  The effectiveness of research units is assessed on the basis of their
performance in relation to scientific, technological and innovation production,
the quality of their results and their contribution to the solution of
scientific and social problems. This paper examines the management practices
employed in some Mexican National Laboratories in order to identify those that
could explain their effectiveness in meeting their objectives. The results of
other works that propose common elements among laboratories with outstanding
performance are used and verified directly in the field. Considering the
inherent complexity of each field of knowledge and the socio-spatial
characteristics in which the laboratories operate, we report which management
practices are relevant for their effectiveness, how they contribute to their
consolidation as fundamental scientific and technological infrastructures, how
these can be translated into indicators that support the evaluation of their
performance, and still pending.
