Let Others Shine: Key Competencies in European Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities

Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities belong to the First Pillar “Excellence in Science” of the European funding schemes, making them a key compentent in research education. Therefore, the European Commission aims to establish a European School for RI management and to develop pan-European curricula. Accordingly, RI:TRAINplus persues to develop evidence-based recommendations for key competencies to be enhanced. We applied a mixed-method approach, combining a quantitative online-survey among 330 members of Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities with 17 qualitative guided interviews among managers from eight structurally selected countries. The results of both sub-studies can be grouped into three overarching categories of required competencies: communication skills on different levels, organisational leadership & staff management, and academic excellence & deeper knowledge of the respective field of science. To ensure future success of RIs and CFs this needs to be an integral part in the field of scientific and research education