Participants

As part of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), NFDI4Microbiota aims to advance microbiology research by providing access to providing access to data, analysis services, data/metadata standards, and training.

Participants are institutions or people that make important, ongoing contributions to NFDI4Microbiota. Unlike the main institutions that apply for the funding, participants do not help design the overall work plan and are not in charge of any specific part of it. However, their role is still essential to the consortium’s success.

NFDI4Microbiota Call for Participants 2025

The NFDI4Microbiota consortium invites institutions and individuals to join as participants for the second funding phase (2026-2031). The call is open until June 15, 2025.

Why Join?

Participants enjoy a range of exclusive benefits:

• Targeted Solutions: Get direct support to implement best practices for the data handling in your lab, including guidance on adopting Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs), Data Management Plans (DMPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and FAIR data strategies.
• Direct Bilateral Exchange: Through an early-career ambassador, you maintain a close, continuous link to all our activities. The ambassador provides direct feedback, participates in ambassador meetings, shares NFDI4Microbiota updates within their local community, and advocates for data management and standardization.
• Professional Development: Your ambassador receives mentoring, access to job postings and networking opportunities, positioning them as a community leader. The members of your institution can enhance their skills in our training and workshops.
• Access to funding: As participant, you can exclusively apply to our Flex Funds aimed at supporting small projects within the research community.
• Early Access: Be among the first to explore and implement new NFDI4Microbiota tools, services, and updates—giving your institution a competitive edge.
• Influence the Direction: Your feedback and needs directly shape NFDI4Microbiota’s developments. Our work reflects your real-world challenges.
• Community and Collaboration: You are benefitting from our international network of researchers and developers.

How to Contribute:

There are several ways participants can get involved in NFDI4Microbiota:

• Nominate and support an early-career researcher to join the ambassador program
• Design data and metadata standards
• Develop workflows and tools
• Provide datasets and software
• Write Use Cases and contribute to them
• Use and promote NFDI4Microbiota output within their local research community
• Give training and organize or participate in events interesting to the community
• Offer general feedback
• Participate in and distribute surveys

How to Apply:

If you or your institution would like to be part of NFDI4Microbiota’s second funding phase (2026-2031), please follow these steps:

1. Review the NFDI4Microbiota proposal: Identify areas where your institution or working group can contribute. If needed, a bilateral discussion can help clarify potential tasks and points of collaboration.

2. Submit a Letter of Commitment: Please provide a Letter of Commitment (LoC) from the responsible institution or department confirming your willingness to undertake the specified tasks based on this template ( docx, odt, rtf) until June 10, 2025.

3. Fill in the application form (optional): Complete the application form ( docx, odt, rtf), where you will define how your institution will contribute to NFDI4Microbiota work and identify specific tasks your institution will take on.

4. Submit Documents: Send your signed Letter of Commitment and completed application form to the email address below by June 15, 2025.

We look forward to your participation and are excited to welcome you to the NFDI4Microbiota consortium. For any questions or further information, please contact us via email at contact@nfdi4microbiota.de until June 15, 2025.