UO implementing measures under the HRS4R framework. We are committed to openness and staff wellbeing

Representatives of the HRS4R implementation team spoke about how the HRS4R Action Plan is being implemented at the University of Opole, and above all about the draft HR Strategy for academic teachers, its main objectives and the benefits it will bring to the university’s staff.

They met with representatives of the HRS4R steering committee and the HRS4R monitoring team in the Plafond Hall of the Collegium Maius.

The HR strategy for academic teachers at the University of Opole ensures transparency and equality, reinforcing the principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination in the university’s personnel policy and day-to-day operations. Employees will also be able to rely on support, mentoring, training, performance appraisals and counselling at every stage of their career.

The strategy also opens the door to further internationalising the university – from domestic and international mobility, through research collaboration, to the University of Opole’s growing presence in European networks and projects. All this within an environment that supports staff wellbeing, work-life balance, job security and a friendly organisational culture.

Furthermore, from 14 October 2026, recruitment at the University of Opole will be based on the OTM-R principles (Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment). This means that the process will be open, transparent and merit-based.

assessment of the needs of academic teachers and doctoral students, as well as an analysis of the university’s compliance with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The document is consistent with the University of Opole’s Development Strategy for 2021–2027, the University’s Gender Equality Plan for 2023–2027, and the University of Opole’s Internationalisation Strategy.

At the meeting in the Plafond Hall, the HRS4R steering committee was represented by: Prof. Jacek Lipok, (Rector of the University of Opole), Prof. Daniel Pietrek, (Vice-Rector for Research), Prof. Joanna Ryszka, (Vice-Rector for Student Affairs), Prof. Anna Weissbrot-Koziarska (Vice-Rector for Education), Joanna Kostuś (Chancellor of the UO), Dr Dušan Bogdanov (University Council), Prof. Jolanta Nocoń (University Council) and Andrzej Stańdo (University Council).

The representatives of the HRS4R implementation team included Prof. Dominika Malchar-Michalska (Chair), Prof. Elżbieta Szymańska-Czaplak (Vice-Chair), Dr Małgorzata Mitrus, Agnieszka Piestrak and Tomasz Chabior, whilst the HRS4R monitoring team was represented by Dr Zbigniew Witczak (Chair).

In March 2025, the University of Opole was awarded the HR Excellence in Research distinction. This confirms that the university is adjusting its working conditions to meet the requirements of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. These documents relate, amongst other things, to the rights and obligations of researchers and the institutions employing them, the ethics and responsibilities of researchers, the openness and transparency of recruitment processes, the facilitation of research mobility, job security, and appropriate conditions for training and professional development.