Genome Canada’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems (CSAFS) Initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of Canada’s food production systems. Interdisciplinary Challenge Teams (ICTs) have been tasked with finding ways genomic technologies can help achieve NetZero emissions. Each ICT will collect various data types, including ‘omics data, along with information describing the processes used in data collection, analysis, and possible data sharing. The disparate, fragmented data and information captured by each ICT project creates a heterogeneous mixture of data, databases, metadata and data repositories, posing a challenge for assessing the carbon footprint of the Canadian agrifood ecosystem. 

The Climate‐Smart Data Collaboration Centre (CSDCC) will form a crosscutting data coordination and collaboration hub for all funded ICTs and the CSAFS Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Coordination Hub (KMIC). The CSDCC will connect ICT outputs by creating an ecosystem that supports research data management activities, data governance and data analytics.  

The CSDCC aims to change the fragmented research data landscape. It will do this by transitioning to a networked data mesh architecture that uses existing platforms and technologies. This approach ensures that researchers can use tools and resources best suited to their purpose. To help connect across existing data assets of the ecosystem, the CSDCC will improve researchers’ ability to find and integrate outputs, following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). This will be done by respecting data ownership (e.g., industry, OCAP®), embracing accessibility and transparency of data operations and improving the data literacy of the community. 

The CSDCC will take a staged approach by creating a joint portfolio data plan with KMIC and the ICTs. This includes: 

• First, developing common resources, data specifications, software tools, training material, guidelines and policies, analytical workflows and access to computing infrastructure, where needed.  

• Then, through training and community engagement, the team will transfer these open-source and open-access resources to the ICT teams and the organizations and groups that provided the data, allowing them to increase capacities and skills over time.  

• Finally, as the community becomes experienced with data management and builds trust in sharing data, the CSDCC will empower community members to create and refine these resources, fostering a mature, scalable and sustainable data ecosystem.