Preliminary Detailed Programme

Research Infrastructures and Cores Facilities in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)

Ignacio Blanquer^1,2

¹European Open Science Cloud Association (EOSC-A); ²Universtitat Politècnica de València, Spain

Open Science is a major paradigm change in the way science is performed, pursuing that data involved in research is openly accessible and fulfils the FAIR principle. To achieve the goal of being Open Science the new normal, effort is needed at the level of the actors (with new skills and recognition models), the data collection and processing (ensuring the adoption of FAIR-by-design procedures) and the infrastructures (supporting Open Science through services and resources).

The aim of the European Open Science Cloud is to impulse this paradigm change. EOSC is one of the co-programmed European Partnerships for the 2020-2027 period and aims to build an EOSC federation ecosystem of data and service nodes, among other objectives.

The role of Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities in the collection, curation and reuse of scientific data is fundamental. RIs form part of the EOSC ecosystem and are driving the setup of thematic nodes. This presentation will cover the role of the RIs and core facilities in EOSC, considering the EOSC association and the EOSC Federation of nodes.

Electronic laboratory (field) notebooks for hot and warm research data

 Marek Cebecauer, Jose Alfredo Gonzalez Navarro, Kateřina Paldusová and Michal Tarana 

 J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic 

Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs) assist researchers in documenting and actively sharing their experimental results. At the Heyrovsky Institute in Prague, we currently offer four types of open-source ELN tools for our researchers: Kadi4Mat, eLabFTW, openBIS, and RSpace. Each ELN has its own advantages and drawbacks, which are clearly communicated to the potential users by our Heyrovsky Open Science Team (HOST).

In this talk, I will discuss the differences between these solutions, share our experience with their installation, maintenance, and daily use, and explore the role of ELNs in automating research data management processes. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to share experiences from other institutions.
 

protocols.io: a tool for core facilities to share their methods

Emma Ganley, Gabriel Gasque

protocols.io, Springer Nature

A challenge for core facilities is how to ensure consistent and reproducible science; alongside this, achieving both credit for contributions as well as practising open science intensifies the task. Best practises for core facilities are still emerging, and at protocols.io we’ve been working for years to support these efforts and core facilities are often our earliest adopters. protocols.io is an online research workflow tool and repository that facilitates FAIR method (and data) sharing; core facilities teams can collaboratively develop, optimize, share, and publish detailed methods via a central workspace location. Dynamic features allow for commenting and discussion, and protocols can be versioned, shared, and forked. Researchers can record individual protocol runs, noting experimental quirks or observations or adding results, meaning that specific data generated can be linked with precise details of the experiment as it was performed. Integrations with ELNs allow for speedy synchronisation between workflow tools. All published protocols are available under the CC-BY license and receive a DOI to include in any resulting research articles, ensuring citation of methods and credit for core facilities. The protocols.io platform helps scientific cores to communicate their standard service with precision, to educate researchers using shared equipment (ensuring best practices are adhered to), to refine custom protocols, and to ensure credit for the facility in the researchers’ publications.
 

Developing Human Sample and Animal Model Search Engines: Bridging the Gap Between Researchers and Core Facilities

Shirley Guzmán^1,2, Isabel Novoa¹, Sheyla Pascual¹, Ana Jimenez¹, Patricia Cuenca^2*, Marta Rosal². 

¹Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron Biobank (HUVH Biobank), Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain. ²Preclinical Core Facilities and CEEA Support Unit, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain. *Animal Health Research Center, IRTA-CReSA, Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain)

Introduction: Access to human disease samples and animal models for research is challenging due to limited online information from Core Facilities (CFs). Researchers often need to contact facilities to verify availability and this process can be time-consuming. Recent developments increase the accessibility through searchable catalogs, improving transparency and bridging the gap between researchers and CFs

Objective: Enhance transparency and accessibility of biobank human samples and animal models by developing user-friendly search engines, making CFs more attractive to researchers by improving efficiency, collaboration, and reducing time spent on resource searches.

Material and Methods:

We analyzed the human samples database from “Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron” (HUVH) Biobank, enhancing it with diagnostic data and ensuring completeness and standardization. A collaborative approach was used to create the “Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus” animal model database, with the active participation of researchers. The data was integrated into user-friendly search engines for both biobank samples and animal models.

Results: The Biobank contains nearly 70,000 donations with detailed clinical data across various diseases. Meanwhile, the Animal Model Database includes 141 models from different therapeutic areas. Both catalogues are now searchable through the institutional website and the "Platform ISCIII Biomodels and Biobanks".

Conclusion: Searchable human sample and animal model databases are essential tools that not only enhance transparency and accessibility but also make core facilities more attractive to researchers. By simplifying the process of finding and using available resources on campus, these tools promote collaboration, reduce time and duplication, and support the development of high-quality, efficient research.
 

Instruct-ERIC: The Leading Research Infrastructure in Structural Biology

Sarah Townend

Instruct-ERIC Hub, Oxford House, Parkway Court, John Smith Drive, Oxford OX4 2JY

Instruct-ERIC is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure making high-end technologies and methods in structural biology available to users. Instruct-ERIC is comprised of 17 Member Countries and organisations: Belgium, Czech Republic, EMBL, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and United Kingdom. Through its 11 specialist research centres and 23 facilities in Europe, Instruct-ERIC offers funded research visits, training, internships and R&D awards, allowing researchers to utilise structural biology technology that may not be available in their home institution. Instruct also offers funded access to its infrastructure through European projects such as canSERV that provide access to a broad range of services for cancer-related research projects. By promoting integrative methods, Instruct-ERIC enables excellent science and technological development for the benefit of all life scientists. Instruct-CZ is made up of two facilities, BIOCEV in Prague and CEITEC in Brno, both part of the Czech Infrastructure for Integrated Structural Biology (CIISB). Researchers in Czechia can access these facilities through Instruct, as well as the other 21 facilities in the Instruct catalogue.
 

Advanced Computational Resources for Multi-Omics Analyses in Microbiome Research

Barbora Zwinsová¹, Vojtěch Bartoň^1,2, Jan Böhm¹, Petra Bořilová Linhartová¹

¹RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; ²Dept of Biomedical Engineering, FEEC, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic

The Microbiome Analysis Laboratories, part of the RECETOX Research Infrastructure, provides state-of-the-art resources for investigating microbial communities across diverse biological systems. By integrating high-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, and multi-omics approaches, we enable comprehensive microbiome research that links microbial diversity with host and environmental factors. 

To handle the complexity and scale of multi-omics datasets, we utilize the computational power of MetaCentrum and CESNET, which are part of ELIXIR infrastructure. By leveraging these high-performance computing (HPC) resources, we enable parallelized data processing at multiple levels—both by sample and by individual computational steps. This allows for efficient scalability, significantly accelerating large-scale projects such as the CELSPAC TNG cohort study. Our workflows, orchestrated using Nextflow and Galaxy, ensure reproducible and streamlined processing of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data. 

A critical aspect of our work is metadata standardization and interoperability, ensuring compliance with widely accepted formats for submission to repositories like ENA/EBI. By structuring data according to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), we enhance accessibility and facilitate large-scale comparative analyses. 

By combining advanced computational resources, scalable workflow orchestration, and integrated multi-omics strategies, our infrastructure accelerates discoveries in multi-omics research, offering new insights into complex biological interactions and advancing data-driven biomedical and environmental studies. 

Acknowledgement Authors thank the Research Infrastructure RECETOX (No LM2023069) financed by MEYS for supportive background. This work was supported by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 857560. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the EC.

Impact on science and technology by collaboration for technology onboarding

Geert Van Minnebruggen, Saskia Lippens

VIB Technologies, VIB, Belgium

Core facilities have become an integral part of life science research. Although science relies on well-functioning core facilities, it remains challenging to highlight the strategic importance of these core facilities, even to the research community that heavily relies on it. When demonstrating the impact of facilities, typically facts on output and performance (metrics on equipment, users, samples, …) are used. To ascertain that the activities of core facilities are directly linked to scientific output, several rules and codes are in place for referring to contribution of core facilities (e.g. guidelines on acknowledgements and co-authorships).

In addition, there is also mindset and culture that needs to grow towards a natural appreciation for the impact of core faciltieis by all levels of the research community. A bidirectional interaction between the core and the research labs needs to be fostered. Cores contribute to scientific research, but also scientists are instrumental for the advancement of core facilities in onboarding new technology.

At VIB, we use different models for uptake of new technology. Following a traditional path, new tech platforms are first tested within a research lab and then transitioned to a core for broader implementation and service delivery. We have complemented this with a model and framework which incentivizes early technology adoption through collaboration between principal investigators (PIs) and core facilities, allows for faster validation and dissemination of new methods. This collaboration-based model creates co-involvement of the researchers and cores in each others mission and shared responsibility for driving science and technology forward.
 

Empowering Excellence: Integrating Core Facilities into Top-Level Strategy for Research Success at CEITEC

Kateřina Hošková, Jiří Nováček

CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

CEITEC was established by six prominent Czech universities and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences based in Brno, with the aim of creating a center of excellence in life and material sciences research. From the outset, its organizational structure defined two key entities: research groups and core facilities. Core facilities (CFs) serve as technological platforms that house state-of-the-art instrumentation and drive the development and implementation of the latest utilization techniques. 

It is crucial that the catalogue of available services reflects the needs of both the institution and its user community. To achieve this, each facility is guided by a user committee that not only reviews the facility’s annual performance and budget but also plays a critical role in defining and approving the acquisition of new instrumentation. Additionally, an independent international advisory board, comprising experts in relevant fields, evaluates the performance of CFs every four years. 

Equally important is the involvement of CFs in institutional management and strategic decision-making. This is particularly vital given that the CF business model often relies heavily on volatile project funding. Furthermore, CF operations significantly impact institutional overheads, such as energy and heating costs, making their participation in strategic planning essential for efficient and sustainable operations.
 

Recognizing the Value of Core Facilities for Sustainability

Jose Mangles, Cameron Orovan

University Health Network, Research & Innovation Cores, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Research, scientific, and academic institutions rely heavily on core facilities, which are centralized hubs providing access to specialized equipment and instrumentation that enable ground-breaking research in a cost-effective manner. However, maintaining these vital resources requires significant investment, and funding constraints increasingly threaten their sustainability. A key challenge is ensuring that these institutions fully recognize the strategic importance of core facilities and the return on investment they provide for the overall enterprise. Without this understanding, securing necessary support and resources becomes difficult.

To address this, we implemented a model focused on engaging stakeholders at all levels – executive, management, and technical – to build a centralized and efficient business hub for core facilities. Our approach emphasized top-down support and a clear demonstration of value.
• Enhanced Communication
• Simplified Purchasing and Booking
• Strengthened Internal Collaboration
• Standardized Administrative Processes

The establishment of Research Cores and Innovation (RIC), our internal branding, as the central office managing administrative processes has yielded significant benefits:
• Increased Productivity and Morale
• Demonstrated Value

By implementing a standardized business model, focusing on clear communication, streamlining administrative processes, and, most importantly, engaging stakeholders at all levels, we have successfully revitalized the management of our research core facilities. This model offers a valuable framework for other institutions facing similar challenges in sustaining their core research facilities, particularly in raising awareness of their crucial role.
 

The Swiss Research Infrastructure Network: a national think tank for collaboration and excellence in research infrastructures

Thomas Trüb¹, Roman Chrast²

¹Department for Strategic Research Platforms, Office of Vicepresidency Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland; ²Research Core Facilities, School of Life Science, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland

Despite a highly developed ecosystem of research infrastructures across all Swiss universities, no national structure for coordination and exchange existed until recently. To foster better inter-institutional collaboration, the Swiss Research Infrastructure Network (SRIN) was founded in February 2024.

All research-oriented Swiss universities are represented in SRIN by at least one delegate responsible for coordinating and advancing research infrastructure activities at their institution. SRIN functions as an informal think tank, without any formal decision-making authority at the national or institutional level. Its members reflect on the governance and mission of research infrastructures across all scientific disciplines, with the aim of strengthening the excellence and global competitiveness of Swiss research universities in research, teaching and innovation.

SRIN seeks to empower managers and staff of research infrastructures by encouraging national exchange of best practices and the co-development of new ideas related to governance, operations, service offerings, and career development. SRIN also advocates for research infrastructure-related topics at local, national and international levels.

SRIN has identified several focus areas for its immediate activities. It has initiated discussions with the Swiss National Science Foundation to explore funding opportunities for R&D within research infrastructures and to streamline the calculation of eligible user fees. In addition, SRIN also supports emerging efforts to establish a Swiss digital platform to make publicly funded research infrastructures more visible and easily accessible.

Implementing Opportunities and a Promotional Pathway for Technical Specialists

Ian Hancox

University of Warwick, UK

In 2023, the University of Warwick launched its Promotional Pathway for Technical Specialists, providing an opportunity for staff in these roles to be promoted based on individual merit, akin to the equivalent academic promotion pathway. This includes transparent criteria and scoring for promotion to levels ranging from equivalency to postdoctoral research associate through to full professor. We will look at the drivers and the case for implementing the pathway, how it functions and the outcomes from the first round. Case studies will provide illustrative examples of those promoted in the 23/24 round.

To support our technical staff in preparation for their promotional cases, it is also important for us to consider both opportunities to develop and to ensure appropriate recognition for input into research and teaching. Since the Technician Commitment was launched in the UK in 2017, there has been a positive change across the sector towards the visibility, recognition, sustainability and career development of technical staff. Here, we look at some of the key initiatives that have been available to technical staff at a national and regional level, plus the approach taken by the University of Warwick, and how this integrates with the promotional pathway.
 

Towards a Standardized Framework for Research Infrastructure Roles: A method to do Systematic Job Advertisement Analysis

Lisanna Paladin¹, Emma Karoune², Jessica Lindvall³, David Dolan 4, Jilly Cheshire⁵, Alexander Botzki⁶, Alexia Cardona², Celia van Gelder⁷, Daniel Wibberg¹, Despoina Sousoni⁵, Eva Alloza⁸, Helena Schnitzer¹, Irena Maus¹, James Seager², Joke Baute⁶, Katharina Heil⁵, Korbinian Bösl⁴, Mariana De Freitas⁹, Maria Derkacheva², Marta Lloret Llinares¹⁰, Ondřej Hradil¹¹, Rachel Coulthard-Graf¹², Renato Alves¹, Saskia Lawson-Tovey², Tanja Ninkovic^1,3

¹ELIXIR-DE, Heidelberg, Bielefeld, Jülich, Germany; ²ELIXIR-UK, London, Hertfordshire, UK; ³ELIXIR-SE, Stockholm, Sweden; ⁴ELIXIR-NO, Bergen, Norway; ⁵ELIXIR-Hub, Hinxton, UK; ⁶ELIXIR-BE, Ghent, Belgium; ⁷ELIXIR-NL, Utrecht, Netherlands; ⁸ELIXIR-ES, Barcelona, Spain; ⁹ELIXIR-PT, Lisboa, Portugal; ¹⁰European Molecular Biology Laboratory- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, UK; ¹¹ELIXIR-CZ, Brno, Czech Republic; ¹²European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Germany; ¹³RIcapacity, Heidelberg, Germany

The absence of standardized job classifications and defined career path in research infrastructure field (RIs) limits career development, workforce planning, and training initiatives, hindering core facilities and other RIs to reach their full potential. While some academic organizations and programs have defined roles for RI staff, no large-scale, data-driven analysis of job advertisements in the RI field has been published, leaving a gap in our understanding of the currently present jobs, their tasks, distribution, frequency, required competencies, and career paths. 

Now, a working group initiated by members of the ELIXIR infrastructure for life science data is systematically assessing the roles in the data service field, aiming to define career paths.  Last year, we conducted a large-scale content analysis of 1,797 job advertisements collected from ELIXIR-affiliated academic institutions and industry. The job advertisements showed a very high level of inconsistency in how positions are defined across institutions.  We developed a multi-step process to analyze and categorize job advertisements, including grouping of job advertisements based on functional role and seniority level, thus identifying different categories of roles and seniority, a base for the career path. 

This kind of evidence-based insight, derived from a large dataset, provides the RI community with a strong foundation to advocate for well-defined career paths, request targeted training programs, and support strategic workforce planning with data-driven arguments.

Therefore, we propose this method to be used by the core facilities community of CTLS, enabling a complementary working group to apply it to their own job market analysis.

Core Facilities management: a new paradigm at Universities

Gerardo D'Errico

Research Management Sector, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

There are some important basic aspects of CFs management, starting from the context. We cannot define a management model if we don’t know the real missions and goals of CFs and their characteristics. It is possible to have CFs lacking of one or more common characteristics or mixing aspects with Research Infrastructures but we can say that usually CFs are, technology driven and service oriented, with an open access and pay per use policy, usually not legally independent and with an institutional or regional mission.

Establishing a new CF inside an Institution can be a complex and challenging process. It is certainly an administrative change but above all a cultural one, starting from identifying the needs of the research institution the facility is going to serve, fixing some clear rules of management, promote feasibility studies, carry out an evaluation process and set up of the facility in terms of governing bodies and guidelines.

CFs should have a dedicated accounting system, a Centre of cost inside the Institution hosting the facility. And the question is what type of accounting system we should implement considering the main characteristics of CFs.

Having a network of CFs having or aiming to have the same common characteristics lead to the possibility to establish common KPI indicators, useful to each CF to perform always better.
 

Spanish National Optical Microscopy Networks in Advancing Research: REMOA and Its Collaborative Impact

Maria Calvo, Ana Oña, Mónica Roldan, Paloma Domínguez, Julien Colombelli, Lucía Sanchez Ruiloba, Isabel Peset, Diego Megias

Advanced Optical Microscopy Unit, National Health Institute Carlos III – ISCIII

Optical microscopy has long been an essential tool for advancing research in biology, materials science, and other fields, offering detailed insights at the microscopic level.

As scientific challenges grow increasingly complex, national networks for optical microscopy are becoming vital.

One example is the Red Española de Microscopía Óptica Avanzada (REMOA), a network that connects over 100 members across more than 60 research labs and facilities throughout Spain.

REMOA facilitates access to state-of-the-art microscopy techniques, including mesoscopic 3D imaging, super-resolution, correlative microscopy, and molecular imaging.

This network enhances research capabilities by enabling resource sharing, fostering collaboration, and promoting the integration of cutting-edge technologies. REMOA's extensive database allows researchers to access detailed technical specifications of microscopy equipment and protocols, while its training programs ensure continuous professional development.

National networks like REMOA play a crucial role in improving scientific productivity, standardizing methodologies, and ensuring that advanced optical microscopy tools are available to a broader research community. This talk explores the growing relevance of national research optical microscopy networks in fostering innovation, enhancing collaboration, and overcoming technological limitations.
 

The Medical Research Centre: Building a Centralized Research Infrastructure

Jernej Jorgačevski, Sergej Pirkmajer, Tomaž Marš

Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The University of Ljubljana, founded in 1919, is Slovenia’s oldest and largest higher education and research institution, with approximately 40,000 students. The Faculty of Medicine, one of its five founding faculties, established its first building in 1921, expanded in 1945, and added a new facility in 1987. To further enhance its infrastructure, the Faculty of Medicine launched the Triple Campus project about five years ago, with the first phase, the Vrazov Trg Campus, set for completion in late 2026.

A key component of this development is the Medical Research Centre (MRC), a network of core facilities designed to foster collaboration through shared access to advanced research equipment. The project has progressed in three phases: first, defining the “centers” within the MRC with input from laboratory heads and program leaders; second, determining the specific spatial and equipment needs for each unit and the MRC as a whole; and third, the ongoing process of organizing core facility staff.

The MRC will be Slovenia’s first centralized hub for shared research resources, offering access to cutting-edge instruments, technologies, services, and expert consultation in a single location. This model represents a significant upgrade from the current system, where individual laboratories, dispersed across multiple sites, are required to share equipment with potential users.
 

Building networks in Edinburgh, Scotland & the UK – Cooperation not competition

Lee Murphy, Natalie Homer

Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, University of Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility was founded in 1997. Inspired by the Mayo Clinic, it includes a number of expert technology-driven ‘cores’ alongside the clinical team. This multidisciplinary approach to enabling clinical research was unique within the UK. As leaders of two of the scientific cores (Genetics and Mass Spectrometry) we have successful grown our teams, through equipment investment and response to emerging research demands, enriching team capacity and technological capabilities. However, gaining broader recognition for the crucial functions of core facilities remains a persistent challenge.

Recognising these challenges are not unique, we have worked to build communities. In 2017 the University of Edinburgh signed the ‘Technician Commitment’, this empowered us to engage and drive change. We established local networks (connecting 25 core facilities across our college), Scottish (initiating the first Scottish Technical Conference), and national (founding members of the Technology Specialist Network - connecting technical specialists to discuss challenges and celebrate successes).

Key to success, has been using networks to allow successful funding bids. Through the Technology Specialists Network we have been awarded £1.8M for the TSN-ROKS initiative, highlighting career paths, skills, and visibility for Research Technical Professionals. Linking three Scottish universities – Glasgow, Edinburgh and St. Andrews – we have Wellcome Trust research culture funding for a project recognising leadership and expertise in core facilities. These efforts underscore the importance of collaboration and funding in building effective research support networks. We will discuss challenges and collective benefits of growing and maintaining networks in the current higher education landscape.
 

Knowledge transfer in a multi-hub core facility

Gabriel Krens

Imaging & Optics Facility (IOF ), Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria

A main task of Core Facilities (CFs) is to train the next generation of scientists, develop staff and provide information platform, next to provide 'day-to-day' services. Consequently, the sharing of knowledge is a multi-level quest: CF-users need to be trained for instrument usage and infrastructure guidelines; CF-staff require to stay up to date with application development, instrument maintenance and CF policies. In addition, Core Facility are continuously evolving on an organizational and technological level, since institute organization might change as well as new technologies and standards come into being. Hence, training of CF-users, CF-staff and information distribution are key to run a successful technology platform.

The Imaging & Optics Facility (IOF) is a multi-service facility with about 50 charged systems distributed over 5 buildings, that are overseen by a team from 15 facility staff members. Services range from basic to advanced microscopy applications, cell cytometry support and image analysis services – providing training, assistance, project support. An insight is presented how teaching, training and staff knowledge transfer is coordinated using various tools, platforms and checklists, with the aim to work towards systematic procedures, including ‘new user onboarding procedures’, system & technology implementation, information distribution, data handling and system quality control measures. Over the past years, our facility has been confronted with several infrastructure challenges, where the need of training, communication and coordination has been put to the test and helped us in ongoing improvement strategies to refine our installed procedures.
 

Building effective training programmes: strategy, resources, and people

Daniel Thomas Lopez

Training Team, EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom

Setting up a successful training programme at a Core Facility involves understanding its key components and making informed decisions about where to focus resources and effort. In this session, we will explore the strategic elements of a training plan and use common challenges as starting points for interactive discussion. Topics mentioned will include the structure and content of the programme (format, delivery methods, continuity and feedback mechanisms), the required resources (infrastructure, time), and the roles, needs and expectations of those involved (organisers, trainers, trainees).
 

The Impact of Local and Regional Initiatives on the Professional Development of Research Facilities Staff

Adriana Flores-Langarica

University of Birmingham

Research facilities in Higher Education Institutions play a crucial role in providing researchers with access to state-of-the-art technology and support, enhancing institutional competitiveness. At the University of Birmingham, professional development has been a key focus—not only to foster staff growth and satisfaction but also to ensure that specialists remain at the forefront of their respective fields. Our approach involves assigning specialists to develop expertise in specific areas, creating a diverse knowledge base within the team while fostering a sense of ownership and accountability.

Regionally, the University of Birmingham has significantly benefited from the TALENT programme, a five-year initiative that has brought substantial investment to the area. The programme’s emphasis on training has provided specialists with access to essential skills in management, leadership, project management, presentation, and proposal development, among others. This investment has had a transformative impact on the professional landscape, enhancing career progression opportunities for specialists and strengthening expertise within research facilities.

Building on this success, the programme is now evolving into a national initiative as the Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy. This transition aims to ensure that technical specialists continue to access not only high-quality training but also networks of peers across the country, further supporting their professional development and fostering collaboration on a national scale.