HR Excellence in research: A commitment to Europe’s scientific attractiveness
31 October 2025
Professor Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier
When the University of Montpellier became, in 2015, the first French institution to receive the HR Excellence in Research label, it marked more than a symbolic recognition. It was a pioneering step in aligning French academic practices with a European vision of research built on fairness, openness, and excellence. The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) has since become a cornerstone of our institutional transformation – an enduring commitment to improve the environment, support, and careers of those who dedicate their lives to science.
Over the years, this framework has translated into concrete achievements. It has strengthened open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment across our research units, enhanced career development for young and senior researchers alike, and improved the overall quality of our working environment. Regular internal assessments, surveys, and the involvement of our research community have made HRS4R a living process rather than a compliance exercise. The benefits are tangible: more international applications, improved retention, and a stronger sense of belonging within our academic community.
Yet, beyond these successes, the HRS4R process also invites self-reflection. It challenges us to address the remaining structural issues that affect the attractiveness of research careers: precarious employment conditions, unequal access to long-term opportunities, and the need to better support interdisciplinary and international trajectories. As we implement our 2024-2027 Action Plan, we aim to go further in fostering stability, professional development, and inclusiveness, ensuring that every researcher can grow in a supportive and inspiring ecosystem.
This question of attractiveness is not only institutional; it is continental. Europe’s scientific future depends on its ability to retain and attract talent in a global competition where flexibility, recognition, and trust are decisive. The Choose Europe for Science initiative, launched to highlight Europe as a welcoming destination for researchers, echoes the same ambition as HRS4R: to build a coherent, visible, and competitive European Research Area. But words must be followed by structures: by secure and rewarding career paths, by recognition of mobility experiences, and by genuine inter-university collaboration.
In this context, networks such as the Coimbra Group play a decisive role. By sharing best practices, supporting researcher mobility, speaking with a united voice in European fora, and jointly advancing key initiatives on research careers within the European Research Area (ERA) as co-sponsor of the dedicated ERA action, our alliance embodies the collective dimension of the HRS4R spirit. Together, we can amplify its impact – transforming it from a label of quality into a driver of convergence across Europe’s universities.
At Montpellier, our experience confirms that the HRS4R label is not an endpoint but a process of continuous improvement. It has fostered dialogue between researchers and management, aligned human resources with scientific strategy, and reinforced our international visibility. But above all, it has reminded us that excellence is inseparable from human commitment.
As we look to the future, our shared challenge is clear: to make European research not only excellent, but also sustainable, fair, and desirable. HRS4R gives us the framework; the Coimbra Group gives us the network. Together, they give us the strength to ensure that Europe remains the place where researchers choose not only to come – but to stay.