The quality label HR Excellence in Research means that Uppsala University is a higher education institution that meets the EU’s demanding standards for being a responsible and professional employer and that we carry out continuous quality assurance. The point of reference is the European Commission’s Charter and Code for researchers, employers and research funding bodies.

In this context, ‘researchers’ means people with academic expertise employed in a position requiring a doctorate or equivalent qualification, as well as doctoral students and lecturers.

The overall aim of the EU Charter is to improve the conditions for research freedom, promote an open labour market for researchers, and encourage access and exchange.

“Uppsala University’s most important asset are our members of staff, who together ensure that the University is one of the 100 best universities in the world,” says Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt. “Our continuous work on quality and development in the areas covered by the Charter is important both for the University and for individual researchers.”

The quality label also means there is continuous development work in the Charter areas. An integral aspect of the quality label is that the University’s staff should be aware of what this certification means.

Action plans and activities

To support the implementation, a process called Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) is used. The process follows three-year cycles, including three-year University-wide action plans with activities. The work is coordinated by the University’s Human Resources Division.

At the end of last year, the Vice-Chancellor adopted a new action plan outlining various development activities that will take place at Uppsala University in the period 2024–2026, in line with the European Charter. The activities in the action plan are often long-term and part of the quality initiatives already begun or planned by the University.

The University’s action plan is part of the renewed application and includes several activities related to career support and career development, recruitment and the Enlight project.

“We strive to be an attractive employer. Our systematic and quality-enhancing approach to issues such as recruitment and continuing professional development is an important signal both to others and to ourselves, and having this quality label is good for our continued development work. In addition, the quality label provides advantages when applying for EU research funding as our institution fulfils the criteria of the Charter,” says HR Director Eliane Forsse.

New application in June

The University is due to submit a renewed application to retain the quality label by June this year. The application will be followed by a site visit in the autumn, when representatives from the European Commission will come to Uppsala to meet University management and researchers from different parts of the University, to follow up on the process of implementation and development in the Charter areas.

Gunilla Sthyr