Get Involved 

The Project Forums regularly bring together representatives of the partner institutions and serve as the consortium’s central online exchange format. Current developments are discussed, work results are shared, and new topics, collaborations, or partners are introduced.

What this format offers:

• An overview of current activities and developments within the consortium
• Insights into work results, new topics, and collaborations
• Exchange with partners from various areas of the biodiversity data community

Participation:

• Open to members of partner institutions without prior registration
• Contributions of topics, presentations, or discussion points are highly welcome (contact: NFDI4Biodiversity Project Office (office@gfbio.org<
• Upcoming dates can be found here and in the Event Hub of the internal project area (Confluence). (Access requires a registered account; further information was provided during onboarding.)

The NFDI4Biodiversity All Hands Conference takes place every 18 months in person and serves as the consortium’s central working meeting. Recurring program elements include a keynote from practice, status reports from the Task Areas, workshops, a poster session, and the Software & Tools Marketplace.

You can find the program of the 2024 All Hands Conference here as an example.

What this format offers:

• An overview of activities within the consortium
• Exchange with other NFDI initiatives and the wider community
• Opportunities for active participation (e.g. presentations, workshops, posters)

Participation

• Open to all project participants
• Members of partner institutions receive a Call for Contributions
• The next conference will take place in Leipzig in spring 2027 (further information will be published in our Events section once planning becomes more concrete).

Joint Plenary 2025

Shanice Allerheiligen

BiodiversiTea is a monthly online exchange format focusing on topics, projects, and developments from the NFDI4Biodiversity community. In an informal atmosphere, every third Tuesday of the month (11 a.m.–12 p.m.), participants share results, present biodiversity community initiatives, look for collaborators for new projects, or introduce other topics.

Previous sessions can be found here.

What this format offers:

• Space for open exchange and fresh ideas
• Opportunities to present your own topics, tools, or results
• Insights into current developments within the community

Participation:

• Monthly online meeting (approx. 1 hour)
• Active contributions and participation in discussions are welcome
• Topic suggestions and interest in hosting a session can easily be submitted via this form
• Contact for questions: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)
• Upcoming dates can be found in our Events

In addition to our regular formats, we regularly initiate further events such as workshops, hackathons, or networking meetings.

What this format offers:

• Flexible participation opportunities
• Space for new topics and ideas
• Exchange across different formats

Participation

• Participation depending on interest and occasion
• New ideas and formats can be proposed at any time

As part of the collaboration with the BMBF-funded research initiative FEdA, NFDI4Biodiversity supports funded projects in research data management and jointly develops solutions for handling biodiversity data.

What this format offers:

• Collaboration on an interdisciplinary data management approach
• Cooperation with projects from research, policy, and practice
• Further development of services, processes, and consulting offers
• Insights into new application areas and requirements

Teilnahme:

• Participation through existing consortium structures and services
• Contribution of expertise in consulting, data management, and infrastructure
• Involvement in the further development of the collaboration
• Contact: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)

The Biodata Interest Group is a joint initiative of several life science NFDI consortia aimed at more closely integrating the management of biological data.

What this format offers:

• Exchange on cross-consortium topics
• Coordination and further development of shared approaches
• Networking with related initiatives

Participation

• Open to additional thematically relevant NFDI consortia
• Participation through exchange and joint activities
• Interested parties can connect via the Biodata Interest Group mailing list and receive updates on activities
• Contact within NFDI4Biodiversity: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)

The Flexfunds enable partner institutions to implement their own project ideas in the field of research data management and actively contribute to the further development of NFDI4Biodiversity.

Funding is provided for smaller, practice-oriented projects — including collaborations with additional stakeholders from the biodiversity community.

What this format offers:

• Financial support for individual projects (e.g. development, documentation, or community activities)
• Opportunity to implement your own topics and ideas within the consortium
• Further development of tools, services, and resources
• Collaboration with partners inside and outside the consortium
• Participation in a structured selection and review process involving the community

Examples of possible activities:

• Data mobilization and standardization
• Development or optimization of tools and services
• Creation of training materials and documentation
• Integration of data and service providers
• Open-access publications or community activities

Teilnahme:

• Applications submitted by partner institutions (with involvement of the PI)
• Collaboration with external partners possible
• Project selection carried out by a Review Board and the Steering Committee
• Contact: Jan-Ocko Heuer (joheuer@gfbio.org)
• The next call is expected to start in early 2027.

Topic Tables are thematic working groups in which partner institutions collaborate with the community to address specific challenges in research data management.

The goal is to jointly develop solutions and make them available to the community in the form of guidelines, roadmaps, or other outputs.

You can find previous Topic Table projects here. Many groups welcome new contributors at any time; further information can be found on the respective subpages.

What this format offers:

• Financial support for workshops, networking, and publications
• Organizational integration into the structures of NFDI4Biodiversity
• Space to actively advance topics that are dear to you
• Collaboration with partners and the external community
• Development of concrete outputs for continued work

Examples of possible outcomes:

• Guidelines or position papers
• Roadmaps and workflows
• Publications or follow-up proposals

Participation:

• Submission of your own topics together with at least one additional institution
• Coordination of working groups through partner institutions
• Participation in existing Topic Tables possible
• Contact: Sarah Fischer-Zielke (fischer-zielke@fbn-dummerstorf.de)
• The next call is expected to start in early 2027.

The NFDI4Biodiversity News Blog highlights results, events, and developments from the community. Members of partner institutions can contribute their own topics and work with the communications team on editorial preparation.

Articles are published on the website and distributed through NFDI4Biodiversity’s communication channels, reaching the expert community, partner networks, and other interested audiences.

What this format offers:

• Visibility for results, requests for feedback, searches for collaborators, and other topics of interest to the community
• Reach through the website, social media, and community mailings
• Support in preparing scientific content in an accessible way, including editorial guidance from the communications team
• Opportunity to gain experience and work samples in science communication

Participation

• Topics for contributions can be proposed at any time
• One-time or regular participation as an author possible
• Kontakt: Katharina Frohne (kfrohne@gfbio.org)

The event calendar lists all events organized by NFDI4Biodiversity or involving the consortium, including conferences, workshops, lectures, hackathons, and much more.

What this format offers:

• Central visibility for events involving consortium members

Participation

• All consortium members can independently add events via the Event Hub in the internal project area (Confluence), after which the communications team transfers them to the website
• Instructions can be found in Confluence via this guide. (Access requires a registered account; further information was provided during onboarding.)

Project-related job postings can be submitted to reach as many potential applicants as possible.

What this format offers:

• Targeted visibility for job advertisements
• Outreach to a professionally relevant community
• Distribution via website, mailing lists, and LinkedIn

Teilnahme:

• Submission of project-related job advertisements
• Contact: Katharina Frohne (kfrohne@gfbio.org)

The Communications Office is the central unit for public outreach and science communication within NFDI4Biodiversity.

What this format offers:

• Insights into science communication and public outreach
• Active participation in shaping the consortium’s public presence
• Contribution to key communication channels (e.g. website, blog) 

Participation

• Active involvement (extent depending on availability)
• Contact: Katharina Frohne (kfrohne@gfbio.org)

The Knowledge Base is the publicly accessible, collaboratively maintained knowledge resource of the NFDI4Biodiversity network, bringing together documentation, best practices, and key information. Partners can also use it, for example, to publish calls.

What this format offers:

• Access to structured knowledge for a broad community
• Collection of best practices and experiences
• Publication of calls and announcements

Participation

• Creation and expansion of content
• Documentation of experiences and use cases
• Giving feedback on existing content
• Contribution of ideas for the further development of the resource
• Contact: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)

The NFDI4Biodiversity Zenodo Community centrally collects and showcases project-related publications and materials.

What this format offers:

• Central discoverability of publications
• Long-term availability of materials
• Sharing and visibility of research and further work results

Participation:

• Materials can be uploaded by anyone with a Zenodo account (e.g. articles, posters; please note the NFDI4Biodiversity Publication Policy)

The NFDI4Biodiversity All Hands Conference takes place approx. every 18 months in person and serves as the consortium’s central working meeting. Recurring program elements include a keynote from practice, status reports from the Task Areas, workshops, a poster session, and the Software & Tools Marketplace.

You can find the program of the 2024 All Hands Conference here as an example.

What this format offers:

• Comprehensive insights into activities and results
• Exchange with stakeholders from research, infrastructure, and practice
• Joint collaboration in workshops and similar formats

Participation

• Open to external participants
• Active contributions (e.g. talks, workshops, posters) possible upon coordination
• The next conference will take place in Leipzig in spring 2027.

Joint Plenary 2025

Shanice Allerheiligen

BiodiversiTea is a monthly online exchange format focusing on topics, projects, and developments from the NFDI4Biodiversity community. In an informal atmosphere, every third Tuesday of the month (11 a.m.–12 p.m.), participants share results, present initiatives from the biodiversity community, look for collaborators for new projects, or introduce other topics. For external stakeholders, the meeting provides an ideal opportunity to bring topics into the NFDI4Biodiversity and biodiversity data community.

Previous sessions can be found here.

What this format offers:

• Opportunity to introduce topics to the NFDI4Biodiversity and biodiversity data community (e.g. presenting related initiatives or institutions)
• Insights into current topics and developments

Participation:

• Open to everyone interested; no affiliation with the consortium required
• Participation and own contributions possible
• Topic suggestions and interest in hosting a session can easily be submitted via this form
• Contact for questions: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)
• Upcoming dates can be found in our Events

Die Biodata Interest Group ist eine gemeinsame Initiative mehrerer NFDI-Konsortien (u.a. DataPLANT, NFDI4Biodiversity und NFDI4Microbiota) zur Abstimmung und Weiterentwicklung des Managements biologischer Daten.

What this format offers:

• Austausch zu konsortienübergreifenden Fragestellungen
• Einblick in abgestimmte Entwicklungen innerhalb der NFDI
• Vernetzung mit Initiativen aus verwandten Fachrichtungen

Teilnahme:

• Besonders relevant für Angehörige anderer NFDI-Konsortien mit Bezug zu Biodaten
• Möglichkeit, sich thematisch einzubringen und der Initiative anzuschließen
• Beteiligung an gemeinsamen Aktivitäten und Abstimmungen
• Interessierte können sich über die Mailingliste der Biodata Interest Group vernetzen und Informationen zu Aktivitäten erhalten
• Ansprechpartnerin innerhalb von NFDI4Biodiversity: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)

As part of the BMBF-funded research initiative for biodiversity conservation (FEdA), NFDI4Biodiversity collaborates with funded projects to ensure that research data remains sustainably accessible and reusable.

The collaboration connects research and infrastructure and develops solutions for interdisciplinary data management.

What this format offers:

• Support with research data management and data management plans
• Guidance on archiving and publishing research data
• Development of processes for providing and linking metadata
• Integration into a growing network of projects, data centers, and initiatives

Teilnahme:

• Particularly relevant for projects within the FEdA initiative
• Opportunities for exchange and collaboration with NFDI4Biodiversity
• Contact possible to discuss collaboration opportunities
• Contact: Judith Engel (judith.engel@uni-bremen.de)

NFDI4Biodiversity is always interested in connecting with initiatives, projects, and stakeholders from the biodiversity data landscape and related fields. The goal is to identify synergies, jointly advance topics, and learn from one another. Joining the consortium as a partner institution is also possible where there is a suitable fit.

Added value:

• Networking with stakeholders from research, infrastructure, and practice
• Development of synergies across disciplines and initiatives

Participation:

• Get in touch if you are interested in collaboration
• Joint exploration of possible collaboration formats
• Contacts: NFDI4Biodiversity spokesperson Frank Oliver Glöckner and deputy spokesperson Barbara Ebert (contact@nfdi4biodiversity.org)

The Flexfunds support smaller projects aimed at improving research data management in biodiversity research.

External stakeholders can also participate by contributing ideas and implementing projects together with a partner institution.

What this format offers:

• Financial support for collaborative projects (through the partner institution)
• Opportunity to turn your own ideas into concrete projects
• Collaboration with the NFDI4Biodiversity consortium
• Contribution to the further development of tools, services, and resources
• Participation in a structured selection process

Examples of possible topics:

• Data mobilization and standardization
• Development or improvement of tools
• Creation of training materials
• Preparation and publication of datasets

Teilnahme:

• Participation in cooperation with a NFDI4Biodiversity partner institution
• Joint development and implementation of project ideas
• Applications submitted through the partner institution
• Contact: Jan-Ocko Heuer (joheuer@gfbio.org)
• The next call is expected to start in early 2027.

Topic Tables bring together stakeholders from the biodiversity community to collaboratively develop solutions for challenges in research data management.
Participation usually takes place in cooperation with at least one NFDI4Biodiversity partner institution.

The work is carried out in thematic groups and results in concrete outputs that are made available to the community.

You can find previous Topic Table projects here.

What this format offers:

• Financial support for workshops, networking, and publications
• Opportunity for active participation in community-driven topics
• Exchange and collaboration across institutional boundaries
• Development of concrete outputs (e.g. guidelines, white papers, roadmaps)
• Integration into an existing network of partners and community members

Teilnahme:

• Contribution of your own topics together with a NFDI4Biodiversity partner institution
• Participation in existing Topic Tables after coordination with the respective contact person
• Collaboration in working groups together with consortium partners
• Contact: Sarah Fischer-Zielke (fischer-zielke@fbn-dummerstorf.de)
• The next call is expected to start in early 2027.