Information for selection committees' members

From the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers….to our practises….

In 2019, the University of Insubria received the European Commission’s Human Resources Excellence in Research Award for its on-going commitment to participating in the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) process for the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers in its policies and practices.

As part of the strategy to guarantee the academic community the best conditions to accomplish their duties in the fields of training new generations of students and producing outstanding research results, the University of Insubria is committed to anchor the recruitment of researchers at all levels of experience on open, transparent and merit-based procedures.

The committees should operate independently, must declare any conflict of interest, and their decisions should be impartial and based on evidence rather than on personal preference. The committee members will be supplied with a committee-kit containing all pro-forma reports, relevant national legislation and University regulations, and the Code of Ethics, Professional Conduct and Research Integrity.

Some evaluation principles tailored from the Code and reported in our Gap Analysis:

Judging merit: The selection committees give a full description of the criteria in compliance with National law. Candidates are evaluated by their curricula and the whole range of experience, also in term of teaching, supervision, teamwork, management of research and innovation and public awareness activities including bibliometric indices and possible patents or inventions. On a national basis a scientific qualification must be achieved in order to apply for R3 and R4 positions and be further evaluated with regard to criteria established in the specific call
Variations in the chronological order of CVs:The evaluation about the overall consistency of the candidate’s scientific production, the intensity and temporal continuity takes into account any periods, properly documented, of non-voluntary career breaks with particular reference to parental leave. Researchers working abroad, carrying out didactic and research activities, may apply to Italian academic positions if reflecting a representative array of achievements and qualifications appropriate to the position for which application is being made. Scientific international recognitions are appreciated.
Recognition of mobility experience:The selection committees take into account, where applicable, experiences performed both in Italy and abroad, the cooperation with foreign and international organizations and research centres, lecturer in international conferences, didactic teaching in international University or high qualification international research centres, achievement of international award.
Recognition of qualifications: At local level, national and international regulation standards are fully implemented and all selection committees’ members have the duty to know and implement them, when performing their evaluation. Dedicated administrative staff is devoted to the support of each procedure: they provide the selection committees with all relevant information on existing legislation.
Seniority: All announcements of available positions must contain clear indications of entry requirements for participation and, eventually, additional skills requested to the candidates: i.e. a specific master degree or PhD, national scientific qualification, expertise in a certain field or mobility experiences. The announcement for admission to the PhD program includes requirements, mandatory qualifications (curriculum vitae et studiorum, PhD proposal research, abstracts of the thesis allowing access to the Doctorate) and optional (reference letters). Evaluation committees’ members are disregard to judge the candidates on the basis of the prestige of the institution they come from – both as university issuing the requested degree or as employer-, since the same weight in terms of evaluation should always be attributed to the same type of qualification.

Commissions for R1 - PhD students' recruitment

Committee composition: the Rector, on the proposal of the college of teachers of the PhD course, appoints by decree the Commission in charge of the comparative evaluation of the candidates, composed of at least three members chosen from tenured university professors and researchers (of which at least two first or second level professors), to which no more than two experts may be added, on the proposal of the Teaching Committee foreigners, external to the University, chosen from public and private research institutions and structures of high qualification, also following agreements and / or consortia. In the case of doctorates established following international inter-university cooperation agreements, the Commission and admission procedures are defined in accordance with the agreements themselves. The presidency of the Commission is assumed by the teacher indicated by the College. The composition of the Committee must abide by the principles of equal opportunity and gender balance, by allocating to women at least one third of all available positions.
Minutes: the Commission declares that there are no causes of incompatibility between the members and the candidates admitted to the competition, it ascertains within the terms of the law, the inexistence of degrees of kinship or affinity up to the fourth degree inclusive with a professor belonging to the Department requesting the activation of the grant, with the Rector, with the General Director or with a member University Board of Directors, as required by the competition announcement.
Scoring criteria: the calls report that the Committee attributes to each candidate up to a maximum of 60 points for each of the two evaluations (qualifications assessment and oral/written test). Oral/written tests are public and are considered passed if the candidate gets a score of no less than 40/60 points. The test results will be notified by means of an official publication of the ranking on the website of the University.

Commissions for R2 - Recognised researchers' recruitment

Note: the following information is being updated.

Committee composition: the Selection Committee is made up of three members, one of whom is the Responsible of the research who assumes the functions of President of the Commission. The other two members are designated by Council of the Structure where the research activity will be carried out, among professors and researchers, also external to the University, industry experts. The Committe of selection is appointed by a provision of the Director of the structure in which research activity will be carried out. The composition of the Committee must abide by the principles of equal opportunity and gender balance, by allocating to women at least one third of all available positions. It must conclude its work by formulating a specific ranking within 30 days from the closing date of the call. The acts of the selection and the relative ranking are approved by decree of the Director of the structure who announced the grant.
Minutes: the Commission declares that there are no causes of incompatibility between the members and the candidates admitted to the competition, it ascertains within the terms of the law, the inexistence of degrees of kinship or affinity up to the fourth degree inclusive with a professor belonging to the Department requesting the activation of the grant, with the Rector, with the General Director or with a member University Board of Directors, as required by the competition announcement.
Scoring criteria: every call report scoring grid to be given to candidates based on qualifications, publications and any interview. The evaluation results will be notified by means of an official publication of the ranking on the website of the University.

Commissions for R3 - Established Researchers' recruitment

Composition of the Committee: after the deadline for submitting applications, the Department Council proposes a designated member and a shortlist of members who can be drawn. All the members belong to different universities. The Recruitment Office provides for the draw in public session to guarantee transparency. The Committee will be composed of the designated member and two drawn members. Gender balance and the presence of at least one full professor are respected.
Minutes: the Committee declares that there are no causes of incompatibility between the members and the candidates admitted to the competition, it ascertains within the terms of the law, the inexistence of degrees of kinship or affinity up to the fourth degree inclusive with a professor belonging to the Department requesting the activation of the procedure, with the Rector, with the General Director or with a member University Board of Directors, as required by the competition announcement.
Scoring criteria: The evaluation criteria are established by the Committee during the first meeting and are made public at least seven days before the continuation of the work (publication on the Official Notice Board and on the University website). The office communicates the names of the candidates only after the selection criteria have been made public. The criteria and parameters, also recognized internationally, are established by Decree no. 243 of the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) of 25/05/2011. After evaluation, the committee draws up a ranking of suitable candidates.

Commissions for R4 - Leading Researchers' recruitment

Composition of the Committee: after the deadline for submitting applications, the Department Council proposes a designated member and a shortlist of members who can be drawn. All the members are full professors and belong to different universities. The Recruitment Office provides for the draw in public session to guarantee transparency. The Committee will be composed of the designated member and two drawn members. Gender balance is respected.
Minutes: the Committee declares that there are no causes of incompatibility between the members and the candidates admitted to the competition, it ascertains within the terms of the law, the inexistence of degrees of kinship or affinity up to the fourth degree inclusive with a professor belonging to the Department requesting the activation of the procedure, with the Rector, with the General Director or with a member University Board of Directors, as required by the competition announcement.
Scoring criteria: The evaluation criteria are established by the Committee during the first meeting and are made public at least seven days before the continuation of the work (publication on the Official Notice Board and on the University website). The office communicates the names of the candidates only after the selection criteria have been made public. The evaluation is carried out on the basis of criteria internationally recognized quality standards. After the comparative evaluation carried out on the basis of the publications, CVs and teaching activities of the candidates, the Committee draws up a ranking of suitable candidates.