EURAXESS at UCLouvain: foundations and work environment
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In January 2006, the Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), through the Rectoral Council (CRef), signed the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.
This set in motion a process of analysing our HR practices and implementing actions aimed at aligning them via a range of tools.
On this page, you will find an overview of the Euraxess commitments and schemes implemented at UCLouvain :
- HR Excellence in Research label
- EURAXESS HRS4R at UCLouvain
- OTM-R: Open transparent and merit-based recruitment
- UCLouvain work environment
- Doctoral path
- Researcher status
- Social security
- Research integrity, ethics and intellectual property
HR Excellence in Research label
UCLouvain received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research label, which recognises the quality of the various action plans put in place to improve recruitment, working conditions, careers and services for researchers. The label enables our university to promote itself as a provider of a stimulating and favourable work environment for researchers and to facilitate the administrative procedures required to obtain certain funding.
EURAXESS HRS4R at UCLouvain
UCLouvain received the HR Excellence in Research label because, in collaboration with its researchers, it adopted, via EURAXESS, the European Commission’s Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) and thus developed its own human resources management strategy to promote a favourable environment for research, training and career development.
OTM-R: Open transparent and merit-based recruitment
With clear strategic guidelines, UCLouvain is pursuing its continuous improvement process, incorporating the recommendations set out in the “enhanced HRS4R process” recently defined by the European Commission.
The university has also carried out an in-depth analysis of its recruitment practices by:
- applying the OTM-R (open, transparent and merit-based recruitment) checklist to each category of researcher working at UCLouvain;
- finalising an OTM-R policy.
by producing, in collaboration with other universities in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, a guide to best practices (OTM-eR) in recruitment:
- e-learning format: MissionChercheur | MoodleUCLouvain
- PDF formatHighlights of this guide:
- Support in the recruitment of the researchers
- Recommendations to help you select the ideal candidates with respect to the open position
- The different stages of the recruitment plan are discussed in detail → best possible HR support
- In line with the European Researcher’s Charter and Code of Conduct
UCLouvain work environment
UCLouvain is strongly committed to equality, integration and work-life balance. It has progressively strengthened these policies at institutional level via:
- rigorous plans, such as the Gender Equality Plan;
- charters, such as the Work-Life Balance Charter;
- providing concrete resources (structural telework/right to disconnect/variable work hours, etc.);
- a variety of training courses, such as cross-cultural and “psychosocial risk management” training.
Doctoral path
UCLouvain takes particular care to provide an appropriate and harmonised framework for doctoral studies, whether through high-quality training and supervision, the implementation of clear and transparent procedures, or by ensuring that all our doctoral students are treated fairly.
Researcher status
Researchers, whether or not they hold a PhD, may carry out research at UCLouvain under different statuses. These are defined according to personal circumstances.
Social security
Subsidised PhD students, researchers and teachers with an employment contract must contribute to social security.
Research integrity, ethics and intellectual property
UCLouvain has a duty to society to guarantee the integrity of its researchers and to offer them a respectful and honest framework for their work, conducive to confident and harmonious development.
In order to promote and ensure respect for ethics in research practices within the university, it has over time set up a series of structures, mainly at sector and institute level, to comply with legal requirements for ethics committees and/or to respond to needs in the field.
More information: