PARC FAIR Data Hub

PARC is developing the PARC FAIR Data Hub which will be a data platform to facilitate management of PARC-reused or generated data in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), and to support the chemical risk assessment (CRA) process. The PARC FAIR Data Hub will support data publishers, data owners, and chemical risk assessment experts, from both research and regulatory sectors.  

The PARC FAIR Data Hub builds upon and enhances the existing chemical risk assessment (CRA) data resources and standards. It will have full complementarity and interoperability with the existing regulatory and FAIR data resources and initiatives, supporting the translation of regulatory research into formats suitable for use in chemical risk assessment in practice.  

The PARC FAIR Data Hub will provide tools and interfaces to find, visualize, and access existing chemical risk assessment resources, such as PARC-reused or generated data, data providers, laboratory capacities, or best-fit repositories for newly generated data.  

Data Hub will be available to its users free of charge. Expected availability of first version witch interactive dashboards of available chemical risk assessment relevant resources is during March 2024.  

The architecture of the data hub 

PARC FAIR Data Hub adopts a modular architecture. End of 2023, the first two modules are in development: the metadata service module, and the chemical risk assessment data landscape dashboard module.  

Starting with a browser for environmental and human biomonitoring data resources, and metadata, the data hub will later be expanded to include other PARC research domains and data types.  

Onwards, modules containing FAIR enabling tools, application programming interfaces (APIs), or connectors to external repositories will be developed. This incremental approach ensures that the PARC FAIR Data Hub builds out a holistic chemical risk assessment ontology with interlinked domains, rather than individual, siloed domains that do not interact.

Ensuring future data access 

The development and maintenance of the PARC FAIR Data Hub require investment of personnel, time, and financial resources during the planned seven years of the partnership. But what happens next? From the beginning of the partnership, PARC has been aware of the importance of discussing and preparing its sustainability and contribution to the future of chemical risk assessment in Europe. Therefore, PARC explores collaboration with existing and newly developed research infrastructures within the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) such as EIRENE, BBMRI, or ELIXIR, to explore capacities, tools, and options to ensure the long-term sustainability of the PARC FAIR Data Hub.