During the initial phase, the University shall work on three documents, subsequently submitted for the approval of the European Commission. The above-mentioned documents are:
- Comparative Analysis (GAP analysis. Here, UNIZA compares the current state with 40 Charter & Code principles, divided into 4 areas (ethical and professional perspective, recruitment of new employees, working conditions and social security, education and training).
- So-called „OTMR checklist“ – a verification list following the fulfilment of principles regarding open, transparent and merit-oriented recruitment.
- Action Plan – here, UNIZA proposes specific steps to address the shortcomings identified by the comparative analysis. The action plan must include specific tasks and the relevant responsible persons, a time frame for tasks’ completion and a description of outputs for each task.
The importance lies not only within the documents but also within the process, by which they were created. The University needs to set up a steering committee responsible for the strategic regulation and monitoring of the whole process, as well as a working group, responsible for the process implementation.
The involvement of all stakeholder groups (academic and non-academic staff, researchers at all career stages, etc.) is also crucial.
The Gap Analysis, together with the OTM-R checklist and the Action Plan shall be uploaded directly into the online form.