Code of Conduct

The mission of the Czech Academy of Sciences is to conduct research, which includes a constant effort to push the boundaries of human knowledge and help solve pressing societal challenges. It is a mission of exceptional society-wide importance. Public trust and support are essential to its implementation. The Institute of Experimental Medicine of the CAS (hereafter the “IEM”) subscribes to these values and is committed to maintaining a good reputation and adherence to ethical principles in its activities.

The Code of Conduct of the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the CAS (hereinafter the “Code of Conduct”) aims to prevent the occurrence of undesirable conduct (further defined in the individual articles) that could jeopardise the satisfaction, safety and motivation of those working in the IEM’s environment or damage its credibility.

This Code applies to all natural persons working at the IEM regardless of their employment relationship, job title (hereinafter “Employees”), past achievements, experience or academic rank, including students and external collaborators. The Code of Conduct applies throughout the entire period of work and collaboration at the IEM and covers all activities related to work, both on the institute’s premises and outside them, for example during business trips or when representing the institute.

The Code of Conduct expands, complements and clarifies the Code of Ethics of the IEM, and focuses in particular on safe working environment issues. The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to contribute to the creation and cultivation of a fair and safe working environment for all without distinction, based on mutual respect, professional responsibility and integrity. It therefore contains provisions concerning general moral principles, the treatment of colleagues and the conduct of authorities.

Respect is consideration for the rights, needs and feelings of others. Every person deserves respect, regardless of title or position. Employees show each other respect in all circumstances. Mutual respect is crucial in creating a fair, open and dignified environment and in preventing undesirable conduct such as discrimination, harassment, prejudice, bullying, violence and abuse of position.

Expressions of respect include:

• equal treatment regardless of employment status, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, medical condition, nationality, ethnicity or religion,
• treating everyone with dignity in all circumstances,
• a desire to understand – empathy, willingness to listen, consideration for the needs of others,
• open and fair communication, honesty and constructive criticism.

Discrimination means unequal treatment of people in particular with regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, political or other opinion or social origin. Discrimination also refers to a situation where a person is prevented from exercising his/her rights to the same extent as others.

Direct discrimination is understood to mean cases where one person is treated less favourably than another in a comparable situation for the reasons mentioned above. Indirect discrimination is understood to mean cases where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice puts one person at a disadvantage compared to others. It is an act where a person or entity (e.g. employer) acts within the bounds of the law, but as a result of this act, discrimination is committed.

Discrimination creates an atmosphere in which those affected may feel unwelcome, uncomfortable or threatened. The IEM rejects all forms of discrimination and is building an environment in which all persons, despite their differences, have equal access to opportunities and enjoy equal treatment. Employees are expected not to apply gender, cultural and other stereotypes and to actively oppose such manifestations.

The IEM opposes all forms of harassment, bullying and violence at the institute.

Harassment is undesirable, unwelcome conduct that diminishes a person’s dignity and creates a hostile, humiliating or intimidating environment. It is a form of discrimination that can be verbal, physical or online. Prolonged and repeated harassment with elements of humiliation or intimidation is referred to as bullying.

Bullying is purposeful, systematic and repeated psychological abuse. It is an escalating process during which the abused person is placed in a subordinate position and becomes the target of systematic negative social acts, including various forms of violence.

Violence is understood to mean all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that target individuals because of their gender identity, racial or ethnic origin, or socio-economic origin and status. Violence includes conduct ranging from minor forms of harassment to very serious forms of physical violence. It may be related to the existence of a hierarchical arrangement in an institution, where power inequalities arising from hierarchies can be abused.

Harassment, bullying and violence include, but are not limited to, the following types of conduct:

• bossing – bullying by superiors against subordinates; long-term and systematic pressure, may include slander, lies, extortion, withholding information, falsifying documents and refusal to cooperate,
• upward bullying – bullying of superiors by subordinates,
• mobbing – bullying by colleagues; ridicule, unreasonable criticism, exclusion from the team,
• silent treatment – ignoring and overlooking a person,
• stalking – following, repeated harassing messages,
• psychological violence – name-calling, insults, humiliation, ridicule, cutting people off, deliberate neglect in communication,
• physical violence – kicking, pushing, punching, restraining,
• economic violence – denial of access to grants, funds for business travel, for example compared to colleagues, denial of equipment, office space, assistant support,
• violence with support in an institution – downplaying, tolerating or supporting individual violence by the management of an institution and persons in senior positions,
• cyber violence – sending or distributing intimidating or sexually explicit e-mails and other virtual content,
• gender-based harassment – derogatory comments that diminish a person’s abilities because they are a woman, a man or a person of a different gender identity,
• sexual harassment – sexually oriented comments about a person’s appearance or unwanted touching,
• sexual violence – sexual coercion or rape.

These types of undesirable conduct affect the victims, the people who observe them and the community as a whole. People may feel socially uncomfortable, excluded or at risk. In an environment where such conduct occurs, work effort, time spent on work and the quality of work done are also reduced. The consequence is lower work productivity, increased worker frustration and turnover, and damage to the institution’s reputation.

Awareness of equal access to opportunities, room to use one’s own abilities to the full and to achieve one’s personal ambitions for the benefit of the whole, and certainty of a fair evaluation increase the satisfaction and motivation of Employees and thus also help improve the quality and productivity of work. As part of their activities, Employees behave responsibly in the management of material resources and energy.

In the performance of their work duties, Employees, in particular:

• protect and promote the legitimate interests of their institute,
• protect sensitive institute information and prevent its misuse,
• protect intellectual property and related sensitive information,
• make decisions in employment matters based on objective facts, not personal preferences,
• take an honest approach to scientific work,
• promote a cooperative environment and protect transparent internal competition at the institute,
• seek to reduce the climate and ecological footprint of their activities.

The IEM expects its Employees to be personally accountable in matters of transparency and conflict of interest. In order to exercise this responsibility, Employees are expected to:

• actively communicate important and necessary information for their work and not deliberately withhold any such information,
• not manipulate information for their own personal benefit,
• not circumvent internal institute processes in order to pursue their personal interests,
• not abuse their professional or academic position,
• ensure that no support (financial, professional, patronage or other) is given to unverified external bodies and their activities.

Close and intimate relationships with unequal positions of power (e.g. supervisor–subordinate or supervisor–postgraduate student) carry a number of risks for the individuals concerned, the work team and the institution itself, and lead to a potential conflict of interest. If they do arise or already exist, it is expected that:

• the Employee in the senior position avoids conflicts of interest, i.e., if possible, leaves the decision-making position on his/her own initiative in relation to the evaluation, promotion or remuneration of the person in the dependent position. If assistance is needed in finding a solution, Employees should contact the IEM ombudsperson.

Persons in senior positions understand their position as a service to the institution, not a privilege. This service involves responsibility for subordinate colleagues, personal integrity in decision-making, fairness and objectivity in resolving disputes and in evaluating subordinates.

Persons in senior positions are expected to abstain from:

• abuse of their position to obtain undue advantages for themselves or others, in particular through clientelism or nepotism, i.e. situations where persons are appointed to positions based on a family relationship,
• unjustified obstruction of the professional and career development of subordinate Employees, the creation and maintenance of power networks in order to maintain a person’s position or other advantages not based on ability and merit, but only through power relations.

A breach of this Code is subject to review by the IEM ombudsperson. Employees may also contact the CAS Ombudswoman and, in cases of breaches of research ethics, the IEM Ethics Committee.

This Code was discussed by the Board of the IEM on 23. 4. 2026 and comes into effect on the date of issue.