A Manifesto for Rewarding and Recognizing Team Infrastructure Roles

Abstract

The Scientific Reform Movement has highlighted the need for large research teams with diverse skills. This has necessitated the growth of professional team infrastructure roles (TIRs) who support research through specialised skills, but do not have primary responsibility for conceiving or leading research projects. TIRs such as Lab Technicians, Project Managers, Data Stewards, Community Managers, and Research Software Engineers all play an important role in ensuring the success of a research project, but are commonly neglected under current reward and recognition procedures, which focus on the individual academic researcher instead of the teams involved. Without meaningful identification and recognition of TIR contributions, we risk reinforcing the conceptual and practical division between academic researchers and TIRs. This situation is inequitable and detrimental to the research enterprise: the limited potential for career advancement for TIRs may cause them to leave for other occupations, ultimately leading to a loss of institutional skill, expertise, and memory. This contribution explores the evolution of specialist TIRs and the status of these positions in various settings. We provide three case study descriptions of TIR activities, so that readers may become more familiar with the breadth and depth of their work. We then propose system level changes designed to embed meaningful recognition of all contributions. Acknowledging the contributions of all research roles will help retain skill and expertise, and lead to collaborative research ecosystems that are well-positioned to address complex research challenges.

Recognising the importance and impact of Imaging Scientists: Global guidelines for establishing career paths within core facilities

“…Initiating project kickoff meetings is encouraged to discuss and document consensus on experimental design, responsibilities, roles, and, importantly, recognition in research publications and outcomes. These discussions should occur at the project's outset to ensure alignment of expectations among all participants 15 (Section 4).…”

“…Advanced Bioimaging Support (ABiS) 1 in Japan, African BioImaging Consortium (ABIC), 2 Argentine National Microscopy System (SNM), 3 BioImaging North America (BINA), 4 BioImagingUK Network, 5 Canada BioImaging, 6 Euro-BioImaging (EuBI), 7 France BioImaging (FBI), 8 German BioImaging (GerBI-GMB), 9 India BioImaging Consortium, Latin America BioImaging (LABI), 10 Microscopy Australia (MA) 11 and the National Imaging Facility (NIF) 12 in Australia, National Laboratory for Advanced Microscopy (LNMA) 13 in Mexico, SingaScope 14 in Singapore and South Africa BioImaging. 15 NB, as part of Bioimaging North America, is supported by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Founda Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.…”

Valuing a broad range of research contributions through Team Infrastructure Roles: Why CRediT is not enough

“…Nevertheless, by recording and measuring the productivity of a narrow range of research outputs we are not going far enough in addressing the roots of academic inequity, such as the perceptions of what it means to be a researcher and participate in research (Bennett et al, 2023).…”

“…Evaluations based on processes and values provide the opportunity to capture research contributions in a more nuanced way, including team efforts which make up so much of the research process. Focusing on recognising contributions from the entire research team may prevent TIRs and other contributors to leave academia for other occupations, which would ultimately lead to a loss of institutional skill, expertise, and memory (Bennett et al, 2023). Capturing research contributions in a more tailored manner would also allow for more flexibility and equity in tenure and promotion processes of Faculty members, allowing Faculty to focus on research activities beyond the traditional publication.…”

“…Scientific questions and challenges are increasingly complex, requiring research teams instead of individuals to address them (Baumgartner et al, 2023). This has led to the rise of new specialised roles involved structurally in research processes: Team Infrastructure Roles (TIRs, Bennett et al, 2023). These roles include Laboratory Technicians, Project Managers, Research Community Managers, Librarians, Data Stewards/Managers and Research Software Engineers (Heffner, 1979;UKRI, 2023).…”