Signals about transferable skills in research: now part of research policy

I was reading a 2012 OECD report recently on transferable skills training for researchers and what’s interesting is how it signalled how research systems were thinking at the time.

For a long time, skills like communication, collaboration, leadership and interdisciplinary thinking were often treated as additional abilities researchers might find useful to develop alongside their disciplinary expertise.

But documents like this suggest that 12-15 years ago, something slightly different started happening.

Today, these skills are now appearing in policy conversations about how research systems function. That feels like quite a shift.

Research funders, governments and institutions are increasingly aware that modern research depends on researchers being able to work across fields, explain their ideas clearly, and collaborate in complex environments.

Technical expertise is still central, of course. But the ability to communicate and work with others is becoming just as visible in discussions about researcher development.

Which raises an interesting question for universities and research institutes.

If communication and collaboration are now recognised as core research capabilities, how do we create the environments in which researchers can actually develop them over time? Is it about offering standalone online programmes and MOOCs? Is it about running short, interactive Zoom workshops? Is it about making space for communities of practice in real life and in real-time, across disciplines? Is it about making retreats and offsite meetings available to more students? In reality, there is probably a place for all of these and more.

Recognising the importance of a skill is one thing. Designing training environments that allow it to develop is another.