Strengthening Career Pathways for Technicians

At the ICR, we are deeply committed to our technical staff.

In 2023, with the support of the UK Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Francis Crick Institute, we received £1 million in Institutional Funding for Research Culture from the Wellcome Trust.

This initiative focuses on developing and enhancing technical career pathways across three key stages of the talent pipeline:

Entry Level

Piloting a proof-of-concept approach for scientific apprenticeships.

Mid-level (Ignite)

Multi-institutional development programme that fosters professional development through experiential learning.

Senior Level (IgnitePLUS)

Multi-institutional development programme for service-oriented technical managers, strengthening skills to lead technical services that enable institutional research.

Contributing to the Sector: Learning, Collaboration, and Impact

This award has created an impact well beyond the ICR, contributing to national conversations about the development and visibility of technical professionals. We are proud to share our learnings and actively shape the future of technical careers through several key national initiatives:

Royal Society’s Meeting ‘Recognising and Developing Technical Talent’ (May 2025): Dr Aline Tabib-Salazar, Programme Manager for the Wellcome Award, delivered a presentation and participated in an expert panel discussion at the Royal Society focusing on strategies for technical growth and development.

Vitae Conference 2025: Dr Barbara Villarejo-Balcells, Researcher Developer, presented the programme outcomes and co-led a collaborative workshop with our partners from University College London and the Francis Crick Institute. This session deeply explored the barriers and opportunities involved in building meaningful technical career pathways.

ITSS Career Pathways Action Group (CPAG): The ICR is proudly leading the Technical Staff as Partners subgroup. Working alongside the University of Oxford, London South Bank University, and Queen Mary University of London, we are driving the Fostering Dialogue Between Technical and Academic Staff working group to create practical, sector-wide resources.

Explore the CPAG webpage and access the newly developed Toolkit

1. Entry Level: Laboratory Technician Apprenticeships

The ICR piloted a Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship to open doors for individuals who may not have previously considered a future in science. Supported by this award, we were able to hire non-degree scientists for the very first time.

By providing hands-on laboratory experience, structured training, and expert mentoring, this pathway is designed to:

Increase diversity by engaging underrepresented groups in research.

Create alternative routes for career changers, non-degree holders, and students seeking non-traditional pathways.

The success of this pilot is already being recognised across the sector.

Together with our training provider, Tiro, the apprenticeship programme won the Pharma Education and Training Award 2024 and the Business Support Award at the 2025 Bionow Awards.

Furthermore, one of our dedicated apprentice line managers, Amin Mirza, received the Science Council Apprentice Ambassador Award 2025.

Find out more on our Apprenticeships page

Resources and Learnings

Explore reports and case studies from our leanings, evaluated by Advance HE:

Transforming research careers: A shift from degree-centric to skills-based thinking
Building for the future: Sustainability and continuity in apprenticeship programmes
Scientific Apprenticeship Conference Report 2025: Featuring discussions captured from 34 organisations across academia, industry and policy exploring the transformative role of scientific apprenticeships

2. Mid-level: Ignite Development Programme for Research Technical Professionals

Ignite is a tailored development programme designed for Research Technical Professionals (RTPs). Developed collaboratively with technical staff from The ICR and partner institutions (The Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London, University College London and Kings College London), the programme focused on enhancing participants’ personal and professional impact.

Across its three cohorts so far (with a fourth cohort lined up for 2027), Ignite supported RTPs to collaborate and influence more effectively, identify strategies to build confidence and share ideas, and recognise their strengths to amplify their contribution while improving team effectiveness. Participants also applied an effective model to strengthen their practice as trainers and supervisors.

The programme provided valuable opportunities to network with like‑minded colleagues across The ICR, King’s College London, The Francis Crick Institute, University College London and Imperial College London, helping to develop a connected community of technical professionals across the sector.

Resources and Learnings

Explore reports and case studies from our leanings, evaluated by Advance HE:

3. Senior Level: IgnitePLUS Advanced Development for Service-oriented Technical managers

IgnitePLUS is an award‑winning development programme for Research Facility Managers, Laboratory Managers and other senior service‑oriented Technical Professionals in life sciences and healthcare research. Led by the ICR and delivered with The Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London, King’s College London and University College London, it builds on the multi‑institutional collaboration of its sister programme, Ignite, and has been recognised with a Staff Development Forum (SDF) Award for Developing Excellence in Research.

Tailored to senior technical leaders, IgnitePLUS delivers scenario‑based training in project management, business case development and funding, leadership and stakeholder management, risk and crisis planning, and strategic positioning. Now in its second cohort, participants have strengthened their technical leadership identity, delivered efficiencies, and supported institutional goals.

As technical leaders, participants have shaped research culture by embedding positive practices and behaviours across technical teams and the researchers they support. The programme has also fostered a cross‑institutional community of practice across London, enabling ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Resources and Learnings

Explore our reports and case studies, including independent evaluation by Advance HE, to learn more about the programme’s impact and outcomes.

4. Building on Success: Sustaining Impact Beyond the Programme

While this work was delivered between 2023 and 2026, The ICR and its partners are building on its success to deliver lasting impact across the sector through embedding into institutional practice as regular programmes and resources:

Continuation of development programmes: We aim to continue delivering programmes in collaboration with our partners, supporting both mid-level and senior technical professionals to strengthen technician career development across some of London’s leading research institutions
Expanding sector-wide resources and learning: We have developed and tested resources, toolkits and case studies with partner institutions and are working to make more these more widely available (details from [email protected]).
Strengthening national collaboration and networks: Multi-institutional initiatives and communities of practice are central to our work, additional collaborative programmes include Crosstalk, Techs Today, and our leadership within national groups, producing and disseminating sector resources such as the ITSS Career Pathways Toolkit, and a Research Facilities Cost Recovery Toolkit..
Embedding long-term cultural change: Technician skills and career development remains central to the ICR, and we continue to build a thriving ecosystem to support the sharing of skills, resources and career opportunities for technicians across ICR and its partners

For further information about the Wellcome award or other details on this page, please contact us: [email protected]