Policy for Open, Transparent and Merit based Recruitment (OTM-R) Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (2021)

Download PDF file 

I. General information

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute (IUNG) implements a recruitment policy that adheres to Constitutional principles[1] and Polish Law and provides Researchers with “Open, transparent and internationally comparable selection and recruitment procedures”, in line with the spirit and letter of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Open, transparent and merit-based recruitment (OTM-R) is a crucial component of the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R). OTM-R ensures that the best person for the job is recruited, guarantees equal opportunities and access for all, facilitates developing an international portfolio (cooperation, competition, mobility) and makes research careers more attractive.

One of the main goals for the Institute in the next years is to improve recruitment procedures continuously – to attract more foreign researchers to work in the Institute. Regular procedures and practices that have been applied were in line with Polish law, but it still seems to be not enough ‘open’ and ‘transparent’ for foreign candidates. Therefore, the Institute will emphasise making it better according to HRS4R Strategy and the attached action plan.

II. OTM-R
Following procedures describing three phases at the points a), b) and c)  apply to research staff in terms of R1-R4[2] candidate for a research position (research assistant, post-doctoral researcher, assistant professor, professor and visiting professor) who has an employment contract.

a)  Advertising and application

The recruitment process in IUNG starts, after request a Head of Department, from advertisement and establishment of The Selection Board according to internal regulations “Director of IUNG ordinance  concerning the Selecting Board appointment”. It specifies, in particular, number of members, voting rules, job interviews procedure, candidates assessment methods. Key regulation concerning researchers and research specialists recruitment is Research Institute Act[3] (Chapter 9 – staff of the institute, Art. 39-66). This act includes information about minimum requirements for research staff. Additional document based on the above act is “Director of IUNG ordinance concerning the Selecting Board appointment”[4].

The IUNG HR manager is responsible for research vacancies advertisement in terms of content and OTM-R template compliance. All announcements are published on IUNG official website – http://www.iung.pulawy.pl , in the Polish and the English language version, on Euraxess and Ministry of Science and Higher Education website – Public Information Bulletin[5]. All candidates has the opportunity to send their application by email. Original documents are not needed on this step of the recruitment process.

All applications are stored by the HR manager in line with the principle of confidentiality.

b)  Selection and evaluation

Preliminary selection of candidates is realised by The Selection Board to bring out applications meeting the advertised requirements. The Selection Board selects researchers who achieve the best scores after the internal assessment process according to “Director of IUNG ordinance concerning the Selecting Board appointment” annex (templates for respective research jobs regarding research profile descriptors R1-R4 and the Polish law). These candidates are invited on a job interview to IUNG or, if they prefer (e.g. foreigners), they can organise a teleconference with the Selecting Board. All candidates get feedback from the Selection Board: 1) if they did not meet formal requirements – what was missing, 2) if they met requirements – about their score in recruitment procedure and which skills need to be improved.

c)  Appointment

Selected candidates for the scientific positions in accordance with polish law needs approval of the IUNG Scientific Board before signing the job agreement (Research Institute Act3 – Art 29.2 – 12). Then, the chosen candidate can be requested to provide documents proving his/her scientific achievements and sign an employment contract. In the case of refusing employment proposal by a selected candidate, The Selecting Board can ask the next candidate who obtained the best results in the competition (second score). Key regulation concerning the researchers and the research specialists recruitment in Poland is the Research Institute Act3  (Chapter 9 – staff of the institute, Art. 39-66).

III. Doctoral studies

PhD student recruitment is complemented by obligatory admission to the four years doctoral programme (oral exam). PhD student is a candidate for R12 who does not have an employment contract but holds a fellowship.

The Institute offers a PhD studies programme with Polish as lecturing language, but it is open for foreigners with (minimum) communicative knowledge. Doctoral studies policy for IUNG is governed by polish law[6] and consequent internal regulations[7].

New recruitments are conducted from 2019 only by the Doctoral School.

A doctoral school is a new form of doctoral training introduced to the higher education system from 1 October 2019 under the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1668, as amended), the so-called Act 2.0.

Doctoral School of Quantitative and Natural Studies is run by Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin (UMCS) from 2019, which is the leader, as well as Bohdan Dobrzański Institute of Agrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lublin (IA PAN) and the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute in Puławy (IUNG-PIB), which are partners in running the PhD school. Doctoral School provides education in 6 academic disciplines: mathematics, biological sciences, chemical sciences, physical sciences, earth and environmental sciences, agriculture and horticulture. The disciplines of mathematics, biological sciences, chemical sciences, physical sciences, earth and environmental sciences are headed by Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. IA PAN and IUNG-PIB head disciplines of agriculture and horticulture.

More information: https://www.umcs.pl/en/disciplines,21209.htm

IV.             Contact

Approved with Director of IUNG-PIB – prof. Wiesław Oleszek 27th March 2018

Updated 21.09.2021

[1] The Constitution of the Republic of Poland -2nd April, 1997, as published in Dziennik Ustaw No. 78, item 483. http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm

[2] Research profiles descriptors, https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/europe/career-development/training-researchers/research-profiles-descriptors

[3]Research Institute Act – Ustawa o Instytutach Badawczych – tekst jednolity z dn. 26 maja 2017, Dz. U. z 2017 r. item. 1158, 1452, 2201. http://prawo.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20170001158/U/D20171158Lj.pdf

[4] http://biper.iung.pulawy.pl/intra/images/pdf/zarz/Zarz%C4%85dzenie_%20zasady%20i%20tryb%20przeprowadzania%20konkurs%C3%B3w.pdf

[5] http://www.bip.nauka.gov.pl/nabor-kandydatow-do-jednostek-podleglych-pan-oraz-instytutow-badawczych/

[6] Rozporządzenia Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego z dnia 12 grudnia 2013 r. w sprawie studiów doktoranckich oraz stypendiów doktoranckich (Dz. U. 2013, poz.1581)

[7] Regulamin dziennych studiów doktoranckich prowadzonych w IUNG-PIB http://iung.pl/SD/images/Regulamin%20Studiow%20Doktoranckich_2014.pdf