what degrees a research technician need

Hi Gavin, to be a research technician in a research oriented lab, generally a bachelors degree is enough. But if you get a masters degree, it will be even better.

Research Technician or sometimes referred to as a Lab Tech... I read your question differently from the person above who answered your question in terms of IT - Information Technology. I'm thinking you're asking about Scientific Research -as opposed to Information technology. Research in the Science - biology, chemistry, etc. is what this refers to....
So - a 4 year degree in a science -such as biology/chemistry, etc is typically the basic thing you will need. At the very minimum you need a degree with lots of science and math...and your computer skills should be excellent as well. Some jobs will require a Master's degree in one of the sciences. Look at job websites to see the different kinds of jobs and educational requirements. Here's a few:
https://www.indeed.com/q-Research-Technician-jobs.html

https://www.monster.com/jobs/q-research-technician-jobs.aspx

http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/?utm_campaign=267832017&gclid=CjwKEAjwr_rIBRDJzq-Z-LC_2HgSJADoL57HmXtm_5M077aXdQkTjg43g9mNsIpULJduizs9_fOETxoCMtrw_wcB

https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/research-technician-jobs-SRCH_KO0,19.htm

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/research-technician-jobs/

Good Luck - and remember - do your homework when thinking about any career field. Volunteer, do internships, and talk to people who actually DO what you want to do.

Gavin, I assume you are referring to research in Information Technology (IT) as a technician. Research in Information Technology is targeted at developing specific Information Technology to solve a specific IT problem. To land a job in this field you would study Information Technology. Studying Information Technology would involving learning about the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for the processing and distribution of data to solve specific problems. The problems IT solves ranges from putting a man on the moon, to charging your account when you make a purchase with your credit card, to allowing you to share pictures and data on your social network page. An IT technician would study the development, maintenance, and use of computers systems, specific software languages and networking. As one becomes proficient in the IT he then applies to a specific problem in a specific industry. The best technicians are those that understand more than just the IT, the understand the specific industry problem they are solving and how their part fits into the big picture. Hope this helps. The world needs more IT Technicians. Learn as much as possible about computers and programming and you will do fine.