Focus Groups
Informal groups where to share interest on specific topics.
The process of biocuration, performed by expert biologists, is the life-blood of knowledgebases. The work of biocurators involves identifying and reading the full text of key papers, then extracting relevant information with supporting evidence.
The Biocuration Focus Group is establised to provide the supporting mechanism driving this scientific theme in the 2019-2023 Scientific Programme, and widen the applicability of ELIXIR activities to data resource developers/operators across the Nodes and their constituent institutions.
- Federica Quaglia
- Luana Licata
- Alessandro Cestaro
Biodiversity is an increasingly important topic globally and is likely to receive a great deal of attention over the coming few years. Many of the Nodes have an interest in aspects of the underlying data that support the measurement and understanding of Biodiversity. In May 2019, the ELIXIR HoNs committee agreed to establish a Focus Group to better align ELIXIR’s work on Biodiversity across the Nodes and with other global initiatives in the domain. As of May 2021, the ELIXIR HoNs committee invited the Biodiversity Focus Group to become an ELIXIR Community – for the time being the group is considered an emerging Community, which is currently working on their ELIXIR Community white paper.
- Monica Santamaria
- Bachir Balech
- Alessandro Cestaro
The objective of this Focus Group is to discuss the common bioinformatic needs that Use Cases of working within the cancer field pose to the ELIXIR Nodes; to afford the opportunity to proactively identify the topics at the intersection of ELIXIR’s priorities and this European research area. This will enable ELIXIR to dynamically map the gathered information towards these topics where possible.
- Emidio Capriotti
This Focus Group aims to implement FAIR principles in training (FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). The group contains members from ELIXIR and from the international community.
- Loredana Le Pera
The Health Data Focus Group aims to be the incubator of ideas relating to health data and is ELIXIR’s formal channel to organise this.
Health data includes:
- omics
- clinical (structured and unstructured EHRs, and clinical imaging)
- lifestyle/patient questionnaire
- administrative
- real-world wearables/mobile devices data.
All data will be anonymised/pseudonymised and consented for research. The collection of identifiable routine clinical data in healthcare systems is out of scope.
- Emidio Capriotti
ELIXIR works with its Member countries to make open data and open science realities in terms of digital skills, innovation, health, food security and the environment. This group aims to empower ELIXIR partners in evaluating and communicating their performance and impact, in support of the long-term sustainability of national Nodes.
- Francesca De Leo
- Diana Battistella
The ELIXIR Innovation and Industry Focus Group is an internal group for ELIXIR members to learn about engagement of external stakeholders (such as the private sector), initiatives in the ELIXIR Industry Programme and how to contribute, and exchange experiences on local industry and innovation programmes in the Nodes.
- Francesca De Leo
The ELIXIR Machine Learning Focus Group was initiated in October 2019, in order to capture the emerging need in Machine Learning expertise across the network.
- Silvio Tosatto
- Federico Zambelli
- Castrense Savojardo
- Pier Luigi Martelli
- Emidio Capriotti
- Ester Pantaleo
Research Data Alliance (RDA) Activities
Research Data Alliance is an organisation carrying momentum worldwide. The purpose of this group is to make sure that the ELIXIR point of view is presented in the RDA community.
- Matteo Chiara
In light of ongoing challenges faced by ISBE and the involvement of members of both ISBE and the Microbial Biotechnology Community within ELIXIR in systems biology-related activities, the Focus Group will consider and report upon the ways in which ELIXIR should a) support systems biology and b) interact with relevant other groupings in Europe and worldwide that coordinate systems biology.
- Luana Licata
The ELIXIR Communications Group is a community for those in ELIXIR with an interest in communications to work together and share ideas and expertise. This group is also the central repository and reference point for all ELIXIR communications materials.
- Francesca De Leo
- Chiara Bruno
In light of ongoing challenges faced by ISBE and the involvement of members of both ISBE and the Microbial Biotechnology Community within ELIXIR in systems biology-related activities, the Focus Group will consider and report upon the ways in which ELIXIR should a) support systems biology and b) interact with relevant other groupings in Europe and worldwide that coordinate systems biology.
- Ivan Mičetić
- Alessandro Cestaro