriage of a child, moving, death in the family (in each case extra 1 day beyond legislation)
• Possibility to apply for a temporary reduction of workload for health or family reasons (subject to approval by the Institute director)
• Emeritus status for distinguished retired researchers
• SSČ client card, which entitles employees to various discounts

Once a year, usually in the summer, the Institute organizes an informal staff party. In addition, research departments hold their staff Christmas parties.

If you need to open a bank account, Raiffeisenbank has a special offer for multi-currency accounts for our employees. You will need your employment contract when visiting the bank branch.

Working hours

Weekly working time is 40 hours. Standard working hours are as follows:

• Monday: 7:15–16:00 (including 0.5 hour lunch break)
• Tuesday: 7:15–16:00 (including 0.5 hour lunch break)
• Wednesday: 7:15–16:00 (including 0.5 hour lunch break)
• Thursda: 7:15–16:00 (including 0.5 hour lunch break)
• Friday: 7:15 – 14:45 (including 0.5 hour lunch break)

**Employees may, in agreement with their supervisor, use flexible working time arrangements. In such a case, employees must be present at the workplace during normal working hours from 9:30 to 14:30. The employee must also be present at the workplace between 7:00 and 9:30 or between 14:30 and 19:00 so that the weekly working hours (40 hours) are observed and the length of the work shift does not exceed 12 hours.

Emeritus status

The Institute director may award the emeritus status to a former researcher in recognition of his/her lifelong successful scientific work and contribution to the development of the Institute and its research field. An emeritus researcher has the right to:

• use the office and infrastructure for emeritus researchers
• use the Institute e-mail address
• use the Institute library
• use the Institute recreation facility under the same conditions as other employees
• use the Institute affiliation in his/her publications and in other documents related to his/her research
• be listed on the Institute website
• be invited to major events organized by the Institute
• obtain a bonus for publication in a journal with an impact factor

The criteria for granting the emeritus status and the procedure for submitting an application are set out in the internal regulation on the Statute of the emeritus researcher.

Ombudsman

As of 1 January 2022, the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS created the position of Ombudsman with the aim of preventing conflicts in interpersonal relationships, improving the company culture and increasing employee satisfaction and safety. The Ombudsman is responsible for dealing with the following issues:

• equal opportunities
• discrimination
• sexual harassment
• bullying (incl. mobbing and bossing)
• workplace conflicts

How to contact Ombudsman

Links:

Useful links (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs)

Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS

Ombudsman of the Institute of Thermomechanics

Mental Health Counselling Services at BalancedLifestyles

Objectives of performance evaluation

The evaluation of researchers:

• contributes to improving the Institute's research performance
• provides inputs for the personnel policy
• helps to compare the performance of researchers of the same qualification level
• stimulates the continuous professional development of researchers
• provides regular feedback to researchers on their performance

Evaluation rules

The evaluation of researchers is conducted:

• at regular intervals, at least once every 5 years
• outside the regular intervals, on request from the Institute director
• outside the regular intervals, on request of the researcher

The Institute director will announce the evaluation methodology in advance to allow the evaluated employees to get acquainted with the evaluation criteria and prepare the required documents. Researchers are evaluated by an evaluation committee, which serves as an advisory body of the Institute director. The evaluation committee consists of at least 5 members, of which at least 1/3 are external members. The committee and its chairman are appointed by the Institute director after discussion in the Institute Board. The expertise of the evaluation committee members must cover the research focus of the whole Institute. The evaluation committee usually meets once a year to discuss evaluation proposals submitted outside the regular intervals.

The evaluation is carried out in the presence of the superior of the evaluated employee. The superior can provide career advice to the evaluated employee in the form of recommendations. The evaluated employee may request to be present at the proceedings. The evaluation criteria include scientific, professional and teaching activities, i.e. publications, research grants, contract research, patents and inventions, teaching and supervising PhD students. During the evaluation the committee takes into account other employee's activities such as mobility, international collaboration, science promotion and leadership/management functions. The evaluation committee proceeds as follows:

1. The committee shall verify that the evaluated researcher has been informed of the evaluation criteria.
2. The evaluated researcher must submit to the committee a completed evaluation form with relevant documentation of his/her activity since the last evaluation.
3. The committee shall request the expert opinion from the immediate superior of the evaluated researcher. The superior may propose a change of qualification grade and employment contract terms.

Who is evaluated

The following employee grades appointed to research departments are evaluated:

• V3 – Postdoctoral Researcher
• V4 – Associated Scientist
• V5 – Research Scientist
• V6 – Senior Research Scientist

Research Assistants (V1) are not subject to evaluation, however, they can apply for promotion to grade "V2 – PhD student"  when they start their PhD studies. PhD students (V2) are evaluated by the Committee for PhD Students (see "Training and Supervision" below).

Evaluation report

The evaluation committee will:

1. Determine the employee performance rating on the scale A - above average, B - average and C - below average.
2. Recommend to the Institute director to promote, maintain or demote the employee grade.
3. Propose a change of the employment contract terms (permanent/fixed-term contract).
4. If the evaluated employee is found to lack the required qualification according to Article 23 of the Annex to the CAS Statutes, the evaluation committee shall propose to the Institute director to request the employee in writing to address the performance issues and shall propose the date for the next evaluation by which the issues must be addressed by the employee. In case the issues are not addressed at the next evaluation the committee will propose to the Institute director termination of employment.

The Institute director shall decide on the evaluation result and appoint the employee grade on the basis of the evaluation committee proposal. The evaluated employee will be acquainted with the conclusions and has the opportunity to comment on them. If there is no agreement between the opinions of the evaluation committee and the evaluated employee, the evaluated employee may request a review of the evaluation through a public adversary procedure (Article 23 of Appendix B of the CAS Statutes).

Links:

Career Development Rules of the CAS Employees with a University Degree

Statutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences (especially Article 23 of Appendix B)

Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS

The Institute researchers must adhere to the Code of Ethics for Researchers of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The most important provisions are summarized below:

Ethical principles

Researchers shall:

• Behave morally, honestly and with integrity and will require the same behavior from others.
• Not disguise or defend violations of ethical principles.
• Expand and deepen his knowledge and professional skills.
• Be critical of their own results and the results of co-workers and are open to discussion.
• Defend and exercise the freedom of scientific thought and expression.
• Reject unscientific methods and discrimination in science.

Principles of scientific work

Researchers shall:

• Expand the frontiers of knowledge and ensure that their results benefit society.
• Ensure that the research does not endanger society, the environment or cultural values.
• Ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the research and recognize the limits of the methods used.
• Publish results in a complete and verifiable form and shall not distort their interpretation.
• Preserve the obtained data and documentation of all significant results according to industry practices.
• Use research resources efficiently and shall not duplicate research carried out elsewhere unless it is necessary to verify, supplement or compare results.
• Publish results, which are not subject to confidentiality, in the scientific press and subsequently acquaint the general public with the results.

Principles of publishing

Researchers shall:

• Be entitled to author or co-author a publication to which they make a creative contribution provided that they agree with the co-authorship.
• Acknowledge the scientific contribution of their predecessors by applying proper citation practices.
• Also cite essential works even if they are not consistent with their own results and conclusions.
• Correct errors in the published data.
• Not increase the number of their works artificially by unnecessarily splitting results into several publications.

Relations with students and colleagues

Researchers shall:

• Communicate correctly and openly and shall not use autocratic leadership.
• Appraise their students and co-workers based on their results and treat them fairly.
• Not require students and co-workers to fulfill their own responsibilities and shall not impose disproportionate demands on them.
• Set a personal example with his knowledge and behavior.
• Develop students' critical thinking and responsibility and respect their right to express their views on the research freely.
• Support the professional growth of students and their subordinates as well as their research and publication activities and international collaborations.

Evaluations, reviews and expert opinions

Researchers shall:

• Prepare the assigned assessments and evaluations in person.
• Protect the intellectual property of authors of reviewed manuscripts, project proposals, and reports.
• Not use the data in the evaluated documents for purposes other than those specified and shall not disclose them to third parties.
• Refuse to draw up an expert opinion in the event of a conflict of interest.
• Prepare expert opinions responsibly and only in the field of their expertize.
• Conduct evaluations and provide oponent's opinions based on objective criteria and observe the rules of the contracting authority.

Ethical disputes

Ethical disputes are resolved at the organizational level that is one degree higher than the level at which the dispute arose. An ad-hoc commission may be set up to settle the dispute. If the dispute goes beyond the scope of the Institute or its participants are not satisfied with its conclusions, the dispute is resolved by the Commission for the Scientific Integrity of the Czech Academy of Sciences. When resolving a dispute, the highest possible protection of privacy is ensured. The conclusions will be communicated to all parties involved and, if a breach of the ethical code is found, the conclusions must include corrective actions.

Links:

Code of Ethics for Researchers of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Commission for the Scientific Integrity of the Czech Academy of Sciences

European Charter for Researchers & the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS

Relationshs between researchers and students are regulated by the Code of Ethics for Researchers of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Committee for PhD students

The Committee for PhD students is appointed by the Institute director to deal with the admission and evaluation of PhD students. The Committee is an advisory body to the Institute director and usually meets twice a year to:

• Assess applications of new PhD students and recommend to the Institute director their appointment. PhD students are usually employed on part-time contract of 8 hours/week (FTE 0.2), which can be increased by the student's participation in research projects.
• Annually evaluate PhD students whose PhD thesis is supervised or co-supervised by a researcher from the Institute.
• Recommend to the Institute director an increase of workload for the best PhD students.
• Organize an annual Seminar for PhD Students (mandatory at least once during the study for PhD students whose PhD thesis is supervised or co-supervised by a researcher from the Institute; the student's participation is preferred at the end of the second year of study). The seminar provides PhD students with the opportunity to present their results and obtain feedback from a colleagues.

Committee members:

• Chairman: M. Chomát
• Secretary: K. Jurčáková
• Members: D. Gabriel, J. Příhoda, J. Horáček, H. Seiner, Jan Hrubý

Evaluation of PhD students

PhD students must submit an annual report by September 30 of each year, in which they summarize their activities (publications, exams, participation in research projects, stays abroad, etc.). The Committee for PhD students will assign each PhD student a grade of A (above average), B (average) or C (below average).

The Committee recommends to the Institute department an increase of workload for the best PhD students (level A), i.e. to 16 hours/week (FTE 0.4) (from the 2nd year of study) up to 24 hours/week (FTE 0.6) (in the last year of study).

The Institute director takes into account the recommendations of the Committee and decides on increasing the workload or terminating the PhD student's employment.

Links:

Code of Ethics for Researchers of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Human Resource Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS