In 2006 ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research and Innovation), a body set up by 33 countries at the initiative of the European Council, identified 35 pan-European research infrastructures that are of key importance for the development of science and innovation.
Among them, ELIXIR is one of very few in the ESFRI roadmap that is considered to be of global significance. In the latest ESFRI Roadmap (2016), ELIXIR is now classified as a Landmark - a research infrastructure that reached its implementation phase by 2015.
The ESFRI process has identified 13 BMS research infrastructures - from biobanks to structural biology - that are developing in parallel. As these infrastructures either produce or use data that lie within ELIXIR's remit, close co-operation and coordination will help to ensure seamless deposition, access and integration of their data.
The collaboration among the the biological and medical science Research Infrastructures on the ESFRI roadmap have been formalised in May 2015 when twelve BMS research infrastructures signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate through a new BMS Strategy Group. The EU-funded CORBEL grant provides in parallel a formal mechanism for the twelve RIs to collaborate on a scientific and technical basis.
Current collaborations
BBMRI-ERIC
ELIXIR and BBMRI-ERIC signed a statement on strategic collaboration in March 2023. It identifies the areas for future collaboration such as research data management, training, Ethical, Legal and Societal Issues (ELSI) and the provision of human data from biobanks through the European Genomics Data Infrastructure (GDI) project.
Euro-BioImaging
ELIXIR and Euro-BioImaging have developed a joint image data strategy to support access to biological image data and link it to biomolecular data. Biological image data is a rapidly changing field and this collaboration strategy will be continuously updated as the collaboration deepens and user needs change over the years.