Biosharing

BioSharing works at the global level to build stable linkages between journals, funders, projects implementing data sharing policies, and well-constituted standardization efforts in the biosciences domain.  The aim is to expedite the communication and the production of an integrated standards-based framework for the capture and sharing of high-throughput genomics and functional genomic bioscience data. This objective is achieved via the creation of web-based catalogues and a communication forum.

Catalogues

The BioSharing catalogues aim to centralize bioscience data policies, reporting standards and links to other related portals:

1. Providing a “one-stop shop” for those seeking data sharing policy documents and information about the standards and technologies that support them.
2. Exposing core information on well-constituted, community-driven standardization efforts and link to their standards, documentation, training material, news and contact point.
3. Linking to exiting portals, such as MIBBI , but also open access resources, such as BMC Research Notes and Nature Precedings, with documents or publications on standards.

Communication Forum

The BioSharing communication forum aims to maintain linkages between stakeholders, in particular funders and leaders of the standardization efforts, to enable flow of information and mutual support:

1. Lobbying for intra-harmonization within the two stakeholders groups to promote:
   1. an exchange of ideas and policy components among public and private funders, and between funders and potential fundees, to ensure the difference among the policies (such as the reporting standards supported) ultimately do not impede seamless interoperability of the data;
   2. cross-project activities among the standardization efforts to create interoperable reporting standards and to avoid unnecessary overlap, duplication of effort and incompatible tools.
2. Identifying a mutual support system between the two stakeholders groups to ensure that:
   1. funding agencies are abreast with challenges the standardization efforts face and can provide targeted funds to sustain their development and maintenance;
   2. when community-developed standards are mature and appropriate standards-compliant systems become available these are channeled to the appropriate funding agencies, who in turn endorse them in their data sharing policies, thus achieving wider harmonization of the data.