Thursday 26 11 2020
University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has retained a European Commission award for its commitment to providing high-quality working conditions and support for research staff.
The HR Excellence in Research Award recognises higher education institutions’ commitment to enhancing the working conditions and career development of research staff, in turn improving the quality, quantity and impact of research outputs. Re-accreditation of the award takes place in a two-yearly cycle of internal and external reviews.
It also recognises UWS’s commitment to achieving the principles of the UK Concordat, which sets out clear standards that research staff can expect from the University.
The University first earned the European Commission’s recognition in 2016.
Alison Campbell, Head of Employee Engagement and Development at UWS, said: “Retaining the HR Excellence in Research Award is a fantastic achievement, reflecting progress to date and our ambitions, outlined in our new action plan 2020-2022 to improve support for researchers who we believe should be valued and recognised for the contribution they make in research.
“The Award gives colleagues, and potential applicants, reassurance that we as an institution are committed to supporting them and their careers. Colleagues who are supported and encouraged to develop is absolutely key to the pioneering research work that we produce at UWS.”
Milan Radosavljevic, Vice-Principal for Research, Innovation and Engagement at UWS, added: “I am incredibly pleased that UWS has retained the HR Excellence in Research Award.
“This is a major recognition and, at UWS, we are committed to making an impact, both within our own community and in wider society nationally and internationally. We cannot achieve the impact without our researchers and we will continue to work to the principles of the UK Concordat to keep to these high standards.”