After two successful global community events in Japan (2024) and Australia (2025), foundingGIDE will conclude with its final community event on 4-8th of May, 2026 in Heidelberg, Germany. This community event will celebrate the project’s achievements in advancing interoperability for biological and preclinical imaging data, bringing together researchers, technology developers, funders, and policy makers.
Over the first three days, the event will feature a comprehensive program of plenary sessions designed to tackle the most pressing, high-level challenges in the global imaging data space. Topics will span the technical, policy, and community pillars of the ecosystem, including the technical foundations necessary for global data sharing, strategies for cross-domain data interoperability, the development of sustainable solutions, and essential discussions on data sharing policy and community-led adoption efforts. This plenary structure ensures that diverse perspectives, from technical experts to policymakers and industry leaders, are brought together to solidify the future roadmap.
Following the plenaries, the event will transition into a highly interactive phase featuring a hackathon and several parallel workshops. This structure will provide participants with dedicated, hands-on time to test the foundational tools and standards developed by foundingGIDE, collaborate on immediate technical challenges, and advance practical solutions for image data reuse and integration.