What is HR AWARD?

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The HR Excellence in Research Award is awarded by the European Commission to academic institutions. The award guarantees excellence in the working conditions of scientists and, of course, other staff.

More specifically, it covers the following areas: equal working and pay conditions for women and men, transparent selection procedures, the possibility to reconcile work and family life and other key parameters for staff development and care.

The TUL Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovations (CXI) received this award in spring 2020. After two years, the TUL University Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovations (CXI) has managed to defend this prestigious award. The award follows dozens of criteria ranging from equal working conditions for women and men, transparent selection procedures to opportunities to reconcile work and family life.

"The HR Award represents a major commitment and a long-term process, monitored by the European Commission, to 'mainstream' the principles of the Charter and Code into the daily life of the institution. After receiving the award, more than 11 years of systematic work await the recipient. CXI is about a third of the way through," explains Alena Kábová, HR Director of CXI TUL.

And what has already been achieved? "We have completed the interim evaluation of the first 2 years of implementation of our action plan, with 2/3 of the actions (70%) completed. However, most of the actions are not finished, there is still a lot to work on," adds Alena Kábová.

Currently, the team responsible for the HR Award is implementing the updated action plan. It includes several areas: employee development and evaluation, training activities, transparency in recruiting new employees, mentoring and increasing the attractiveness of the CXI work environment.

To ensure the successful implementation of the plan, two experienced external experts have been nominated to the "HR team". In the following period, the team will focus on a comprehensive system of evaluation and career development of male and female employees of CXI TUL. This topic is topical at all universities in the Czech Republic. Evaluation is to be a key tool for employee development. "We believe that colleagues will perceive the evaluation process positively, as an opportunity for their personal and professional growth," adds Alena Kábová.

More information about the HR Award can be found here: https://cxi.tul.cz/en/people-career/hr-excellence-in-research