ELIXIR has released an updated international strategy to guide its engagement and collaborations beyond Europe. The revised framework outlines how ELIXIR will work with international initiatives and partner regions worldwide to address life science data challenges at a global scale. This update aligns the strategy with ELIXIR’s new Programme for 2024-28, replacing the previous strategy published in 2019.
To realise the potential of the rapid growth of life science data, a number of complex technical challenges need to be overcome. These challenges, from managing diverse datasets to ensuring global accessibility, are best addressed through coordinated, cross-border collaboration. ELIXIR’s international mission is to foster this cooperation, building connections and trust between ELIXIR Nodes and their global counterparts to support impactful scientific discovery.
The this end, the three objectives of ELIXIR’s international strategy are:
- Increase awareness of how ELIXIR’s flagship resources enable and support research communities internationally
- Enhance ELIXIR’s services through strategic collaborations with international bioinformatics-related initiatives and organisations
- Reinforce ELIXIR’s global impact by collaboratively shaping international open science and open data policy developments
The strategy provides examples of ELIXIR’s collaborative efforts with international initiatives, including the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office for Data Science Strategy (ODSS), Australian BioCommons and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH). It also sets out the activities ELIXIR will undertake to realise this vision through a list of mechanisms of engagement and an implementation plan. Finally, the strategy identifies three priority geographical regions for focused engagement: Africa, Canada and Latin America and the Caribbean. These complement existing collaborations with the USA and Australia, and align with the international priorities of the ELIXIR-STEERS project which targets Latin America and Africa. ELIXIR remains open to emerging collaborations with organisations representing other geographical regions and countries.
The updated strategy positions ELIXIR as a global leader in life sciences data, supporting cross-border collaboration and innovation across the globe. By reducing fragmentation and improving data interoperability, ELIXIR supports a connected global ecosystem where researchers, service providers and policymakers can work together more effectively. This collaborative approach ultimately supports scientific discovery, driving innovations that benefit society as a whole.
Contact: Andrea Guzmán Mesa, ELIXIR International Relations Officer.