Quality over quantity: Three days of tackling the big questions

What information do microbiology researchers really need?
Which experimental protocols should be easier to find and reuse?
And how can we make sure valuable community knowledge remains accessible?

These were some of the key questions guiding NFDI4Microbiota’s Knowledge Base content & coding sprint from 13th to 15th October.

Here’s what eight of our participants accomplished together:

• More microbiology-specific content:
  We identified opportunities to provide microbiology-specific recommendations across our research data management (RDM) topics and opened 26 new Github issues to guide further improvements.
• Improved search and navigation:
  We implemented a fully functional search bar and content preview feature.
• Improving protocol accessibility:
  We discussed protocols.io and backup strategies, and updated our list of experimental SOPs contributed by community members.
• Connecting expertise across NFDI:
  We reviewed 54 services provided by our Biodata Interest Group partners and shared feedback to guide our collaborations further towards #OneNFDI.

Our guiding principle throughout the sprint was simple: quality over quantity. By focusing on the questions that matter most to microbiology researchers, we are taking practical steps towards a more useful and community-driven Knowledge Base.

Closing three big issues during the Knowledge Base sprint and reviewing 54 services of our Biodata IG partners, helped us create 26 new ideas for future content improvement for more microbiology-focused topics. Stay tuned for next year’s sprint!