International coordinated capacity-building

Co-operate to build a digitally-skilled research workforce through exchange programmes, sharing of best practices and training materials, and adapting them to specific requirements for capacity building in different national and international contexts.

To build a digitally skilled research workforce, international cooperation is essential. Policymakers should:

• Identify and engage key international bodies to establish strong collaboration links for sharing best practices and training materials.
• Coordinate actions across nations to align capacity-building efforts, leveraging initiatives like the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Task Forces on Research Careers and Curricula, which focus on sharing strategies and practices for workforce development.
• Develop exchange programs to foster knowledge transfer and collaboration, tailoring training materials to specific national and international contexts.

Building a digitally skilled research workforce through international cooperation is challenging.

While initiatives like the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Task Forces on Research Careers and Curricula and policies such as the UK’s National Data Strategy emphasise global collaboration, the lack of coordinated exchange programs and standardised training materials limits progress.

Many existing efforts are fragmented, requiring higher levels of activity and incentives to foster meaningful international cooperation.

Tailoring training materials and practices to diverse national and disciplinary contexts remains challenging, as does ensuring broad accessibility and interoperability in global data ecosystems.

Limited funding, insufficient collaboration frameworks, and varying national priorities further hinder the development of a cohesive, skilled workforce, underscoring the need for stronger, more aligned capacity-building efforts worldwide.