ELIXIR Focus Groups are agile structures that bring interested parties together around a particular topic.  Typically they are used to address emerging areas of interest and seek to identify a strategy that ELIXIR can follow.

Establishing a Focus Group may lead to a new ELIXIR Community, but that is not the default intention. In most cases that will not happen. In addition, it will not be a requirement for a proposed new Community to have previously been a Focus Group. 

Focus Groups are open to any member of ELIXIR plus, where useful, external parties. They are established by a lightweight approval process, at the discretion of the ELIXIR Director.

You can find the rationale, a more detailed description, and the application form to create a Focus Group in this Google Doc.

Current Focus Groups

• Biocuration
• Cancer Data
• Environmental Impact
• EOSC
• FAIR Training
• Health Data
• Impact
• Innovation and Industry
• Machine Learning (AI)
• Research Data Alliance (RDA) Activities

Past Focus Groups

• Biodiversity. In May 2023 this group became the Biodiversity Community.
• Systems Biology. In May 2022 this group became the Systems Biology Community.
• Registries (2020-22)