In mid-June, the FAIRagro Steering Committee and members of the Community Advisory Board met in Berlin to discuss the consortium’s progress to date and prepare for the second funding phase. It was two days filled with lively discussions and intensive exchanges, during which the progress made since 2023 was presented and acknowledged, and perspectives on the further development of community, service, and support offerings were discussed in order to align FAIRagro even more closely with the needs of the agricultural science community. Another key focus of the meeting was the future strategic direction of FAIRagro, both within the NFDI and in the international context.
The members of the CAB made numerous recommendations for the further development and integration of FAIR practices in the agricultural sciences. Emily Clark (EMBL-EBI) shared her experiences in animal research, Anne-Françoise Adam-Blondon (INRAE) contributed perspectives from the ELIXIR standpoint, and Bernd Rauch (IESE) provided interesting insights into the work of the Common European Agricultural Data Space (CEADS)—always with an eye toward potential opportunities for FAIRagro’s development.
All participants agreed, above all, on the importance of FAIRagro as a vital link between research, data management, and the scientific community—and, by extension, that the scientific added value and tangible impact of FAIRagro should be made even more visible in the future through concrete application examples and success stories.
The results of this constructive meeting will now be compiled and incorporated into FAIRagro’s ongoing strategy development. Many thanks to all participants, especially the CAB members who traveled to attend.