ELIXIR are currently listing more than 300 services and resources, some of which are listings of other services, resources, digital objects - loosely termed as ‘registries’. It is crucial that querying of these listings is done in the most effective way and is fit-for-purpose for down-stream processing. Often, the querying of one use case may be performed on multiple registries. At the moment, connecting the resources and registries to allow content collection by a specific use case is done in an ad-hoc way at best. Interoperability between registries is a gap and an opportunity for increasing effectiveness of the ELIXIR operations as well as ELIXIR users and increases the value of the collaboration within ELIXIR.

The ELIXIR Registries Focus Group is a group where the ELIXIR registries and aspiring registries would get together to discuss the process of delivering FAIR services to the ELIXIR community. The discussion will focus on a recommendation strategy of which ELIXIR-affiliated registries to reference with respect to specific purposes (e.g., addressing registries in the context of EOSC-Life usage), and to accept and reuse recommendations of what constitutes a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) registry to encourage the adoption of such recommendations at the ELIXIR Registires. The Focus Group recognises other FAIR efforts in the global collaborations.

Goals

• To identify and implement a framework of best practice(s) that will allow the different listing/cataloging/registry resources within the ELIXIR network to exchange information harmoniously. This may include suggestions for standards in the development of resources, practice of sharable process, and other interoperability-aiding elements that are fit-for-purpose (i.e., if you want to perform [X], use [Y]).
• This group focuses on the “ELIXIR Registries” by the remit of ELIXIR resources (owned by member Nodes and indicated in their Service Delivery Plans or other ELIXIR Collaboration Agreements).

Deliverable products

1. A framework criteria of the ELIXIR FAIR Registry - the focus group will establish the recommendation criteria by examining existing FAIR guidelines recognised in the international landscape, and specifying scenarios where those guidelines are fit-for-purpose. Discussions include (but not limited to) the Open E-Bench FAIR Software guideline, FAIRsFAIR Maturity Metrics, FAIRplus FAIR DMMi.
2. A listing of individual ELIXIR-affiliated registries that fit the criteria of FAIR Registry identified in the aforementioned guideline.

Identifying ELIXIR Registries that will fit the context of EOSC-Life Registries is the focus group's initial foundational use case. We are currently exploring EOSC-Life participating Research Infrastructures (RIs) to initiate conversations with those RIs (inside and outside of ELIXIR network) as the users of registries.

Group Leaders