Good Practices

1. The SIR 2014 accreditation is part of the ‘Healthy Industrial Relations – Contemporary Enterprises’ project, which was co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Social Fund. As a tool for understanding and correctly implementing Cypriot labour law and practice, the accreditation standard focuses on employment law and integrates a number of proven best practices.  The standard concentrates on the following areas:

 
  • Commitment to the implementation and promotion of healthy industrial relations
  • Health and Safety at Work
  • Labour law and human resource management
  • Prevention of harassment and sexual harassment and promotion of equality in employment
  • Work-life balance
 

For further information about the standard, you can visit the following website: http://slr.com.cy/standard/sir2014/

 

2. The Equality Employer standard is a project co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Social Fund, under the auspices of the Department of Labour Relations of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.

Accreditation with this standard verifies the existence of an integrated system for promoting the good practices implemented by the Institute in the fields of health and safety, work-life balance, gender equality, labour legislation and employee policies. The Equality Employer award comes from the continuous efforts of the Institute to strengthen gender equality through all processes and human resource management policies. 

 

 

3. HR Excellence in Research 

The European Commission, on 20 November 2012, acknowledged The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics for the progress it has made in its Human Resource Strategy for Researchers implementing The European Charter for Researchers and The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (Charter & Code) and officially awarded CING the “HR Excellence in Research” logo. The logo "HR Excellence in Research" identifies the institutions and organisations as providers and supporters of a stimulating and favourable working environment for researchers.

The Charter & Code consists of 40 general principles and requirements which specify the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers as well as of employers and/or funders of research. It provides a framework for the career management of researchers and promotes open and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures.

The ‘HR Strategy for Researchers’ supports research institutions and funding organizations in the implementation of the Charter & Code in their policies and practices.  The concrete implementation of the Charter & Code by research institutions renders them more attractive to researchers looking for a new employer or for a host for their research project.  Funding organisazations implementing the Charter & Code principles contribute to the attractiveness of their national research systems and to the attractiveness of the European Research Area more generally.

HR Strategy and Action Plan

 

4. Επέκταση Εθνικού Δικτύου EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion 

The EURAXESS-Researchers in Motion Network is a Pan-European initiative funded by the European Union and its Member States providing information and support services to professional researchers. The Network supports the researchers’ mobility and professional development, while strengthening scientific cooperation between Europe and the world.

530 EURAXESS Service Centers participate in the Network in 40 European countries. The centers help researchers and their family plan and organize their move to a country. This free personalized assistance helps researchers with topics such as available jobs, funding opportunities, housing, entry permit and work permit, language courses, social security, medical care, etc.

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING) was among the first institutions to be integrated to the National Network, led by the Research and Innovation Foundation. It functions as a Service Centre supporting the mobility of researchers as well as their professional development, offering them free personalised assistance in issues such as job search across Europe access to funding opportunities, intellectual property, etc., while enhancing scientific cooperation between countries.

 

5. Business4Climate

Substantial action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is undertaken by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, through participation to the European project Business4Climate

This project will provide the necessary tools for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics activities, and an elaborating action plan will aim in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the organization by 8% until 2030. This means a reduction of energy consumption and to a more rational management of the organization’s resources, leading subsequently to a reduction in operating expenses. In this way, the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics will contribute to the Cyprus national objectives for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.

Read here the CING Newsletter Feb 2019 article Business4Climate - Δράσεις υπέρ του περιβάλλοντος

 

6. Sustainability & CSR

The CING is committed to participating in sustainability efforts towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN. To this extent, various actions are in place. In addition, students and CING academic and administrative staff are highly encouraged to:

  • Volunteer in various charity events (with a focus on fundraising for TELETHON), blood donations, green events/initiatives
  • Provide open lectures/seminars based on their expertise, given the non-profit character of the organisation
  • Recycle non-toxic used lab consumables and other recyclable materials that are collected in the CING designated areas. This includes the innovative program for drugs’ recycling.
  • Collaborate with licensed companies on various waste management actions such as Pharmaceutical drugs, kitchen cooking oil and sanitary pads.
  • Make energy, paper and water savings within the workplace
  • Submit innovative ideas to the CING Management regarding additional related actions that can be implemented.

 

The CING is a registered member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) as well as the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Cyprus and the global Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), in order to co-operate with other education and research institutions to improve our collective efforts for a sustainable future.

 

7. Gender equality

As from 2022, the HORIZON EUROPE programme objectives require the development of inclusive gender equality plans, in order to promote EU gender equality in research organizations, public bodies and higher education institutions. The gender equality plan is a mandatory process, and one of the eligibility criteria for submitting related research grants, is whole organization engagement and training on gender equality issues.  

Gender equality (GE) benefits research and innovation (R&I) by improving the quality and relevance of R&I, attracting and retaining more talent, and ensuring that everyone can maximise their potential. As a result, the Institute aims at embedding gender equality principles and strives to sustainably transform organisational processes, cultures and structures within the field of research and innovation (R & I) to combat and reduce gender imbalances and inequalities. It is a holistic and comprehensive process in the way that it addresses the whole organisation, engages all relevant stakeholders and tackles several gender equality issues in our organisation.  The CING has already received a number of accreditations which among others, demonstrate the maintenance of Gender Equality among its people. 

Therefore, the CING Gender Equality Plan (GEP) has recently been designed and the Institute has committed to promote Gender Equality towards its people in all levels. 

Moreover, a Gender Equality Committee has been composed in order to:

1)    ensure and monitor the implementation of initiatives and continuous improvement of the GEP
2)    raise and solve any issues regarding gender imbalance

The GEP and declaration of commitment to promote gender equality are visible to our website, social media and newsletter. 

Declaration of Commitment
Gender Equality Plan
 

 

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