ICAC success in the HRS4R accreditation renewal process, an accreditation awarded by the European Commission to European institutions and research centres that excel in implementing good human resources practices.
The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) supports research institutions and funding centres in the implementation of policies and practices that render them more attractive to researchers looking for a new employer or for a host for their research project.
ICAC was first distinguished with the accreditation and label HR Excellence in Research in 2015, according to the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the European Commission. At the time, the ICAC was a pioneer research organization in implementing and overcoming the evaluation process. To date, 654 European organizations have received HR Excellence accreditation, of which 150 are in Spain (60 in Catalonia).
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 European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, based on a customized action plan and HR strategy.
See here the ICAC HRS4R Action Plan 2021-2023 to implement human resources policies following the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for Recruitment.
The updated action plan is the result of the overall HRS4R strategy evaluation process at the ICAC, carried out mostly during 2020 and ended with the Site Visit of an EC expert panel in March 2021 and the conclusion of the Action Plan 2015-2017 (extended to 2020).
The whole process was carried out using an inclusive and participatory approach, involving the whole research community, the governing bodies, all management departments, and scientific services. A Working Group was appointed, being responsible for leading and coordinating the process (see members here).
Action Plan 2015-2017 (extended to 2020) led the institution from a nascent organization to a truly internationalized one, ready to lead research and advanced training in Classical Archaeology.
You can check this overall overview of the main achievements and implementation results of the Action Plan 2015-2017 (extended to 2020).
One of the main results of the implementation of the HRS4R strategy has been the creation and updating of the ICAC OTM-R Principles (OTM-R Principles for recruitment and selection), which establishes the principles and guidelines that should govern a good personnel recruitment policy. The first version of the document was approved by the ICAC in March 2017 and the second version, revised and updated, was approved in June 2021.
Another very significant improvement came with the creation of the Equality Committee, leading to the approval of the Gender Equality Action Plan (which is about to be renewed in 2022) and the Protocol for preventing, identifying, and taking action to combat sexual harassment and harassment based on the sex, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
We would like to thank and congratulate the entire ICAC community for their selfless participation in this process of continuous improvement, and we invite all researchers to come and learn about our human resources policy and look for a job opportunity in our centre. Effective teamwork!
