Actions

Action 1.
Title: Support of mobility for PhD students employed at the IBP – a career improvement. A new institutional regulation will be established.
GAP Principles: 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29
Timing: Preparation of the regulation in 2021-2022. The call for the Internal support of mobility will be announced in december for the next year and evaluated by the end of January the next year.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team, Director of the IBP
Indicator(s)/Targets: Up to 10 supported PhD students and scientists per year. Supported R1-R4 categories in percentage: 25/40/25/10. Measurable indicatior will be the number of supported PhD students/the number of students that applied for this type of support. Action 1. has high priority for both institutional strategy and HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts: The regulation is in progress.

Action 2.
Title: Recruitment tool - the external part containing job advertisements
GAP Principles: 4, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15
Timing: Implementation of the tool: 2022, the last quarter; In the period 2022-2024, each year information on recruited scientists will be provided at the last qarter of the year.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team; ISAB members, Attestation Commission
Indicator(s)/Targets: Indicators: 10-20 newly-recruited scientists each year; R1-R4 categories will be supported, approximately 40/30/20/10 in percentage. Measurable indicator will be the number of recruited scientists/the number of scientists needed. The external part of the recruitment tool containing job advertisements will be adjusted and will contain web links to information on institution working conditions, benefits, etc. The part of the recruitment tool used for communication with candidates will be sophisticated and will allow for automatic feedback and other communication patterns. Department leaders will be selected based on fully open recruitment activity advertised in scientific journals. Action 2. has high priority for both institutional strategy and HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 3.
Title: Translation of all internal rules into English.
GAP Principles: 1, 4, 15
Timing: Implementation will be realized during the period 2021-2022 (the last quarter 2022 is the deadline). All rules and HR-related documents will be translated into English
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team, Director
Indicator(s)/Targets: Within 2 years of implementation, all institutional regulations and rules will be translated into English.
This activity will address all categories R1-R4 equally. Translated documents will be published on the IBP web page for HRS4R activities. Measurable indicator: number of documents translated/total number of documents. High priority for HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 4.
Title: Evaluation of departments (bibliometric analyses of scientific results). Evaluation of departments and their leader is performed using two independent systems.
GAP Principles: 4, 10, 11, 15, 23
Timing: Improvement of science evaluation, implementation in 2021, and 2022 (the last quarter of 2022 is the deadline). Bibliometric evaluation of departments will occur at the end of each year; evaluation by International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB will be performed biannually. According to the results of the evaluation, provided by management, and every 2nd year by ISAB, the budget for the departments will be modified.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team and Deputy Director
Indicator(s)/Targets: Measurable indicators: number of outputs for each team divided into quartiles according to journal quality (and by the number of citations), comparison to EU and world standard. Support of individul teams by ISAB evaluation in terms of "increase support of the team", "continue support of the team", "there are problems (suggestions to solve them). Action 4. has high priority for institutional strategy average priority for and HRS4R.

Evaluation of departments and their leaders is performed using two independent systems. One is based on scientometry and the other is based on peer-review performed by the ISAB. Individual researchers of all categories are evaluated regularly using panels consisting of both internal and external experts. All these procedures are mostly transparent (accessible to all scientists of the Institute).

During the on-site visit, ISAB evaluates all teams according to their publications, presentations and visits to their workplaces. ISAB provides independent evaluation/appraisal of all departments and their leaders and nomination of the best PhD students for the ISAB-president award. Members of ISAB provide recommendations of the best outputs for national evaluation.

Internal evaluation by means of scientometry is performed each year using a 5-year period window. This evaluation procedure is organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. All outputs of the Institute are categorized using journal quality (journals are divided into quartiles and top decile according to the Article Influence Score). In addition, citations are also taken into consideration in a similar way (quartiles and top decile are calculated for each year, the field of science, and type of publication). These analyses are enclosed with the materials submitted to ISAB for consideration.

Also, an independent evaluation is performed by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in the 5-year interval.

Indicators: ISAB meeting documents, evaluation protocols. All categories R1-R4 will be acquainted with the results of the evaluation procedure.

Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 5.
Title: The best PhD student award, Application Award, Internal cooperation Award, Methodology Award, and The scientific paper of the year.
GAP Principles: 4, 8, 11, 15, 16
Timing: According to the recommendation of the supervisor and based on the evaluation of the Director's Collegium, the above mentioned awards will be implemented and the winning scientists will be awarded (at the end of each year). Director may also select the paper of the year with the highest contribution of IBP-employees (own "know-how"). These employees will be awarded a financial bonus (also at the end of each year).
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team Advisory board (Collegium of the Director), Head of the Institutional Council
Indicator(s)/Targets: Indicators: diploma and financial bonus for Awards. Awards in all categories will be selected by WG.
These awards are open for all categories R1-R4 that have a chance to be annually awarded. Measurable indicators: % of awarded scientist from the maximum available. Action 5. has high priority for both institutional strategy and HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 6.
Title: An improvement of attestation rules
GAP Principles: 11, 12, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 35, 36, 40
Timing: Regulation will be adaptedat the last quarter of 2022, attestation will be performed continually per roll and on-site at the end of each year.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team, Attestation Commission
Indicator(s)/Targets: The Attestation Commission works per roll or during the on-place meetings. Commission provides R1-R4 categorization, based on the suggestion of the department leaders. The minutes of the Attestation Commission will be translated into English. All categories R1-R4 will be evaluated by the Attestation Commission, all employee has a chance to discuss his/her position and salary with the Attestation Commission, held every year. All employees will be acquainted with the OTM-R document. A new possiblitiy: an employee, who is not satisfied with their salary, can apply for a salary improvement and can defend their scientific quality before the Attestation Commission. Measurable indicator: number of cases with improved salaries/number of employes required the improvement. Action 6. has high priority for and HRS4R, average priority for institutional strategy.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 7.
Title: Social equality in gender, age, education, and citizenship via the social fund.
GAP Principles: 10, 19, 20, 27
Timing: We will eliminate gender imbalance; we will support equality of age, citizenship, social categories, etc. From this view, we will use the support from the social fund working on solidarity level. Chages will be introduced gradually; we will inform about them at the last quarter of the year.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Steering Commitee
Indicator(s)/Targets: Principles of equality are well implemented at the institute, but new benefits from the social funds will be established. For example, 3 days of sick days have been provided to employees. The kid's corner is working and our plan is to support social activity that will be available for all R1-R4 categories in 2021-2024. We will also apply to the Czech Academy of Sciences for a certificate called Emeritus employee; thus, we are going to support seniority. Via such activity, retired scientists have access to the workplace and can attend the library, scientific meetings, etc. Measurable indicator: number of employes with some benefit/total number of employes at given category (women, various social categories, atc). Action 7 has high priority for HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 8.
Title: Education courses
GAP Principles: 2, 4, 7, 28, 30, 31, 33, 38, 39
Timing: We aim to organize the following courses: biostatistics, ethics in science, rhetoric, management of science, academic writing and lecturing, eLearning, knowledge on graphical software, language courses, GDPR course, ERC project application, science evaluation, etc. These courses will be organized gradually during 2022-2023, the exact data will be given for each sub-action.
Responsible Unit: Steering Committee
Indicator(s)/Targets: Leadership and management skills are critical for a successful career in science. Employees of our Institute will be educated on how to be group leaders. The aim is to explore attendees' approaches to leadership.Negotiation skills in science: This workshop will focus on negotiation. Participants will gain understanding and mastery of the negotiation process, which will support them in reaching their professional goals. Workshop for female scientists: both professional and personal aspects of employment will be discussed. This course, however, is tailored specifically to women scientists to facilitate sharing experiences and insights. Language courses in Czech and English: the Academy of Sciences organizes many language courses specializing especially in English. Within HR Award implementation, we are going to hire an English-speaking lector who will be available for department and group leaders. This lector will provide language consultations including written and spoken language. Course on intelectual Property Rights. In order to improve the knowledge o scientists in this area, course on IPR will be organized. Course of biostatistics and bioinformatics: Employees of the Institute of Biophysics are interested in the course of biostatistics and bioinformatics that will help them to perform appropriate statistical analysis of their scientific results. A course in graphics or alternatively ad hoc specialist in graphics. This specialist will be helpful for graphical illustrations used for scientific papers and oral presentations in PowerPoint. These courses will be available for all R1-R4 categories, indicators are provided in a Table summarizing IBP activities - see Strategy document on IBP web page for HRS4R. This table is showing the number of participants in the individual course. Indicators and measurable indicators will be given for each sub-action as follow. High priority for HES4R, average priority for institutional strategy.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 8.1
Title: Introduction to Science Evaluation (2 hours) (.pptx)
Lecturer: Stanislav Kozubek
GAP Principles: (+/-) 7. Good practice in research a (+/-) 28. Career development
Timing: January 26, 2022
Responsible Unit: Working Group
Indicator(s)/Targets: Available for all categories (R1-R4), targetted to PhD students. Number of participants exceeded the supposed one, the measurable indicator is 100%. Action 8.1 has high priority for institutional strategy, average priority for HRS4R.
Number of participants: 25
Current Status: Pending
Remarkts: According to the Action plan we had 10-15 participants, e.i. the goal of this course was fulfilled to 100%. However, the course have been targetted to PhD students and the course was prezented in Czech language. Therefore, we plan to realize another coures the next year.

Action 8.2
Title: Rhetoric (The ability of cultivated speech, the art of expressing oneself well, formulating one s opinion, presenting oneself, and the ability to respond well to questions) (picture)
Lecturer: Vladka Hagenová
GAP Principles: (+/-) 7. Good practice in research a (+/-) 28. Career development
Timing: February 17, 2022 (10-16 h)
Responsible Unit: Working Group
Indicator(s)/Targets: Available for all categories (R1-R4). Number of participants: 14 corresponded to the supposed one, the measurable indicator is 93% (14 form 15 maximum possible). Action 8.2 had high priority for HRS4R, average priority for institutional strategy.
Number of participants: 14
Current Status: Completed
Remarkts: According to the Action plan the number of participants could be up to 15, e.i. the goal of this course was fulfilled to 93%. However, several our employes have had attended this course earlier.

Action 9.
Title: Child-corner (nursery directly at the Institute)
GAP Principles: 9, 10, 24
Timing: Implementation 2021-2024; at the last quarter of each year the report about the state of child-corner will be provided.
Responsible Unit: HR Award Team - Steering Commitee, Director
Indicator(s)/Targets: Currently, we focus on the operation of a nursery garden; it will serve as institutional support for families with children. We consider the fact that the availability of public nurseries is considerably limited due to their low number, and we also consider low support from the government of the Czech Republic. We plan to establish a nursery with variable possibilities; children can attend this facility irregularly, that is mostly for several days a month, and/or regularly, that is every day. For parents, this nursery will provide effective service with huge variability. Nurseries can usually be entered from the age of 12 months. The admission process for children will be relatively flexible and dependent on parents' demands. Indicators will be the following: The number of families using nurseries will be provided to the commission evaluated IBP implementation program. Contracts with external body-provided nurseries will be published on the National Register of Contracts. This activity will be available for all R1-R4 categories in the following percentage: 30/30/20/10. Approximately 5-8 children per semester will attend this nursery.Annually, we will organize meetings with parents in order to discuss how to improve their working conditions. The number of families using nurseries will be mentioned in the final institutional report for stakeholders annually. This report will also be translated into English and will be posted on the institutional web page, in part showing activities within the HR Award. Measurable indicator: the nuber of families using nurseries/the number of families requiring it. Action 9. has high priority for HRS4R, average priority for institutional strategy.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 10.
Title: Lectures provided by foreign scientists will be selected by young scientists working at the IBP and by PhD students. We will also organize director's collegium, meeting of researchers, meetings of WG and SC, meetings of parents in science
GAP Principles: 23, 38, 39
Timing: The call for nominations of speakers will be made at the beginning of every new year (I. quarter). Students will select 2-3 foreign speakers that will be invited for a lecture. A discussion on the scientific results and career possibilities will be organized annually since 2021. Also, several times a year, we will organize director's collegium, meeting of researchers, meeting of WG and SC, meeting of parents in science. Exact dates will be shown during the implementation phase.
Responsible Unit: Steering Commitee, WG
Indicator(s)/Targets: It is essential to organize lectures, institutional seminars, meetings and discussion clubs. Minutes of meetings will be archived and translated into English. Meetings will be open for R1-R4 categories and will be organized according to the schedule published in the table, in the Strategy document of the IBP. The participation of scientists in these activities will be properly described in the Minutes of the meeting. Measureable indicators: number of participants/number of available employes at given category (e.g. number of participants at the directors collegium/number of members of the collegium). Action 10. has high priority for institutional strategy, average priority for HRS4R..
Current Status:
Remarkts:

Action 11.
Title: Increased PR activities
GAP Principles: 9, 22
Timing: We are going to present research results in media and popular science journals (report will be given at the last quarter each year). Within PR activities we will also organize the IBP Open House Days (4. quarter, each year) . We will also introduce the Institute at the Science Fai (2. quarter, each year). Also, we will participate in Mendel Festival in Brno (3. quarter, each year). We will coordinate updating of the IBP website; improvements must be made in the English version (end of this year). PR activities will be mediated through public journals and social media annually (report will be given at the end of each year).
Responsible Unit: Steering Commitee, WG
Indicator(s)/Targets: The PR manager provides activities related to PR (“public relations”). These activities will lead to the promotion of IBP research and its reputation in the public eyes. Advertisement on the IBP web page, social media, including Facebook, and Twitter. PR activity will be open for all categories, including students of all degrees, and secondary school students. At this point, 10-12 researchers will be engaged to organize PR activities each year. The percentage of categories involved in this activity is the following: 40/30/20/10. We will address the following principles: 9, 22 and this activity will be directed to students of all categories and the public. Measurable indicator: number of researchers involved in PR activities (% from all researchers). Action 11. has high priority for HRS4R, average priority for institutional strategy.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 12.
Title: An Improvement of job descriptions, advertisements, and strengthening of grant applications, and application to the Czech Academy of Sciences for postdoctoral support (PPLZ).
GAP Principles: 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 25, 26
Timing: Improvement of job descriptions for individual positions and implementation of a structured employee evaluation involving more transparent procedures (2. quarter of 2023). All employees, departments and groups must be well visible to the public eye as well as the scientific community. It will help us to improve the quality of research and working conditions. Positions will be advertised on the EURAXESS portal and the IBP web page (starting from the beginning of 2022). A piece of information on how to prolong an employment contract via the Institutional support of funding will be provided in the individual advertisement (2. quarter of 2023).
Responsible Unit: Steering Commitee, WG
Indicator(s)/Targets: The numbers of advertisements on ERURAXESS portal are the measureable indicators. We will address all categories R1-R4, but a number of calls depend on the grant efficiency and the level of Institutional funding from the Czech Academy of Sciences. From this view, WG will encourage scientists to apply to local and EU grant agencies and postdocs for PPLZ support. Annually, we plan to apply for 10-15 standard projects and 1-3 junior projects, and 2-4 PPLZ supports. Asction 12. has high priority for both institutional strategy and HRS4R..
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 13.
Title: Evaluation of departments and students by the International Advisory Board (ISAB) and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
GAP Principles: 24, 34, 36, 37, 40
Timing: ISAB will solve the most general problems of the Institute such as focusing on research in the most promising areas and establishment of new departments or reduction of less successful ones (meeting are biannual, the next meeting is planned in 2023). We are keen to build new laboratories at the Institute. During sessions of the Attestation Commission, all department leaders will be motivated to improve the quality of research and working conditions at their laboratories. Students will be evaluated annually (at the end of the year). Working group will encourage department leaders to find new motivation tolls for the work of excellent students. We have to find a way how to recruit the best students of local universities, and these students must fruitfully interact with their supervisors.
Responsible Unit: Steering Committee, Director and ISAB members, WG
Indicator(s)/Targets: Every 2nd year, ISAB will evaluate individual departments, the Director, the scientific incubator and the progress of Internal support of science. Annually, the Attestation Commission will evaluate categorization R1-R4, and every 5th year the Czech Academy of Sciences evaluation departments and the whole institute.
Minutes from the meetings will be available online on the HRS4R IBP web page. All categories R1-R4 will be engaged in this activity. Measurable indicator: number of departments (students) evaluated positively/total numbers. Action 13. has high priority for institutional strategy, average priority for HRS4R..
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Action 14.
Title: Summer schools
GAP Principles: 9, 33
Timing: We are going to organize Summer school (2.-3. quareter each year) in a frame of IBP activity and the activity of the Society for the Czech biophysics, This school will be intended for kids of employees who will participate as mentors and will familiarize their kids with basic principles of laboratory work, biophysics, biology and chemistry.
Responsible Unit: WG, management of the institute
Indicator(s)/Targets: Approximately 15-20 mentors from the IBP will organize the Summer schools each year. The percentage of R1-R4 categories involved in this activity is the following: 25/40/25/10. Measurable indicator: the number of children participating. Action 14. has high priority for HRS4R.
Current Status: In progress
Remarkts:

Reviewed version of the action plan/HR Strategy (including the OTM-R policy) for the next 36 months: pdf

Comments on the implementation of the OTM-R principles (Initial Phase):

Independent evaluation is performed by the Academy of Sciences in a 5-year interval (see methodology on internet pages of the Czech Academy of Sciences) with the primary goal to provide for the institute detailed information about its teams. The management of the Institute will use this information to improve team research activity, its focus as well as personal, equipment, and other aspects.

In-between academic evaluations, internal evaluation is performed by means of scientometry. All outputs of the institute are categorized using journal quality (journals are divided into quartiles and top decile according to the Article Influence Score). In addition, citations are also taken into consideration in a similar way (quartiles and top decile are calculated for each year, the field of science, and type of publication). These analyses are enclosed with the materials submitted to ISAB for consideration.

Especially, ISAB can provide recommendations on how to improve OTM-R strategy, and this part will be discussed with ISAB members every 2nd year and also OTM-R strategy will be analyzed and discussed with representatives of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

In the case of job advertisements for the job position of a researcher, the content of the advertisement is the classification of the profile of the researcher.

There are four criteria and levels:

First stage researcher (R1) - doctoral student; early-stage researcher with less than four years' experience.
Recognized researcher (R2) - holder of a Ph.D. academic degree; not yet fully independent with more than four years of research experience;
Experienced researcher (R3) - high degree of independence with more than four years of research experience;
Chief Researcher (R4) - leads his / her own research area.

Comments on the implementation of the OTM-R principles (Internal Review for Interim Assessment)