Promote GBIF as a prioritized European research infrastructure (ESFRI)

[dagendresen]

Most of the European countries have national research infrastructure (RI) roadmaps based on and closely aligned with the EC ESFRI roadmap. National funding for research data infrastructures follows these roadmaps.

GBIF is not on the ESFRI roadmap because GBIF is a global RI, which is causing challenges for many GBIF nodes to secure sufficient and sustainable long-term and funding for the node.

Suggested actions:

• Promote GBIF as a prioritized RI for all our national RI roadmaps.
• Highlight GBIF as a pan-European RI for our national ESFRI committee representatives.

[dagendresen]

Draft text for the 2025 roadmap process in Norway:
Because GBIF is recognized as the globally leading infrastructure for organismal biodiversity data, its services are distinct from other complementary research infrastructures in Europe (as well as in other parts of the world). Other research data infrastructures, including European ESFRI and ERIC RIs such as eLTER for ecological environmental data, DiSSCo for scientific collections, and LifeWatch ERIC for analytic services, are based on GBIF and depend on GBIF services to deliver respective infrastructure services. Efforts have been made from GBIF, ELIXIR, and iBOL (Barcode of Life) in recent years to align services for DNA sequence data, and metabarcoding with organismal and collection-based data mediated by GBIF. GBIF has demonstrated success in integrating and developing effective interoperability with other initiatives internationally as well as on the national levels.

[vajohansson]

I think this could be an opportunity to highlight the importance of GBIF in a European context: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/commission-seeks-feedback-future-charter-access-industrial-users-research-and-technology-2025-11-13_en