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Birds of a Feather (BoF) Session April 21, 2025

The yellow pages of FAIR-enabling resources

Plenary: RDA 25th Plenary Meeting [part of International Data Week 2025]

Meeting objectives

Collaborative notes https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vf5jo

 

This meeting will explore how well-organised collections of FAIR-enabling resources can support the development of discipline/community specific guidelines, workshops and other interventions aimed at lowering the barriers for (re)use and integration of different types of digital assets. These FAIR-supporting resources not only include standards, tools, templates etc. but also descriptions on how they can be combined and used in research and innovation processes as well as success stories and lessons learned that can support incremental adoption of increasingly FAIR data management practices.

The session aims to bring together experiences from groups within the RDA and activities in CODATA/WDS and GO-FAIR to serve as examples of how lists of references and more elaborate collections of resources have been created, curated and used to effectively guide the implementation of the FAIR principles in different contexts. The examples presented will serve as starting points for engaging the RDA community in identifying common features and user needs while exploring shared challenges and trajectories towards sustainable, community-driven ecosystems of FAIR-enabling resources. The goal is to foster new collaborations and develop a number of joint next steps to be taken under the guise of existing RDA groups or as part of a new RDA Interest Group or Working Group.

Meeting presenters

Wolmar Nyberg Åkerström, Barbara Magagna, Susanna-Assunta Sansone, Christine Kirkpatrick, Simon Hodson, Reyna Broadhurst, John Graybeal

Meeting agenda

  1. Welcome & Introduction (10 min)
    Format: Brief introduction to the session followed by an interactive icebreaker to the topic where all participants are invited to engage.
  2. Setting the scene: Curated collections of FAIR-enabling resources (30 min)
    Format: 2–3 coordinated flash talks providing different perspectives on how collections of FAIR-enabling resources have been created, curated and used to effectively guide the implementation of the FAIR principles in different contexts followed by Q&A
  3. Discussion: Supporting guidelines, workshops and other interventions… (25 min)
    Format: Guided discussion supported by a panel, Mentimeter and collaborative notes.
  4. Synthesis: Opportunities for future work (20 min)
    Format: Reporting on related activities from participants in an open plenary discussion moderated by the session chairs.
  5. Wrap-Up & Next Steps (5 min)

Have you presented a session on the same topic at any previous plenaries?

No

Additional links to informative material

  • RDA Life Science Data Infrastructures Interest Group: Since 2022 the Life Science Data Infrastructures Interest Group has organised a number of sessions covering different aspects of adopting the FAIR in data infrastructures. During the 24th RDA Plenary Meeting, the group brought together a number of speakers from within and beyond the RDA on the topic “FAIRification Processes–achieving FAIR digital assets and services in the life sciences and beyond” and the initiative to this Birds of a Feather session was inspired by the discussions from that event.
  • GO FAIR Foundation: GO FAIR Foundation has developed the Three-Point-FAIRification Framework with three main areas of concern: FAIR Implementation Profiles, metadata for machines (M4M) and FAIR Orchestration. A FAIR Implementation Profile (FIP) is a list of declared technology choices (called FAIR Enabling Resources) intended to implement each of the FAIR Guiding Principles, made as a collective decision by the members of a particular community of practice.The FIP Wizard captures FIPs by means of a questionnaire that requires to provide answers that explicitly profile the FAIR implementation approach of that community.
    • FIP Wizard: FIPs are published by the FIP Wizard as FAIR (machine-readable) and Open data (nanopublications), which can then serve as a reference for practical FAIR data stewardship activities conducted by members of that community. FIP publication also encourages FIP reuse and repurposing by other communities, which saves time ‘reinventing the wheel’ and simultaneously drives convergence on FAIR implementation choices.
    • FAIR CONNECT: FIPs and used FAIR Enabling Resources can be searched in FAIR CONNECT.
    • See also: Find more information in the FAIR convergence and FER analysis paper.
  • RDA FAIRsharing Registry Working Group: The FAIRsharing Registry: Connecting data policies, standards and databases RDA WG has delivered principles for linking information about databases, content standards and journal and funder policies in the life sciences. These principles are implemented in a curated registry (https://fairsharing.org/) enabling access and cross-search of the information, on which a variety of stakeholders can base their decisions. See also: FAIRsharing and FIPs: where we are, where we are headed
  • CODATA: CODATA is the Committee on Data of the International Science Council. CODATA is a membership organisation, leveraging an expert network and deploying a skilled secretariat on high priority international data initiatives. CODATA pursues three strategic priorities: Making data work for cross-domain grand challenges; Promoting effective data policy; Putting data science and AI in service of science. Recent contributions include:
  • World Data System: Established in 2009 building on a legacy of World Data Centers, the World Data System has a mission to enhance the capabilities, impact, and sustainability of our member data repositories and data services by:​ creating trusted communities of scientific data repositories​; strengthening the scientific enterprise throughout the entire lifecycle of data and all related components creating first-class data that feeds first-class research output​; advocating for accessible data and transparent and reproducible science​.
  • Preparatory meetings: Leading up to the session, the organisers will arrange a short series of preparatory meetings to capture perspectives on the topic from a range of RDA groups and organisations that have broad representation across regions. These preparatory meetings will 1) inform the selection of flash talks to be presented and 2) expand this section with additional links to informative material. Contact Wolmar Nyberg Åkerström if you would like to suggest a group to reach out to.

Estimate of the required venue room capacity

50-70

Applicable Pathways

FAIR, CARE, TRUST - Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment
Training, Stewardship, and Data Management Planning
AI meets data: exploring use cases, applications and innovation

Please indicate at least (3) three breakout slots that would suit your meeting.

Breakout 2. Monday, 13 October 2025, 06:00-07:30 UTC
Breakout 4. Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 23:00-00:30 UTC
Breakout 5. Thursday, 16 October 2025, 03:30-05:00 UTC