Background - BioFAIR

The concept of BioFAIR was developed by ELIXIR-UK. What started as a pilot study proposal in 2020 led to ELIXIR-UK working with Technopolis Group to carry out a full Feasibility Study in 2021, and in turn to a successful joint proposal for BioFAIR; A data commons infrastructure for biological and biomedical sciences, to enhance the sharing, management and reuse of UKRI-supported data.

Find out more about the UKRI Infrastructure Funded projects.

BioFAIR seeks to catalogue and pool life science data currently stored at different institutions and repositories. By bridging the gap between researchers, institutional data repositories, and existing data infrastructures, the project hopes to accelerate discoveries and innovation.

As bioscience research is often extremely collaborative, the gains from BioFAIR will not be limited to those that attend BioFAIR training courses or who embed the tools and workflows recommended by BioFAIR. Whole research groups, institutions and resource networks will see benefit from its adoption. Knowledge transfer will occur between academics and research groups, but is not limited to that space. Public and third sector innovation, private entrepreneurs and citizens will all benefit from this drive to ensure FAIR principles are adopted across UK bioscience research.

What we do

The BioFAIR project is dedicated to advancing life science research by improving the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) of research data. Our mission is to enable more efficient and transparent research practices that accelerate discoveries and improve health outcomes.

We bring together a dynamic network of researchers, data scientists, and medical researchers to develop innovative solutions that make bioinformatic data more discoverable and usable. By implementing FAIR principles, we strive to overcome barriers that limit the potential of data-driven research.

Through collaborative partnerships and cutting-edge technologies, BioFAIR fosters a culture of open science and data stewardship. Our work not only enhances data management practices but also promotes ethical data sharing, ensuring that scientific advancements are built on robust, reproducible, and reusable research data.

Meet the team

Our diverse and passionate team brings together experts from research, data science, and healthcare to drive innovation in biomedical data management and champion the principles of FAIR—Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability.