The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers consists of a set of general principles and requirements that should be applied by employers and/or funders when appointing or recruiting researchers, in order to ensure compliance with criteria such as transparency of the recruitment process and equal treatment of all applicants; it aims to create an attractive, open and sustainable European labor market for researchers; it includes principles and requirements which are complementary to the principles and requirements outlined in the European Charter for Researchers.

Institutions and employers who subscribe to the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers demonstrate their commitment to act responsibly and fairly and to provide fair framework conditions for researchers, with the clear intention of contributing to the development of the European Research Area.

The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers sets forth principles and requirements regarding the recruitment and selection procedures; transparency; the assessment of merit, variations in the chronological order of CVs, mobility experiences, qualifications and seniority; post-doctoral appointments. In particular, on the basis of these general principles and requirements, recruitment procedures should be open, effective, transparent, encouraging, internationally comparable and suitable for the jobs proposed; Selection committees should include members with different backgrounds and skills, present an appropriate balance between men and women and, where necessary and possible, include members from various sectors (public and private) and disciplines, as well as from other countries and having the experience needed to evaluate applicants; the evaluation of merit should take into account all the experiences matured by the applicants, their creativity and their degree of independence: merit should be assessed on a qualitative and quantitative level, with the emphasis on any exceptional results obtained in a diversified personal career path and not exclusively on the number of publications; any experience of mobility, periods in different countries or in other research institutes, or a change of discipline or sector, should be considered valuable contributions to the professional development of the researcher.