This European accreditation recognizes the institution's efforts to adopt good practices in the recruitment of researchers and technical and support staff. The University of Cordoba obtained the highest score in the evaluation carried out by the European Commission to measure its implementation of the European Seal of Excellence in Research in Human Resources (HRS4H). This accreditation recognizes institutions that strive to adopt good practices in the recruitment of researchers and technical staff, with the aim of contributing to the development of an attractive European labor market for the advancement of science.
In June of 2017 the University of Cordoba obtained this quality seal, with the European Commission acknowledging the UCO's commitment to adopting the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. This materializes in the creation of an attractive working environment for researchers and technical staff, allowing them to achieve scientific excellence and provide all candidates with equal opportunities.
In accordance with the schedule established, two years after obtaining it, the UCO has submitted to an evaluation of the degree of HRS4H implementation at the institution. To this end, an internal report has been drawn up analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the four thematic areas found in the Charter and the Code, providing evidence of compliance and/or the degree to which the actions set forth in the initial plan have been taken, and, in general, to which the terms of the seal have been fulfilled over these two years. In addition, a new action plan was presented to cover until the culmination of the implementation phase, slated to last three years.
Based on this information, the European Commission issued a consensus report by the evaluating experts in which it concluded that the action plan has been implemented at the UCO in a solid and systematic way, concluding that the HR seal is, thus, integrated into its structure and that it is not necessary to initiate any type of corrective action. Highlighted as strengths were the university’s institutional commitment, as well as it reinforcement of its international visibility, the presence of the logo on the website, the existence of key information in both Spanish and English, and its high compliance with the action plan. In the next three years it will be necessary to develop a new action plan aimed at renewing the seal of approval in October 2022.