Strengthening Global Collaboration at the Health Research Infrastructure Ecosystems Meeting

On 2 December, 2024, INFRAFRONTIER participated in the Health Research Infrastructure Ecosystems Meeting, a dedicated side event held alongside the International Conference for Research Infrastructures (ICRI) 2024 in Brisbane, Australia.

The side event brought together health research infrastructures (RIs) from Australia and Europe, including ELIXIR, EU-OPENSCREEN, Euro-BioImaging, and INFRAFRONTIER, as well as Australia’s NCRIS Health RIs. Building on discussions initiated at the Australian and European Health Research Infrastructure Symposium in Prato, Italy, in September 2023, the meeting provided a valuable platform to explore opportunities for enhanced international collaboration across health RIs.

The workshop programme featured presentations from seven RIs and three interactive panel discussions with audience engagement. Participants discussed existing partnerships, identified new areas of interest, and explored potential collaborations in areas such as quality management, training, data sharing, and data standardisation.

A key message from the event was clear: Coordinated RIs facilitate cross-border research efforts, enabling scientists from different countries to access shared resources and expertise. This type of collaboration is essential for tackling global health challenges, as it allows for pooling of knowledge and data across diverse populations and research settings.