This training gives an introduction to the use of the statistical software language R. R is a language for data analysis and graphics. This introduction to R is aimed at beginners. The training covers data handling, graphics, mathematical functions and some statistical techniques. R is for free and for more information you can visit the site at the CRAN web site. This training is an introduction to the use of R and RStudio and stops at very basic analyses (t-tests and non-parametric equivalents). A full overview of statistical analyses in R including regression, ANOVA will be given in the follow-up training Basic statistics in R, part II