Ian Hancox, Director of Research Technology and Technical Strategy for University of Warwick and Co-Director for the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy has been spearheading technician-led equipment sharing for years. He explains why we should be thinking differently about this agenda, putting technical professionals at the forefront to deliver tangible benefits.
Equipment sharing in research and innovation isn’t a new concept. There’s been significant regional success within partnerships like Midlands Innovation, GW4 Alliance, N8 Partnership and Eastern Arc, to ensure that state-of-the-art kit delivers return on investment and supports world-class research.
Arguably, it would seem natural that technical experts should be the ones who drive our equipment sharing for the sector. However, until now it has often been the role of our academic staff to demonstrate what is available at an institution and encourage sharing of equipment.
Having piloted a successful technician-led approach to equipment sharing through the Research England funded TALENT Programme, we can demonstrate positive impact on the technical workforce and research community.
Unlocking co-authorship opportunities on research papers for technicians, strengthening research collaborations and boosting the visibility of technical capabilities are some of the tangible benefits of technician-led equipment sharing.
People power
The UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy has launched the ITSS Technology Capabilities Showcase. View the ITSS Technology Capabilities Showcase here
It is an online catalogue showcasing equipment, facilities and assets – in conjunction with the technical expertise and knowledge – to improve research outcomes and collaborations.
It builds on a successful pilot within the eight Midlands Innovation universities. 75 facilities were listed with details of technical expertise and contact details, allowing researchers to contact the technical expert directly for advice.
The pilot facilitated 28 instances of equipment sharing. An Equipment Sharing Fund enabled researchers to access to the facilities, via the technical professionals, at no cost.
We learnt that the pilot scheme enabled a technical professional to become a co-author of a research paper, it generated opportunities to support grant applications and provided a platform to empower technicians and share best practice.
Now, the ITSS Technology Capabilities Showcase is aiming to replicate the success of the Midlands pilot, creating a national platform to showcase facilities and technical expertise, and providing funding to researchers who want to access showcase listings.
How is it difference to the national Jisc Equipment Database?
The Jisc equipment.data is necessary to meet compliance purposes for UKRI; it publishes where equipment is located that has been purchased with various funds and details the specific equipment.
Whereas the ITSS Technology Capabilities Showcase focusses specifically on technician-led equipment sharing, technical skills and capabilities, rather than the assets themselves.
Its focus is to improve visibility of technical expertise and unlock opportunities to further research, through sharing and granting access.
This extra detail and up-to-date contact information offers much more than a standard asset database which allows researchers to contact the technical expert directly for advice.
A bottom-up approach
Successful equipment sharing is much more than simply providing access. With complicated, unique and niche equipment, it is often about talking to a researcher to understand what they want to find out and then running experiments and providing data analysis.
The technical community plays a critical role in this, they know what questions to ask and – as a result – are ultimately the driving force behind successful shared access. They enable our research and maximise what we can obtain from our infrastructure.
We want technical experts managing the facilities and assets to submit their equipment directly to the national ITSS Technology Capabilities Showcase.
This is a growing digital showcase, that relies on the technical community’s support and engagement to be a success.
Having seen the benefits from TALENT’s pilot, I’m confident we will see similar success nationally.
What’s next
If you’re a technical professional who wants to be part of an expanding equipment network which supports the wider research taking place across our partner universities, submit your facility or asset to the showcase and complete this online form.
Our Equipment Sharing Fund is now open. It allows researchers, PhD students and Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) to access cutting-edge research equipment, not available in their home institution.
Funds cover the cost of initial analysis, helping to strengthen collaboration opportunities and ensure value for money within the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem.
The fund opens for three rounds and will provide the full economic cost (fEC) or TRAC rate directly to the facility.
Learn more about the Equipment Sharing Fund and criteria here