March full of HRS4R

In mid-March, we took part in two events within the HRS4R project.

On March 19, we attended a conference focused on improving working conditions for researchers at Slovak research institutions. Various European policies and tools were presented alongside real-world examples of how they can be applied. KInIT had an active role at the conference, too. Diana Lokere, Chief People & Culture Officer at KInIT, shared how we operate, what culture and values we stand by, and what HRS4R means for us in practice. Panel discussions with experts from academia on how to develop and support researchers over the long term were equally engaging.

On March 20, we joined a workshop dedicated to OTM-R, which stands for Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment. The session was led by Barbora Wahlová, a long-time consultant and external evaluator for HRS4R. She shared practical tips on job advertising, career pages, and setting up the selection process. She also covered communication with candidates and the development of an internal OTM-R policy. In the second part of the workshop, we worked in groups to draft a researcher competency model using the ResearchComp tool, which was as useful as it was thought-provoking.

Days like these remind us why our work matters, and show us how many people care along the way.