About the toolkit

This toolkit is a resource intended to make it as easy as possible to organise a workshop aimed at raising awareness of and facilitating discussion around the diversity of roles that contribute to research.

Why is the topic important?

In recent years, there has been an increased perception of the potential for interdisciplinary and collaborative research to address complex societal and environmental needs. It is also becoming increasingly clear that a diversity of roles and contributions is needed to drive progress and success in research and innovation.

Realising it is no longer the case - if it ever was - that all researchers need to - or indeed can - have all of the skills needed to find answers to large and complex societal questions, the knowledge sector is now looking towards a team-based approach bringing together more overtly diverse team members with specific skills in funding, research design, data analysis, data management, software development, research ethics, political relationships, dealing with business, interdisciplinarity, communications etc.

What does this new thinking mean in practice? What skills are needed to successfully carry out research today? How are different teams composed, managed and rewarded? Can research morph from a sector where only ‘star researchers’ are appreciated to one where everyone, including professional support staff, is recognised for their skills and contributions?

This toolkit helps put together and organise a workshop that explores what a dream research team might look like and discuss what this might mean for how research is supported, managed and rewarded.

Why this toolkit?

The authors organised a workshop on this topic at the Dutch National Open Science Festival 2022, which led to a lot of engagement and discussion. Subsequently, the organisers received requests from colleagues at other institutions to host similar workshops. Rather than organising further workshops, we felt it would be more useful and more sustainable to provide others with the tools and information necessary to organise their own workshops. Therefore, we created this toolkit to support anyone who wishes to organise similar future workshops and to make it as easy as possible for them to do so.

For whom?

This toolkit is for anyone who would like to facilitate discussion and raise awareness about diversity of roles and contributions to research in an inclusive and interactive way.