In an era of accelerating technological, societal, and institutional change, the ability to adapt, collaborate, and engage across boundaries is as critical as technical expertise. While disciplinary knowledge remains the foundation of academic work, researchers are increasingly expected to demonstrate a wider set of transversal competences —skills such as active communication, collaboration, adaptability, entrepreneurship mindset, and self-management — that enable them to thrive in diverse environments and to deliver impact beyond academia.
As part of the mapping and investigation work package of the ReSkillSpan project, led by the University of the Basque Country, partners examined the transversal competences most critical for impactful research careers and explored how these can best be nurtured. Drawing on a combination of interviews with researchers and soft-skills experts, case study analysis, and a dedicated business roundtable, the project identified both the competences areas where further development is most needed and examples of training frameworks, methodologies and approaches that have proven effective. A final sense-making workshop with partner organisations co-created a set of recommendations for designing and delivering future training.
This article highlights the key findings and recommendations emerging from that work.
Why transversal skills matter
Interviews and discussions underscored that transversal skills are not “nice to have” extras, but core enablers of impactful research careers. Researchers who can communicate across disciplines, manage complex collaborations, and engage with external stakeholders are better positioned to build strong networks and translate their work into societal impact.
At the same time, these competences are among the hardest to develop. Unlike technical knowledge, they cannot be learned solely through formal instruction. Instead, they require relational, experiential, and reflective approaches, such as learning by doing, testing, failing, and improving in real or simulated environments.
The most challenging but crucial competences
The project identified several competences as both most essential and most difficult to cultivate:
- Interpersonal and collaboration competences: vital for interdisciplinary teamwork and cross-sector engagement, yet often hindered by siloed research cultures.
- Active communication: the ability to engage in two-way exchanges of ideas and adapt messages to different audiences.
- Adaptability and openness: embracing diversity, stepping out of comfort zones, and responding flexibly to changing contexts.
- Self-management: planning, prioritising, and acting with initiative under uncertainty.
These competences were repeatedly highlighted in interviews and case studies as the foundations of impactful, resilient research careers. Yet they remain underdeveloped in most formal training pathways.
Insights from case studies
The analysis of successful training initiatives across Europe reinforced the importance of experiential, challenge-based and relational approaches. Case studies involving interdisciplinary training, design-thinking, mentorship and peer learning demonstrated that researchers build confidence and competence most effectively when immersed in environments that reflect real-world complexity.
Key features of effective initiatives included:
- Project- and challenge-based learning that mirrors the ambiguity and demands of real-world problems.
- Interdisciplinary teamwork that exposes researchers to diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches.
- Role-playing, simulations, and stakeholder engagement exercises to practise decision-making and communication under pressure.
- Structured reflection and feedback loops to consolidate learning and support continuous improvement.
Crucially, the most impactful programmes embedded mentorship, coaching, and peer exchange at their core, ensuring researchers could learn not only from experience but also from dialogue, feedback and relational support.
Four recommendations for future training
Drawing on the evidence collected, the ReSkillSpan partners co-created four recommendations to guide the design and delivery of transversal skills training:
- Prioritise development of the most challenging competences
Training should focus on competences that are both critical and difficult to cultivate, such as collaboration, active communication, self-management, openness, and adaptability. These underpin researchers’ ability to navigate uncertainty, lead across disciplines, and engage with diverse stakeholders, and require long-term, reflective approaches. - Embed experiential and challenge-based learning
Training should move beyond lectures to project-based tasks, simulations, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Formats such as role-playing negotiations and stakeholder engagement exercises allow researchers to practise decision-making, communication, and collaboration in environments that reflect real-world complexity. - Leverage mentoring, peer learning, and role models
Competences like communication and resilience are best developed through relational learning. Coaching, structured mentorship (including cross-sector and reverse mentoring), and peer exchange should be integral to training. These provide role models, personalised feedback, and safe spaces for testing ideas and building confidence.
- Build institutional ecosystems that enable growth and cross-sector collaboration
Skills training must be embedded in supportive institutional environments that make space for continuous learning, cross-sector engagement, and long-term professional development. This should be aligned with institutional processes such as onboarding, career planning and promotions. Support structures—mentorship networks, peer groups, research services—and stronger connections with industry, policy, and civil society are essential to sustain learning and prepare researchers for impact beyond academia.
Towards a culture of continuous development
One of the strongest messages is that transversal skills development cannot be a one-off intervention. It requires continuous support, embedded structures, and cultural change within institutions. Mentorship networks, peer groups, and supportive policies are as essential as the training itself.
Equally, researchers should not be expected to navigate this journey alone. Institutions have a responsibility to create enabling environments where learning is recognised, incentivised, and rewarded. By investing in systemic support and cross-sector integration, universities and research organisations can equip their researchers not only to succeed within academia, but also to drive innovation and impact across society.
Conclusion
The future of research careers depends on researchers’ ability to adapt, communicate, collaborate, and engage across boundaries. The findings of the ReSkillSpan mapping and investigation phase offer valuable insights into how future training could meet this challenge. By focusing on the most critical competences, embedding experiential learning, and strengthening mentorship and peer learning within supportive institutional ecosystems, the research community can equip its members for careers that are not only academically rewarding but also deeply impactful for society.
The full Synthesis Report, with all findings and recommendations, is available here.