ELIXIR4-OpenLifeScience - Enabling Open Life Science in Norway

Making Life Science Data Accessible and Usable: ELIXIR Norway’s Vision for the Future ELIXIR Norway is a key infrastructure for life science research in Norway, and is about to advance further. Through the ELIXIR4-OLS initiative, we will build a connected, federated ecosystem for life science data spanning multiple scientific fields and enabling the use of research data in research, industry and the public sector. We will link existing national and European systems, including DSW, NeLS and FEGA Norway, into a seamless network, building on a decade of strong collaboration with Norwegian researchers, institutions, and stakeholders. We’ll enhance platforms for data storage, analysis and deposition, expand our national help desk for data management support, and create tools that connect various user communities. By working closely with researchers, we ensure our solutions are user-friendly and meet real-world needs. This new ecosystem will allow researchers of all skill levels to access, analyze, and share data efficiently. They’ll be able to upload and reuse data, process it in project-oriented ways, and share it with the appropriate level of protection in a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) way. Sensitive data, such as human molecular information, is one of our priorities. We’ll continue our leading role in major initiatives like 1+MG and GDI, where we help to shape both science and policy. Beyond this, we’ll focus on expanding our infrastructure to address critical challenges in biodiversity, food security, and pathogen research, collaborating with key actors in these fields. Our commitment to molecular and cellular sciences serves a large community of researchers and innovators, supporting curiosity-driven discoveries and solutions to societal challenges. Through these efforts, ELIXIR Norway will strengthen its contributions to European-level projects, advance key scientific programs, and drive innovation for Norway’s life science community.

ELIXIR Norway is a mature infrastructure and the ELIXIR4-OLS proposal seeks to develop it into a connected federated ecosystem for life science data across multiple domains. We outline a program of work that is needed to connect several existing data-intensive national infrastructures using e-infrastructure that we have previously developed such as NeLS and FEGA Norway. This reflects the strong and lasting collaboration we have developed with multiple stakeholders nationally in our first decade of operation. We will further develop generic e-infrastructure platforms, the national help desk offering analysis and data management support, and increase interconnectivity of services through building and engaging with the relevant user communities, while ensuring user driven development of solutions and services. We will enable users with varying degrees of computational competence to effectively access for reuse and upload new data, process and analyze data in a project-oriented fashion, and to share data in a FAIR manner through open public repositories. Human molecular data and sensitive data sharing will continue to be a high priority as evidenced by participation in large national and international initiatives like 1+MG and GDI where we play a scientific role as well as influence policy development. In the upcoming period ELIXIR Norway will increase e-infrastructure development in biodiversity, food security and pathogens, engaging the major players in this field as collaborators or partners in this proposal. We maintain a focus on molecular and cellular sciences, serving the large user base of curiosity-driven and investigator-led research and innovation to drive scientific advancements in response to societal challenges. The activities will enable us to engage in the scientific program of ELIXIR, take part in European level projects, and drive developments in areas of special interest and priority for the Norwegian node and users in Norway.