From 17 to 20 June 2019 the ELIXIR All-Hands meeting took place in Lisbon. In the meeting participants looked back at their successful activities within the last four years of the EU-funded EXCELERATE H2020 infrastructure project. It was also a forward-looking event, focusing on the next 5 years of the scientific programme. There were plenary sessions with keynotes, but also more than 30 workshops organised by so-called ELIXIR platforms and communities. The ELIXIR platforms (Compute, Data, Tools, Interoperability and Training) form the basis for the ELIXIR services. Whereas the ELIXIR Communities form the connections to user groups in the life sciences and help guide the development of infrastructure according to user’s needs.
The ELIXIR delegation from the Netherlands formed a large group (ELIXIR-NL) at the All-Hands meeting. Participants came from various universities (VU Amsterdam, University of Maastricht, Wageningen University & Research, University of Groningen), university medical centers (Leiden University Medical Center, University Medical Center Groningen, Erasmus Medical Center) and organisations (SURF, DTL office).
ELIXIR-NL is conducting leading roles in two of the five platforms and are active in several of the ELIXIR communities. At the meeting, ELIXIR-NL representatives have been leading several of the workshops, and also presented posters showcasing the group’s progress.
For the coming 5 years, ELIXIR has defined many interesting areas where its infrastructure service can be made more comprehensive. Another ambition is to make ELIXIR services easier to use, for example by improved interoperability and adherence to standards. ELIXIR nodes, together with the central coordinating hub, are continuously working to identify funding calls that correspond to parts of the ELIXIR ambitions. ELIXIR further actively encourages international collaborations.
The Dutch node helps to substantiate ELIXIR’s ambitions. It will, through the participation in individual projects, keep extending this infrastructure with the aim to serve life science researchers.