NEWS

Nov 13, 2023

Today, nine Life Science Research Infrastructure programs in Norway signed an agreement for establishing a long-term collaboration aiming to revolutionise the management and exchange of life science data in Norway.

Life science research plays a pivotal role in shaping society and significantly impacts key sectors of the Norwegian economy, including the vital salmon aquaculture industry. The global COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the critical importance of ensuring that research data, encompassing fields of biology and medicine, adhere to the principles of being Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), all while respecting legal and privacy obligations.

With this visionary initiative, the participating infrastructures committed themselves to the higher objective of enhancing existing processes to facilitate the seamless publication of research data from Norwegian studies to trustworthy FAIR databases. This endeavour not only encompasses research data but also extends to the diverse tools and methodologies employed for processing and analysing these invaluable datasets. By making these resources readily available alongside the data, the partners aim to make scientific studies more reproducible, fostering a climate conducive to better-informed data reuse and repurposing.

The collaborative venture is spearheaded by nine research infrastructures with nodes at Norwegian universities and university hospitals and independent R&D organisations. Together, these institutions collectively represent the majority of research infrastructures within the burgeoning field of Life Science in Norway. Their established ties with European parent organisations ensure a direct and far-reaching impact. Additionally, the initiative remains open and inclusive, welcoming new partners, research infrastructures, and individual research projects with substantial data management components.

This forward-thinking initiative builds upon the invaluable experience, expertise, and networks cultivated during the BioMedData project. Coordinated by ELIXIR Norway, BioMedData is slated for formal closure in the spring of 2024. With the signing of this momentous strategic agreement, the partners are wholeheartedly committed to preserving and expanding the existing BioMedData network. This includes the vital Life-science Research Data Management (RDM) Group, which extends its reach to pivotal stakeholders such as university libraries.

The coordination of this groundbreaking initiative falls under the capable stewardship of ELIXIR-Norway, the Norwegian branch of the European intergovernmental organisation and ESFRI Research Infrastructure dedicated to biomolecular data.

Sushma Grellscheid, Head of Node ELIXIR Norway:

 “I am thrilled to witness this historic collaboration among nine Life Science Research Infrastructure programs in Norway. This strategic agreement not only signifies our collective commitment to advancing the field but also demonstrates our dedication to making research data truly FAIR, fostering reproducibility, and opening doors to transformative discoveries, benefiting society. Together, we are setting a new standard for data management in life sciences, ensuring that Norway remains at the forefront of cutting-edge research."

 

Nenitha C. Dagslott, Senior Adviser Research Council of Norway:

“The Research Council of Norway welcomes the commitment and collaboration among Norwegian life science research infrastructures outlined in the "Joint Strategic Statement of Norwegian Life Science Research Infrastructures on Research Data Management."

This joint strategic statement reflects the dedication and vision of these infrastructures to advance the field of life science research and research data management in Norway. We support the infrastructures in the statement - important initiatives funded by the Research Council of Norway that brings together consortia of important stakeholders in the field. The aim of promoting research data management and seeking collaboration on national and European levels aligns well with our vision to promote ground-breaking research, open science, and radical innovation.

In addition to the national contributions, we encourage the alignment with other relevant, international initiatives, like the European Open Science Cloud. We look forward to the contributions that will arise from this dedicated effort to advance the field of life science research and research data management in Norway together with the broader effort to promote data management, accessibility and collaboration across borders and research communities.”

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ingeborg Winge, Node coordinator ELIXIR Norway  Ingeborg.Winge@uib.no 

Joint strategic statement document

About the Partners

BioMedData is a research infrastructure project. The project was established in 2020 as a collaboration between 11 Norwegian life-science infrastructures within genomics, molecular epidemiology, proteomics, imaging, biodiversity, biobanks, structure determination, nuclear magnetic resonance and small molecule screening. BioMedData is funded by the Research Council of Norway and will run until spring 2024. BioMedData has built a national network of data management experts across these infrastructures, promoting and facilitating professionalised and harmonised FAIR data management services towards the users of the partner infrastructures.

The Joint Statement is signed by ELIXIR Norway, the National Network of advanced Proteomics Infrastructure, NOR-Openscreen, the Norwegian Advanced Light Microscopy Imaging Network, Norwegian Molecular Imaging Infrastructure, the Norwegian NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Platform 2, NorSeq, GBIF Norway  and DiSSCo Norway