This explorative, conceptual paper explores research competences through the theoretical lenses of situated and experiential learning and communities of practice.

The study focuses on two research questions:
1. What are research competences when understood through the lenses of situated learning, experiential learning, and communities of practice?
2. How can higher education support the development of research competences across different stages of individual growth, and foster meaningful participation in collective research efforts, ensuring value for participants at all levels of expertise, starting from novices?

Building theoretical synthesis, the study rethinks research competences as a dynamic continuum that evolves across an individual’s life stages, beginning with early natural exploratory behaviors and culminating in participation in academic and professional communities of practice. Drawing on these frameworks, the study proposes a holistic understanding of research competences that bridges individual and collective skill building. At the individual level, research competences are inherent in humans but also gained through participation, shaped by academia and other communities of practice. Research skills can be fostered also at the collective level although all participants are not formally research experts. This dual perspective underscores the importance of fostering inclusive and adaptive environments for research learning and democratizing research competences. The paper concludes by proposing a research agenda aimed at supporting the cultivation of research competences through tailored interventions for individuals and innovative collaborative practices that integrate heterogeneous skills. These propositions highlight the need for longitudinal studies and design-based experiments to deepen our understanding of research competences of both individuals and more emergent competences when building more collective research efforts. Propositions also emphasize exploring how learning environments can be purposefully designed to support novice and expert learners, particularly within increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative research settings.

Keywords: Research competences, link between research and education.