Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R)

The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers

The ‘HR Strategy for Researchers’ supports research institutions and funding organisations in the implementation of the Charter & Code in their policies and practices.

The implementation of the Charter & Code principles by research institutions render them more attractive to researchers looking for a new employer or for a host for their research project.

The European Commission recognises with the 'HR Excellence in Research Award' the institutions which make progress in aligning their human resources policies to the 40 principles of the Charter & Code, based on a customized action plan/HR strategy.

Download the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf

Download the hrs4r_procedure_flow_slide.pptx

703 organisations have received the HR Excellence in Research award.

The "HR Excellence in Research" award gives public recognition to research institutions that have made progress in aligning their human resource policies with the principles set out in the "Charter & Code". Institutions that have been awarded the right to use the icon can use it to highlight their commitment to implement fair and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures for researchers.

If you wish to apply for the HR Award please view the instructions displayed in the Initial Phase tab in this page.

If you are in the Implementation/Award renewal phase please view the instructions displayed in the Implementation & Award renewal tab in this page.

Visit the Policy Library:

Brochures
Download brochures about the HRS4R in multiple languages
Brochures
Documents
Find additional documentation and templates on the HR Strategy process.
Strengthened HRS4R process

Special information for UK institutions

UK institutions entering the process as newcomers, or switching from ‘The Concordat’ to the HR implementation via the European HRS4R.

Submitting your applications to HRS4R assessment will commit you to implementation under the rules of the strengthened procedure and assessment by international peer reviewers.

Required Documents

Full actual gap-analysis
Action plan – backwards and forward looking
Internal Assessment - depending on the level of implementation
Confidential information on previous assessments and the way the institutions intends to articulate both dynamics when switching to the European process are most welcome [inserted in the Action Plan, section called 'Additional comments/remarks about the implementation process'].

HRS4R in figures

Find out what are institutions which have most recently been awarded, navigate a map to locate the recognised organisations and see the latest figures about the implementation of the HR Strategy for Researchers in Europe.

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HRS4R Events & News

AllHRS4R EventsHRS4R News

14 Jul 2023

Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European framework for research careers

Yesterday the Commission adopted the proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European framework for research careers, including the new Charter for Researchers, and launched the ResearchComp website. Once implemented, these measures will have a decisive role in making research careers in Europe

1 Sep 2022

Call for new peer reviewers for the UK process of the HR Excellence in Research Award

Vitae, who manage the UK process for the HR Excellence in Research Award (HRS4R), has just opened a call for new peer reviewers. Applications are encouraged from applicants both in and out of the UK, and non-UK European reviewers are especially sought to ensure comparability with HRS4R. If you would

8 Jul 2021

New Technical Guidelines for Institutions

The Technical Guidelines for Institutions on the application to the HR Logo process and the use of the e-tool have been updated. The new version of the Technical Guidelines feature a revised structure compiled in a single document and additional information to facilitate the application process for

18 Mar 2020

HRS4R and COVID-19: Message to institutions

Due to exceptional circumstances linked to COVID19, processing of HRS4R applications might suffer additional delays. Moreover, in the context of extraordinary measures taken at national level (e.g. universities or other institutions closed), all self-assessment deadlines between 15 March and 30 May

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HRS4R New Application Modalities

Please note that as of 15 May 2018, ALL institutions interested to initiate the application for the "HR Excellence in Research Award" shall use the HRS4R E-tool - the European Commission's official platform, facilitating the management of the HRS4R process.

Enrolment in the HRS4R is voluntary and non-binding.

HRS4R implies a long-term commitment throughout many years, including joint efforts and coordination with various internal and external stakeholders. It is nevertheless a rewarding process as it ensures institution's transition from progress to quality, in terms of the implementation of the 40 principles of the Charter and Code.

For detailed information regarding the application process, please consult the technical guidelines below. Further questions should be addressed to the functional mailbox RTD-CHARTER@ec.europa.eu

Download the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf

HRS4R e-tool – Access Elements

Once an institution makes a decision to endorse the C&C and apply for the "HR Excellence in Research Award", it must secure access to the HRS4R e-tool.

In order to access the HRS4R e-tool, interested institution need an organisation account on EURAXESS. Registration and membership are free of charge.

The institution has to assign a contact person to be granted the role of HRS4R Organisation Administrator (HRS4R Admin). Only this designated person will have access to the HRS4R e-tool to upload data and to be the interface with the European Commission, on behalf of the institution, regarding the HRS4R process.

How to register an organisation account on EURAXESS

1 Register an individual EURAXESS member account

If you do not already have an EURAXESS account, you can:

Navigate to https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
Click on the “LOGIN/REGISTER” menu item
Perform the steps under the “Create new account” section

After performing the steps, you will receive an email with a link to the EURAXESS portal where you have to complete a form and establish your password.

2 Register an organisation

Once you have your individual member credentials, log in into the MY EURAXESS section. If the domain of the email address you use to register matches an existing organisation profile, you will be automatically invited to join.

If this is not the case, click on "Search/Register" and fill in the name and URL (starting by "https://" or "http://") and click on "Search".

If your organisation does not appear or does not match exactly the profile of an already registered organisation, proceed to "Register an Organisation".

The details of the newly created organisation will be checked by the Help Desk to avoid duplicate registrations of the same institution. Once the organisation profile is approved, you will be informed by email and you can proceed with the next steps.

Normally registration requests are treated within the same working day.

3 Fill in the organisation profile details on EURAXESS

From MY EURAXESS dashboard, select from the left-hand side of the menu the section called "Organisation" and fill in the fields required.

How to be granted the role of the HRS4R Admin

Please note that in order to be granted the HRS4R Admin role, your organisation should be first registered as an EURAXESS member. The following rules also apply:

The domain of your email must be in the URL of the organisation.
Only one user per organisation can be granted the role.

Request the role of HRS4R Admin using the button below:

HRS4R Organisation Admin

Should you need to update the HRS4R contact person in the e-tool due to changes in your organisation, please contact the technical helpdesk: support@euraxess.org with the name, role, email address and telephone number of the person that will take over.

How to create an application for the HR award in the HRS4R E-TOOL

The HRS4R designated admin for the organisation account on EURAXESS will access the MY EURAXESS dashboard, the HRS4R section, and by clicking on the yellow button "Create a case & apply for the HR Award" will be able to fill in the required tasks of this stage.

Initial Phases – tasks, responsibilities and timelines

Endorsement of the Charter & Code and submission of the Endorsement Letter

The letter should clearly express that the institution is committed to start the procedure and will undergo all subsequent cycles of the implementation phases.

The institution can use own text and format to draft the commitment letter, however the below elements should be considered as mandatory requirements:

The letter should be written in English.
The letter should be signed by the current highest management representative within the organisation.
The letter should be recently dated (not older than 12 months before submission).
The letter should clearly state both the endorsement of the 40 principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, as well as the commitment to implement the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R).

The pdf version of the endorsement letter will have to be uploaded in the HRS4R e-tool and submitted to the European Commission for review.

Check the examples of endorsement letters published in the Policy Library or read the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf for more details.

Gap-Analysis, OTM-R and Action Plan Design

After the receipt of the confirmation letter by the European Commission, the institution has 12 months to fill in the Gap Analysis, the OTM-R and the Action Plan templates in English in the HRS4R e-tool. Check the templates and read the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf for more details. Should you encounter difficulties, please contact the functional mailbox: RTD-CHARTER@ec.europa.eu. Note these templates are for guidance purposes only and should not be filled in or submitted. Please refer to the online templates for your application.

Initial Assessment

After the successful submission of the "HR Excellence in Research" award application, the institution proceeds to the next level of the process, which consists of two separate steps:

The administrative eligibility check of the application

It is performed by the European Commission and it is intended to validate an application in terms of its compliance with the application procedure. The check has nothing to do with the quality of the data provided, but with the quality of application as a whole and written in English, as suitable or not for assessment.

The institution will be informed if the application is compliant and has passed the administrative eligibility check within approximately 4 weeks after submission.

If the application is considered non-compliant, the institution will be required to update it based on the feedback provided by the European Commission, within 2 months.

The assessment of the application

It happens only if an application has passed the administrative eligibility check.

It is performed by a team of three experts/individual peer reviewers who are selected by the European Commission in a transparent process, based on several criteria, such as personal competence, geographical distribution (typicallly from three different countries other than the applicant institution).

The experts use standard templates and criteria for all applications in order to ensure fair treatment is offered to all institutions.

One of the three individual peer reviewers is assigned the role of lead-assessor and will prepare the commonly agreed consensus report integrating the input provided in the individual assessments.

The institution will have access to the consensus report within three months after the application has been submitted.

Download the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdffor more details or browse the standard forms used for assessment in order to get insight into specific requirements and needs:

template_a1-initial_assessment_individual.doc

template_a2-initial_assessment_consensus.doc

Granting of the HR Award

The outcome of the assessment is officially announced via email (the email address provided as contact when completing the first step of the application process). Experts' comments and recommendations can be found in the detailed consensus report which can be found in the HRS4R Admin's dashboard.

From this moment on, the institution can use the "HR Excellence in Research" emblem associated to its name on the institution's website, on social media, on marketing materials and collaterals, etc. in order to promote its stimulating and favourable work environment for researchers. The HR Excellence in Research emblem, together with the branding guidelines can be downloaded from the HRS4R Admin's dashboard at any time.

As a EURAXESS member institution, the award emblem will be activated on the EURAXESS portal as well. Every time the institution will publish a vacancy on EURAXESS, the "HR Excellence in Research" icon will appear next to its name.

The institution will be also listed on the EURAXESS portal under the header of "HR Acknowledged Institutions" together with a link to your HR Strategy published on the institution's website.

After the “HR Excellence in Research Award” is granted, the participating institution must document progress and quality of the actions and accompanying measures (such as embedding the HRS4R process into their current policies and practices).

The institution must submit to the European Commission an Internal Review on how its Action Plan has been implemented. The first Internal Review must take place within 24 months after the award was acknowledged (for Interim Assessment). The second Internal Review will be performed within 36 months after the outcome of the Interim Assessment. The HRS4R process will continue in a cyclical way, with new Internal Reviews every 36 months for Award Renewal (alternating the organisation of site visits).

Starting 20 September 2018, ALL institutions enrolled in the Implementation and Award Renewal processes of the HRS4R procedure shall use the HRS4R e-tool for reporting purposes.

What phase is your institution in?

Check the specific process flows for details about responsibilities and timelines.

Internal Review for Interim Assessment Internal Review for Award Renewal

Preparing the Internal Review for the Implementation or Award Renewal Phase?

Secure your access to the HRS4R e-Tool.

The purpose of the Internal Review is two-fold. It allows the participating institutions to assess own activity and report on the status of achievement for each of the actions previously planned, alter actions or timing of actions if necessary, also to create new actions for the upcoming years.

If the deadline for the Internal Review is approaching (at least 3 months before), the institution should contact RTD-Charter@ec.europa.eu for assistance regarding access to the HRS4R e-tool and online management of the reporting process.

How to access the HRS4R E-Tool?

You will receive assistance from the RTD CHARTER team at the European Commission in order to have a smooth and quick transition of your institution’s application files from paper to digital, in the HRS4R e-Tool. Whenever you encounter difficulties throughout the process, you can send an email for clarifications toRTD-CHARTER@ec.europa.eu.

When sending an email to RTD Charter, please make sure you mention the full name of your institution, country, case number in the HRS4R e-Tool (if applicable), contact person and the exact stage in the HRS4R process.

In order to access the HRS4R e-Tool, interested institution needs an organisation account on EURAXESS. Registration and membership are free of charge.

The institution has to assign a contact person to be granted the role of HRS4R Organisation Administrator (Admin). Only this designated person will have access to the HRS4R e-tool to upload data and to be the interface with the European Commission, on behalf of the institution, regarding the HRS4R process.

How to register an organisation account on EURAXESS

1 Register an individual EURAXESS member account

If you do not already have an EURAXESS account, you can:

Navigate to https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
Click on the “LOGIN/REGISTER” menu item
Perform the steps under the “Create new account” section

After performing the steps, you will receive an email with a link to the EURAXESS portal where you have to complete a form and establish your password.

2 Register an organisation

If this is not the case, click on "Search/Register" and fill in the name and URL (starting by https:// or http://) and click on "Search".

If your organisation does not appear or does not match exactly the profile of an already registered organisation, proceed to "Register an Organisation".

The details of the newly created organisation will be checked by the Help Desk to avoid duplicate registrations of the same institution. Once the organisation is approved, you will be informed by email and you can proceed with the next steps.

Normally registration requests are treated within the same working day.

3 Fill in the organisation profile details on EURAXESS

From MY EURAXESS dashboard, select from the left-hand side of the menu the section called "Organisation" and fill in the fields required.

How to be granted the role of the HRS4R Admin

Please note that in order to be granted the HRS4R Admin role, your organisation should be first registered as an EURAXESS member. The following rules also apply:

The domain of your email must be in the URL of the organisation.
Only one user per organisation can be granted the role.

Request the role of HRS4R Admin using the button below:

HRS4R ORGANISATION ADMIN

Should you need to update the HRS4R contact person in the e-tool due to changes in your organisation, please contact the technical helpdesk: support@euraxess.org, with the name, role, e-mail address and telephone number of the new contact person.

You can find step-by-step details on how to perform the above on the HRS4R webpage or in the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf .

Where to find the Internal Review form for Interim Assessment/Award Renewal in the HRS4R e-tool?

Once you have secured your access to the HRS4R e-tool and you have been granted the role of HR Admin, please consider the below:

a) Create an HRS4R case for the institution as if it were a newcomer to the process:

The application is launched in the HRS4R e-Tool the moment you fill in the first task of the Initial Phase - Endorsement of the C&C, which consists in the upload of the pdf version of the endorsement letter and the indication of the contact persons in charge of and engaging the institution in the HR process.

N.B: You should upload in the system the version of the endorsement letter provided by the institution to the European Commission the moment it initially enrolled in the process.

Please consult the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf if you need more details on how to proceed.

b) You receive from the European Commission a confirmation email including a case number assigned to your institution in terms of the HRS4R project.

c) The European Commission will collect all the files already provided by your institution part of the application and acknowledgement of the “HR Award” (the Gap-Analysis, the OTM-R checklist, the initial Action Plan, the assessment consensus report) and will upload them as pdfs in the HRS4R e-tool, thus helping your institution to cover the rest of the tasks of the Initial Phase and be able to move quickly to the Implementation Phase to report on the Internal Review.

The European Commission will confirm by email once the files are uploaded in the tool and the HRS4R Organisation Admin can start filling in the Internal Review.

d) The institution’s HRS4R Admin will log in to the EURAXESS account and through MY EURAXESS dashboard will have access to the HRS4R e-tool in order to manage the reporting process.

The click on the corresponding tabs of the phase - “Implementation Phase” (for Interim Assessment) and similarly Award Renewal will illustrate as below the next task with the status “Pending” and the corresponding deadline.

The Internal Review file can be easily accessed at a click away.

How to fill in the Internal Review forms in the HRS4R E-Tool?

The Internal Review template to be used for the reporting in the HRS4R e-tool is similar in structure to the one filled in for the initial action plan and comprises four separate parts:

1. Organisational information

This section is intended to illustrate the larger context in which the institution performs, its structure, its impact upon the communities it serves, as well as the resources leveraged. There are two categories of data required:

• Staff indicators to be presented as full-time positions (FTEs), and

• Budget and funding, if applicable, to be expressed as amounts in euro.

The institution must also provide a description of the “Organisational Profile”.

2. Strengths and weaknesses of the current practice

In this section, the institution must provide an overview of its current state and practice under the four thematic headings of the C&C (Ethical and Professional aspects, Recruitment and Selection, Working Conditions and Social Security, Training and Development). Information on current practices related to OTM-R should be also included here.

We strongly recommend elaborating on both strengths and weaknesses (although there is only one text block provided for both), as they will highlight the institution's rationale for setting and implementing actions.

Click on the name of each of the four thematic headings of the Charter & Code to open the editor and provide your answers. There will be several text blocks for each heading:

Strengths and weaknesses (expressed in the Initial Phase for the application to the award),
Strengths and weaknesses at Internal Review for the Interim Assessment/Award Renewal.

N.B. The institutions enrolled in the HRS4R e-tool at the Implementation/Award Renewal Phase will have to fill in only the text block regarding the “Strengths and weaknesses” at their current phase.

If the institution is willing to provide more information about the way the strengths and weaknesses context evolved or changed from the Initial to the Implementation/Award Renewal phase, there is a “Remarks” section within each of the tabs corresponding to the four headings of the C&C that can be used for this purpose.

The institution is also required to provide answers to specific questions regarding the way the organisation has operated after the acknowledgement of the ‘HR Award’. A text block is offered for the following questions, with the indication to elaborate the reply in maximum 500 words for each of them:

Have any of the priorities for the short- and medium term changed?
Have any of the circumstances in which your organisation operates, changed and as such have had an impact on your HR strategy?
Are any strategic decisions under way that may influence the action plan?

3. Actions

For the third section of the Internal Review – Actions, the institution has to report on the status of achievement for each of the actions planned in the previous phase, alter actions or timing of actions if necessary, also to add new actions to be implemented in the next 36 months, after the Interim /Award Renewal Assessment:

a. Establish the status of achievement of the actions already planned:

The Actions section of the Internal Review form will be empty, in the sense that the institution will not find automatically imported the list of actions set in the initial phase (as it is the case of the institutions which have used the e-tool for the application to the ‘HR Award’).

In order to report on the status of achievement, the institution will have to fill in first the actions set in the previous action plan, with the details provided at that time (the gap they address, timing, responsible unit, indicators (KPIs), etc. If the status is “In progress” or “Extended”, the institution has to update the timing of achievement.

An action can address multiple gap principles. The “Select principle” menu will provide the opportunity to quickly select from the 40 principles of the C&C the one(s) the action addresses. The status of achievement will be set using the four options of the “Current Status”, as below. Details on the implementation process, difficulties or challenges encountered can be added in the “Remarks” column.

A list of the Gap principles not selected in any action is provided in order to facilitate planning and keeping an easier track of the principles that have to be addressed throughout the implementation and award renewal process.

b. Add new actions to the action plan for the next 36 months:

Once you have finalised the self-assessment regarding the status of achievement of the actions previously planned, you can proceed with adding new actions to be further implemented in the next 36 months.

The institution can customise planning based on its own priorities and creativity. There is the possibility to add as many new actions as needed. The click on “Add another row” will create a new field in the form for the addition of a new action, the Gap principle it addresses, the timing of implementation, the responsible unit and the KPI(s). For the new actions, the “Current Status” will be “New”.

There must always exist a match between the gaps identified in the Gap Analysis at Initial Phase and the actions planned in such a way as make sure all gaps are addressed throughout the HRS4R process, based on the institution’s own priorities and tactics.

Find details on how to plan actions on the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf.

N.B. The institution must publish on the website the extended version of the reviewed/improved action plan/HR Strategy (including the OTM-R policy, as a mandatory requirement for the Award Renewal Assessment).

4. Implementation/Embedding the HRS4R process

This section must include information on how the HRS4R was implemented and embedded inside the institution through working groups, alignment with HR policies/internal mechanisms, etc.

Besides describing the overall implementation process in a free text field, there is also a mandatory checklist with questions to answer, as below. The answer to each question should be detailed in maximum 500 words.

Should the same answer be applicable to more than one question, please state clearly if this is the case instead of duplicating replies.

If needed, the institution can also add details on the implementation process in an additional text block created specifically on this purpose.

Do I have to fill in the OTM-R checklist at this stage?

If the institution has not made its self-assessment against the OTM-R checklist at the Initial Phase (per the strengthened HRS4R in force since January 2017), it will have an additional task to perform for the Interim/Award Renewal Assessment (see details on the HRS4R Technical Guidelines for Institutions.pdf.

Actions form also includes a dedicated section to OTM-R policy and practices.Although there may be some overlap with a range of the actions already planned as emerged from the Gap Analysis, the institution must provide a short commentary demonstrating the implementation of the OTM-R policies and practices, since the acknowledgement of the ‘HR Award’ to the moment of the Internal Review. The institution will have to make the link between the OTM-R checklist and the overall action plan in a free text section.

Publication of the reviewed HR strategy/action plan and OTM-R policy

The reviewed Action Plan/HR strategy must be published in English and in an easily accessible location on the organization’s website. The URL to the corresponding webpage must be included in the Action Plan template on the HRS4R e-tool.

If the institution already has a recruitment strategy which implements the principles of Open, Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment, it must also provide the web link where this strategy can be found on the organization’s website, if the location is different than the one where the reviewed HR Strategy is located.

N.B. Please be aware that your OTM-R policy should be ‘embedded’ into the institutional HR strategy at the renewal phase at the latest.

External Assessment – description, timeline

After the successful submission of the Internal Review using the HRS4R e-tool, the institution proceeds to the next level of the process, which consists of two separate steps:

The administrative eligibility check of the application – performed by the EC

The administrative eligibility check is intended to validate an application in terms of its compliance with the application procedure (i.e. all formal requirements are met; i.e. templates are completed in the HRS4R e-tool: the OTM-R Checklist was also filled in by the institutions which joined the process before 2017 when the strengthened procedure entered into force; i.e. templates contain sufficient information for the application to be further assessed, etc). The check has nothing to do with the quality of the data provided, but with the quality of the application as a whole, as suitable or not for the interim assessment.

The institution will be informed if the application is compliant and has passed the administrative eligibility check within four weeks after submission.

If the application is considered non-compliant, the institution will be required to update it based on the feedback provided by the EC. In this case, the institution's task is moved backwards on the process flow and the templates of the initial application can be further edited.

If required to make changes in the application templates, the institution will have to resubmit the updated version of the application within two months, after it receives the outcome of the administrative eligibility check.

The assessment of the application – performed by a group of external experts/individual peer reviewers.

The assessment of the application is the second step of the External Assessment phase and can only be initiated if an application has passed the administrative eligibility check.

Each application will be assessed by one (in Interim) or three (in Award renewal) expert(s)/individual peer reviewer(s), ideally the same involved in the previous assessment phase(s).

The expert(s) use(s) standard templates and criteria for all applications in order to ensure fair treatment for all institutions.

N.B: The standard template used by the assessor(s) can be downloaded from the Policy Library. It is strongly recommended to look into it carefully before submitting the Internal Review, in order to make sure every specific requirement has been considered.

At this stage, progress and quality of the actions and accompanying measures (such as embedding the HRS4R process) are assessed by the expert(s).

The assessment at this stage consists of a detailed assessment followed by recommendations.

External Assessment - Outcome and next steps

Interim Assessment – outcome and next steps

The assessor responsible for the interim assessment of your institution’s file will prepare the evaluation report.

This evaluation report is the official feedback that the institution will receive in terms of their specific Internal Review. It is also based on a standard template, and it includes customised recommendations regarding the implementation of the HRS4R procedure.

The outcome of the assessment is officially announced via email (the email address provided as contact when completing the first step of the application process in the HRS4R e-tool).

The institution will have access to the evaluation report within three months after the confirmation of the administrative eligibility check.

The institution is not in jeopardy of losing the HR Award but receives important recommendations on how to continue the implementation of the revised action plan for the next 36 months. At this stage, the assessor might also issue a warning in case the institution is not deemed to sufficiently progress or if there is a lack of evidence.

Check the next task – Internal Review for Award Renewal.

Award Renewal Assessment – outcome and next steps

One of the three individual peer reviewers responsible for the interim assessment of your institution’s file will be assigned the role of lead-assessor and will prepare the commonly agreed consensus report integrating the input provided in the individual assessments.

The consensus report is the official feedback that the institution will receive in terms of their specific Internal Review. It is also based on a standard template, and it includes customised recommendations regarding the implementation of the HRS4R procedure.

The outcome of the assessment is officially announced via email (the email address provided as contact when completing the first step of the application process in the HRS4R e-tool). The institution will have access to the consensus report within three to four months after the confirmation of the administrative eligibility check.

In case a site visit is organised part of the assessment process, please note that the period may be longer.

The general assessment, provided as part of the consensus report, indicates whether the institution was granted the renewal of the ‘HR award. Three outcomes may be possible:

Accepted

The application meets the criteria and the EC renews the HR Award.

The experts may comment on the submission asking for future focus on a particular aspect/criterion, if appropriate. For example, they may say that they would like to see something addressed in the longer term but acknowledge that the submission meets the criteria for Award Renewal.

Pending minor modifications

The institution broadly meets the criteria, but the external assessors have some concerns/questions about specific areas, in which case the institution is moved backwards on the HRS4R process flow in order to reflect on the feedback and act upon it.

The institution should consider for immediate action the recommendations mentioned as mandatory in order to have the award renewed. The other recommendations can be addressed during the next phase of the HRS4R process.

The institution is required to update the documentation in the HRS4R E-tool and resubmit the application for review within two months.

The assessors will review only how the institution has followed up on their feedback, which is why it is strongly recommended to act upon the specific recommendations and clearly detail the actions in the revised application.

N.B: Special attention is needed when resubmitting the revised application as only one resubmission is allowed at this stage. If the institution did not tackle the mandatory recommendations in the resubmission, the EC will temporarily suspend the logo from the organisation profile and remove its name from the list of Awarded Organisations. The organisation must resubmit their application until the experts issue a positive evaluation, after which the logo will be re-established and the organisation name will be listed again.

Should the institution face difficulties in complying with the deadline, there is always the possibility to ask for a deadline extension provided that the deadline is not overdue. The request should be made in the HRS4R e-tool and must be previously accepted by the EC. The extension is offered only once, and it is standard for all institutions (one month from the previously set deadline).

Pending major revisions

The institution does not meet the criteria to have the HR Award renewed and is required to make the appropriate changes taking into account the recommendations of the assessors. In this case the institution is moved backwards on the HRS4R process flow in order to implement what is requested.

The institution is required to update the documentation in the HRS4R e-tool and resubmit the revised application for review within 12 months.

N.B: Special attention is needed when resubmitting the revised application as only two resubmissions are allowed at this stage.If the institution did not tackle the mandatory recommendations in the second resubmission, the EC will temporarily suspend the logo from the organisation profile and remove its name from the list of Awarded Organisations. The organisation must resubmit their application until the experts issue a positive evaluation, after which the logo will be re-established and the organisation name will be listed again.

Should the institution face difficulties in complying with the deadline, there is always the possibility to ask for a deadline extension provided that the deadline is not overdue. The request should be made in the HRS4R e-tool and must be previously accepted by the EC. The extension is offered only once and it is standard for all institutions (one month from the previously set deadline).

HRS4R e-learning module

The HRS4R e-learning module is a video-tutorial with step-by-step technical instructions for organisations on the application process to the HR Award, as well as the steps to pursue for the implementation and award renewal phases. It also includes background information about the Charter & Code, the endorsement procedure, the benefits of obtaining the HR logo, the timeframe for submissions, and much more.

The HRS4R e-learning module complements the Technical Guidelines with visual content and explanation

Access the e-learning module for organisations