BioFAIR is inviting applications for its first Pathfinder Projects — short, practical initiatives to tackle real-world FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) challenges, particularly those that can inform, and expect to benefit from, the national-scale infrastructure BioFAIR is creating.
These projects are designed to uncover where progress towards FAIR is getting stuck and to test domain-specific solutions that can be scaled and shared across the UK. Whether you’re just beginning your FAIR journey or already have established practices to build on, this is your opportunity to help shape the UK’s national FAIR infrastructure.
Why it matters
In the life sciences, research technical professionals still spend a significant amount of time finding, cleaning and preparing data, leaving only a fraction of their time for analysis and innovation. Some estimates suggest it may consume up to 80% of data scientists’ time1 and cost the European economy at least €10.2 billion per year, with downstream inefficiencies contributing an additional loss of €16 billion annually2.
The lack of FAIR data practices are often rooted in deep structural inefficiencies and obstacles, such as legacy, siloed data and lack of FAIR training and career incentives. The costs of such challenges are high: research progress slows, duplication of effort increases, and the potential of major scientific investments, particularly in AI, remains under-realised. The drive towards FAIR practices, therefore, is now not only a technical aspiration but a strategic necessity. FAIR adoption underpins new UKRI data sharing policies3 and provides the essential foundation for large-scale investment in data-driven discovery.
BioFAIR was established to address these challenges at a national scale. Its mission is to create a step-change in UK life sciences by accelerating the production, sharing, and reuse of FAIR data and methods. Yet, the space is vast and heterogenous: researchers across domains, from genomics to ecology, face very different FAIR-related obstacles. To build interventions that matter, BioFAIR is building a pan-UK understanding of the specific challenges faced by different communities.
Could your idea be a Pathfinder Project?
BioFAIR is looking to fund a set of diverse projects spread across the life science domains, and geographically. Areas could include, but are not limited to, imaging, multi-omics, single-cell and spatial biology, microbiomes, health, crop sustainability, and food security. We are also interested in projects at different stages in the FAIR journey, from early FAIR-aware projects to those that are more mature in their adoption. Taken together, this diversity will provide a national picture of FAIR maturity across the life sciences and reveal the most effective interventions at different stages of the journey.
Projects must not reinvent the wheel — building on or connecting existing solutions is strongly encouraged. All outputs of Pathfinder Projects, including data, code, documentation, and training materials, must be FAIR and reusable beyond the scope of the project.
A good Pathfinder Project will identify a specific, well-scoped FAIR challenge, grounded in a scientific question — and propose a realistic way to address it. This could include (but are not limited to):
- Enhancing databases, metadata, standards, ontologies and identifier frameworks
- Adapting workflows and tools for increased discoverability, portability and reproducibility
- Developing better documentation, training, or policies to enable FAIR practice at scale
- Bridging gaps between data producers, software developers, and infrastructure providers
- Addressing barriers to FAIR implementation, such as governance, incentives, or skills gaps
BioFAIR is a developing organisation. If you have an idea that does not fit these criteria, we still want to hear from you. Please submit a 1-page outline of your idea to opportunities@biofair.uk and we will get back to you as office resources allow. These summaries will also help us identify emerging ideas, workshop opportunities and direction for future funding calls.
What is out of scope for Pathfinder projects?
The following types of project (list not exhaustive) will not be considered eligible for this call:
- Projects with a narrow or local focus that deliver benefits only within a single project or organisation, without clear alignment to any wider national capabilities.
- Work that duplicates existing tools or platforms, without a clear rationale of the domain-specific value added through duplication.
- Projects that aim to develop standalone services or databases without considering how the work could inform or connect to national-level infrastructure. For example, a project that created a new database for single-cell resolution imaging data in mice would not be considered, but a project that identified the analysis workflows, portal requirements, and data standards needed to create an interoperable network of single-cell resolution imaging datasets in mice, and a reference implementation, would be considered eligible.
Support from BioFAIR
Each successful Pathfinder project will receive up to a maximum of £100,000 for twelve months, along with access to a growing national community of practice, increased visibility across the UK and early opportunities to connect with emerging BioFAIR infrastructure
How to get involved
The Pathfinder Projects call will be open from 13th October 2025 to 15th December 2025. Please visit our ‘opportunities’ page to apply.
We held an informational webinar on Thursday 9th October 2025, and you can view the recording here. A second webinar is being held on Tuesday 11th November at 11:00 GMT, register now to secure your spot:
Please use this link to register for our webinar where we will share more about how to apply, eligibility and scope. For those unable to join the webinar a recording will be posted on our website shortly after.