COST Action CHARME (CA15110) - Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase efficiency and competitiveness of European Life Science Research

The COST Action CHARME: a European initiative for the harmonisation of standards for life-science research Open Science (OS) describes the ongoing transitions in the way research is performed, i.e. researchers collaborate, knowledge is shared, and science is organised. OS is driven by digital technologies and by the growth of data, globalisation, enlargement of the scientific community and the need to address societal challenges. It has now widely been recognised that making research results more accessible contributes to more efficient science and innovation in the public and private sectors. To unlock that potential, data needs to be made computer readable and interoperable. Therefore, they must be generated, formatted and stored according to Standard Operating Procedures and Data Management Plans included as an integral part of any projects. Although several initiatives are actives in different life science research fields, they are still too much fragmented. A significant barrier hindering the implementation of FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data principles is the lack of awareness and insufficient education of scientists and other stakeholders in the process of producing, handling, publishing and transferring knowledge to biotech applications. CHARME: "Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of European life-science research", is an Action funded through COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). CHARME aims to identify needs and gaps in standards, teaming up with other initiatives and organisations, and proposing new strategies for successful assimilation of standards into the daily work-flow of researchers. This presentation underlines the scenario in which CHARME moves and actions needed to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of life-science research.