High-level Advancement for Building and Implementing Long-term Infrastructure Training and Expertise Resources

HABILITER addresses a critical challenge faced by Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Research Infrastructures (RIs): the shortage of qualified technical staff with the skills needed to ensure sustainable, reliable, and innovative infrastructure operations. The project will develop a coherent, practice-based training programme organised into three complementary curricula: Foundational Skills, Software and Service Management Skills, and Data Management Skills. Together, these will strengthen the expertise of RI staff in areas such as Open Science, FAIR/CARE data principles, Artificial Intelligence, software and service management, data management and curation. The project targets RIs technical staff in various roles: from OS officers, data stewards and software developers to community engagement specialists HABILITER is conceived as a one-stop-shop for competencies building, hosted on DARIAH Campus, where training resources will be openly accessible, indexed in the SSH Open Marketplace, and integrated into existing European frameworks. The project will pilot diverse training modalities, including online courses, flipped classrooms, and face-to-face workshops, ensuring quality, usability, and scalability across the RI landscape. Beyond training, HABILITER introduces a mobility framework to foster staff exchanges, virtual mentoring, and cross-sectoral career opportunities within SSH Open Cluster network and beyond. This will empower technical staff, strengthen collaboration across SSH RIs, and create sustainable pathways for professional growth. By addressing skills gaps, enhancing mobility, and supporting knowledge transfer, HABILITER contributes directly to consolidating the European Research Area, advancing digital transformation, and reinforcing the long-term competitiveness and resilience of SSH infrastructures.