The newly published article titled "The lifeblood of LifeWatch ERIC: national in-kind contributions" explores the intricate ecosystem of distributed research infrastructures, exemplified by LifeWatch ERIC, highlighting the essential role of close cooperation among its various components. These components, integral to the infrastructure, contribute significantly to the services, facilities, and resources available to the user community. In-kind contributions are non-monetary contributions, consisting of labour, services, facilities and access to resources, typically provided by the distributed components of the research infrastructure. The financing of these contributions often comes from national funding agencies or directly from the member countries, contributing towards their funding obligations to the research infrastructure. The article further explores the critical process of managing and validating in-kind contributions against the backdrop of LifeWatch ERIC's legal framework. A focus is placed on the rigorous assessment procedures that ensure the integrity of each contribution and the pivotal role of the In-Kind Contributions Committee (IKCC) in overseeing this process.
