Chapter 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1. Scope of the Regulation

(1) The Regulation on Academic Career Management lays down the following for the academic staff of Tallinn University of Technology (hereinafter referred to as “the university”):
1) the posts;
2) the general requirements for the holders of the posts;
3) the main responsibilities;
4) the job descriptions of the posts;
5) the procedure for establishing and filling the posts;
6) the procedure for the assessment of work performance and attestation;
7) work outcomes and the expected work performance indicators.

(2) The responsibilities, rights and obligations of visiting academic staff, excluding visiting professors, shall be laid down in a separate legal act established by the Senate.

§ 2. Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the terms set out below have the following meaning:
1) “academic staff member” means a person holding an academic post under an employment contract;
2) “attestation” means regular evaluation of the competencies and the work performance of an academic staff member and achievement of the expected work performance indicators with an aim to determine and ensure eligibility of the employee to the post or for job promotion;
3) “competency” means an integrated set of knowledge, skills and attitudes, the existence or achievement of which can be proved and assessed;
4) “tenure” means a permanent academic status of a professor;
5) “tenure track” means a career path for professors that can lead to tenure and that involves entry into a fixed-term performance agreement with the professor, who shall be granted tenure after he/she has successfully passed attestation;
6) “reference university” means Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology, KTH, universities belonging to the EuroTech Universities Alliance;
7) “academic portfolio” means structured evidence-based self-evaluation documentation concerning the activities of the academic staff member;
8) “transition period” means the period from 1 January 2017 to 30 June 2022;
9) “immediate superior” means the immediate organiser of work who assigns tasks and checks performance of the tasks.

Chapter 2
ACADEMIC CAREER STRUCTURE

§ 3. Academic employee posts at the university

The academic posts at the university are the following:

1) Professor, which is divided into:
a) Tenured Professor, the official ranks of which are Associate Professor and Full Professor;
b) Associate Professor;
c) Assistant Professor;

2) Lecturer, the official ranks of which are Lecturer and Senior Lecturer;

3) Researcher, the official ranks of which are Early Stage Researcher, Researcher, Senior Researcher and Leading Researcher.

The posts of visiting staff equivalent to a Professor post are:
1) Research Professor;
2) Adjunct Professor;
3) Professor of Practice.

§ 4. Competencies of academic staff

(1) The competencies of academic staff are the following:
1) research competency – the capability to fulfil the research tasks and carry out the related development set out in the employment contract and the job description;
2) teaching competencies – pedagogical, didactic, subject related and evaluation competencies;
3) language proficiency complying with the university’s language policy;
4) educational technology competencies – the ability to apply up-to-date information technology tools in support of teaching and research;
5) other competencies – organisational, managerial, communicative and social skills.

§ 5. Main responsibilities of academic staff

(1) The main responsibilities of academic staff are the following:
1) research and related development activities;
2) teaching and development of studies;
3) other activities related to research and teaching.

(2) Research and related development activities include:
1) fundamental or applied research;
2) publication of the results of research and development;
3) participation in science conferences;
4) performing research contracts;
5) working as an expert in the field;
6) supervision of PhD students;
7) implementation of research results, incl. through applied contracts and consultations;
8) inventive activity, etc.

(3) Research and related development activities include:
1) participation in research organisations;
2) applying funding for research and development, etc.

(4) Teaching includes:
1) face-to-face teaching, which includes classroom instruction by the lecturer (lectures, seminars, practical training, exercises, laboratory practice, etc.) and work in the e-learning environment;
2) supervision of I and II¹  level students (consultations, supervision in courses where there is no face-to-face teaching, supervision of projects, etc.);
3) supervision of the graduation theses of I and II level students;
4) supervision and assessment of internships;
5) provision of feedback on and assessment of students’ learning outcomes (conducting examinations and assessments, reviewing and providing feedback on homework and test papers, participation in the work of examination and defence committees; acting as an opponent to and reviewing of student papers, etc.) etc.;

(5) Development of studies includes:
1) preparation of teaching methodology;
2) creation of new teaching materials and tools, including materials for e-learning;
3) development of the laboratory base;
4) preparation and updating of study programmes and courses;
5) introducing new teaching methods;
6) participation in the work of committees and working groups involved in planning and organisation of studies;
7) study programme management, etc.

(6)  Professional, vocational activities and public engagement includes:
1) popularisation of one’s speciality (profession);
2) participation in the work of professional organisations;
3) business activities;
4) development of cooperation with other research and development institutions, companies and organisations;
5) participation in the work of academic bodies, networks, editorial boards and committees outside the university;
6) participation in the work of the councils of the university and its structural units and in other collegial decision-making bodies and committees of the university;
7) preparation and conducting of admission tests for students;
8) continuing education, etc.

(7) The head of the structural unit and immediate supervisor of the academic staff member shall, by agreement with the staff member, set out the staff member’s duties and distribution of workload between different types of academic activity in the job description based on the nature of the academic position and structural unit. Greater workload and performance in one type of academic activities can compensate for smaller workload and performance in other types.

(8) The work output and expected performance indicators of an academic staff member are set out in Annex 3 “Academic Evaluation Matrix” by post and rank.

§ 6. Rights and obligations of academic staff members

(1) An academic staff member has the right to choose the teaching methods, research topic and method in compliance with good academic practice and within the limits of resources provided by the financiers of the research.

(2) Ordinary members of academic staff are entitled, within a five-year period, to take one semester leave free of teaching duties in order to pursue professional development or for any other creative work with continued payment of the basic remuneration.

(3) The rights of academic staff members to intellectual property created during employment at the university shall be laid down by legislation.

(4) An academic staff member is required to:
1) perform the duties agreed upon in the employment contract, job description and in this Regulation, abide by the legislation of the university and comply with the university’s academic practice and the principles of academic ethics;
2) participate in teaching in the scope set out for the corresponding post or as agreed in the job description;
3) make sure that the study materials required for studying the course taught by him/her are available to the audience;
4) make sure that the study programmes conducted by him/her are up-to-date;
5) use rationally and sustainably the university’s assets placed at his or her disposal.

(5) Teaching must be conducted at the times set out in the schedule and in the volume designated in the syllabus.

(6) In order to ensure the quality of teaching and the coherence of the courses, the responsible lecturer shall agree on the organisation of studies (incl. the content of the course and teaching methods) with the programme director so that it supports the achievement of the learning outcomes presented in the syllabus.

(7)  In matters regarding competition, avoiding of conflicts of interest and prevention of corruption, the academic staff members shall adhere to the Work Procedure Rules and other legislation.

§ 7. Tenured Professor’s job description

(1) A Tenured Professor is an internationally recognised scientist or creative person, an independent researcher and an academic leader in his or her field, who organises and conducts teaching in his or her field of research at all levels of higher education, leads research, development or any other creative activity and supervises effectively the students and academic staff involved in these activities. A Professor shall, in particular, be responsible for raising the next academic generation and mentoring, seek actively for competition-based funding and be a leading spokesman in his or her field in Estonia as well as a coordinator of cross-sector cooperation. The ranks of a Tenured Professor post are Full Professor and Associate Professor.

(2) A Tenured Professor must have a doctoral degree² or an equivalent qualification.

(3) A prerequisite for being eligible for the post of Tenured Professor is that post-doctoral studies³’⁴  are completed and/or professional experience is gained in another organisation outside Tallinn University of Technology, preferably in an international research environment.

(4) The level of scientific publications and number of citations of a Tenured Professor must be comparable to the ones of the professors in the same field at the reference universities. The effectiveness of doctoral studies is a key indicator in assessment of the effectiveness of research carried out and organised by the Professor and it is a significant component in evaluating his or her qualification.

(5) A Tenured Professor shall take the lead in educational development activities related to his/her research topic and must be involved in teaching.

(6) A Tenured Professor’s post is a full-time⁵ permanent post. Part-time employment may be used upon taking up the post in the transition period.

(7) Tenured Professors shall be attested in every 5 years. A person who is elected to the post of Professor for the first time or commences employment in the post of Professor on the tenure track at the university for the first time, is attested in up to 3 years based on the performance agreement laid down in the job description upon commencement of employment in the Tenured Professor post.

(8) A Tenured Professor and his or her immediate superior shall analyse the development of the Professor’s work output and achievement of the expected performance indicators once a year at an annual interview.

(9) The immediate superior of a Tenured Professor is the Head of the Department, the Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department or the Dean in the case the Professor performs the functions of the Head of the Department.

§ 8. Associate Professor’s job description

(1) An Associate Professor is a recognised lecturer, an academic leader in his or her field, who organises and conducts teaching in his or her field of research at all levels of higher education, conducts research, development or any other creative activity and supervises effectively the students and academic staff involved in these activities. An Associate Professor shall be responsible for raising the next academic generation and mentoring and be a spokesman in his or her field as well as a coordinator of cross-sector cooperation.

(2) An Associate Professor must have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification.

(3) An Associate Professor shall take the lead in educational development activities and be actively involved in teaching.

(4) An Associate Professor post is a permanent non-tenured post.

(5) Associate Professors shall be attested in every 5 years.

(6) An Associate Professor and his or her immediate superior shall analyse the development of the Professor’s work output and achievement of the expected performance indicators once a year at an annual interview.

(7) The immediate superior of an Associate Professor is the Head of the Department or the Dean in the case the Associate Professor performs the functions of the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 9. Assistant Professor’s job description

(1) An Assistant Professor is a scientist or creative person who has high potential, an independent researcher, who organises and conducts teaching in his or her field of research at all levels of higher education, leads research, development or any other creative activity and supervises effectively the students and academic staff involved in these activities. An Assistant Professor shall seek actively for competition-based funding and be a leading spokesman in his or her field in Estonia as well as a coordinator of cross-sector cooperation.

(2) An Assistant Professor must have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification.

(3) A person applying for an Assistant Professor post shall have defended his/her PhD thesis less than ten years ago⁶.

(4) A prerequisite for being eligible for the post of Assistant Professor is that post-doctoral studies are completed and/or professional experience is gained in another organisation outside Tallinn University of Technology, preferably in an international research environment.

(5) The level of scientific publications and number of citations of an Assistant Professor must be comparable to the ones of the same level professors in the same field at the reference universities.

(6) An Assistant Professor shall take the lead in educational development activities related to his or her research topic and must be actively involved in teaching.

(7) An Assistant Professor post is a fixed-term non-tenured post. The term of office of an Assistant Professor shall not exceed two terms of attestation. If an Assistant Professor has not assumed a Tenured Professor post applied for during his or her term of office, he/she will be transferred, as a result of second attestation, to an academic post corresponding to his/her level of competence and performance.

(8) The first deadline for attestation of an Assistant Professor is 5 years from the date of assuming the post of Assistant Professor and the second deadline of attestation is 3 years from the first attestation.

(9) An Assistant Professor and his or her immediate superior shall analyse the development of the Professor’s work output and achievement of the expected performance indicators once a year at an annual interview.

(10) The immediate superior of an Assistant Professor is the Head of the Department or the Dean in the case the Assistant Professor performs the functions of the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 10. Research Professor’s job description

(1) A Research Professor is a recognised expert in his/her field with academic experience, a leader and promoter, who is responsible for effective implementation of a research topic or research project that receives targeted funding from an organisation, fund, etc. from outside Tallinn University of Technology and who is involved in teaching.

(2) The official title of the holder of the post of Research Professor shall be formed by combining the name of the organisation funding the post, the name of the project or research topic and the title of the Professor.

(3) A Research Professor must have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification.

(4) The Research Professor post is a fixed-term non-tenured post.

(5)  A Research Professor post is established or extended by the Rector on the Dean’s proposal and based on the contract entered into with the financier.

(6) The work output and the expected performance indicators of a Research Professor depend on the goal set for the project.

(7) The legal provisions applicable to visiting staff shall apply to a Research Professor.

(8) The immediate superior of a Research Professor is the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 11. Adjunct Professor’s job description

(1) An Adjunct Professor is an internationally recognised academician, an advocate and recognised developer of his or her field, who is involved in teaching, applying for and implementation of research projects, contributes to strategic changes in his or her field, promotes internationalization and enhances the visibility of Tallinn University of Technology among research universities.

(2) The holder of the post of Adjunct Professor shall comply with the qualification requirements for a Professor.

(3) An Adjunct Professor post is a fixed-term non-tenured post.

(4) An Adjunct Professor post is established or extended by the Rector on the Dean’s proposal and based on the recommendation of the Academic Committee.

(5) The Head of the Department shall formulate and agree with the holder of the post the work output and the expected performance indicators of the Adjunct Professor.

(6) The legal provisions applicable to visiting staff shall apply to an Adjunct Professor.

(7) The immediate superior of an Adjunct Professor is the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 12. Job description of Professor of Practice

(1) A Professor of Practice is a recognized practitioner in his/her field, a developer and advocate of the field, who is involved in teaching, applying for and implementation of research projects, supports innovation and technology transfer, participates in applied research, contributes to strategic changes in his/her field, promotes internationalization and enhances the visibility of Tallinn University of Technology among employers in the field and in society at large.

(2) A Professor of Practice must have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification.

(3) A Professor of Practice post is a fixed-term non-tenured post.

(4) A Professor of Practice post is established or extended by the Rector on the Dean’s proposal and based on the recommendation of the Academic Committee.

(5) The Head of the Department shall formulate and agree with the holder of the post the work output and the expected performance indicators of the Professor of Practice.

(6) The legal provisions applicable to visiting staff shall apply to a Professor of Practice.

(7) The immediate superior of a Professor of Practice is the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 13. Lecturer’s job description

(1) A Lecturer is an academic staff member recognised in his/her field who conducts teaching and supervises students at the university mainly at the first two levels of higher education, but he/she may be also involved in conducting doctoral studies and is actively involved in the development of studies, whereas:
1) the main responsibility of a Senior Lecturer is to give lectures, conduct practical training and practice classes, examinations and assessments, supervise graduation theses. A Senior Lecturer must be involved in research and development;
2) the main responsibility of a Lecturer is to give lectures, conduct practical training and practice classes, examinations and assessments and other evaluations, supervise graduation theses. A Lecturer may be engaged in research and development.

(2) Lecturer’s qualifications:
1) a Senior Lecturer must have a doctoral degree⁷ or an equivalent qualification;
2) a Lecturer shall

a) preferably have a PhD or an equivalent qualification or
b) or a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification, supplemented by the 8th level occupational qualification certificate of the Estonian qualifications framework or its international equivalent or
c) a Master’s degree⁸ or an equivalent qualification, supplemented by at least 5-year professional work experience or experience in teaching in the field.

(3)  Participation in research:
1) a Senior Lecturer shall be involved in research and related development activities to the extent agreed in the job description in order to develop his or her qualifications and to acquire competence in supervision of graduation theses of II level students
2) a Lecturer has the right to participate in research and related development activities.

(4) A Lecturer’s post is permanent.

(5) Lecturers shall be attested as follows:
1) Senior Lecturers in every fifth year of employment;
2) Lecturers in every 3-5 years on the proposal of the Head of the Department;

(6) The immediate superior of a Lecturer is the Head of the Department or Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department.

§ 14. Researcher’s job description

(1) A Researcher is an academic staff member who participates in implementation of a research topic or research project for a fixed period, whereas:
1) a Leading Researcher is an internationally recognised scientist in his/her field, who leads independently a research topic or research project, is an outstanding spokesman in his/her field and is actively involved in conducting doctoral studies and supervision of doctoral theses;
2) a Senior Researcher is a recognised scientist in his/her field who leads a research topic or research project or is responsible for the implementation of essential parts thereof and is involved in conducting doctoral studies and supervision of doctoral theses;
3) a Researcher participates in implementation of a research topic or research project or is involved in servicing a specific research infrastructure. The official title of a researcher holding a postdoctoral position is Postdoctoral Researcher;
4) an Early Stage Researcher is an academic staff member who is matriculated at the university in doctoral studies and whose main responsibility is to carry out research related to the topic of his/her doctoral thesis.

(2) Researcher’s qualifications:
1) a Leading Researcher, a Senior Researcher must have a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification;
2) an Early Stage Researcher must have a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.

(3) A Researcher shall be involved in teaching and development of studies for at least 10% of the working time.

(4) The ranks of Leading Researcher, Senior Researcher and Researcher are either fixed-term or permanent depending on the main functions of the post, the expected work outcome and the nature of funding sources. Permanent Researcher posts are established to strengthen the research direction, to develop narrower research professional competence and to service the related research infrastructure.

(5) A fixed-term post shall be established for an Early Stage Researcher for the nominal period of his or her doctoral studies. [entry into force 01.01.2023]

(6) The Leading Researcher posts shall be filled by competition.

(7) Researchers shall be attested as follows:
1) Leading Researchers employed under an open-ended employment contract shall be attested in every 5 years;
2) Senior Researchers and Researchers employed under an open-ended employment contract shall be attested in every third year of employment;
3) Early Stage Researchers shall be attested once a year upon attestation of a PhD student.

(8) The immediate superior of a Leading Researcher is the Head of the Department, the Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department or the Dean in the case the Leading Researcher performs the functions of the Head of the Department. The immediate superior of a Leading Researcher or a Researcher is the Head of a sub-unit or research group appointed by the Head of the Department. The supervisor of an Early Stage Researcher is the supervisor of his or her doctoral thesis.

(9) The research of a post of Researcher is primarily funded from projects or contracts.

Chapter 3
ESTABLISHING AND FILLING ACADEMIC POSTS

§ 15. Establishing academic posts

(1) The Senate establishes the posts of Tenured Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor on the Dean’s proposal.  The Committee for Academic Affairs, the Committee for Research and the Academic Committee of the Senate assess the need to establish or reorganise the posts of Tenured Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor and the need to abolish the established posts that have not been filled. The posts established but not filled may be re-filled in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Regulation.

(2) The Rector establishes the posts of Professor of Practice, Research Professor and Adjunct Professor on the Dean’s proposal. The Academic Committee of the Senate assesses the need to establish the posts.

(3) The Human Resources Office shall keep records of Professor posts.

(4) Other academic posts are established by signing an employment contract. [entry into force 01.01.2023]

(5) The main goals, responsibilities and the expected work results of a post shall be approved as follows:
1) by the Senate on the Dean’s proposal, when a Tenured Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor post is established;
2) by the Dean on the proposal of the Head of the Department for the posts of Professor of Practice, Research Professor, Adjunct Professor and Leading Researcher by approving the employee’s employment contract and job description;
3) by the Head of Department for the posts of Lecturer and Researcher by signing the employment contract.

(6) The academic posts (excluding the Tenured Professor posts) laid down in this Regulation shall be established in the academic structural unit or in an administrative and support unit operating on the basis of a statutes and approved by the Rector. In the case of a post established in an administrative and support unit:
1) the responsibilities of the dean laid down in the Regulation shall be performed by the Vice-Rector for Research and the responsibilities of the head of the department shall be performed by the head of the unit,
2) the immediate superior of the person holding a post specified in § 8 – 14 is the head of the unit or a person appointed by the head of the unit.

§ 16. Procedure for filling academic posts [entry into force 01.01.2023]

Academic staff are:
1) elected to a post by way of public competition;
2) hired through targeted recruitment;
3) promoted as a result of attestation to the next rank of a Tenured Professor post or the next rank of a Lecturer or Researcher post.

§ 17. Announcement of competition to fill academic posts

(1) A competition for filling the posts of Professor is announced by the Rector on the Dean’s proposal, a competition for filling the posts of Lecturer and Researcher is announced by the Head of the Department.

(2) A proposal to announce a competition must be accompanied by:
1) a job description;
2) the date of commencement of employment:
3) the term of filling a fixed-term post;
4) the estimated gross annual basic remuneration if publication thereof in the notice of competition is justified;
5) in the case of tenured posts, the ranks of the post if publication thereof in the notice of competition is justified.

(3) As a rule, a competition for filling the post of Professor is announced at least one year before commencement of employment in the post, a competition for filling other academic posts is announced at least six months before commencement of employment in the post.

(4) The competition notice is published in public media at least eight weeks before the deadline for submitting applications. All notices of competition to the posts of Professor shall be published in international media.

(5) In order to participate in the competition, a candidate is required to submit the following documents:
1) an application;
2) in the case of first-time applicants to the university, documents showing that the candidate has acquired the required education and holds the required academic degree;
3) a curriculum vitae and a list of publications, (if possible, filled out and published in ETIS⁹);
4) an academic portfolio¹⁰, including a motivated self-evaluation regarding compliance with the requirements for the post set out in Annexes 3 “Academic Evaluation Matrix” (required in case of university staff) or a free format evaluation of the academic activity undertaken so far and the competencies required for work (required form external applicants);
5) a vision or an action plan for the following period of employment (requested only from candidates applying to the post of Professor; the maximum total length 1500 words), which shall be included in the academic portfolio in case of university employees;
6) other documents arising from the specific nature of the post that have been set out in the terms and conditions of the competition.

(6) Candidates may be requested to give a public lecture – venia legendi or to present a video recording of venia legendi¹¹, whereas equal treatment of the applicants must be ensured.

(7) Any technical work required to announce the competition and register the candidates is performed by the Human Resources Office, a venia legendi shall be organised by the department.

§ 18. Organisation of elections

(1) To conduct the elections of a Professor, the Rector shall, on the proposal of the Dean, appoint a six-member recruitment committee, which shall include, in addition to the Dean, at least three members from the academic staff, one of whom preferably an international staff member who is familiar with the field, one member from the Research Administration Office and one from the Human Resources Office. The elections of other academic staff members shall be organised by the Head of the Department.

(2) The recruitment committee conducts the elections of Professor, targeted recruitment, pre-selection of candidates and provides the candidates information and notifies them of the decisions related to the competition.

(3) The Human Resources Office shall, within three working days after the deadline for submission of applications, submit the documents of the candidates for the post of Professor to the recruitment committee and the documents of candidates for other academic posts to the Head of the Department.

(4) The recruitment committee shall verify compliance of the documents of the candidates for the post of Professor; the Head of the Department shall organise verification of compliance of the documents of candidates for other academic posts. If it turns out upon verification of the application documents that a candidate’s documents are not sufficient to proceed with the candidate’s evaluation with respect to the requirements established for the post, the candidate may be required to submit additional documents or to provide an explanation as to why the candidate should be regarded to meet the requirements.

(5) A member of the recruitment committee or the Dean or Head of the Department organising the elections shall remove himself/herself from actions related to the elections if a candidate is personally related to him/her or a risk of a conflict of interests arises that prevents him/her to perform his/her duties impartially. The recruitment committee has the right to request the Rector to appoint alternate members in order to maintain the working capacity of the committee.

§ 19. Providing expert assessment upon electing academic staff by way of public competition

(1) At least two experts, whose qualifications must meet the qualification requirements of the post evaluated, shall assess the eligibility of the candidates for academic posts. Experts shall be appointed based on the research field of the elected post and in a way that avoids any conflict of interests. At least one of the experts evaluating the candidates who apply for a post of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor must be from outside Estonia. The candidates who apply for a post of Tenured Professor must be evaluated by 3 experts from outside Estonia.

(2) The Rector appoints experts for evaluation of the candidates for a post of Professor and establishes a deadline for submitting the evaluation results and rankings of the candidates. The recruitment committee, with the approval of the Vice-Rector for Research, shall make a proposal for appointing experts. The recruitment committee ranks the candidates on the basis of the evaluation of the experts.

(3) The Dean appoints experts for evaluation and ranking of the candidates for other academic posts and establishes a deadline for submitting the evaluation results and rankings of the candidates.

(4) The deadlines for submitting the evaluation results and rankings shall be established by taking into account that the experts should have at least six weeks, in the case of evaluation of the candidates for the position of Professor at least eight weeks, to provide their evaluation results. The recruitment committee has the right to adjust the deadlines based on the circumstances of the competition.

(5) The recruitment committee or the Dean or Head of the Department respectively shall forward the documents of eligible candidates together with students’ feedback¹²  to the experts, by making a pre-selection of candidates where the number of candidates is high. The documents of applicants who fail to meet the application requirements will be returned to the applicants not later than within one month after the deadline for submitting application documents.

(6) The documents related to the competition are available to the recruitment committee, the staff supporting the selection process and the persons participating in the selection and decision-making process on a need-to-know basis.

§ 20. Elections

(1) The persons filling the posts of Professor shall be elected in the university Senate, the persons filling the posts of Lecturer and Researcher shall be elected in the department council.

(2) At least two weeks before the date of elections, the recruitment committee shall forward the documents for the posts of Professor, the experts’ opinions and the ranking prepared by the recruitment committee based on Annex 3 “Academic Evaluation Matrix” to the university Senate. The Head of the Department shall submit the documents and experts’ opinion of the candidates for other academic posts to the department council.

(3) As a rule, elections for the posts of Professor are held six months before commencement of employment in the post, elections for other academic posts are held two months before commencement of employment in the post.

(4) The Academic Committee of the Senate determines the rank of a Tenured Professor based on the recommendation of the recruitment committee before the meeting of the Senate.

(5) The Academic Committee has the right to declare a competition failed if the recruitment committee proposes to the Senate candidates that meet the requirements set out in the call for proposals but whose academic or professional work experience and level fail to meet the level of the reference universities or for any other good reason.

(6) The elections are held by secret ballot.

(7) The results of the elections shall be approved by the decision-making body who elected the person for the post.

(8) The Head of the Department or the Dean in the case the elected Professor performs the functions of the Head of the Department shall negotiate the terms of employment with the elected to fill the academic post. The Rector or a person authorised by the Rector concludes an employment contract with the person elected to fill an academic post. A decision not to conclude an employment contract may be made if an infringement of this Regulation has taken place or if the parties fail to reach an agreement regarding the terms of employment.

(9) If the university and the elected candidate fail to reach an agreement regarding the terms of employment within a reasonable period of time from approval of the results of election, a new election is held among the other candidates ranked by the experts without announcing a public competition, or the competition is declared to have failed.

§ 21. Filling an academic post through targeted recruitment [entry into force 01.01.2023]

(1) The Rector has the right to enter into a fixed-term employment contract with a person who meets the qualification requirements for an academic post if:

1) recruitment to the post by public competition has failed, or

2) the work to be performed in the post is temporary and fixed-term, or

3) in the case specified in subsection 14 (5).

(2) The Rector has the right to enter into an employment contract with a person who meets the qualification requirements for an academic post in a justified case pending the outcome of the competition if the work to be performed begins before the post is filled by competition.

(3) The proposal to enter into an employment contract with the person specified in this section, as well as to appoint a professor based on clauses (1) 1) and 2) of this section shall be made by the head of the department; the appointment of a professor shall be approved by the dean.

§ 22. Promoting to the next rank of an academic post

(1) If the holder of a post complies with the requirements established for the post and has undergone attestation in accordance with the procedure established at the university, the Rector has the right to promote the holder of the post without announcing a public competition as follows:
1) a Lecturer to a Senior Lecturer;
2) a Researcher to a Senior Researcher;
3) a Lecturer or a Senior Lecturer to a Senior Researcher;
4) a Researcher or a Senior Researcher to a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer;
5) a tenured Associate Professor to a tenured Full Professor.

(2) The Dean makes a proposal for promotion of tenured Professors to the Rector on the basis of the decision of the attestation committee, in case of other posts the proposal is made by the Head of the Department.

Chapter 4
ASESSMENT OF WORK PERFORMANCE AND FEEDBACK

§ 23. The purpose of assessment of work performance

(1) The purpose of the assessment of the work performance of an academic staff member is to evaluate compliance of the work results of academic staff with the requirements and to provide them feedback as well as to motivate them to improve the academic performance of the university. Assessment of work performance must support the career perspectives and professional development of the academic staff member.

(2) Work performance of academic staff is assessed and feedback is provided:
1) in the course of an annual interview;
2) upon attestation.

§ 24. Annual interview

(1) In order to assess the work performance of the previous work period and to plan future development of an academic staff member, the immediate supervisor shall conduct an annual interview with his or her subordinate at least once a year. If necessary, the superior conducting the interview, may ask the opinion of the experts of the relevant field to assess the employee’s previous work performance.

(2) The academic staff member and his or her immediate superior shall analyse the development of the staff member’s work output and achievement of the expected performance indicators based on the procedure for carrying out an annual interview laid down in Annex to the Work Procedure Rules and the employee’s job description.

(3) The results of an annual interview shall be documented in a memo, which shall be stored electronically.  If amendments are made in the employee’s job description in the course of an annual interview, its new version shall be signed in compliance with the procedure of signing employment contracts.

(4) The agreements made in the job description provide an input for the attestation of an employee.

§ 25. Attestation

(1) “Attestation” means regular evaluation of the competencies and work performance of the academic staff and achievement of the expected work performance indicators, the purpose of which is to assess and ensure:
1) eligibility of the employee to the vacant post or
2) eligibility of the employee for promotion to the next rank of the post.

(2) Academic staff members are attested at the intervals laid down in this Regulation, but not less frequently than once in every 5 years of employment. In justified cases and with the Dean’s consent, the Head of the Department has the right to ask an employee to be attested at any other time.

(3) The date of attestation shall be counted from the date on which the employee commenced employment in the post or on which the employee was promoted to the next rank of a post.

(4) For the purposes of this Regulation, electing or appointing a person to a fixed-term post of an academic staff member or entering into a fixed-term employment contract with the person shall be deemed equivalent to attestation. [entry into force 01.01.2023]

For the purposes of this Regulation, electing or appointing a person to a fixed-term post of an academic staff member shall be deemed equivalent to attestation.

(5) The Human Resources Office must submit, every year no later than by 1 December, a list of employees, who are subject to attestation in the following year, to the Rector or Dean respectively.

(6) If an employee was on parental leave, maternity leave or paternity leave or in compulsory military service or alternative service during the term of attestation, the term for compliance with the requirements and attestation shall be extended by the period of the leave or service at the request of the employee. In the case of a long-term suspension of an employment contract or unpaid leave, the attestation term can be extended by agreement by the period of suspension of the employment contract or unpaid leave. [entry into force 01.01.2023]

(7) If an employee has performed the functions of the head of an academic unit during the term of attestation, the term for compliance with the requirements and the attestation term can be extended, but not more than for one nominal period of attestation. The extension of the term of attestation shall be approved by the Rector on the proposal of the Dean.

§ 26. Conducting of Attestation

(1) Attestation (with the exception of attestation of a Professor) shall be conducted by a committee established by the Dean and composed of at least three members, including the Head of the Department where the employee is employed. The chairman of the committee and the attestation schedule shall be approved by the Dean.

(2) Attestation of a Professor shall be conducted by a committee established by the Rector and composed of at least three members, including the Head of the Department. The Dean shall participate in the work of the committee without the right to vote. The Rector has the right to appoint external experts to the committee. The chairman of the committee and the attestation schedule shall be approved by the Rector. The Human Resources Office makes a proposal with respect to the attestation schedule.

(3) The qualification of the members of an attestation committee must meet the qualification requirements of the post evaluated.

(4) The Human Resources Office shall, no later than two months before the meeting of the attestation committee is held, notify the employee and the Head of the Department of the attestation schedule, the time of the meeting of the committee, the procedure for the submission of the required documents and for announcing the decision.

(5) The attestation committee shall assess compliance of the employee’s work performance and his or her compliance to professional standards based on the relevant job description set out in this Regulation, the CV published in the Estonian Research Information System ETIS, the individual job description, the work output and the expected performance indicators set out in the academic evaluation matrix and the following documents submitted by the employee:
1) an academic portfolio (incl. a motivated assessment of one’s work performance based on the academic evaluation matrix, which in case of the posts of Professor includes the objectives of the next five years and an action plan to achieve the stated objectives, with the maximum total length of 1500 words, and the action plan prepared for the previous attestation or for applying to the post.
2) other materials considered necessary by the employee or the attestation committee.

(6) If the employee fails to submit the documents by the deadline laid down by the attestation committee without good reason, the employee and his/her work performance shall be deemed not to comply with the professional requirements.

(7) An employee has the right to access the documents used for his or her attestation and to introduce his or her work performance at the meeting of the attestation committee before a decision is made.

(8) The attestation committee shall present a reasoned assessment of the work performance of the employee and his or her compliance with the professional requirements and shall make one of the following decisions based on the objective of the attestation specified in clauses 25 (1) 1) and 2) of the Regulation:
1) the employee and his/her work performance meet the eligibility criteria for the post;
2) the employee and his/her work performance do not meet the eligibility criteria for the post;
3) the attestation committee recommends promotion;
4) the attestation committee does not recommend promotion.

(9) The attestation committee may provide advice to the employee for improving the work performance and for enhancing professional development.

(10) The assessment, decision and recommendations of the attestation committee shall be documented in writing in the form of minutes within two weeks and the minutes shall be signed by the chairman of the committee. The Head of the Department shall notify the employee of the decision and recommendations of the attestation committee as initial feedback as soon as possible after the meeting of the committee and as official confirmation after the minutes concerning the committee’s decision have been signed. An employee has the right to request a written summary of the results of attestation. The head of the structural unit shall prepare the summary, which shall be approved by the chairman of the committee, and shall submit it to the employee and the Human Resources Office for storage. Documentation related to attestation shall be stored by the Human Resources Office.

(11) If an employee or his or her work performance fails to meet the requirements, the Head of the Department:
1) will agree with the employee on activities for bringing the employee’s work performance into compliance with the professional requirements and shall determine the date of re-attestation taking into account the reasonable time required for improvement of work performance and shall notify the employee and the Human Resources Office thereof;
2) has the right to initiate extraordinary cancellation of the employment contract pursuant to the terms and conditions laid down in the Employment Contracts Act and shall notify the employee and the Human Resources Office thereof.

§ 27. Disputing the attestation results

(1) An employee has the right to appeal against the decision of the attestation committee within two weeks from the notification of the decision. A Professor files an appeal to the Rector, other employees file an appeal to the Dean explaining the reasons for disagreement with the decision and, if necessary, submit additional documents.

(2) The Rector or the Dean shall make a decision on the employee’s appeal within one month from receipt of the appeal.

(3) If in reviewing the case it turns out that infringement of the attestation procedure has taken place, but the infringement could not have affected the attestation decision, the decision shall remain valid.

(4) If in reviewing the case it turns out that infringement of the attestation procedure has taken place and the infringement affected the attestation decision, the Rector shall determine the date of re-attestation.

§ 28. Implementation of the Regulation

(1) The valid employment contracts concluded with the academic staff members before entry into force of the Regulation shall be carried out on the terms and conditions laid down in the employment contracts until expiry thereof or until attestation of the employee as follows:
1) in the case of a positive attestation result, an academic staff member shall be transferred to a post or a rank of the post specified in clause 22 (1) (a Researcher employed under an open-ended employment contract shall pass attestation before the end of the transition period) no later than by 30 June 2022;
2) when an Associate Professor takes up the post of Senior Lecturer, he or she may continue to use the title Associate Professor until 31.12.2027. The use of the title of Associate Professor shall be agreed upon in the employment contract.

3) a Professor employed under an open-ended employment contract can, in the case of a positive attestation result, continue to work in his or her current post by agreement of the parties if it is set out in the agreement that the Professor will become emeritus/emerita no later than by 30.06.2022.

(2) When assessing the work performance of the work period prior to entry into force of the Regulation, the attestation committee shall take into account the performance requirements applicable to the post during the work period and is competent to make discretionary decisions regarding the employee’s compliance with the requirements.

(3) The employees who worked in a post of Professor, Associate Professor or Leading Researcher laid down in the previous Regulation on Academic Career Management in force until 31 December 2016, who passed regular attestation in the post in the period from 2017 to 2020 with a term of validity until the end of 2021 or who have been assigned to a non-tenured post set out in the current Regulation on Academic Career Management as a result of attestation or a competition in 2017 or later will be asked to pass a simplified attestation, if they so wish. In the case of a positive attestation result, the employee will be transferred to the non-tenured Associate Professor or Leading Researcher post no later than on 30.06.2022.
1) The procedure for simplified attestation shall be approved by the Rector.
2) In the transition period, the attestation committee has the right to grant individually extension of the transition period for a person applying for Associate Professor post for up to 3 years by setting a new attestation date for fulfilling the threshold requirements of the post. Until the new attestation, the person will work in the post described in the career management corresponding to the person’s qualification.

(4) As a result of attestation, a tenured Assistant Professor shall be promoted to tenured Associate Professor or transferred to an academic post corresponding to his/her level of competence and performance within 3 years from entry into force of the Regulation.

(5) Employees who have taken up the post of Lecturer before the entry into force of this version of the Regulation are considered to meet the educational requirements of the post if they have a doctoral or master’s degree or an equivalent qualification.

(6) The Annexes to the Regulation are the following:
1) Annex 1– Hierarchical Structure of Academic Posts;
2) Annex 2 – Structure of Academic Portfolio;
3) Annex 3 – Academic Evaluation Matrix.

§ 29. Entry into force of the Regulation

(1) The Regulation shall enter into force on 01.06.2021.

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¹ the levels of higher education are: I level – professional higher education and bachelor’s studies; II level – master’s studies and engineering studies based on the integrated study programmes of bachelor’s and master’s studies; III level – doctoral studies.
² An internationally recognised creative person who has been awarded a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification and who has pedagogical skills and experience, including experience in supervising students and at least five years of experience in active creative activities, is eligible for the post of Tenured Professor in fields of arts.
³ According to subsection 2 (5) of the Organisation of Research and Development Act.
⁴ Experience in a post in the business or public sector requiring significant competence and skills in the field can be deemed to be equivalent to post-doctoral studies.
⁵ Creative and medical practitioners have the right to apply for part-time employment in a tenured professor post in order to actively continue their professional activities.
⁶ If an employee was on parental leave, maternity leave or paternity leave or in compulsory military service or alternative service after having obtained a doctoral degree, the time limit for becoming an Assistant Professor shall be extended by the period of the leave or service. [entry into force 01.01.2023]
⁷ A Master´s degree and a certificate of competency as a Captain or a Senior Engineer qualified to work with no limitations on ship’s power correspond to a qualification equivalent to a doctoral degree of a Senior Lecturer conducting studies in study programmes governed by the Maritime Safety Act.
⁸ Higher education and a certificate of competency as a Captain, Senior Engineer, Electro-Technical Engineer or Refrigeration Engineer corresponds to a qualification equivalent to Master’s degree of a Lecturer conducting studies in study programmes governed by the Maritime Safety Act. If the requirement is fulfilled, the official title of the employee is Teacher until the Master’s degree is obtained.
⁹ Estonian Research Information System
¹⁰ See Annex 2 to the Regulation
¹¹ The length of the lecture shall be 10 to 45 minutes.
¹²  In case of a candidate who has conducted studies at Tallinn University of Technology

Annex 1
to Regulation No 3 of 18 May 2021 of the Senate of Tallinn University of Technology.

Hierarchical Structure of Academic Posts

Annex 2
to Regulation No 3 of 18 May 2021 of the Senate of Tallinn University of Technology.

Structure of Academic Portfolio

An academic portfolio of an academic staff member of Tallinn University o Technology is a source document required for evaluating compliance of the work performance of the academic staff member as well as his or her compliance to professional standards. A portfolio shall cover qualitative and quantitative data concerning the academic activity of the employee and provides an opportunity for the employee to present his or her competence when applying for a post or upon attestation.

The structure of a portfolio is based on the main responsibilities of academic staff listed in the Regulation on the Academic Career Management  and/or the employee’s individual job description.

A portfolio consists of three parts and appendices, which can be either attached documents or active hyperlinks to documents or environments. Publicly available information shall not be included in the appendices. As a rule, a portfolio shall be 4-6 pages long, appendices not included.

Parts of a portfolio:

1. Self-introduction

Shall include a free form overview of one’s work experience, significant career developments over the past few years, the impact on social life, principles of academic activity and other factors that the staff member considers important. For application and attestation, the CV published in the Estonian Research Information System ETIS will be used, which need not be submitted in the portfolio.

2. Motivated evaluation of one’s competencies and performance indicators set out in the Academic Evaluation Matrix

The level must be selected based on the level laid down for the current post or of the post applied for.

 3. The objectives of the next five years and an action plan to achieve the stated objectives and the action plan prepared for the previous attestation or for applying to the post

An action plan must be submitted only by persons filling the post of Professor. The maximum total length of an action plan shall be 1500 words.

Annex 3
to Regulation No 3 of 18 May 2021 of the Senate of Tallinn University of Technology.

Academic Evaluation Matrix

§ 1. Academic evaluation matrix

(1) The Academic Evaluation Matrix (hereinafter “matrix”) (Table 1 of Annex 3) is a tool for evaluating academic competencies and performance. The matrix is used for making decisions concerning academic posts.

(2) The matrix describes the levels of academic competencies and performance (hereinafter also “level”) on a 5-level scale.

(3) The academic posts and corresponding levels by academic activity (Table 2 of Annex 3) express the university’s general requirements for the posts.

(4) The numerical parameters indicated in the matrix are applied upon the selection and attestation of employees based on the average level in the academic disciplines and specificities of teaching in their research field, which is determined, as a rule, based on comparison with Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology, KTH and the universities belonging to the EuroTech Universities Alliance.

(5) If an employee was on parental leave, maternity leave or paternity leave or in compulsory military service or alternative service after having obtained a doctoral degree, the time limit for becoming an Assistant Professor shall be extended by the period of the leave or service. [entry into force 01.01.2023]

(6) When evaluating the performance during the evaluation period, the requirements set for different types of academic activities are considered complexly, depending on the specifics of the discipline and the performance indicators agreed with the employee for the evaluation period in the job description (clause 7) of § 5 of the Regulation on Academic Career Management).

(7) The performance requirements for the evaluation period are based on a 5-year attestation period. If a shorter attestation period has been established for an employee’s post, compliance with the requirements shall be assessed proportionally.

(8) In order to determine the level required from a candidate to a specific post or from a person filling the specific post, the general job descriptions set out in § 7-14 of the Academic Career Management and the goals and expected work results laid down in the job description of the specific academic post and the individual job description of the academic staff member shall be taken into account.