Strengths and weaknesses of the current practice 2024-2026
Ethical and professional aspects
Interim Assessment 2024
STRENGTHS:
The research is focused to expanding knowledge for the good of mankind. Researchers have freedom in the selection of the subject of investigation, freedom of thought and expression, they use all methods available at the Institute. Good practice in research involves adoption of safe working practices and evaluation of the results using advanced scientific algorithms including statistical methods. They recognize limitations related mainly to budgetary and infrastructural reasons as well as intellectual property protection rules that are covered by internal regulation.
Our researchers recognise ethical principles related to their field of research and rules of work (e.g. working with embryonic stem cells or using ionizing radiation). These standards are documented in the Academic Ethical Codex as well as in the Institutional Ethical Codex.
Researchers or the IBP are familiar with the research environment including funding and seek all necessary approvals before starting experiments. Our researchers avoid plagiarism of any kind, they validate new observations and reproduce experiments. They make every effort to ensure that their research is relevant to the society. They carefully select collaborators to be highly qualified and competent for the work required. They also adhere to the principles of sound, transparent and efficient financial management.
All researchers ensure that their results are disseminated and exploited, e.g. communicated, transferred into other research settings or, if appropriate, commercialised. Their research activities are made known to society at large in such a way that they can be understood by non-specialists.
WEAKNESSES:
We focus on the visibility and communication of the Institute to be bolstered. We are working on our institutional web site to be improved, especially the English version. This activity will continue in the next period.
A number of important documents have been translated into English. Practically all scientific lectures, workshops and seminars were in the past year in English. We hope, the language barrier for scientists from abroad became less problematic. We will continue our effort to achieve better conditions for scientists from abroad.
Recruitment and selection
Interim Assessment 2024
STRENGTHS:
Working group as well as the management of the Institute focused strongly to the improvement of the recruitment procedures in order to make them as near as possible to the principles and requirements of the Code of Conduct (see Internal Regulation "Recruitment and Selection of Researchers of the Institute of Biophysics of the CAS" from September 16, 2022, the document is attached to the IR). The procedures were open using all available instruments (advertising open positions at our web page, Euroaxess web page as well as in other possible sources of information). Effectiveness has been justified by means of committees specifically established for each position reflecting the needs of evaluation of necessary aspects of the candidates. Transparency consisted in open setting of the procedures (including detailed description of requirements and characteristics of jobs and positions at Euraxess), interviews with candidates, rules of selection, up to sending information about the results to all candidates. In order to document the improvement in detail, we have described the procedures in Action 2 in detail for each position. In order to check the opinion of our employees on the selection procedures we elaborated a questionnaire. The answer to the question "Are the selection procedures for positions at the IBP transparent?" was mostly positive. Many respondents answered "I do not know". It means that most employees are not acquainted with the selection procedure; those who can decide preferably select „Yes“ only with minor exceptions.
WEAKNESSES:
The above mentioned weaknesses involve items that has been at least partially solved. Employees would like employment contracts with a longer duration than a 1-3 year period. The agreed employment duration always corresponds to the reasons on the part of the scientific project duration. In the case of new employees with good results there is always effort to keep them as long as possible.
Institutional recruitment policy and its criteria for selection are accessible for our employees at intranet (Internal regulation), therefore the recruitment policy is well-presented. Maternity leave, kids' corner, part-time jobs and home office are involved in separate activities. HR teams for different positions is represented by the HR Working Group with responsibility for the whole recruitment process. The recruitment process and selection will be further improved, particularly for foreign candidates, in the next period of HRAW implementation. This is also related to the improvement of working conditions and training (see the next sections).
Working conditions
Interim Assessment 2024
STRENGTHS:
In spite of the fact that the financial situation worsened due to covid and subsequent conflict at Ukraine, the infrastructures and facilities commonly used by our researchers have been extended from institutional funding by several relatively small but important investments: modular screening station (ScanR), computer cluster graphical cards, microscope laser, hypoxic working box, trans-epithelial electric resistance station, centrifuge with supplementary equipment, computers for working offices, cell incubator, and some smaller equipment. We try to keep the research environment and working conditions at the best possible level. The infrastructure is open for common use and shared among researchers. Its performance is guaranteed by highly skilled professional teams.
Regulation for working conditions allows adapting to researchers’ specific needs related to their family/work balance, including part-time contracts, flexible working hours, etc. For our employees, there is also the use of kids’ corner and sports room. Social events are organized within the social fund.
An important part of working conditions is the evaluation of the results and their authors. General evaluation of the Institute is performed each year by the Czech national methodology called „M17+“. Our Institute has been ranked "A" as one of the best research organizations in the Czech republic. On the other hand, the Czech Academy of Sciences has its own evaluation procedure involving deeper insight at the level of departments. The latest evaluation has been performed in 2020 (period 2015-2019) with rather positive results. As a result, our budget has been increased by approximately 4%. The IBP departments are annually evaluated by the Director according to scientometric parameters (measured according to Web of Science parameters) as well as by the International Scientific Advisory Board that was established in 2018 at the IBP. IBP evaluates also young scientists and students. In addition, at the end of 2022, the following prizes have been awarded: Awards for the best postdoc research results (2 prizes), Awards for the best publications (2 prizes), Award for young scientists, Award for the best application, Award for internationalization, and Cooperation Award. These employees have also obtained financial bonuses. Regular and standard evaluation of all employees is accomplished using attestations improving working conditions of our employees.
Other principles are also naturally implemented, such as intellectual property rights, wherein training as well as implementation are assured through the Centre for Technology Transfer of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Researchers of the IBP also work as voluntary mentors and lecturers at universities (e.g. Masaryk University in Brno, Palacky University in Olomouc, etc.) Thus, equal demands and synergies in research and teaching are naturally implemented.
Specific courses on topics required by scientists improve the professionalism and research standards at the Institute. Lectures of famous foreign scientists as well as other workshops and conferences also contribute substantially to the improvement of professional level of our scientists.
We maintained democratic and open system in the recruitment and selection at IBP for both national and foreign scientists.
WEAKNESSES:
Concerning international cooperation, a financial contribution for the mobility of PhD students employed at the IBP has been established. The regulation has been published on the IBP web page.
Missing internal institutional communication has been improved via WG cooperation with individual department leaders. In addition, specific award for collaborative publications has been introduced. Evaluation of common publications from 2020 and 2021 years has been performed with the target to improve internal communication. Number of publications in 2020: 6, 2021: 7. Collaboration and communication between departments of our Institute can be seen particularly between DCBE (E. Bártová) and DME (A. Kovařík), DCBE and DSDNA (J. Šponer); DME and DSDNA; DBNA (D. Renčiuk) and DBCHMO (M. Fojta). We will continue with this activity in future.
Improved working conditions for foreign employees has been achieved by means of translation of many important documents into English (practically all most important documents).
High administrative loads to department leaders and other scientists have been reduced by means of introducing "Project manager" position. We hope, it will not only reduce the administrative loads in the case of writing the project but also increase the effectiveness in project application.
The lack of ecological activities have been improved introducing several actions: 1) Riding by bike to working place, Timing: May 1-31, 2022, Target: contribution to energy saving, Number of participants: 20 (invitation can be seen at our web page), 2) Cleaning the territory of the Institute. Timing: April 16, 2022. Target: Ecological activity. Number of participants: 30. These activities will be continued.
Increase in financial bonuses has been achieved by awarding a number of different aspects of scientific work.
Information strategy of the IBP management has been substantially bolstered.
IT system must be improved - a new PC infrastructure and update of webpages - this weakness is in the process of improvement (PR specialist has been employed as a new position).
Training and development
Interim Assessment 2024
STRENGTHS:
In order to achieve continual professional development of our scientists, we organize regular courses on various aspects of research and scientific life starting from writing scientific articles (EMBO course), communication skills, biostatistics, Excel standard and advanced use, graphics, language courses and courses on the management of sciences. In order to improve awareness of our employees about gender issues, we elaborated Gender Equality Plan and organized several actions to realize it.
Professional development of young scientists is increased also by means of improved mobility activities under new regulation (see Action 1). They also participate at workshops and conferences at national as well as international level. In order to bolster biophysical aspect of professional development at the Institute, we established the Czech Biophysical Association, which will ensure information sources related to the international IUPAB body and organize its own international conferences.
WEAKNESSES:
The activities in the previous period improved the weaknesses mentioned in the Initial Phase. We will continue to achieve further improvement.