Being aware that students, employees, and excellent researchers are our most important and irreplaceable resource, the University of Rijeka is the first university in Croatia and one of the first ten in Europe to sign The European Charter for Researchers and The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, thereby accepting the initiative of the European Commission, which in 2005 adopted these documents to increase employability and promote careers in research as vital to economic growth, employment, and the setting up of a European Research Area (ERA). Furthermore, the University of Rijeka is the first to sign the Charter for participation in the European Commission’s Group for Human Resources Strategy Implementation.
By signing the above-mentioned charters, the University of Rijeka is committed to further implementation of these documents, which is a strategic goal outlined also in the University of Rijeka Strategy. The “Strategy of Human Resources in Research” project was adopted at the University’s Senate session in October 2009, while the survey report, internal analysis, and activity report (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers) were adopted at the Senate’s session in June 2010. In July 2010, the University of Rijeka received formal recognition from the European Commission and the HR Excellence in Research logo.
Thanks to the visit and encouraging evaluation conducted by the HRS4R renewal committee in 2019, the University of Rijeka deepened and more strongly implemented its HRS4R policy. During this process, the initial proposal of the Open, Transparent, and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) of the University of Rijeka was drafted, and adopted by the Senate in 2020.
A comprehensive analysis of employees’ opinions (GAP analysis) conducted in 2023 showed that the University has made significant strides and progress in terms of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R), in line with the significant progress of EU policies, the policies and activities of the University of Rijeka were updated during 2023 and at the beginning of 2024 aligned with the currently valid practices and standards at the national and European levels.
The documents presented highlight the efforts and results achieved so far, establish clear, understandable, and transparent criteria and procedures for recruitment and development of research careers, and emphasize the further development plan of the University of Rijeka in the field of research careers.
