Case study: COVID-19 Data Platform supports pandemic research efforts

The scientific response to COVID-19 relied on rapid data sharing to understand the biology, epidemiology, transmission, and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

To meet this need, EMBL-EBI built the European COVID-19 Data Platform in conjunction with the European Commission, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), ELIXIR, the Technical University of Denmark, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Erasmus Medical Centre, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands and Eötvös Loránd University.

The European COVID-19 Data Platform made SARS-CoV-2 data (including high-quality genomic sequence data) and analysis tools freely available to the global scientific community.

As a trustworthy provider of open biological data, EMBL-EBI’s rapid response was built on a rich history of large-scale international scientific collaborations, sustained investment in research data infrastructure, and direct host nation capital investment in EMBL-EBI’s technology, through UK Research and Innovation.

“The European COVID-19 Data Platform has brought the European stakeholders together with one common goal: providing open and rapid access to data, tools and workflows.”

Value for the scientific community and the public

• Mobilised open data – The Platform tools for data deposition drove the direct submission of 85% of global viral raw genomic sequence data into the public domain via the Platform’s Data Hubs (April 2021). This included the UK surveillance data from COG-UK.
• Integrated data sources – The initiative provided integrated data and views to other SARS-CoV-2 related information (protein structures, compounds, drug candidates) as well as instruments to support users (compute infrastructure, workflows, and analysis tools).
• European coordination – The Platform provided a practical recipe for countries on how to coordinate national SARS-CoV-2 data through toolkits and EMBL-EBI technical support to implement their own National Data Portals.
• Centralised data – The availability of both patient and research data from around the globe in one location enabled efficient data sharing, access and comparative analyses by researchers from diverse disciplines.
• Connectivity – Facilitated access to up-to-date information for European member states on the progress of national COVID-19 efforts to collectively tackle shared challenges and benefit from shared solutions.
• Data standards – Initiated the coordinated development of internationally-used minimum data standards for serology (diagnostic identification of antibodies in blood serum) and seroprevalence data.

Economic impact

An independent economic impact study by Charles Beagrie Ltd showed that the institute’s data resources, which underlie the Platform, have been making a major contribution to science throughout the pandemic. 

In a 2021 survey of EMBL-EBI hosted data resources, of the 4000 respondents who answered the COVID-19 questions:

• 32% said they valued EMBL-EBI data resources more as a result of the pandemic. 
• 25% said they had used EMBL-EBI data resources more during the pandemic. 
• 18% of respondents were users of the European COVID-19 Data Platform, a relatively significant proportion for a newly-established data resource.

In addition:

• 71% of those who had used the Platform said they could not have obtained the information from another source.
• 85% said they could not have created/collected it themselves.

“I truly appreciate the importance of the European COVID-19 Data Platform as the umbrella for the integration of national data, but also its potential as a role model in the European health space.”

Preparing for future pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of global open data sharing. Ensuring the sustainability of EMBL-EBI’s integrated biological data resources will provide durable core services for Europe and the world in times of both peace and crisis.

Preparations for future pandemics highlight how imperative it is that countries pool resources, cooperate, and align strategic directions to drive forward scientific progress and to deliver research that is relevant to pressing societal challenges.

Funders and partners

We would like to thank our funders and partners for their continued support. Without them the European COVID-19 Data Platform would not have been possible.

Funders:

• European Commission
• EOSC Life
• ELIXIR Converge
• VEO
• ReCoDID

Partners:

• ELIXIR
• EMBL-EBI
• Eötvös Loránd University
• ERASMUS Medical Centre
• European Open Science Cloud
• National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Netherlands)
• Technical University of Denmark
• University Hospital Heidelberg

Participating infrastructures:

• BBMRI-ERIC
• Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
• Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP
• INFRAFRONTIER