diff --git a/event_model/schemas/run_start.json b/event_model/schemas/run_start.json
index 5557f51a3..267c91963 100644
--- a/event_model/schemas/run_start.json
+++ b/event_model/schemas/run_start.json
@@ -4,6 +4,34 @@
             "title" : "data_type",
             "patternProperties": {"^([^./]+)$": {"$ref": "#/definitions/data_type"}},
             "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        "data_mapping": {
+            "description": "Where to get the data from",
+            "type": "object",
+            "properties" : {
+                "stream": {"type": "string"},
+                "location": {"enum" : ["event", "configuration"]},
+                "field": {"type": "string"}
+            },
+            "required" : ["stream", "location", "field"],
+            "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        "technique": {
+            "title" : "Describe how to interperet this run as the given technique",
+            "properties":{
+                "technique": {"type": "string",
+                              "description": "The name of the technique"},
+                "version": {"type": "integer",
+                            "description": "The version of the technique spec"},
+                "configuration" : {"type": "object",
+                                   "description": "Static information about technique"},
+                "data_mapping" : {
+                    "type": "object",
+                    "patternProperties": {"^([^./]+)$": {"$ref": "#/definitions/data_mapping"}}
+                }
+            },
+            "additionalProperties": false,
+            "required" : ["technique", "version", "configuration", "data_mapping"]
         }
     },
     "properties": {
@@ -35,6 +63,10 @@
             "type": "string",
             "description": "Unix owner to associate this data with"
         },
+        "techniques": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {"$ref": "#/definitions/technique"}
+        },
         "hints": {
             "type": "object",
             "description": "Start-level hints",
@@ -57,12 +89,10 @@
                             {
                                 "type": "string",
                                 "description": "The stream to find the datakeys in."
-
                             }
                         ],
                         "additionalItems": false,
                         "minItems": 2
-
                     }
                 }
             },
diff --git a/event_model/tests/test_em.py b/event_model/tests/test_em.py
index 08934a13f..bfedbb2e0 100644
--- a/event_model/tests/test_em.py
+++ b/event_model/tests/test_em.py
@@ -852,3 +852,26 @@ def check_not_filled_factory(name, doc):
     rr = event_model.RunRouter([check_filled_factory], reg, fill_or_fail=True)
     for name, doc in docs:
         rr(name, doc)
+
+
+def test_techniques():
+    event_model.schema_validators[event_model.DocumentNames.start].validate(
+        {
+            "uid": "abc",
+            "time": 0,
+            "techniques": [
+                {
+                    "technique": "test",
+                    "version": 0,
+                    "configuration": {},
+                    "data_mapping": {
+                        "image": {
+                            "stream": "primary",
+                            "location": "event",
+                            "field": "fccd",
+                        }
+                    },
+                }
+            ],
+        }
+    )