Project information
Strengthening and Training for Research Infrastructure Staff (ST4RIS)

The overarching objective of ST4RIS is to establish a sustainable, co-designed training and career development framework for technical staff in European environmental Research Infrastructures (RIs). The project addresses a persistent weakness of the RI landscape: the lack of structured training, certification and mobility opportunities for technical staff, which undermines operational excellence, cost-efficiency and long-term staff sustainability. ST4RIS has five specific objectives: 1) to develop a targeted training framework adaptable to diverse RI contexts; 2) to implement pilot training modules for the Biosphere subdomain through Demonstrator Use Cases (DUCs); 3) to support career development through transparent pathways, certified learning journeys and recognition schemes; 4) to enable cross-RI mobility through a structured staff-exchange programme; and 5) to deliver the ST4RIS Atlas, a one-stop shop that integrates training, certification and mobility opportunities. The methodology combines mapping of competences and existing training offers, piloting of 4 DUCs with disciplinary and transversal skills, and the development of modular curricula linked to RI career profiles. Certification will follow Europass/ESCO standards to ensure interoperability and portability across infrastructures. Pilot staff exchanges between ICOS and eLTER will test cross-RI mobility and develop a sustainability roadmap for it. ST4RIS strengthens the workforce capacity, increases interoperability across RIs and improves career opportunities for technical staff. It reduces fragmentation through integration of existing offerings (RItrain+, ENVRI-Hub, EOSC), and enhances efficiency through combined efforts. The interoperable and transferable model will extend from the Biosphere to other ENVRI subdomains and further ESFRI domains, consolidating Europe’s leadership in RI workforce development.