On 3rd March, Bruna Vives together with the first two hundred Deans, Rectors and representatives of universities and research institutes that have implemented the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, received the HR Excellence in Research Award.  To mark the event, the European Commission hosted a conference to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Charter and Code.

Carlos Moedas, Research, Science and Innovation Commissioner, congratulated the first universities and research institutes that have taken up the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers. He also highlighted their commitment for attracting and keeping the best minds in Europe, which is essential for competitiveness.  He stated: “We want Europe to remain a popular destination for the most talented researchers to pursue their careers. It's very encouraging that more than 1,500 research institutions and funders from 40 countries in Europe have endorsed the Charter and Code to improve their human resources policies. This is building a strong foundation of research excellence from which we will benefit long into the future.”

The Centre for Genomic Regulation endorsed the Charter and Code in 2008 and received the HR Excellence in Research logo from the European Commission on November 2013. Within this framework, the CRG adopted an Action Plan 2013-2015, which is being accomplished gradually. For example, CRG created a Training Unit to set up an annual training plan for all professional categories in order to improve and boost professional skills and career development. A Gender Balance Committee has been created in order to strengthen a Gender Action Plan. Some of the actions raised by this Committee have already come out, as published in this recent piece of news on the International Women’s Day. Finally, a specific working group is preparing a comprehensive Staff Handbook that will provide information tailored to each professional category. “The HR Excellence in Research Award has been the catalyst for change. There are still many things to do but we are on the right direction. We are working hard to make the CRG a good place to work that enables scientists to successfully develop their research”, states the new CRG Managing Director Bruna Vives.