Public services
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ELIXIR-STEERS WP5: Communications, outreach, industry and international
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This WP will communicate project activities and achievements to external stakeholders. The WP will engage with funders, industry, other RIs, international collaborations, and scientists and countries outside ELIXIR. Objectives
TasksTask 5.1 Delivering world-class communication and outreach activitiesThis task will communicate project activities and achievements, and highlight how users can benefit from ELIXIR and from the project’s software and workflow activities. A communication plan will be created to maximise the impact of project outputs. This will include definitions of target audiences and key messages, and will be regularly updated based on indicators used for tracking the communication efforts. To engage with new users and stakeholders, the project will sponsor and run booths at key scientific conferences, targeting bioinformaticians and other service users, and policymakers (e.g. the European Conference on Computational Biology, the International Conference on RIs (ICRI)). The WP will produce short videos showcasing the impact of ELIXIR. The videos will communicate ELIXIR's importance as a sustainable European RI, and the impact of ELIXIR’s services and resources on scientific research. Sharing of good practices in communications and dissemination will continue through regular meetings of the ELIXIR Communications Officer network. To strengthen the communication capacity of national Nodes, a Node communication and dissemination strategy toolkit will be created and adopted by partners in WP4. Leadership: Elaine Harrison (ELIXIR Hub) other ELIXIR Nodes, via the Communications Officers network. Task 5.2 Facilitate industry engagement with a particular focus on SMEsA dedicated Industry and Innovation Officer, part-funded through WP5, will ensure that industry has a central point of contact within ELIXIR. Partners from WP2 and WP3 will engage with industry and industry-related initiatives (e.g. GAIA-109 and national bioregion clusters110) to develop best practices for ELIXIR resources. The best practices will be reported in the quarterly ELIXIR Industry newsletter (reaching 1500 industry stakeholders) and presented at an ELIXIR Bioinformatics Industry Forum. To help ELIXIR Nodes bring software and workflows closer to the needs of industry users, we will perform an industry mapping exercise followed by a capacity building workshop on value creation and engagement strategies with industry. The workshop will be run in collaboration with external experts who can understand ELIXIR resources' cost-benefits and industrial business development. ELIXIR will also work on industry-related initiatives, seeking partnerships with European and global biotech congresses e.g. BiotechX and Bio-IT Europe. These activities will equip ELIXIR Nodes with knowledge of the existing ecosystem, and the gaps and opportunities where Nodes can work collaboratively with industry partners. Outcomes will be summarised in a final report showcasing the success stories of ELIXIR in creating an innovative culture in the life sciences. Leadership: Despoina Sousoni (ELIXIR Hub), Francesca De Leo (CNR), Dan Ben-Avraham (Weizmann Institute of Science), all ELIXIR Nodes (via the Innovation and Industry Group). Task 5.3 Expand country Membership and outreach to EU fundersThis task will support the expansion of ELIXIR, ensuring additional countries join as Members. ELIXIR is one of the largest RIs in terms of Membership by countries, and there is significant interest in joining from other countries. This task will support interactions between ELIXIR and the scientists and Ministry representatives of those countries through bilateral discussions, virtual outreach events and in-country meetings and community-building events. A particular focus will be on Croatia, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Latvia, building on prior interactions established through ELIXIR-CONVERGE. Croatia is on track to join ELIXIR; hence University of Zagreb is included as a beneficiary in the project. For Austria, Poland, and Romania - countries where the Ministry is close to applying to become a Member of ELIXIR - a dedicated project budget will be reserved and allocated to that Node upon joining. Once these countries become Members of ELIXIR, they will engage in WP4 Node Development tasks. Additionally, this task will also enable interactions with EU-level funders and policy-makers that are relevant to ELIXIR overall. Activities will improve the visibility of ELIXIR to representatives of relevant parts of Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and EU4Health programmes, as well as the Missions and Partnerships. Two separate workshops will be organised in Brussels, one focused on health and human data and one focused on agriculture, food, fisheries, and biodiversity. These will ensure the stakeholders understand ELIXIR and the benefits of ELIXIR's open science services to the research consortia they fund. This will ensure that Horizon Europe-funded projects are aware of how ELIXIR can help them. Leadership: The ELIXIR Hub will lead this work. Task 5.4 Collaborate with research infrastructures in Europe and internationallyThis task contributes to reinforcing global competitiveness of the European Research Area (ERA). It will initiate new collaborations and reinforce existing ones with sibling RIs both within and beyond Europe. Within Europe, this will take the form of strategic dialogues with other RIs on the ESFRI roadmap, for instance, EuroBioImaging and BBMRI. Beyond Europe, the task will aim to raise awareness of ELIXIR and what it offers, as well as fostering the uptake of ELIXIR services by bioinformatics communities. This will be done through dissemination and training events that capitalise as much as possible on already planned events and conferences (e.g. annual A2B2C Argentinean bioinformatics conference, ISCB-LA). We will promote knowledge-exchange through online discussions and coordination activities. These will foster mutual understanding, good international practices and embed collaboration in future Node activities. The task will build on previous and current projects with institutes and RIs in countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Africa. Leadership: Corinne Martin and Joana Wingender (ELIXIR Hub), Silvio Tosatto and Diana Battistella (University of Padua), Kim Gurwitz (EMBL-EBI), Ana Portugal Melo (biodata.pt), Patricia Palagi (SIB), Bruna Piereck Moura (VIB), Bengt Persson (Uppsala University). WP leaders
ELIXIR Hub 
ELIXIR hub 
ELIXIR Hub |
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ELIXIR’s contribution to jobs and recruitment
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We have created a jobs vacancies page to help job-seekers and recruiters in the bioinformatics sector by making opportunities more visible and easier to find. Advertising on this page is entirely free, and opportunities come from our Nodes, as well as academia and industry (since 2019). A number of our Nodes have embedded the vacancies list on their websites, increasing its visibility across Europe. Access the full visualisatisations in tableau.  |
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ELIXIR’s scientific legacy as a research infrastructure
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To identify ELIXIR-supported publications, we mine EuropePMC using search terms on funding linked to ELIXIR, as well as on its achievements through its operation and projects. Please see more on methodology in this paper. ELIXIR partners collaborate to publish research articles (peer-reviewed and preprints) on the development and operation of bioinformatics resources encompassing databases, tools, cloud computing, standards and training. These publications highlight ELIXIR’s scientific legacy as a research infrastructure, and their citations by others (in the open literature) demonstrate the extent of ELIXIR’s contribution and appreciation by others. Some of the ELIXIR-supported publications are even cited in patents, further supporting their value to others. Note that indicators on this page exclude research articles which make use of ELIXIR resources. Access the full visualisations in tableau. Support from the EU-funded ELIXIR-CONVERGE project.  Supported by  |
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Environmental Impact Focus Group
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This Focus Group will explore ways to assess and minimise the environmental impact of ELIXIR, and of data handling in general. We will raise awareness about the issues and solutions. We will also explore how ELIXIR can help interdisciplinary research on the environmental impact on human health and biodiversity. 1. Environmental impact of scientific computingWe aim to:
2. Environmental impact of ELIXIRWe aim to:
3. Environmental impact on human health and natureWe aim to:
This group will initially work through this GitHub repo and a channel on the ELIXIR Slack space Leadership
(ELIXIR Norway) 
(Norway) Image
(ELIXIR Germany) Participants
Mailing list |
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Handbook for hybrid training (via the Gallantries)
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Home new
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ELIXIR is a European life sciences infrastructure, bringing together scientists from 21 countries and over 250 research institutes. We enable researchers to access and analyse life science data, to improve the value and impact of life science research on public health, the environment and the economy. 
What we offer
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How to acknowledge ELIXIR funding and support
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If your work has received financial support (e.g. grant funding, event sponsorship) or other support (e.g. in-kind contribution, use of the infrastructure and its many services) linked to ELIXIR, you need to visibly acknowledge ELIXIR’s contribution so it can be tracked and reported. In written work, you may use the following statements:
If the above is not practical, note that the following terms are also monitored by the ELIXIR Hub via text-mining (of EuropePMC). Hence, publications/preprints using them will likely be identified:
Need more help?For feedback and questions, please contact info@elixir-europe.org. Further guidance is available through dedicated pages on how to publish ELIXIR-related work and communications (e.g. branding guidelines, style guide, logos, templates). |
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How to publish ELIXIR-related work
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Peer-reviewedThe ELIXIR F1000Research Gateway provides an option for open access, open peer-review research articles. Along with other benefits of publishlising ELIXIR-related research articles in this Gateway, the ELIXIR Hub will cover the article processing charges. The corresponding author always decides on the most appropriate literature for publication (i.e. ELIXIR F1000Research Gateway or elsewhere). Non-peer-reviewedFor reports, roadmaps, process and strategy documents, reviews, use cases, posters, slides or any documents not suitable for nor requiring peer-review, you can use:
How to acknowledge ELIXIR funding and supportIf your work has received financial support (e.g. grant funding, event sponsorship) or other support (e.g. in-kind contribution) linked to ELIXIR, you need to visibly acknowledge ELIXIR’s contribution so it can be tracked and reported. We do maintain a dashboard of such ELIXIR-supported publications. More detailed guidanceFor further information on how to publish ELIXIR-related work, please see this more detailed guidance document, and visit the ELIXIR publications page. Need more help?For feedback and questions, please contact info@elixir-europe.org. |
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How to use the AAI
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The ELIXIR AAI login was migrated to Life Science Login in April 2022. The Life Science Login, a common user authentication and authorisation service for the Life Science (LS) research infrastructures was launched on 11 April 2022. It allows you to create an LS ID, which you can then use to log in to services. This saves you having separate credentials for each service. Useful links |
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Impact Toolkit and supporting resources
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ELIXIR described in a seminal publication (2021), its journey to demonstrate its public value to funders and other stakeholders, as a virtual and distributed research infrastructure for life science data. This was followed in 2023 by the release of three supporting resources:
Find out more
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Internal projects
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ELIXIR funds internal projects that connect and integrate services across ELIXIR Nodes. These projects are led by experts from specific Platforms or Communities, leveraging national strengths and facilitating collaboration and integration across ELIXIR Nodes. There are two types of internal projects:
Commissioned ServicesCommissioned Services are projects funded through ELIXIR's own budget. They’re projects that:
The current Commissioned Services projects align with ELIXIR's 2024–28 Scientific Programme priorities: Science, Technology, People and Nodes. Click on the links below to discover more about the Commissioned Services projects for each priority.
Capacity Building and Knowledge ExchangeThese projects strengthen the links between and facilitate capacity building in ELIXIR Nodes, as well as supporting the exchange of best practices in bioinformatics service provision. They include Staff Exchanges, Travel Grants, Knowledge Exchanges and Industry days.Calls now openCommissioned ServicesCalls now open for the Linking Data theme of the Human data and translational research Commissioned ServiceCapacity Building and Knowledge ExchangeFind out how to apply for funding for Staff Exchanges, Travel Grants, Knowledge Exchanges and Industry daysFind out more
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International collaborations
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ELIXIR is committed to expanding its global influence through strategic collaborations. By strengthening existing partnerships and establishing new ones, ELIXIR aims to enhance its contributions to the global life sciences community, ensuring bioinformatics resources and expertise with broad and impactful reach. At ELIXIR, we actively seek out global collaborations outside the European Research Area (ERA). Our efforts are guided by the ELIXIR International Strategy. Our International Strategy enhances ELIXIR’s global visibility and impact by fostering inclusivity and promoting worldwide knowledge sharing. We engage with delegations from various countries to share expertise in life science research infrastructure, bioinformatics services development and data sharing. International engagement and collaborationsUse the interactive map to explore our key engagements and partnerships across different regions. Africa×Australia×Our engagement with Australia and Australia BioCommons involves collaborative efforts in bioinformatics and data science to advance research capabilities and infrastructure in the life sciences. Australian BioCommons
Asia and the Middle East×ELIXIR collaborates with Asia and the Middle East through initiatives like bioinformatics webinars and global events like BioHackathon Europe. This BioHackathon was inspired by similar events in Japan, promoting international cooperation in the life sciences. Latin America×ELIXIR strengthens bioinformatics ties with Latin America through initiatives like staff exchanges, collaborative training programs and outreach webinars. These efforts aim to enhance data management, training and research infrastructure across the region.
United States×Canada and the United States×ELIXIR collaborates closely with Canada and the United States through initiatives such as staff exchanges with the NIH and joint projects with Canadian institutions. These efforts aim to strengthen bioinformatics, data sharing and research infrastructure across the continent. United States
Global organisations×ELIXIR actively engages with a number of global organisations, initiatives and projects.
Get involvedELIXIR supports strategically-relevant interactions beyond Europe, through funding instruments such as our Staff exchange projects and Travel grants. Please reach out if you would like to know more or if you want to collaborate. 
Andrea Guzmán Mesa |
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Invitation for nomination of ELIXIR Platform ExCo position - 2023
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Opening date: 10 March 2023 ELIXIR Nodes are invited to put forward nominations for the following ELIXIR Platform ExCo position:
ELIXIR would like to greatly acknowledge the contributions of the existing ExCo, Prof. Luděk Matyska, who has decided to be step down in 2023. Instructions
Further guidelines
Term of service
Outline of the ExCo appointment process
For all ELIXIR ExCo nomination processes and to ensure we have a balanced ExCo group, Heads of Nodes are kindly asked to consider gender balance, and by extension all underrepresented groups, as well as opportunities for junior staff when providing nominations. For any questions, please contact Ivana Versic (ivana.versic@elixir-europe.org). |
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Learning Paths Focus Group
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Learning Paths (LPs) are pathways that guide learners through a set of learning courses or materials to be undertaken progressively to acquire the desired knowledge and skills on a subject of interest. The primary objective of this Focus Group is to foster the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experiences with the aim of identifying needs, devising solutions, and advocating the widespread adoption of learning paths across ELIXIR, its Nodes, Communities, and beyond. This effort will address the current lack of guidance in developing curricula or structured training programs, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the learning experience for end users. Goals of the group
Learning Paths reference material
Use-cases of Learning Paths
How to get involved/contribute
LeadershipImage
(ELIXIR UK) 
(ELIXIR Italy) 
(ELIXIR Sweden) Mailing list |
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Lesson development for Open Source Software best practices adoption
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Lesson development for Open Source Software best practices adoption. Mateusz Kuzak; Jen Harrow; Rafael C. Jimenez; Paula Andrea Martinez; Fotis E. Psomopoulos; Radka Svobodová Vařeková; Allegra Via |
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Microbiome Community
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Microbiome research has grown substantially over the past decade in terms of the range of biomes sampled, identified taxa, and the volume of data derived from the samples. In particular, experimental approaches such as metagenomics, metabarcoding, metatranscriptomics, as well as other -omics are providing key information on the function, diversity and mechanistic drivers of microbial communities. The ELIXIR Microbiome Community aims to promote standards around microbiome-derived sequence analysis and multi-omics integration, as well as understanding the gaps in training, methods and reference databases, and efficiently scale bioinformatics infrastructures and resources for microbiome research across all biomes. Goals of the CommunityDevelop standards for FAIR microbiome analyses
Build capacity in microbiome analyses
Represent the Microbiome Community in its complexity
 Commissioned ServicesThe Marine Metagenomics Community has been involved in a number of short-term, technical projects called Commissioned Services. These have included: Leadership
(ELIXIR Germany) 
(EMBL-EBI) 
(ELIXIR France) 
(Senior Science Officer, ELIXIR Hub) Find out more
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Node connections
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ELIXIR funds internal projects to connect national bioinformatics infrastructures and their experts with each other. They act as the glue that brings the infrastructure together. The typical impact area of these projects is research efficiency. Working relationships, also called relationship capital, develop through these funded projects, as participation from several countries is a requirement. Connections between ELIXIR Nodes enabled by ELIXIR-funded projectsUse mouse-over on the graphic below to visualise Node-to-Node connections enabled by ELIXIR-funded projects up to the end of 2023. |
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Opportunities to work together
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Our engagement with stakeholders of the policy sphere
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Our efforts to shape policyELIXIR, as a public-funded research infrastructure, provides high quality bioinformatics resources. In support of their long-term sustainability, we work to increase the visibility of ELIXIR with, and its appreciation by, funders and policy sphere more broadly. Since 2012, we have kept a record of key actions to engage with a range of policy stakeholders, including the European Commission, the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), national governments and funding bodies, the G7 and the United Nations (the World Health Organisation and UNESCO in particular). These actions include policy briefs, position papers, consultation responses, presentations, attendance at meetings, expert group membership, etc. Access the full visualisatisations in tableau. Support from the EU-funded ELIXIR-CONVERGE project.  Outcomes of our efforts to shape policyIn parallel and as proxy for ELIXIR’s public value, we track mentions of ELIXIR, its projects, resources and key achievements, in policy documents, reports, guides for grantees, funding calls, etc. Our manual tracking is complemented by the Overton database, the world’s largest searchable index of policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications and working papers. We are proud that funding bodies increasingly mention and even recommend ELIXIR resources in their Open Science policies and guides for grantees. Access the full visualisatisations in tableau.  Supported by |
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Overview of the AAI
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In these cases, research services have implemented local access management solutions and issued their own usernames and passwords. As a consequence, researchers quickly became overloaded with having to remember numerous login credentials. The Life Science Login (a.k.a. Life Science Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure, LS AAI) enables researchers to use their home organization credentials or community or commercial identities (e.g. ORCID, Google) to sign in and access data and services they need. It also allows service providers (both in academia and industry) to control and manage the access rights of their users and create different access levels for research groups or international projects. For example, two different researchers in the same university may be working on different European or national research projects and may need access to completely different data or compute resources. LS Login ensures that they can access the right resources, using their university credentials, while making sure they can’t see each others’ data. For more information you can refer to LS Login web page. Service catalog contains list of services connected to LS Login and you can find it here. Statistics page is under preparation. Benefits of LS Login for researchers and service providersThe benefits of LS Login go well beyond the convenience of not having to remember a new username and password combination. It offers:
LS Login is open to all service providers in industry and academia. Read the LS Login documentation or contact support@aai.lifescience-ri.eu to learn more.
In ELIXIR AAI Task, we organize regular Community engagement meetings where we would like to share and discuss together new AAI needs, requirements and ideas collected from the community, as well as share success stories with other infrastructures. Topics will be selected based on needs and interest and also in regard to migration to LS Login. For agenda and detailed information please check on TESS.
Genomics data sharing and LS LoginThe capabilities of LS Login are demonstrated in the reference implementation of the ELIXIR Beacons. The three-tier access system was developed jointly by the ELIXIR Compute platform, the ELIXIR Human Data Use Case, and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. It allows data owners to publish their genomics data in one of the three access levels (public, registered, and controlled), and control what kind of information will be provided to different types of users. The public tier, open to all users, will only disclose allele frequencies in the genomic data; the registered users (scientists working at universities and research centers) have access to cohort-specific allele frequencies; users in the controlled tier have to be individually approved by Data Access Committees and have access to individual-level data from cohorts. See more at https://beacon-project.io.
To learn more:
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Join a scientific group
While the majority of life science services are openly accessible to anyone across the world, many of them require researchers to sign in using a username and password. Sensitive data and licensed resources of course require strong security for access.