CESNET Receives the International HR Excellence in Research Award

An interview with Anna Blaháková, HR Generalist at CESNET, who is responsible for the implementation and management of the entire project.

Hundreds of hours of work. A year of preparation. Another year of waiting. In July 2026, CESNET received the HR Excellence in Research Award (HR Award) for its systematic efforts to develop its working environment in line with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers. In doing so, CESNET joined more than 700 organisations that have received the award, including Charles University, Czech Technical University in Prague, Masaryk University and the Czech Academy of Sciences.

What was the most challenging part of the preparation? What does receiving the award mean for CESNET employees and the organisation as a whole? And why is this only the beginning rather than the end goal? We discussed these questions with Anna Blaháková from CESNET’s HR department.

What exactly is the HR Excellence in Research Award?
HR Excellence in Research, often referred to as the HR Award, is a European Commission initiative that promotes high-quality working conditions, professional development and career growth for researchers. Organisations that join the initiative commit to following the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and to continuously improving working conditions for their employees.

Why did CESNET decide to pursue the HR Award?
There were several reasons. The award can support our participation in European and national research programmes, help us secure funding for research activities and facilitate international cooperation.

By pursuing the award, we also demonstrate that people are important to us. We wanted to take a systematic approach to improving the working environment and conditions for our employees and to create better opportunities for their professional and career development. Receiving the HR Award confirms our long-term commitment to these areas and our intention to continue developing them. The award also increases our international visibility and connects us with a European network of research organisations that share similar principles and experiences.

What did the preparation involve, and how long did it take?
Every institution seeking the HR Award has to go through a fairly demanding process. The first step is to carry out a self-assessment to determine where the organisation stands in individual areas of HR. This is followed by the development of an HR strategy and the incorporation of specific measures into an action plan.

For us, an important first step was an employee satisfaction survey, in which almost 150 people took part. We wanted to understand how our employees perceive CESNET as an organisation, what they see as its strengths and weaknesses, and how they view areas related to the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, such as the working environment, recruitment, professional development and training, and employee evaluation.

The entire preparation process took approximately one year.

What did the preparation for the HR Award reveal?
We gained valuable feedback that helped us identify areas where there is room for further development, including employee onboarding and integration, employee evaluation and training. The survey was followed by a GAP analysis comparing our current practices with the principles of the European Charter and identifying the areas we should focus on.

Based on the analysis, we developed an action plan with specific objectives and measures. In the first phase, we are focusing, for example, on developing a code of ethics, introducing a structured onboarding process for new employees, establishing recruitment procedures and preparing a handbook for new colleagues. These steps provide a foundation for the continued systematic improvement of HR processes at CESNET.

What will receiving the HR Award bring to CESNET employees?
Above all, it provides assurance that we will continue to develop our working environment and HR processes over the long term so that they support our employees as effectively as possible and are aligned with established European standards. Many of the measures concern HR processes that each of us encounters throughout our career at CESNET – from recruitment and onboarding to long-term professional development.

In the near future, we will focus on introducing a consistent onboarding process for new employees across all our locations and on clarifying recruitment procedures. The action plan also includes measures to support training, skills development and greater transparency in certain HR processes.

These are not one-off changes. Our aim is to create an environment in which employees can continue to develop over the long term, with clearly defined rules and opportunities for professional growth.

CESNET has received the HR Award. What comes next?
Receiving the award does not mark the end of the process – quite the opposite. It marks the beginning of the next stage. We now need to ensure that the individual measures set out in the action plan are gradually translated into the day-to-day operation of the organisation. At the same time, we will continuously monitor our progress in implementing them.

The European Commission regularly monitors how organisations that have received the award fulfil their commitments, and after several years they undergo a further assessment.

What do you see as the greatest benefit of the entire process?
For me, the greatest benefit is that we have taken a really in-depth look at how CESNET operates as an organisation. The employee survey and the discussions that followed provided us with a great deal of valuable feedback. They confirmed what we are doing well while also helping us clearly identify the areas in which we want to improve.

The action plan is also extremely valuable to us. It will help us translate individual measures into practice and continuously monitor how successfully we are achieving our objectives.

I believe that the results of this work will bring long-term benefits not only to our current employees, but also to everyone who joins CESNET in the future.