FLAIR-GG -Evolution of Germplasm Banks From Seed Keepers and Providers to FAIR Data Centers

Informed ex situ conservation strategies require data from germplasm banks about both the breadth and depth of sampling for any given species to answer a key question: are samples available for most natural occurrences of each species spanning the breadth of soil, topography and climate types? When this is so, the germplasm bank is likely to have a rich representation of genome adaptations. Importantly, and especially for wild species, germplasm is held in a widely disparate and distributed array of germplasm banks that have limited resources and limited data exploration interfaces. This has led to germplasm banks being used primarily as seed providers, in spite of the fact that the rich information they contain is critical for developing data-driven conservation and use strategies. The FLAIR-GG initiative intends to assist germplasm banks to evolve from just seed keepers and distributors to independent data centers. The FLAIR-GG platform deploys tools and standards —based on the FAIR Principles— that facilitate both inter-bank collaborations as well as connections to eco-geographical databases, and also “vertical” connections with international germplasm catalogues. FLAIR-GG establishes a stepwise approach to enhancing data discovery and sharing with a minimum of training or resources required, in an attempt to minimize the barrier-to-entry to this critical migration from bank to data center. Here we discuss the objectives, methodology, and current outcomes of the ongoing roll-out of the FLAIR-GG Network and Virtual Platform, and invite other participants to join the initiative.