ELIXIR Data Platform: A Foundation for a Trusted and Sustainable Life Sciences Data Ecosystem in Europe

As data volumes in the life sciences continue to grow rapidly - from genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to environmental data, health research, and biodiversity - ensuring not only the storage of these data, but also their quality, accessibility, interoperability and reusability is becoming increasingly critical. At the heart of addressing these challenges in Europe is ELIXIR, the European life sciences data infrastructure a decentralized intergovernmental organization that brings together national nodes and is built around five complementary platforms: Data, Tools, Compute, Interoperability, and Training.

This article focuses on the ELIXIR Data Platform, which provides the foundation for trusted, sustainable, and FAIR-based life sciences data management across Europe.

The days when research data were stored on local servers or personal computers without long-term accessibility or documentation are gradually becoming a thing of the past. The ELIXIR Data Platform promotes a transition toward a federated, standardized, and sustainable data ecosystem in which data are not only preserved but also made findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). The platform coordinates Europe’s most important life sciences data resources, including repositories for genomics, structural biology, bioimaging, plant sciences, and environmental data (e.g., ArrayExpress, Bgee, Biolmage Achive, GENOMICUS and Ocean Gene Atlas), ensuring their interoperability and integration.

At the core of the Data Platform are high-quality reference databases and archives maintained by ELIXIR nodes across Europe (e.g., enzyme interaction and pathway Database BRENDA by ELIXIR Germany; Human Protein Atlas (HPA) by ELIXIR Sweden). These include both open and controlled - access resources and serve as a reliable foundation for bioinformatics analyses, machine learning solutions, and reproducible research. The platform also ensures long-term data preservation, which is critical for scientific transparency and the verifiability of research results.

Platform activities are organized into several closely coordinated work streams. One of these focuses on the practical implementation of the FAIR data principles - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable - by developing guidelines, metadata standards, and tools that help researchers ensure data reusability already at the research planning stage. The Data Platform works closely with other ELIXIR platforms, particularly the Interoperability and Training platforms, to ensure that FAIR principles are not only theoretical but are effectively implemented in everyday research practice.

Another key area of work is the management of sensitive data, including human genomic and health data. In collaboration with the Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) and international initiatives such as the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), the ELIXIR Data Platform develops secure access models that balance data protection with research needs. These solutions enable international research while complying with strict ethical and regulatory requirements.

An important role of the platform is also data lifecycle management - from data generation and annotation to publication, integration, and reuse. This approach promotes data reuse and reduces fragmentation. The ELIXIR Data Platform encourages the use of standardized data descriptions, supports data linking across different domains, and ensures that data can be efficiently used together with computational and analytical tools, such as those provided by Galaxy and Nextflow environments.

The ELIXIR Data Platform actively collaborates with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC ), ensuring that life sciences data are integrated into the broader European research infrastructure. This collaboration promotes open science, interdisciplinary data use, and the emergence of new scientific discoveries.

From fundamental biology to clinical and environmental research, the ELIXIR Data Platform forms the backbone of Europe’s life sciences data landscape. By investing in data quality, standardization, and sustainability, the platform ensures that researchers can fully exploit the potential of data in today’s data-intensive science. The identification of critically important data resources, ensuring their sustainability, and strengthening the role of data within the European research infrastructure provide a trusted foundation for thousands of bioinformatics analyses and scientific publications.

The platform is led by Ulrike Wittig (ELIXIR Germany), Patrick Ruch (ELIXIR Switzerland), and Silvio Tosatto (ELIXIR Italy), with coordination provided by Fabio Liberante from the ELIXIR Central Hub.

Although Latvia is not yet an ELIXIR Member State, its research institutions - particularly high-performance computing (HPC) service providers - can already engage in ELIXIR platform activities through several channels. Latvian organizations can participate in EU-funded collaborative projects, such as those related to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) or the Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI), where ELIXIR is a key partner. It is also possible to contribute technical expertise through ELIXIR commissioned services, take part in open workshops, or collaborate informally with existing ELIXIR nodes. However, full and strategic engagement in ELIXIR platforms - including participation in decision-making, service provision, and direct access to platform coordination - will only become possible once Latvia officially becomes an ELIXIR Member State.

On 1 June 2025, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) launched the project “RSU Participation in the Horizon Europe Programme” (Project No. 1.1.1.5/3/25/I/014), which will also implement one of the new Latvian ESFRI/ERIC national partnership and action plans - Latvia’s integration into ELIXIR. One of the main objectives of this project is to secure Latvia’s full membership in ELIXIR, thereby opening opportunities for national research infrastructure stakeholders to contribute to the development of the Data Platform and to integrate Latvia’s digital infrastructure into the European life sciences data ecosystem.