Training and up-skilling of research infrastructures technical staff

The main goal of this opportunity is to strengthen the skills and career paths of technical staff working in research infrastructures. It emphasizes creating centralized training services, improving expertise for better infrastructure performance, and promoting mobility and career growth across Europe and research fields. Key focus areas include developing new training programs to address specific needs, supporting staff exchanges, and enhancing skills in digital technologies, research data management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and remote access. This grant is open to eligible countries as defined in the Horizon Europe Programme, with some additional provisions for certain non-EU countries.

• Proposals must follow the required page limits and layout as specified for this call.
• At least one ESFRI Landmark or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) must be included as a beneficiary.
• For distributed ERICs, a legal entity hosting ERIC resources or services can participate with proper authorization.
• Projects should focus on one ESFRI domain or sub-domain and support cross-domain training services.
• Collaboration with other relevant projects and sharing of good practices is required.
• Proposals will be evaluated based on set thresholds and a balanced portfolio across domains.

Examples:

• Developing a training hub for digital skills within a specific research infrastructure domain.
• Organizing staff exchange programs between European research facilities to share best practices.
• Creating a cross-domain training course on AI tools for technical staff in multiple research infrastructures.

• Development of training materials and resources
• Organization of workshops, seminars, and training sessions
• Costs related to staff exchanges and mobility programs
• Acquisition of digital tools and platforms for remote learning
• Travel and accommodation for participants in training activities
• Personnel costs for trainers and coordinators
• Dissemination and communication activities
• Evaluation and monitoring of training outcomes
• Administrative and management expenses

Expenses are covered as a lump sum. Specific restrictions or further details can be found in the Horizon Europe guidance on simplified costs.

• Budget for this Call: 10,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 8
• Maximum value per project: 1,500,000€
• Minimum value per project: 1,000,000€

• At least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC must be a beneficiary in the proposal.
• For distributed ERICs, a legal entity hosting relevant facilities or services may participate with proper authorization.
• Applicants should consider previous or ongoing actions identifying training needs.
• Collaboration with relevant training projects, such as those under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, is encouraged.
• The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a consortium member.
• Proposals must adhere to all submission and formatting requirements.
• Eligibility may depend on the inclusion of specific research infrastructures or networks.