Welcome to the homepage of the HR Excellence in Research (formerly known as HRS4R) initiative at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio.
UNICAS is committed to fostering a vibrant, supportive, inclusive, multicultural and world-class environment for our academic community. It combines research and educational excellence with regional development to foster sustainable growth and active global citizenship. As a proud member of the European University of Technology (EUt+) Alliance, in alignment with our European partners, we are dedicated to developing "responsible technology" and high-impact research that serves society, sustains our environment, and empowers the next generation of global innovators.
What is the HR Excellence in Research Award?
The HR Excellence in Research Award is a prestigious accreditation granted by the European Commission. It recognises institutions that have formally endorsed and actively implemented the principles of the new European Charter for Researchers, which includes the document formerly known as Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.
The overarching goal of the HR Excellence in Research Award is to make European research careers highly attractive. It focuses on providing researchers with favourable working conditions, clear career development pathways, and a fair, international, and stimulating research environment.
Why HR Excellence in Research matters to UNICAS and EUt+
For UNICAS, committing to the HR Excellence in Research Award process is not just about gaining accreditation; it is a key pillar of our strategic growth. In unison with the EUt+ Alliance, this process helps us to:
- Attract & retain talent:Create a supportive environment that draws top-tier local and international researchers to Southern Lazio.
- Ensure fair recruitment:Embed Open, Transparent, and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) principles across all academic and research hires.
- Boost funding success:Provide tangible, documented proof of our high institutional standards, which directly adds value to both European (EU Framework Programmes) and national research funding applications.
- Empower career growth:Offer continuous training and professional development throughout every stage of a researcher's journey.
- Support research activity: Provide guidelines and tools for Open Science strategies, link to other UNICAS Offices and Centres that support academic life, and guide researchers in areas such as technology transfer, research ethics, and gender equality policies.
- Facilitate researchers’ professional and personal life: Empower researchers at every career stage with the tools and the guidance they need to achieve professional excellence while maintaining a balanced, fulfilling personal life.
The Four Thematic Pillars
The HR excellence in Research framework organises its 20 core principles under four central themes, which guide our ongoing action plans and institutional policies:
- ETHICS, INTEGRITY, GENDER AND OPEN SCIENCE: Promoting research integrity, academic freedom, professional responsibility, and a strong commitment to public engagement.
- RESEARCHERS' ASSESSMENT, RECRUITMENT AND PROGRESSION: Ensuring that our hiring practices are completely open, transparent, merit-based, and free from bias or barriers to mobility.
- WORKING CONDITIONS AND PRACTICES: Providing safe, inclusive, and stable working environments, promoting gender equality, and facilitating a healthy work-life balance.
- RESEARCH CAREERS AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT: Equipping our researchers with both technical and transferable skills, alongside access to structured career guidance.
Our pathway to continuous improvement
Following the path of our EUt+ partners, UNICAS has launched a comprehensive internal review. By conducting an in-depth Gap Analysis and surveying our research community, we have identified areas of strength and opportunities for growth. These insights have directly shaped our Action Plan, a strategic roadmap detailing concrete initiatives we are implementing to continuously improve our research ecosystem. The Open, Transparent, and Merit-Based Recruitment (OTM-R) Checklist synthesises the recruitment policy, with the primary objective of ensuring that the best person for the job is always selected, thereby fostering international mobility, equality, and excellence across our entire research ecosystem.
We invite our researchers, administrative staff, and global partners to explore these pages, learn more about our ongoing actions, and join us in shaping the future of research excellence at UNICAS.