Whistleblowing and incident reporting system
Individuals who, in the course of their professional activities, have obtained information relating to facts constituting a violation of legal or ethical rules, which have occurred or are likely to occur at the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres), may report this information to the person responsible for collecting reports at Hcéres in complete confidentiality.
The following individuals may report such information, even if they have left their positions or were simply candidates for them, or have currently ceased all relations with Hcéres, provided that the information was obtained in the course of their relations with the High Council:
- Members of the college;
- Permanent staff of the High Council;
- Scientific advisors and scientific project managers;
- Experts;
- Contacts of High Council staff in the context of evaluation or accreditation missions carried out by the High Council;
- External individuals participating in advisory committees created by the High Council;
- Staff of a co-contractor or subcontractor of the High Council.
If it is a simple request for information, it is possible to arrange an appointment, by telephone or in person, with the individual designated as responsible for collecting reports.
The submission of a report in good faith does not expose its author to any disciplinary sanctions, even if the facts subsequently prove to be inaccurate or do not give rise to any further action. On the other hand, the abusive filing of a report may expose the author to sanctions or prosecution.
The information you provide in support of your report must be factual and directly related to the subject of the alert. It must not reveal any information covered by national defense secrecy, medical confidentiality, judicial deliberations, judicial investigation or inquiry secrecy, or attorney-client privilege.
It should be noted that this reporting procedure is only one of several means of reporting (others include recourse to the chain of command, the human resources department, trade unions, other Hcéres representatives, etc.). It is also possible to contact the National Education Ombudsman, appointed by Decree No. 2022-1284 of October 3, 2022 as the external authority for collecting reports for the National Education and Higher Education system.
The internal reporting procedure at Hcéres and the protection it provides are specified in the following documents: