Abbasi M, Nisbet S, Rossow N
Biography:
The author has been working in CSIRO for more than ten years as Research Software Engineer. He has been developing and deploying scientific software in various research projects in CSIRO.
Abstract:
Biomedical research is generating unprecedented volumes of data, yet much of its value remains locked within individual projects, institutions and disease domains. To accelerate discovery into disease, Australia must move towards developing enduring national data assets that are FAIR, interoperable and reusable across the research ecosystem.
Phenomics Australia is developing a National Data Assets Program that transforms disease models, experimental data and associated metadata into strategic national research infrastructure. Rather than treating data as the endpoint of research, the program positions data as an enduring asset that can support new discoveries long after its original purpose has been fulfilled.
The program brings together researchers, disease communities, digital infrastructure providers and national partners to establish common metadata standards, persistent identifiers, governance frameworks and data stewardship practices that enable data to be discovered, linked and reused. Two emerging initiatives demonstrate this approach in practice. The PURA Syndrome National Data Asset (Phenomics Australia) is establishing FAIR disease model and experimental data to accelerate research into an ultra-rare neurodevelopmental disorder, while a Clinical Psychiatry Framework Initiative (Bioplatforms Australia) is bringing together multimodal datasets across organisations to support new insights into mental health disorders through collaborative research.
This presentation will outline the vision, design principles and early implementation of the Phenomics Australia National Data Assets Program, highlighting lessons in stakeholder engagement, interoperability, FAIR data and sustainable digital infrastructure. It will demonstrate how coordinated national data assets create lasting value from Australia's research investments, enabling future discovery, supporting advanced analytical approaches, reducing duplication and accelerating research into disease across multiple health domains.
