Highlights from foundingGIDE Community Event 2024

foundingGIDE is a project coordinated by Euro-BioImaging and funded under the European Commission's Horizon Europe framework program. foundingGIDE is dedicated to enabling the interoperability of image data resources through ontology mapping and harmonisation of metadata models. 

The recent foundingGIDE Community Event was held on October 31st to November 1st, 2024, in Okazaki, Japan, back-to-back with Global BioImaging Exchange of Experience. The event brought together global imaging experts, policymakers, funders, and imaging and data researchers to drive forward solutions for FAIR biological and preclinical image data in a collaborative effort to lay the foundation for a coordinated Global Image Data Ecosystem (GIDE).

The foundingGIDE Community Event brought together participants from 26 countries, with more than 130 registrations and ~100 in-person participants.

Through a dynamic mix of expert panels, presentations, and interactive breakout discussions, the event tackled critical challenges while highlighting innovative tools, strategies, and community-driven initiatives shaping the future of bioimage data management. Key discussions emphasized the need for sustainable funding models, harmonized global policies, and strong industry partnerships to ensure robust, long-term FAIR data infrastructures. Participants underscored the importance of global collaboration and inclusive engagement, particularly from under-resourced regions, as essential for addressing technical and cultural barriers and driving equitable progress in the field.

Discussions spanned a range of critical topics, including policies to support Open Science and data sharing, technical solutions to enable seamless image data exchange, lessons learned from genomics data, and the essential role of community collaboration in advancing FAIR image data practices.

More on the takeaways from the event are available on foundingGIDE Community on Zenodo and on foundingGIDE website, ensuring the broad dissemination of insights and fostering continued collaboration in the global bioimaging community.

Next steps

This year’s foundingGIDE Community Event highlighted the power of global collaboration in overcoming barriers to achieving FAIR bioimaging data. By uniting diverse perspectives—from funders, policymakers, and tool developers to research infrastructure leaders and domain scientists—the event laid the groundwork for a global image data ecosystem.

The next and second foundingGIDE Community Event is already on the horizon! Mark your calendars for October 17–18, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. Stay tuned here.