Dear colleagues in FAIRagro,
an eventful and inspiring year lies behind us! Since the start of our project in March 2023, we have made impressive progress together. Collaboration within our consortium has become even more productive this year and we have successfully positioned ourselves further in the NFDI.
I am particularly proud of the many milestones we have achieved together: Our task areas have produced groundbreaking results. We were able to gain new use cases and thus also additional stakeholders from the agricultural sciences. We have also established valuable partnerships with other NFDI consortia and international initiatives. I would particularly like to highlight the election of our Community Advisory Board, which forms a strong foundation for our work with important national and international partners. Many people will certainly still remember the Community Summit in early summer, which provided many new impulses for agrosystems research. The intensive exchange and collaboration within this framework not only strengthened our vision, but also brought our team closer together. Another highlight was our plenary meeting in November, where we were able to discuss progress, challenges and goals in person with all FAIRagro members. These encounters illustrate time and again how crucial personal contact is for the success of our work.
I would like to thank you for all of this! Your commitment and your outstanding work are the basis for our success. I would also like to thank our partners, friendly institutions and all scientists who are increasingly interested in “FAIR” research data management and enrich us with their contributions and ideas. Together, we are shaping a forward-looking infrastructure that will strengthen our research in the long term.
I look forward to the coming year with great confidence. 2025 will undoubtedly present us with new challenges, but I am convinced that we will successfully master them as the FAIRagro community – and not lose the joy of our work in the process.
I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing Christmas season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Kind regards,
Frank Ewert
