Newsletter 9 HRS4R UMU

Newsletter HRS4R-UMU nº9

UMU Human Resources Strategy for Researchers

Upcoming activity: Online seminar "Open Science and Open Data in Research"

Following the dissemination actions of the Action Plan of the Human Resources for Research Excellence Seal (HRS4R) awarded by the European Commission; the UMU organizes the third seminar on "Open Science and Open Data in Research", on Thursday 2 November from 13.00 to 14.00. 

In this occasion, we will have the participation of Pilar Rico Castro, Head of Open Access, Repositories and Journals Unit of the FECYT, who will explore the concept of open science and analyse its implications for the research community.

The session will address in detail the "National Open Science Strategy" Estrategia Nacional de Ciencia Abierta (ENCA), the spanish Science Law, the spanish Organic Law on Universities (LOSU) and the Horizon Europe framework programme and how these elements are reshaping the research landscape and its impact on the scientific community.

We will also count with the participation of Ester Torres Jiménez, Head of Area of the University Library, who will present the support services offered by the University Library as a support for research.

The programme and registration form are available on the website: https://www.um.es/web/hrs4r/eventos

Series of HRS4R Online Seminars at the University of Murcia

During 2023, actions 16 and 23 of the Action Plan 2022-2025 are being implemented. These two actions consists in the realisation of cycles of seminars targeted to Teaching and Research Staff as well as to the Administration and Services Staff of the University.

The two cycles of seminars and the activities carried out are as follows:

• HRS4R online seminars at the University of Murcia (Action 16):

The aim of this cycle of seminars is to inform the university community about the benefits that the implementation of the HRS4R seal represents for our organisation.

The first seminar, entitled "Implementation of the HRS4R logo and its benefits for the organisation" was inaugurated by the rector of the University of Murcia (UMU), José Luján Alcaraz on 15 March. During the session, the benefits of implementing the European Logo for Human Resources for Researchers (HRS4R) at the University of Murcia were discussed. The objective was to present the HRS4R UMU Action Plan, the actions that have already been implemented, those that are in progress and those that are expected to be implemented between now and June 2025.

• Recording
• Press release

The second seminar, "Good Research Practices in the context of the HRS4 Seal", held on Thursday 22 June 2023, was attended by Meritxell López Gallardo, advisor to the Vice-Rectorate for Research and Transfer at the Complutense University of Madrid (period January 2020 to June 2023), who showed us the actions carried out by the Complutense University of Madrid in the framework of the Logo and the professor Emilio Martínez Navarro, who explained the approaches of the Code of Good Practices of the UMU and the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia. 

• Recording

•  HRS4R online seminars on Careers in Research (Action 23)

In this cycle of seminars, specific and regular training sessions on research career development opportunities for UMU R1-R4 researchers are offered.

This cycle began on 11 May with the participation of Patricia Forcén, a researcher linked to the mentoring programme of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK). Under the title "The role of mentoring in the professional research career", she presented the different research career options in different organisational and geographical contexts and explained the usefulness of mentoring programmes for professional development, based on her experience as a mentor.

• Recording
• Press release

The second seminar, "Tools for research career development: from R1 to R4" held on 5 October, was given by Ximena Muñoz, Director of the Institute of Design Thinking (IDT) in which she overviewed the different tools that are best suited to the needs that one has throughout the research career, organised through the four stages from R1 to R4.

The event was also attended by UMU Professor José Tomás Palma Méndez, General Coordinator of Research, who presented the UMU Research Promotion Plan.

• Recording

The last seminar planned for this year 2023 will be on "Marie Sklodowska Curie Mobility Actions and Research Career Mobility", and will be held on Thursday 14 December 2023 from 13.00 to 14.00 hours, in online format.

Xavier Eeckhout, Project Manager - Researcher Career Development and Mobility at Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, FECYT, will participate in this event.

Information about this event will be available on this link in the coming days.

Updates included in the HRS4R UMU website

HRS4R UMU Website contents have been added and updated: 

• Ethics aspects (Ethics Committee and and Good Practice in Research): 

Published the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (revised version 2023), developed by ALLEA (European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities).

The "European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity" serves the European research community as a framework for self-regulation in all scientific and academic disciplines and for all research environments.

• Career and Training (Explore your career options): 

- REBECA mentoring programme: REBECA wants to facilitate that early career researchers from all over Europe explore and reflect on their options beyond research in academia. During 6 months, the mentoring programme will put in touch early career researchers, working in European academic institutions, with highly skilled professionals from all disciplines, working in non-academic job profiles in sectors beyond academia, or in research management within academia, whose responsabilities and tasks are related with research and innovation. 

The programme will facilitate a minimum of 6 meetings, where mentors and mentees will get to know each other, share their experiences and reflect on their professional perspectives. Organizers will provide the structure and contents to inspire a fruitful and beneficial relationship between pairs.

- EURAXESS Smart Talks: Spain: A Journey through Academia and Beyond! (Junio 2023): To remain in academia or to leave - that is the question! On this episode of EURAXESS Smart Talks, hosts Darja Aksjonova and Leah Nerenberg will explore the stories of researchers and academics who transitioned to careers beyond academia, all through the lens of Spain. 

Guests for this episode include Dr. Izaskun Lacunza, a science policy practitioner running the International Projects Unit at the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), Dr. Gaizka Otaegi, head of EMEA Strategic Projects at GLG, and Dr. Sofía Cabezudo, research manager in the Spanish National Cancer Association and former mentee of the REBECA program.

The episode includes personal stories, important lessons learned and unique insights into the beyond academia career path. 

Document of interest:

• OTM-R (Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment of Researchers):

- Guide for the improvement of OTM-R practices at the University of Murcia

This guide compiles, in chronological order, the different steps of the selection and recruitment process. Its objective is to establish a system for the recruitment of researchers based on the principles of the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, providing more detailed information, practical solutions and including examples of good practice.

This document is part of Action 4 of the initial Action Plan and represents a starting point for the achievement of Actions 17 and 18 of the updated Action Plan 2022-2025.

Nexts steps...

Implementation of the remaining Actions defined in the updated Action Plan (2022-2025).

At October 2023, the following actions are being worked on:

- Action 6: Creation of a general merit model rule that can be downloaded by those responsible for the selection processes and which contemplates the aspects recommended in the code. In progress

- Action 11: Improvement of the document on "recommendations/good practices in the performance of the selection boards for official staff", which could be extended/adapted to the recruitment of staff assigned to research projects. It will be provided in Spanish and English. In progress.

- Action 15: Redesigning of the training offer for doctoral students at the UMU. In progress.

- Action 16: Training sessions on the HRS4R Seal of Excellence. Started.

- Action 19: Opening of an e-mail box/contact form for questions about the HRS4R. Implemented.

- Acción 21: Communication plan that includes information of an institutional nature in relation to the HR Seal within the UMU's own policies. Started.

- Action 23: Training sessions on the Research Development Career. Started.

As for the first Action Plan, the indicators defined in the updated Action Plan will be the tool used to assess progress during the implementation phase of the actions defined in the updated document. 

Follow-up meetings of the Management Committee will be held every 3 months and monitoring meetings of the Steering Committee every 6 months.

Date: October 2023