The recent DFG mid-term symposium in Bonn provided a platform for DataPLANT to showcase its progress and objectives in advancing data management practices within the realm of plant science. With representatives including Cristina Martins Rodrigues as project coordinator, Stefanie Weidtkamp-Peters representing both the plant research community and being head of NFDI4BioImaging, Björn Usadel as the metadata and standardization specialist, Timo Mühlhaus for application development and Data Steward coordinator, and Dirk von Suchodoletz as the speaker, the symposium served as a pivotal moment to share insights and strategies.

DataPLANT's mission to redefine data in science is well under way. The ambition is to elevate data to a primary product in scientific inquiry. By championing principles of FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), DataPLANT aims to catalyze advancements in plant science. A core strategic element was the implementation of the annotated research context (ARC), which provides a structured starting point for every researcher, helps with the use of controlled vocabularies for enhanced data understanding, allows to share (meta)data, workflows, tools etc. and facilitates data publication in both community endpoint repositories as well as the DataPLANT DataHUB infrastructure to maximize research impact. Further, DataPLANT's approach encompasses several key strategies: Advocating for the intrinsic value of data across scientific disciplines, promoting FAIR data principles to enable seamless data sharing and reuse, bridging ontology gaps through collaborative efforts and crowd-sourced vocabulary collection, contributing to schema developments and integrating with Galaxy for streamlined research workflows.

DataPLANT follows a strong community approach inspired by the principles of Open Source software development in all areas like (meta)data, ontologies, code and knowledge base articles allowing the core and wider community to participate and contribute.

DataPLANT's commitment extends to empowering communities and fostering collaborative partnerships. With on-site support, technical assistance, and community-driven tool development, DataPLANT ensures that plant researchers can seamlessly engage with the research data management (RDM) ecosystem. As DataPLANT navigates its journey, the focus remains on: Further empowering the community, strengthening connections within the NFDI (National Research Data Infrastructure) and beyond to maximize impact and reach. DataPLANT invites a widened community to join the efforts in research data management. DataPLANT's participation in the DFG mid-term symposium underscores its commitment to redefining data practices in fundamental plant research.