People & Culture Milestones in 2025

In August 2025, the European Commission granted VHIR the renewal of the HR Excellence in Research seal for a period of three years. This recognition reaffirms the institution’s commitment to an ethical, transparent, and excellent research environment, with the main objective of improving the working and career development conditions of researchers in Europe, while promoting open, sustainable, and stimulating workplaces. This distinction is aligned with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

We continue our Commitment to People, fostering fair recruitment, career growth, and an inclusive, stimulating research environment in order to achieve the goals of the 2024-2027 action plan.

During 2025, we continued to strengthen our commitment to professional growth and development across the institution, ensuring that all staff have access to tailored training and career development opportunities. 

A major milestone was reached at the end of the year with the launch of the Professional Career Path for Management and Administration staff. In parallel, significant progress was made towards the implementation of the Research Career Path, finally launched in 2026. 

As part of our strategic commitment to fostering an organisational culture based on mutual respect, inclusion, diversity and equal opportunities, on 1 November 2025 VHIR launched the new Equality and LGTBI Plans. They defined the strategic priorities and actions guiding the period 2025–2029.

Their implementation not only introduced specific actions but also contributed to a positive and sustainable transformation of our organisational culture, consolidating an inclusive, safe, and respectful environment that fostered both people’s wellbeing and research excellence.

With the aim of fostering a workplace that supports the holistic wellbeing of every individual, VHIR has developed a unique Wellbeing Framework to ensure that everyone feels well, connected, empowered, and welcomed. The framework is built around four key dimensions: Feel Well, Feel Connected, Feel Empowered and Feel Welcomed.

The first steps of this initiative were taken in 2024 with the celebration of the first Wellbeing Week. Building on its success, in 2025 the initiative evolved within the Wellbeing Framework into the Wellbeing Days: two weeks of activities designed to promote physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, while strengthening our sense of community and belonging across the institution.